Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

A Chathaoirligh, today we mark the 90th anniversary of the inaugural meeting of Seanad Éireann which took place on 11 December 1922. That year represented a time when the process of building the Irish State had only just begun. Some 90 years later, the 24th Seanad sits at a time when our nation faces another battle, to retrieve its economic and political sovereignty.

I sincerely hope that as we approach the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising and the 1922 establishment of the Irish Free State we will have retrieved that sovereignty and re-identified with the values that define us as a people and can on those anniversaries celebrate a true Republic.

That is what we owe the generations before us who dedicated themselves to the pursuit of Irish independence and created the architecture of our modern Irish State. The right to control our own affairs and to decide our own destiny has been the wish for generations of our ancestors. We owe to them and future generations a better body politic, one that places the national interest before that of any one individual or interest group. In this context, I believe the members of Seanad Éireann can play a central role.

One of the most outstanding members in the early years of Seanad Éireann was Senator William Butler Yeats. Despite an overwhelmingly Catholic membership, Yeats and his future independent colleagues achieved great things. He chaired the coinage committee that was charged with selecting a set of designs for the first coinage for the Irish Free State. A year after his term in the first Seanad he was to become the first Irishman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. The Nobel committee described Yeats?s work as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He also contributed to a number of debates, including speaking against the proposed anti-divorce legislation in 1925. Yeats was very much a character that resembles the true value of the Seanad as a Chamber that can give the voiceless a voice, the invisible a presence and the status quo a challenger.

Many other great public representatives and patriots have also served in this Chamber. I recall the late Dr. Garret FitzGerald, a man whose honesty, extraordinary commitment and love for Ireland and its people has remained a benchmark for all public representatives. Other colleagues of ours, including former President, Mary Robinson, have championed the cause of minorities when others were not prepared to listen. Those barriers did not stop Mary Robinson?s efforts; in fact they encouraged her further to achieve true greatness in the areas of human rights and social issues. Last week, we paid tribute to former Senator Trevor West, who played a vital, if low key, role in the early days of the peace process in Northern Ireland. There are countless other examples of Senators who have gone on to achieve marvellous things both at home and abroad. It is fitting that, on this day, we remember their extraordinary service to our country.

It remains the Government?s intention to hold a referendum on the future of Seanad Éireann. Ultimately, the people of Ireland will decide its fate. Regardless of the outcome of this referendum, this Seanad can serve as the most productive and effective one yet but that can only be achieved if we as a group do it ourselves. That requires Members to respect the true purpose of this Parliament, to scrutinise legislation, to represent minorities and to uphold at all times the national interest. It also requires Members to turn up for debates with members of the Government and contribute to them. This is a most challenging time for our country in its 90-year history and the public are looking to both Houses of the Oireachtas for solutions, however daring and bold they may be.

There is much good to be said of the valuable contribution made by the Seanad that is too often forgotten by the commentariat. Initiatives such as the public consultation committee, which strives to strengthen the dialogue between the Seanad and public on a range of policy issues, have been well received. The adoption by Government of a number of Seanad Private Members' Bills and its receptive response to many others shows we can make an effective contribution. Time and time again Ministers and Ministers of State have expressed to me their satisfaction with the quality of debate in the House when discussing legislation and they have demonstrated a willingness take on board relevant legislative amendments where possible.

As part of the Seanad's programme for the Irish Presidency of the EU which takes place during the first half of next year, I have invited all Irish MEPs to address the House throughout the six-month Presidency. I hope this new initiative will bring the work of the Seanad and that of the European Parliament much closer.

We have achieved cross-party agreement on a number of motions of interest to members and I hope this is something on which we can build.

The 24th Seanad has led the way on many issues. I want to improve upon that because the House has far more to offer than it is given credit for by some people. I hope the future will bring greater peace, prosperity and success to our great country and the world. The reformed Seanad can play a role in achieving those ideals in an ever changing Ireland.