Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

They said: "God, Sir, your girlfriend is massive." In Sheriff Street, the word "massive" is a compliment. It is very different from Monaghan, where telling somebody their wife or girlfriend is massive it has a different connotation. I had to spend a little time explaining that one. I digress.

To speak bluntly to Senator Power's reservations, one cannot be seen to have been undermining anything if one answers a question factually. "Are you married?" "Yes, I am." That is not undermining anything, only stating a fact. It is not proselytising, undermining or campaigning. If somebody asks me, as a teacher, if I am running for election, the answer is yes. If somebody asks if I am running for the Labour Party, the answer is yes. If somebody asks if his or her mother should vote for the Labour Party, that is where the line is.