Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend everybody who has been involved in Vótáil 100. It has captured people's imagination. As somebody who often has guests and friends in Leinster House, it has been great to have the exhibition in the ante-chambers. It has been a real privilege to show people these wonderful artefacts and memories of a very important campaign at a very important in Irish history.

Yeats wrote about how peace comes "dropping slow" but so also does change. It is interesting to reflect that, in addition to the great women campaigners for women's suffrage, it also took a certain shaming of the authorities in the wake of the First World War, having regard to women's very necessary contribution in the factories and so on, to realise what was long overdue in terms of the granting of women's suffrage.

The best practical tribute we can make in these Houses is to make our workplace much more family friendly for the benefit of women and men. This week the Seanad sat until 2 a.m. That is not the way to support the aspirations of women and men to take their place in political life in a way that is harmonious with their other aspirations and responsibilities.