Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to the House. I thank Senators Blaney and McGreehan, and all colleagues, for bringing this motion forward.

I strongly support the Good Friday Agreement and the full implementation of this international agreement. Respect, equality and partnership are at the heart of how we move forward. I have a clear commitment to the protection of the rights of all people who live on this island. I lived in Northern Ireland - in Portstewart and in Belfast - prior to the Good Friday Agreement. The Good Friday Agreement from 1998 was a miracle. It was an instrument that moved us all towards the end of the violence of the Troubles. It was the result of a dialogue. The referendum has been mentioned. In 1998, more than 70% of the people of Northern Ireland voted in favour of the Good Friday Agreement. In the Republic of Ireland, more than 94% of people voted in favour of it. Those are figures we need to listen to. That was the commitment and the direction given to this Agreement by the people on both sides. Now, however, we are in anxious times. Open and honest dialogue with a shared commitment is vital. We need the Northern Ireland devolved government institutions to be fully operational, but this is not yet the case.

I welcomed hearing the Minister of State speaking on the engagement and the detail of the shared island unit. There are areas of consensus with groups, with an all-island approach to engaging communities and with ways of finding commonality. We are working to drive those areas which can most benefit our citizens. Reference was made to the Ulster Canal, to rail lines, to climate mitigation and to foreign direct investment, and how crucial these will be going forward with jobs and so on. In health we understood that the pandemic did not recognise borders. There are also ways through education.I was an Erasmus student. I was very proud to see the Government commit to funding for Erasmus+ grants for Northern Ireland students. The Erasmus programme was developed to allow us to understand what it is like to walk in someone else's shoes. Students go to another country, experience that culture, speak that language, get to understand where they come from and then build empathy. I look forward to seeing the ESRI report that the Minister of State mentioned. Up to €200,000 has been allocated this year to support the shared island initiative.

The contributions by my Seanad colleagues tonight show the significance of and the concern for this matter. We need to maintain the strong commitment to the principles of peace and consent, outlined in the Good Friday Agreement. As Senator Gallagher said, John Hume was a beacon of light in dark times. Now more than ever, we need more lights to shine. Friends of mine and their families live in the North. Children in Northern Ireland today have never lived through the violence of the Troubles. Children of the Republic of Ireland have never lived through the violence of the Troubles. As Oireachtas representatives, we have a responsibility to ensure they never do.