Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support everything my colleague, Senator Michael Comiskey, has said in regard to the Seán Mac Diarmada cottage. When I looked at the photographs in the newspaper of the Pearse cottage in Galway I thought it was the Mac Diarmada cottage, such is the similarity between the two. Without wishing to appear partisan, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Simon Harris, visited the Mac Diarmada homestead a few weeks ago to launch the annual Leitrim County Council sponsored Seán Mac Diarmada summer school. There was a high level of expectation, especially among Senator Comiskey's party colleagues, that the Minister of State would not leave without making a specific announcement. Not only were those in the Government parties disappointed but all of us who live in Leitrim were disappointed that no such announcement was made about funding. I found it hard to absorb yesterday watching all the media attention on the Taoiseach and all the various foot soldiers in Fine Gael turning up in Connemara for the announcement in terms of the Pádraig Pearse cottage. I do not want to set one cottage against another but, as history has already proved, he was probably the most significant member of the Provisional Government of 1916. We in Leitrim believe that reality should be recognised and recognised financially. In that regard I fully support the comments of Senator Comiskey and call on the Government, even at this late stage, to allocate the necessary funding. Leitrim County Council has plans for its development. The road access is very narrow and funding is required. I am sure it can be found somewhere.

I support Senator Labhrás Ó Murchú, Senator Sean D. Barrett and others on all sides, who are calling for a humanitarian approach to what is going on in Greece. There is most definitely an elite between the German-Franco-Finnish-Dutch axis, although I would probably exclude the French in that they seem to be standing in solidarity with the Greek people.