Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le Mr. Cooney as ucht an fhorbairt atá le déanamh ar son na daoine sna Stáit Aontaithe. In welcoming Mr. Cooney today, this Chamber reflects the views of so many on the need for immigration reform. In commending the appointment of Senator Lawless and thanking him for his work — I have seen at first hand the work he has been doing and we had a positive meeting last week — I believe it is important that a bipartisan approach be taken in the United States, as Mr. Cooney mentioned in his remarks, and that there be cross-party support from this House of the Oireachtas. In his very fine contribution and excellent answers, Mr. Cooney spoke about the importance of Congress and the need to have a winning coalition of blue and red, Republican and Democrat — not one or the other but both. In the past, perhaps, we made the mistake of talking too much to one side. Thankfully, we have learned from that mistake and are now encompassing both sides.

As Mr. Cooney said in his remarks, it is important that we reach beyond the traditional base and engage in outreach. When in Philadelphia for the Democratic National Convention, I noted the importance of the Irish community and the work being done, be it in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, New York or elsewhere. At the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland dinner in Cork last week, the ambassador stated succinctly to me that we may be moving from Boston to Austin, and that the axis is moving.We speak about a winning coalition. It is about going beyond the traditional Democrat bases and about people like Paul Ryan from Wisconsin.

The Irish-American community is an important part of the American election cycle and also an important part of the American race. We have a very strong lobby of Irish-Americans in Congress. I know from talking to people like Brendan Boyle and Joe Crowley, who I met this summer, that they are very committed. Mr. Cooney mentioned the gang of eight and he made a very good point that one third of the Members of the House were not there. This point about turnover is one we keep forgetting. We need to re-educate and recalibrate our message, and perhaps that is a role that we in this Chamber can play. I would hope the appointment of Deputy Joe McHugh as Minister of State with responsibility for the diaspora, and the extraordinary work that he and the former Minister, Jimmy Deenihan, have been doing, can be augmented in this Chamber by having a further debate following on from today's debate. I would be very happy to facilitate that request.

Mr. Cooney made a very good point in regard to widening the debate around the issue of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, in particular around American companies. In my contribution to the Apple debate yesterday, I made reference to the fact there are thousands of jobs and millions of euro being invested in this country. Mr. Cooney made an interesting point on how we can broaden that debate. Ambassador Anne Anderson and Michael Lonergan in Washington DC were mentioned. Ambassador Anderson is doing superb work. Mr. Cooney is right that the resources she has in comparison to those of some of our multinational firms are paltry.

I thank Mr. Cooney. Many people would have asked, "Who is Manus Cooney and why is he addressing the Seanad?" The reason very simply is that Mr. Cooney has proven to be an outstanding friend of Ireland. He has made a gargantuan contribution. He may be 6' 3" and he is certainly hard to miss, but his contribution is missed by many because he makes it so quietly, below the radar, as he is only interested in achieving a result. Perhaps I have not been as active a participant as Senator Mark Daly, who I should also commend for the work he does, but I can say to the Members of the House that in Manus Cooney, we have a man who is determined and who has brought steel, insight and a wealth of experience.