Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is important that the Oireachtas marks appropriately the occasion of 100 years of women's suffrage in Ireland. Before raising a couple of other significant historical events we should also remember, I find it astonishing and highly ironic that Fianna Fáil Party Senators have complained about leaking pipes and water shortages in Dublin. I remind them that the purpose of establishing Irish Water was to invest in water infrastructure and modernise the water network. What did Fianna Fáil do during the general election campaign? It undermined all the progress made in this area in the interest of populist politics. It is a little rich, therefore, to hear Senators from that party complain during a crisis when all of these matters were meant to have been addressed by now.

I raise a significant event and an important person in Irish history. This day 180 years ago - on 7 March 1848 - our national flag, the tricolour, was flown for the first time at the Wolfe Tone Confederate Club at 33 The Mall, Waterford City, by the Irish patriot, Thomas Francis Meagher. In April 1848, Meagher stated: "The white in the centre signifies a lasting truce between Orange and Green, and I trust that beneath its folds the hands of Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics may be clasped in generous and heroic brotherhood." The Seanad should pause and reflect on these significant words which are as relevant today as they were in 1848. This Republic should respect all traditions and religions and we should remember the legacy of Thomas Francis Meagher, a Waterford man.

Another significant point in history was the centenary yesterday of the death of the great Irish parliamentarian, John Redmond. This week a number of commemorative events will be held in Dublin, Waterford and Wexford to mark Redmond's death. As Senators will be aware, Redmond was the leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party for more than 18 years and made a significant contribution to politics in this country. He was involved in negotiations with landlords to transfer land ownership to tenant farmers. This legacy endures and should be recognised.

Redmond was often criticised for his interest in the British war effort. In modern Ireland, we have a better understanding of the reasons Irish people fought in the First World War and we must respect those reasons. Whether we agree or disagree with Redmond's views, we should remember and mark his legacy both in Parliament and the country. His life will be marked in Waterford this weekend in a conference featuring a number of important speakers who will do his memory justice.