Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As I was not present yesterday I wish, belatedly, to offer my sympathy on the passing of the great playwright, Tom Murphy. He was certainly one of the great playwrights of our time, along with Brian Friel and my late townsman John B. Keane. It is a huge loss. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

I support Senator Wilson's call for an enlargement of the franchise for future Seanad by-elections. The entire franchise would be approximately 1,000 people, which is not a huge number. I have already congratulated the two successful candidates and wished them well here.

Finally, I welcome the announcement by Shannon Foynes Port Company of a €64 million development of the port, which will develop land-side and port-side infrastructure. There will be expenditure of €20 million on increasing the marine port handling facilities. I was a director of that port company for 16 years. It is the most important port in the country outside of Dublin. Its continued growth even through a huge recession has been remarkable. Any infrastructure investment in Foynes is an investment not just for Limerick but also for Kerry, Clare and the mid-west region in general. I wish the company well for the future with this huge project.