Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate Ms Aoibhe Carrabine from the Geesala Boxing Club for her wonderful win in the European championships. She is a wonderful young woman from Bangor Erris who is a credit to her family, club, county and her country. I wish her well for the future and congratulate the other five medal-winners at the European women's youth and junior championships. I also congratulate the volunteers in the Geesala Boxing Club and, indeed, all the boxing clubs involved for their dedication to the development of young people so that they can reach their true potential. This volunteerism brings out the best in communities and creates a spirit of togetherness, equality and excitement in these communities.

On the other hand, I condemn those who put a coffin bearing the image of the late Martin McGuinness on an east Belfast bonfire. This is a blatant display of hatred and bigotry which propagates sectarian divisions in our country. If there is one thing that Martin McGuinness showed us, it was how to accept and embrace those with different opinions, creeds and cultures from ours. He showed us the importance of reaching out and of the reconciliation phase of the peace process. It is not acceptable that unionist politicians fail to show leadership in refusing to condemn this hate crime. Through being guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement the British Government and Irish Government have a legal obligation to ensure that the elements of that Agreement and other agreements are fulfilled, because it serves to tackle all these hate crimes. I hope also that those in the South who make little and seek to score cheap political points on the back of Sinn Féin's insistence on equality and parity of esteem in underpinning the political institutions will now have a deeper understanding that these political institutions cannot hope to serve the people of the North if they are built on a sandpit of inequality and sectarianism.