Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I strongly support the comments of Senator Black, my party colleague, Senator Dooley, and Senator Gavan on the appalling killing of Shireen Abu Akleh and the carry-on of the Israeli police at her funeral. It galled me. The police alleged they had an arrangement with the mourners that the remains would be transferred from the hospital to the church without the coffin being carried but the fact people felt so strongly and carried the coffin meant it should have been allowed. The brutality of the police who forcefully took the remains into the church, allowed the service to go ahead and then interfered again to take the remains to the cemetery should, as somebody said, be condemned by every proper democracy in the world. It is shocking behaviour. Well done to the Members who brought up the issue today.

The National Famine Commemoration took place in my home town of Strokestown on Sunday. It is a town the Leas-Chathaoirleach knows well. The Taoiseach and the Minister of State and Chief Whip, Deputy Chambers, were there. We went on a tour of the new Famine museum. It is amazing and extraordinary and I encourage everybody to visit because the story of the Strokestown area is highly significant to what happened in the Famine. I would like a cross-party group to visit the museum. It is important that we do so and that we never forget that there is always famine in the world. I think particularly of the people of Yemen who are suffering such hardship, deprivation and hunger. We do not hear much about that at the moment. Maybe it is a matter the Acting Leader can raise with the Leader. The Cathaoirleach also attended on Sunday. It would be nice if a group visited the museum as part of our work. There is so much to be taken in there. We must never forget what people in this country went through in the Famine.