Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We eagerly look forward to 11 December and hope for a solution at Westminster. We want the closest possible relationship with the United Kingdom and it to have the closest possible relationship with the EU. It will be a very difficult time and what we need now are cool heads. I hope that there is an agreement with which we can all work.

I thank Mr. Martin O'Neill for the years of service that he gave the FAI. He is a man of great understanding who led us to some great triumphs. Sometimes, people lose sight of where we are, but we have had some great days out. I wish Mr. Mick McCarthy, the new manager, all the best. It has been mentioned that if people woke up to see Mick McCarthy and Boyzone on the news and the Spice Girls reforming, they would think they had missed the past 25 years. To anyone waking up, we have actually come a long way.

In recent days, I read about two men who had travelled down from Northern Ireland being assaulted. I suppose it happens at football matches, but it is very sad. I understand that the assailants have been apprehended. The two men had nothing but praise for the Republic of Ireland fans and said that it had been an isolated incident, which it was. We do not want anything like this to start happening at football matches between us and our friends in Northern Ireland. The booing that night was sad. It was not done by the majority, but it is something that we need to address. Those who were booing and who call themselves the best supporters in the world should reflect on their actions. The match between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was a great night out. The vast majority of supporters mingled and got on well together. I hope that bodes well for the future.