Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Senator was 11, to be accurate for the record of the House. I remember that campaign quite well and, in particular, an extraordinary incident during its course. I do not wish to digress but I was a keynote speaker on behalf of the newly-formed Divorce Action Group in my constituency of Laois-Offaly on a date between April and June. I believe the referendum was held on 23 or 24 June. I was a guest speaker but, in the same hotel, my father was a keynote speaker at a meeting organised by the Traditional Values anti-divorce group. Indeed, he was supported by many of his colleagues in the Dáil. When I was on my feet in the course of my address to a room of approximately 15 people I could clearly hear the thunderous voice of my father addressing a meeting of approximately 550 at the same time in the same hotel. We met on the stairs on the way down and he asked me how my meeting went. He did so in a way that could be described-----