Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the House. I am interested in The Gathering. Like Senator Ó Murchú, I have a keen interest in issues of family history and ancestry. I am connected with many organisations around the world. I spent my summer holidays in Wisconsin tracing three generations of women who went to a small town there. Interestingly, Vice President Joe Biden also had ancestors who were shoemakers. His left within weeks of President Obama's. They have a shared story within their ancestries.

The Gathering is generating a great deal of discussion and is positive towards people's ideas. There is a feeling of hope and personal involvement. As the Minister stressed, each of us must take the initiative within our communities. When I first heard about The Gathering, I wondered whether it was a case of smoke and mirrors. I do not care if it is as long as it works, brings people to Ireland and gets us all involved. The magic of the initiative is that it will be up to us. The Minister outlined the initiative's momentum. Having listened to each of my colleagues, I do not doubt that we will share the ideas and concepts that we are seeking to promote.

The Minister stressed the importance of The Gathering not being done by the Government and the need for everyone to be involved. It is about the use and credibility of the brand. I received an invitation recently and although I will not give the details, this is an issue about the use of the State's branding by a commercial company that is not based in Ireland and is in the business of making profit. Perhaps the Minister can allay my concerns about who can use the brand and how. I welcome all of the initiatives, but they should not be organised by such companies. This is not what The Gathering is about. Instead, The Gathering is about challenging each of us. I have challenged myself with learning my ancestry networks. I have connected with those to try to encourage events.

I am also the chair of Early Childhood Ireland, which wondered what part it could play in The Gathering, if any. I am delighted that the Minister will help us to launch our invitations. We are organising a global gathering on early childhood in October. We plan to have 600 plus participants, the majority of whom will come from Ireland, in a four-day event at the Aviva Stadium to discuss early childhood. We expect significant attendance levels from the US, Australia, New Zealand and the UK, but we are sending the invitations worldwide. Our idea is generating considerable interest and we are attracting significant speakers on the issue of early childhood. Ireland is an interesting place because we are changing and developing our policies on early childhood. This is just another type of initiative that each of us can consider in determining where our responsibility lies and how we can make The Gathering work.

I am behind The Gathering full square and I will help in any way to make it work. It is in everyone's interests. As with Senator Ó Murchú's mention of previous events, we can look back on The Gathering and be proud. We must regain our momentum for this and successive years.