Seanad debates

Wednesday, 28 February 2018

10:30 am

Photo of Paddy BurkePaddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be associated with the good wishes extended to Senator Ó Clochartaigh. He has beautiful Irish and it is lovely to listen to him speaking the language. He has a great ability to switch between Irish and English and it is absolutely fabulous to listen to him. When I was Cathaoirleach he posed a lot of problems for me because my Irish was very poor. He would table either a Commencement matter or an Adjournment matter almost every day and I would have to have a crash course, along with the former Clerk to the Seanad, Ms Deirdre Lane, with Martin Groves coming in to read out the matter. I decided that I would take Senator Ó Clochartaigh's matter every morning to get it out of the way but that did not solve my problem because he would table another one for the following day. Eventually I decided I would leave my notes here because it would often be the same matter and I was better able to communicate it. Senator Ó Clochartaigh was a great Senator who raised many important issues on the floor of the House for the betterment of the people of his area and the country. He was an outstanding public representative and I wish him well in his new job as communications manager with TG4. That organisation will benefit greatly from his experience. I wish him and his family well. I also wish him the best of luck in his new job.

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