Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to welcome Senator O'Loughlin's mam to the Chamber and all our visitors today. They are very welcome. I also want to send condolences to the family of Rory Mason from Kildare, the young man who died in Ukraine in its army.

Like my previous colleague, Senator Ó Donnghaile, I want to thank the more than 5,000 people who came from all corners of the island to the 3Arena last Saturday for the Together We Can conference organised by Ireland's Future. I thank all the volunteers who made it happen. They did a phenomenal job. I also thank the Members of the Oireachtas who came and spoke. We had the Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, the Sinn Féin president, Deputy McDonald, and Deputies Richmond, Jim O'Callaghan, Bacik, Cian O'Callaghan and Bríd Smith. It was so powerful to see and hear senior figures from across the political spectrum come together to take part in what was a very respectful and productive conversation about constitutional change. I also want to say a huge thank you to Members of this House who came and shared their insight with us, namely, Senator Martin, the Cathaoirleach and my really good friend and colleague from the Civil Engagement Group, Senator Flynn.

I believe a new and united Ireland is not merely a political issue. It is an optimistic and democratic aspiration held by millions of people on both sides of the Border and many more all around the world. It is such a privilege as a chairperson of Ireland's Future to witness these kinds of conversations taking place all over Ireland and further afield. It is amazing to hear actors, musicians, feminists, trade unionists, people from all walks of life, come together to speak about what constitutional change means to them. Moreover, hearing people from unionist backgrounds such as Reverend Karen Sethuraman, Ben Collins and Jimmy Nesbitt speaking so brilliantly about their evolving conception of their identity was particularly special. These are the kinds of nuanced insights that we can benefit from when we create spaces and forums where people can share ideas and perspectives that we do not often hear in normal political discourse. Everyone knows that constitutional change will require a lot of work and listening and a capacity not only to tolerate but also celebrate difference and diversity. Unity does not mean grafting two jurisdictions together. It means taking a forensic look at what works and what does not on both sides of the Border. It is our opportunity to question old ways of thinking and to generate new ideas and new paths forward. It will require us to do work to create a true republic; one that is secular and multicultural; a republic that enjoys economic prosperity and stability, while also providing comprehensive and reliable public services. We in the Oireachtas need to show leadership here. That is why projects such as the Cathaoirleach's Public Consultation Committee on constitutional change are so welcome. I thank the Cathaoirleach for setting up that committee. I thoroughly enjoyed last week's session and look forward to the next one on Friday. We need to do more work of this nature to create space for the research, dialogue, planning and preparing that will be necessary to make change a reality.