Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom cúpla focal gairid a rá mar gheall ar shaol John Robb agus an tionchar a bhí aige sa Teach seo agus atá orainne go fóill sa Seanad. I welcome and thank the members of the Robb family who are here today and I thank Senator Norris for ensuring we had the opportunity to reflect on the life of former Senator John Robb. Like other Members, I did not know him personally, but as has been reflected adequately today, we all feel his legacy and his input as a result of our presence in this Chamber. It is not just Senator Marshall or I, but all of us. We all benefit from what he brought to politics and, in particular, to this House because the great strength of Seanad Éireann is that at times it has been and, as Senator Feighan said, it can be reflective and representative of Éire and I hope it has been so today. It can be reflective and representative of all of us and our complex and layered diversity in the wonderful tapestry, to be recognised, appreciated, celebrated and loved by people, such as John Robb when they come to a place such as this to argue for dialogue, peace and, as Senator Marshall said, for risk taking, which is always necessary, whether in the midst of conflict or indeed emerging from that conflict.

From what I understand, John Robb was not afraid to take risks, and that was not just in terms of entering this institution but, as Senator Conway-Walsh said, he was comfortable and engaged in the company of republicans at a time when it was not easy. He was among a small band of people from within the unionist, Protestant and loyalist tradition who reached out and equally accepted an invitation to engage and listen to republicans. If we do John Robb a service today, it is not just to remember and reflect and if we are to pay real tribute to his legacy, it is to continue to think, challenge and engage.

In that spirit, I say very respectfully that I appreciate the fact that John Robb and others like him have been Members of this institution over the years and I celebrate and welcome the fact our colleague, Senator Marshall, from the unionist tradition is here because that is the kind of Ireland I want. I want a kind of republic that will ultimately represent and reflect all our traditions, whether new or more established. Let us not think either that it is not sometimes a challenge for Northern nationalists or Northern republicans to be in this House too. It is a time when politics is in flux and we need to continue to understand and listen to one another and to appreciate where we are at and the challenges facing us. If we are true to the challenge that people such as John Robb and his contemporaries, whether republican or unionist at the time, have thrown down to us now, it is to ensure that we continue to listen to each other and ensure that Ireland in all of its wonderful complexity is represented and, importantly, asserted in this House.