Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join other Senators in passing on best wishes to Mr. Bernard Hand on his retirement, which, I hope, will be long and happy. We have had references to Cavan football for two days in succession and it all seems to rest on the infamous occasion in the Polo Grounds in 1947. I wish Bernard every success. He was always a gentleman as far as I was concerned.

This matter may have been mentioned on the Order of Business; I was late coming in. Irish Water has firmed up on its plans to extract water from the River Shannon and to pipe it through the midlands and into Dublin. I was chairman of the Shannon water advisory board when that plan was first mooted eight years ago. The initial reaction was a kneejerk one. The people in the west were of the view that their water was being stolen and so on. I think people have had a better look at it since. I hope when this is going ahead, the local authority members will be consulted first and last because they are the people who know most about the environmental impact it will have on their area.

It is disappointing Bord na Móna'a plans to create an eco-lake in the midlands as part of the scheme seem to have been shelved. Apparently, it will be one pipeline with offshoots in the various counties where water is required. It is a big project that will create a great number of jobs. It is not exactly draining the Shannon as was promised in these Houses for decades. However, it is basically a step in the right direction, provided the local authorities are involved in the process at all stages.