Frank Feighan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I concur with Senator Marshall on that most wonderful book, Lost Lives: The stories of the men, women and children who died as a result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. It is the best historical journalism that this country has ever seen. It shows that there are human stories behind the statistics. It is a book of remembrance and one that I have taken out of the Oireachtas Library many times. Seemingly, buying the book would cost between €200 and €400. However, I would tell students, public servants, politicians or anyone else to take out the book. If we do not remember our past, we will be doomed to fail in future. I am delighted to see that it will now be shown on screen. It is horrific and harrowing. We sometimes forget that there were 3,700 or so deaths.

On the issue of events preceding matters, partition was conceived in this country on this day 100 years ago. It was the first meeting of the committee that effectively recommended two parliaments, North and South, on the island of Ireland and a council of Ireland. We are in a state of historical analysis. The UK Government has been told to submit by midnight proposals to replace the backstop or else the deal will be off. I was delighted by what happened with Prime Minister Johnson and the Taoiseach last week, as the situation is moving in the right direction. It is a pathway that could allow the UK to leave the EU without crashing out. What we have always said is that we must avoid a hard border and protect our place in the Single Market. Most importantly, the Good Friday Agreement can never be touched or threatened. I hope that, in the coming days, we will devise a proposal and work together so that, whatever happens with Brexit, the agreement will work again.

Brexit has damaged relations on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and the EU and the UK. As politicians, we must work twice as hard to try to repair that damage. There were never going to be winners out of Brexit, but we must ensure that, whatever happens, there is a deal with which everyone is satisfied.