Keith Swanick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom ar son Fhianna Fáil agus ar mo shon féin comhbhrón a dhéanamh le clann agus le cairde Martin McGuinness agus lena pháirtí, Sinn Féin. Polaiteoir den scoth ab ea é. Bhí ról an-tábhachtach aige i bpróiseas na síochána. Cuimhním go maith ar an lá stairiúil deich mbliana ó shin nuair a bhí sé i Stormont le Ian Paisley, Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern agus Peter Hain. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Ba mhaith liom freisin cúpla focal a rá mar gheall ar an tubaiste i gceantar Iorras i gContae Mhaigh Eo. Blacksod Lighthouse is situated at the very tip of the Erris Peninsula. It remains the centre of the search operation under way around Blackrock for Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116. Mr. Vincent Sweeney is the keeper of the lighthouse and it was he who was on duty awaiting the return of Captain Dara Ftizpatrick and her colleagues to refuel. Sadly, they never returned. As we all know, weather and sea conditions have played havoc with the search operation for Mark Duffy, Ciarán Smith and Paul Ormsby.

It is somewhat prophetic that a weather forecast from the same lighthouse, relayed by Mr. Ted Sweeney who was Vincent's father, just after 2 a.m. on 3 June 1944 contained a warning about a force 6 wind and a rapidly falling barometer at Blacksod. On receipt of this information, General Dwight D. Eisenhower postponed by one day the planned invasion of Normandy by allied forces. The actions of one man in Blacksod, County Mayo helped to avert a military catastrophe and changed the course of the Second World War and eventually led to the fall of Nazi Germany. Despite immense technological advancements since that day in 1944, the perils of the north Atlantic Ocean and the unpredictability of the weather remain the same.

There are around 300 people, mostly volunteers, involved in the massive operation to find the helicopter and the remaining members of the crew. Unfortunately, weather conditions and the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean pose an immense challenge. All of us who have been involved with the volunteers - I include my colleague, Rose, in this - want to see the families reunited with their loved ones. There is a quiet resolve on the Erris Peninsula to complete the task in hand. The response of the local community has been truly incredible. They are responsible for three distinct aspects of the mission. The first involves the provision of local knowledge from fishermen neighbours and friends who have been instrumental in the search. The second is the land search by local volunteers that has yielded important parts of the wreckage. The third is the welfare of the searchers and members of the emergency services. Food has been provided for 250 people each day.

What is unique about the operation is the collaboration between the air accident investigation unit, the Garda, the Irish Naval Service, the Air Corps, Civil Defence, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, RNLI, Mayo County Council and the Irish Lights vessel Granuaile. They have all worked together under the direction of the Irish Coast Guard.

As I have said previously in the House, on every single call-out members of the Irish Coast Guard are exposed to dangers, with which no other workers, apart from members of the emergency services, are faced. There are many people alive today in Ireland who owe their lives to the bravery and skill of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick and her fine colleagues. It has been touching to hear so many such stories as the nation has expressed its gratitude to these brave heroes. It was striking to listen to the brave words spoken by the family of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick: "We feel like the lucky ones now because we have her. We can kiss her. We can hold her."

Over the weekend I was in Blacksod Lighthouse with Mr. Vincent Sweeney and some of the immediate family members of the three missing crew members. Another D-Day is being planned. I know that I speak for every person involved in the search operation in County Mayo and the nation when I say we all hope the families of Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith will have their own D-Day when their loved ones are discovered.