John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

Ceann Comhairle, Cathaoirleach Seanad Éireann, a dhaoine uaisle go léir, is onóir domsa mar cheannaire An Comhaontas Glas a bheith anseo i dTeach an Ard Mhéara ar ócáid cheiliúradh 90 bliain Chéad Suí Dháil Éireann.

Is minic agus mé ag léamh stair na tíre seo rith sé liom misneach agus fís na fir agus an t-aon bhean amháin, Countess Markievicz, a sheas sa tseomra seo 90 bliain ó shin. Ritheann sé liom freisin, cé go raibh siad ag troid le hImpireacht Shasana ag an am, go raibh siad sásta mar sin féin an córas rialachán agus parlaiminte a bhí acu sin a ghlacadh acu féin. Bhí siad idéalach agus praiticiúil ag an am chéanna.

We gather here today to commemorate and celebrate the first meeting of Dáil Éireann 90 years ago. The young men and one woman who were elected to the Dáil knew they carried the hopes and dreams of a new generation, for a brighter, democratic and independent future for our island. They met here against the backdrop of huge ferment and upheaval in Ireland and the wider world.

The world war in which thousands of young Irish men had died had just ended, the Easter 1916 Rising had radicalised Irish nationalism and in late January the first shots of the War of Independence were fired. The world was also in the grip of a flu pandemic which would kill millions, the Versailles Treaty was being negotiated, Mussolini's fascists were organising and the Weimar Republic was trying to establish itself.

Yet despite all of this, the young idealists, the elected representatives of the First Dáil came here to deliver a message to the world. It was a message about liberty, equality and justice, a message which resonates today with the present generation of Irish men and women. We can take hope and encouragement from their struggle, for the challenge we now face as a nation is the most daunting since the First Dáil. We can and we will prevail if we work together and think differently. We can treat history as a nightmare from which we are trying to awaken — the words of Joyce who was completing Ulysses at the time — or we can choose to learn from it.

Was the Civil War inevitable? Was the carnage in Northern Ireland avoidable? We cannot reverse time, nor can we undo the mistakes of the past, but we can and must embark now on a course of radical change. Such change will require courage, dedication and real leadership. Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. It is time for this generation of political leaders truly to reflect on what is best for our country in this difficult period. We must resolve to put aside some of our political differences. Let us be open to the possibilities of change and wise enough to know that the economic circumstances will not change miraculously regardless of who is in power. Let today be the beginning of a real debate on where we are going as a nation, how best we can achieve the goals of protecting our economy and our society and how we can continue the unbroken line of democracy and dedication to the rule of law of the last 90 years, which is unique among the new European states that emerged after the First World War.

Today we acknowledge the contribution of our political parties to the shaping of our society, the Labour leader Tom Johnson who had the foresight to know that the goal of national independence was the most important aspect of the 1918 election, the contribution of Sinn Féin to our modern peace process, the Progressive Democrats founder Des O'Malley who said he would stand by the Republic. We salute Alan Dukes, the Fine Gael leader whose Tallaght strategy brought us through an economic crisis. We recall Seán Lemass and Jack Lynch who modernised and opened Ireland to Europe and the world. Each party has, with its own ideas and policies, enriched our democratic traditions.

Unlike other parties in this room today, the Green Party does not trace its roots back to the early days of nationalism, but for more than a quarter century we have made our contribution. Indeed it was in this very room that we took the momentous decision to enter Government. We are part of an international movement dedicated to global responsibility and the future of our planet and its people.

It is the green new deal, embraced so confidently by Barack Obama, that offers our people and the people of the United States renewed hope. Ireland should not just be part of this new green revolution, we should be leading it. This generation of Irish people has the skill and the talent once again to reinvent ourselves to create new jobs in clean technology, in renewable energy, in energy conservation and in insulation of houses and schools as we move to a low-carbon future and a better quality of life for all our citizens.

If we do not accept the need for radical change, if we remain resolutely focused on our own party political interests and if we indulge in partisanship, recrimination and adversarial pettiness we will be failing in our political duty. That duty is to serve the people first. Putting people first means recognising that while the era of the Celtic tiger may have brought prosperity it was also a time of corporate greed, irresponsibility and profligacy. In this new era we must have the highest standards of transparency and accountability, the most rigorous regulation of our financial system and those guilty of bringing our banking system into disrepute must be pursued and punished. There can be no hiding place — no parallel legal system — for the corporate sector.

I have no doubt that were the Members of the First Dáil here today they would be debating a new green economy. We already have the evidence of our history books to tell us that they would be united in one purpose — to keep Ireland free and prosperous.

It has been my privilege to reflect awhile on the First Dáil meeting here in this room 90 years ago. Now I ask all of you to reflect on how we can identify common remedies together for our future.

Is léir go bhfuil ceachtanna le foghlaim againn uatha sa lá atá inniu ann. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.