Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim céad fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Ba mhaith liom é a mholadh as ucht an cur i láthair as Gaeilge a rinne sé ag tús na hóráide. Tá sé ag déanamh an-dul chun cinn ó thaobh na Gaeilge agus molaim é as sin. Molaim na Seanadóirí eile atá ag úsáid an méid Gaeilge atá acu chomh maith céanna. Ábhar fíor-spéisiúil i ndáiríre atá i gceist inniu. Is ábhar é nach bhfuil an t-úafás taithí agam ann, cé go bhfuil neart clocha i gConamara. Ba chóir go mbeadh níos mó tuiscint againn ar an geo-eolaíocht atá timpeall orainn. Is dóigh gur cheart a rá maidir leis an ngeo-eolaíocht agus an méid atá á mhúineadh sna scoileanna gur cheart go mbeadh gach páiste sna scoileanna ag foghlaim níos mó maidir le cúrsaí tír-eolais agus mar sin de. Is trua an rud é go bhfuil titim siar ar an méid tír-eolais atá á mhúineadh inár gcuid scoileanna. Baineann an geo-eolaíocht agus an méid a bhaineann le sin le fíor-phictúir a thabhairt maidir le Éireann agus an fíor-thír atá againn.
Every child that attends a primary school should be taught a little more geology as a means of educating them on the real size of Ireland. We often view Ireland as a small country but a recently published map of Ireland shows that this country is not limited to the land mass we are most accustomed to seeing in the average map or atlas in that Ireland has an area of ten times its land mass with rocks, sand and natural resources up to 5 kilometres deep in our oceans. It is fascinating to look at the real map of Ireland from that perspective. It is important that our school children not learn only about Ireland defined by 32 counties. This country has far more interesting natural wonders and resources reaching far into the Atlantic Ocean.
We often talk about tourism and its benefits for Ireland. However, much of this tourism is inextricably tied to the geology of the country as expressed previously. The lakes, rivers and mountains were formed thousands or even millions of years ago by movement of rocks and tectonic plates. A colleague of mine, a councillor in Galway, Cathal Ó Conchúir, has done some really good work through the department of education at NUIG in the area of e-books on this whole issue.Leabhra eile as Gaeilge, gur féidir a fháil mar e-leabhra, ag míníu cé as a dtáinig na rudaí seo ar fad agus tá siad den tuairim ansin gur féidir turasóireacht a chur chun cinn go mór in san gceantar sin ó thaobh fiú daoine a bheith ag staidéar na tíreolaíochta. There is huge potential from a tourism perspective in many universities across the world coming to the west of Ireland in particular to study the geology and geography of that area. This geology gives Ireland the natural beauty for which it is famous and which attracts visitors from around the world each year. However, geology still has a part to play in attracting tourism. Areas such as the Burren in County Clare have fascinated an entire myriad of scientists. It is essential that the Government ensures that the Burren and other areas are properly promoted, maintained and serviced so that researchers from around the world can discover their wonders.
The Government should also ensure that Irish scholars have access to research funding in this area. Geoscience initiatives have great possibilities for the Irish economy, in particular through the area of energy. Geothermal is an exciting form of renewable energy. If properly researched this could be an innovative means of heating buildings. Geothermal energy offers one of the best solutions to the State attempts to reduce the amount of CO² emissions it pumps into the atmosphere.

The history of major climate change events can be found hidden in our rocks. Geoscientists can use information from the study of rocks to discover what occurred when the planet heated up or cooled down in the past. This information may be essential to those tackling climate change into the future. In addition, geoscience is vital if we are to harness the extensive resources of oil and gas off our coastline. While there has been little extraction of those resources to date, it does not mean they will be of no value in the future. Technology in this area is constantly improving and there is major potential for the resources to be accessed. Sinn Féin has always maintained that the State should play a serious role in that regard. A State petroleum company should be established, for example, which would provide resources and jobs for geologists and other scientists.

Geoscience goes hand in hand with the study of groundwater, which is a very topical issue in Connemara at the moment go háirithe i gCeathrú Rua ina bhfuil fadhbanna againn le caighdeán an uisce ach ní phléfimid é sin inniu. There is an obvious link between geology and the water that we drink. In fact, geoscience is essential to ensure we have safe drinking water as the rocks beneath our feet act as a natural filtration system to clean our water. A good example of this is the potential for contamination of the groundwater in the Lough Allen basin if fracking is introduced there. Fracking involves the pumping of pressurised water and chemicals into the ground to crack rocks that store unconventional gas. It is a highly dangerous method of gas extraction and any geoscientist worth his or her salt would say it is not suitable for this country.

Deánaim comhghairdeas maidir leis na leabhra a luadh ansin agus iad sin a bheith foilsithe as Gaeilge. Tá sé go maith freisin go bhfuiltear ag tógáil cur chuige uile-Éireann maidir leis an suirbhéireacht atá á dhéanamh. Feicim féin, ó thug na Gallimhe na báid ag dul amach ag déanamh an suirbhéireacht ar cruinne na farraige ach go háirid, go bhfuil an obair sin ag dul go mór chun tairbhe na tíre ar fad. Is gné an-tábhachtach an obair seo agus tá súil agam go leanfaidh sí.