Martin Conway (Fine Gael)

The comments of Senator Mac Conghail to date have sparked the imagination of people and I thank him for his invitation to "Translations" which I hope to attend next week or the week after.

I had tabled matters on the Adjournment which the Cathaoirleach correctly ruled out of order on two separate occasions. I accept his ruling. I thank the Leader for his interventions following the seven wonders of nature competition involving the Cliffs of Moher which I raised on the Order of Business on a couple of occasions. In fairness to the Leader, he brought it to the attention of the Minister and it is to be hoped we will see some Government-led action to ensure the Cliffs of Moher can win the competition on behalf of Ireland.

I am saddened that there is an industrial relations dispute at the Cliffs of Moher which started today. Unfortunately, there is a picket outside the cliffs. There was a scheduled press conference by Giovanni Trapattoni, the manager of the Irish soccer team, scheduled for the area tomorrow, but unfortunately it will not now go ahead. The media opportunity nationally and internationally for the seven wonders of nature competition will not be forthcoming.

I call on all parties involved in the dispute to re-enter negotiations and go before the Labour Court to resolve the issue. The competition is not just important for the Cliffs of Moher; it is important for Ireland. If Ireland can have one of the seven wonders of nature, it will be phenomenal for tourism. I call on the Leader to speak to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to put pressure on Clare County Council to re-enter the Labour Court and determine whether the dispute can be resolved as a matter of urgency.