Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It feels our world is shattered. Our way of life is being tested like never before. Our planet and our people are being tested. I commend what Senator Boyhan said. We are all sitting here united. It is a strange and eerie atmosphere. I am very proud to be part of this Seanad and to see through emergency legislation in these times. We will stand united.

As an aside, we are sitting here and it is about time for Seanad reform. That is for the next Seanad to deal with.

We will go through a range of matters today, including childcare, housing and involuntary detainment. We need to have discussions on all those Bills. It is almost akin to what my child, who is now a young adult, had - a computer game called Theatre of War. It seems like we are on a war footing. We need to act together with compassion and kindness to each other for the safety of us all and our planet. We will come out of this and maybe a beauty will be born out of this terribleness.