Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ba bhreá liom freisin fáilte a chur roimh an Seanadóir Hackett. Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sí taitneamh agus tairbhe as a tréimhse anseo, cibé fhad a bhéas aici. Cuirim fáilte roimh a fhear chéile agus a chuid páistí dar nóigh. Táimid ag súil le oibriú léi chun leas na tíre.

I welcome the debate that Senator McDowell so eloquently requested. As somebody who has always supported a structured but generous accommodation not just of asylum seekers but of economic migrants, I really think it is important that we do not hear phrases like "nothing can be said in these Houses". This debate suffers from a lack of intellectual honesty and when people are being accused of gaslighting the minute they raise an issue that others disagree with, it closes down debate. It is extraordinarily unhelpful and colleagues are not going to persuade people who are reluctant by being so judgmental of their fears and feelings. That seems to me to be obvious.

If I may, I want to return to the nostalgia that many people are feeling in these days and that has been expressed in this House with the sad news of the passing of Gay Byrne. He played a huge role in Irish life, as we all know, and in saying farewell to him, people are saying farewell to a part of their own lives and a part of our past. For most people, the memory of times past is a memory of happy times. There is also gratitude because Gay and his team did so much to entertain, inform and educate the nation.He was a brilliant broadcaster and communicator at a time when, all over the western world, what was previously private was rapidly being made public. He exemplified and symbolised that new public expression. He and his team shone a light into dark corners of our society at a time when others found that threatening. However, we must never forget that the same dark corners existed in every society, and we still have dark corners in our society today. Indeed, the nostalgia that people feel today reflects the fact that the Ireland that Gay Byrne explored and reflected back to itself was mostly a happy one. I would like RTÉ to consider a systematic and unedited rebroadcasting of the extensive series of episodes of "The Late Late Show", because it would make for interesting and very valuable social history.

The work that others did with the material that Gay and his team brought to light reflected various agendas, some good and some bad. Some of that work ended injustices and some of it sadly contributed to the dark corners that exist in our society today. However that is often the case with the legacy of great figures. Today we pay our respects to a consummate professional, to the most effective broadcaster of his generation and to someone who affected all our lives and created so many lasting memories. Ar dheis Dé go raibh sé and to his family our deep sympathy.