Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Codail, a laoich dar thugas grá,

codail go sámh i m'bhánbhaclainn,

tusa mo rogha fear Fáil,

thatr rí na bhFiann is a chóir fairis -

Codail, codail, a chúl na lúb,

le faobhar na hoíche, codail, a rún.

As Senator Ned O'Sullivan said, Máire Mhac an tSaoi - and Brendan Kennelly - represented the best of our tradition, writing and communicating as they did in our two main spoken languages. The only contact I had with Máire Mhac an tSaoi was when seeking her permission to use the poem that Senator O'Sullivan recited on a Christmas card I sent from this House a number of years ago. They really were two very impressive people. Ar dheis Dé go raibh siad.

There was a much more untimely, tragic and horrifying death in Britain that we have all recalled. Sir David Amess had great concern for the unborn, the elderly, those at risk of fuel poverty and the animal kingdom. He was a model of humanity and consistency in a way that is exemplary for many of his contemporaries. If he knew our circumstances, he would have reflected on how the legislation proposed by Sinn Féin and others here today is not necessary. As the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, has stated, we have the laws we need to deal with any breaches of public order if such events were to take place. We have our constitutional protection of that delicate but important thing that is freedom of expression and the right of people to assemble. We have the reality that we do not have abortion clinics in Ireland and that abortions take place in relative anonymity.Those who meet to give witness to the dignity of all human life and to the possibility of positive alternatives, we are saying to do this in a way that is very respectful. We need to be careful about trying to pretend that there is no counter narrative on abortion. There is and there always will be. It is important that we hear all voices in society and dialogue with each other respectfully. I believe this is what Sir David Amess would have believed in. I know many of his mutual friends, who are understandably heartbroken. They recall a man who was exemplary in his respect for others and in the way he made his point in politics. It is something that we all, myself included, should to try to imitate.