John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. It is a privilege for me to be able to respond on behalf of the House to Mr. Colm Markey and Ms Maria Walsh. This is the Seanad at its best. This is exactly what the Seanad should be used for, and this is what we should try to do more often in the future, especially to counter the challenge that this House is not fit for purpose. This is exactly what Seanad Éireann is intended to do and I would welcome our doing this more in the future.

What is incredible about Mr. Markey and Ms Walsh is that Mr. Markey is only a year in the job, and Ms Walsh is only two years in the job. I do not say that because they are in my own party, but listening to the two of them, you would think they were veterans of European politics. That is a testament to their ability and their characters as politicians, and it shows us how well represented we are in the Midlands-North-West constituency. They were able to come in here and speak on a wide range of issues, from Lithuania to energy security to trade deals to China, and they were able to do so flawlessly, without pondering and without a stutter. It came so naturally to both of them. This shows the huge level of ability it must take to become an MEP and to be able to speak so fluidly on such a wide range of topics. It shows what a challenging job it must be.

We, in the Seanad, want to thank them. Obviously they have such busy schedules but we thank them sincerely for coming in today and for giving up their time. Members of the Seanad, and I think I can speak for all my colleagues, are very thankful for that.

We have enjoyed this engagement and hope this will become an annual fixture because it is very important. It is important for them, as Members of the European Parliament, to be able to have that greater connection to the Oireachtas, to both the Seanad and the Dáil, and it should be considered in the Dáil as well.

To wrap up, I again want to thank them. Today has been wonderful. For me, it has been one of the most enjoyable debates in the Seanad over the past year, and I look forward to it happening again soon.