Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As spokesperson for the Irish overseas and the diaspora, I am delighted to see section 31 of the Bill which would extend the right to vote to Irish citizens in the North and those living overseas. Ireland is a peculiar country when one considers that 184 years ago, Daniel O'Connell struggled to get votes for Catholics, 95 years ago, women were given the vote for the first time and 45 years ago, people in Derry marched for the right to vote. However, we deny 2.6 million people, who are entitled to be citizens of Ireland, the right to vote - 1.8 million in the North and 800,000 Irish passport holders living overseas. By virtue of our Constitution, we count them as citizens but the most fundamental right of any citizen is the right to vote. Some 800,000 passport holders living overseas, which is the population of Dublin city, Cork, Waterford, Galway and Limerick combined, are denied the right to vote in a Republic.

Four countries in the Council of Europe deny their citizens overseas the right to vote, and Ireland is one of them. Some 115 countries give the franchise to citizens living overseas. Of 196 countries, Ireland is in a club which includes North Korea and dictatorships. When one thinks of our long struggle for the right to vote, the fact we are here-----