Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also join my colleagues in remembering the four young men who died tragically in Donegal last Sunday in that tragic accident - Shaun Harkin, Mícheal Roarty, John Harley and Daniel Scott. Our thoughts go out to their families and friends and indeed the communities of Gortakhork and Gweedore that are saddened and numb today.

We are moving into a very interesting and dangerous time with regard to Brexit over the next few weeks and months. We called it right. We need nerves of steel and to watch what we say because everything will be taken as a sign of weakness or strength. The utterances of the former UK Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, Dominic Raab, leaking inaccurate material, were very unfortunate and must be called out. It is not the right thing to do at this very difficult time.

We are in Dublin where the weather is cold and wet, but I remind people that most of the areas along the west coast are now covered in snow. It is a difficult time for farmers and communities. Many schools are closed. Sometimes one would not think it from the national media because it sometimes does not realise that the weather in areas beyond Maynooth is so bad. One thing that people do not realise is that it rains twice as much in the west as it does on the east coast. Whenever I ring home from my office here, it is sunny in Dublin and raining down home. Perhaps the Government could look at some form of grant because we take everything coming in off the Atlantic Ocean and save Dublin people on the east coast from getting wet. It is sometimes an issue when it comes to mental health. When it rains, it does affect people on the west coast. It is just something I had not realised. If we look at the figures, we can see that it rains twice as much on most of the west coast as it does on the east coast.