Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Just as Mr. Cooney stated that for him it was a huge privilege to address the House and that it is a memorable occasion for him, it is also a great privilege for me to welcome him on behalf of my party and my colleagues in the House. In welcoming him I acknowledge the presence of Senator Billy Lawless, who has done pioneering work and whose appointment is an indication of the Government's commitment to the undocumented Irish and the work of the diaspora in general. I acknowledge the presence of the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, who has responsibility for the diaspora. He is doing enormous and energetic work in the area. His appointment, and the appointment before him of iconic sportsman Jimmy Deenihan to the role, is another indication of the importance of the question and of the diaspora at the highest levels of government.

Mr. Cooney's personal story which he enunciated was hugely moving and interesting. It combined every element of the American dream, with death in the coalmines and Mr. Cooney's father being an extremely successful neurosurgeon. This is in essence the American dream. It is what is wonderful and great about America. It is in so many stories. Sadly we have the other as well, to which we will turn. It very much resonates with me. My uncle went to America, and while I do not propose to give the House his biography on this occasion, he and his family have similar histories and similar things happened. It is the classic experience of so many families who went there. He was special to us.

Immigration was a huge part of my community where I grew up. I have always had a very big personal interest in this area. It is why I am very happy to address the question today. I went to all of the Irish centres and population areas in America and England in various capacities in local government and otherwise. It is all our story and it is hugely interesting.

The undocumented Irish represent our human tragedy. It is a human tragedy for the individuals. When we speak about them collectively and globally we can miss the individual story and the fact that individuals cannot come home for family funerals or family events, that they are estranged from their families and are afraid to return home because of the risk of being apprehended. This is an extraordinary imprisonment, an extraordinary alienation and it is dehumanising.I know of such cases. I know of family funerals in my area which treasured and valued family members had to watch on the web and of family funerals and weddings at which a sibling or other family member was not present. It is dreadful. Effectively, they are fugitives in another land. They are people of great capacity who left us with a great education. I am particularly proud, as a former teacher, of the excellence of our education system. These people left with a good foundation and great ambition and energy. In many cases, they were economic migrants in that they left out of necessity. In some cases, they were pioneering and wanted to go but, by and large, they left in times of recession and difficulty in terms of employment. Those people who went with dreams and hopes have so much to contribute because of the background they had here. They could contribute, as Mr. Cooney's family and my uncle's family did, but they are denied that opportunity because they are not legal. It is an extraordinarily important area. I was fascinated that Mr. Cooney identified the difficulty surrounding the anger and alienation felt, which are at the root of the problem.

To move quickly to the latter end of Mr. Cooney's presentation, I see that he presents two contrasting vistas or possibilities arising from the election, which we are not here to discuss. One is a more optimistic scenario; the other is much more challenging. All I can say to him is that he, Senator Lawless, the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, and all the people at the front line of this question will have our active support in dealing with it after the election. We cannot give up on the issue, we cannot give up the fight and we cannot give up on our determination, irrespective of the outcome. In fact, if the more pessimistic scenario that Mr. Cooney cites emerges, that will challenge us even more to deal with it. Let us pray that the more optimistic outcome works for the diaspora. We are not here to discuss the other broader question on this occasion.

It is a human story and it is so much part of our history. As Mr. Cooney said, 11% of people - more than 36 million people - in the US have links to Ireland. We have bonds of kinship and a friendship. The diaspora is our family, so it is a very real issue. I am honoured that Mr. Cooney is with us today. I salute and commend his work in this area and I thank him for it on behalf of those of us who are privileged enough to be able to live and work in this country. These are our brothers and sisters. We are committed to working with Mr. Cooney to achieve these objectives.