Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I may have been in this Chamber once or twice to hear Nancy Pelosi and another couple of speakers but I have never had the opportunity to speak in this Chamber.As Senator Boyhan said, people looking on may wonder whether we have been demoted, promoted or elevated. On 27 March last year, I did not think I would lose my seat and, when I did, I did not think I would be back less than 13 months later. I thank everybody here. It is a very strange experience, as a by-election candidate, and particularly one who happened to make it over the line on the first count, as did Senator Maria Byrne, to become aware that a majority of the Members operating in these Houses every day put a number one beside my name and elected me to this Chamber. I am humbled, privileged and delighted to be here. I thank everybody who was able to give me that number one but I equally appreciate the support of those who were committed to another candidate but who gave me twos and threes, which I may have needed, although I am thankful I did not. I aim to work with everybody, right across the Chamber, for as long as we are all here. Long may it last.

I pay tribute to the Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, as leader of our party, for instigating an open and democratic process with the 58 members of the parliamentary process in which 12 candidates were allowed to present and in which I was ultimately successful, thereby allowing me to be the candidate. I also thank everybody across the three Government parties, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party. There was a little bit of a blip with some of that but it is fine and grand. We got through it. Equally, there are Members from every party, and Independent Members, who supported me and Senator Maria Byrne. I acknowledge that and appreciate it.

As group leader of the Fianna Fáil group in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in 2014, I negotiated with the late John Bailey and Deputy Catherine Martin, who was then the group leader of the Green Party in that council, to form what was, I believe, the first Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael-Green Party arrangement in the country.