Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last week I mentioned Senator Eamonn Coghlan's famous ancestor, the Kerry-born engineer John Coghlan, when I was saluting some of his achievements in another context. I join the Senator in warmly congratulating another of our namesakes, Fiona Coghlan, on her team's tremendous victory at the weekend. As Senator Terry Brennan said, to win the Triple Crown and the grand slam is a tremendous achievement.

I fully support what Senator Mary Ann O'Brien and others have said about town centres. Retailers in towns throughout the country have suffered and are suffering. To a large extent, vibrancy and vitality have been robbed from town centres. I hope Senator Denis Landy is right when he says everything is not yet lost. The planning departments of town councils wreaked havoc in many towns when they allowed out-of-town developments to be built.

I am concerned about our much sought after wild venison. There should be a ban in this regard. I am, therefore, calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Simon Coveney, whom I salute for what he has achieved with regard to the Common Agricultural Policy, and the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan, who is in charge of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, to take action in this respect. Sadly, the poaching and night shooting of stags, in particular, are on the increase.