James Heffernan (Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State back to the House. I am delighted to see the Seanad progress this Bill and, hopefully, we can get it through this Chamber and on the books so that it does not die in the event of this Government not being returned. I see tremendous merit in this. It is something I called for in the wake of the retirement of Henry Shefflin this year. I argued for it on the international retirement of a great Limerick man, Paul O'Connell. It is needed. While we can confer honorary doctorates and degrees from universities, it does not quite equate to an honour given by the State. The non-political office of Uachtarán na hÉireann is exactly where the power to bestow such honours should be placed.

Senator Quinn is a recipient of honours from the Vatican and France. He may be putting himself in line for an honour here. I would not be surprised. There are so many people who would be deserving of such awards. I recall Christine Buckley when she came in here to meet us. This was somebody who did tremendous work in uncovering the scandal of large-scale abuse in industrial schools. She was a terrific woman. Brother Colm O'Connell could be honoured for the work he has done for athletics in Africa. Fr. Charlie Burrows has not really been recognised by anybody in this State but does a huge amount of work in the area of social justice. He is somebody about whom we do not know much but the work he does in Indonesia is remarkable. He has built roads, hospitals and schools. He runs his own social bank to give money to people who cannot afford to go to college and start a business. The contribution of the fiddle player, Martin Hayes, to traditional Irish music is second to none. The work done with the homeless in our cities by Sister Stanislaus Kennedy is another example. These people should be recognised for the very hard, dedicated and often voluntary work they do. This type of work highlights all that is good about being Irish. As has been said previously, it gives us role models. We need these very positive role models who have always fought the good fight and spoken about truth, justice and reconciliation.These are the types of people we should be putting up on pedestals and this is a great way of doing that.

I would have a small concern about the abbreviated title, GU, which brings to mind the first half of an acronym that is well known in Leinster House. All sorts of unwelcome images are conjured up when one adds BU to the end. I welcome the fact that the awards will be secular and will essentially be rewarded by the Republic. This Bill is particularly timely given that the centenary of 1916 is almost upon us and it is appropriate that the State would honour its citizens in this fashion.

Senator Mooney said earlier that it is 100 years since the British left Ireland but there are many people living on this island who would disagree with him and argue that there are still some British here who should go home.

I welcome the fact that the award will be non-partisan, secular, non-political and will have an input from the public. Indeed, I welcome this Bill in its entirety and thank Senator Quinn for putting it to the House. I hope it can become a reality with the blessing of the Minister of State.