Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join the Cathaoirleach and the Leader in extending a céad míle fáilte to the ambassador. He has now left the Chamber but we were delighted to have him in the Seanad.

When we returned to the Chamber yesterday after the weekend, we spoke about the sadness of all that happened in Creeslough. All of a sudden last night, a lady named Amber Barrett lit a light. Anyone who knows Donegal and the region from Kerrykeel, Portsalon and Milford to Creeslough will know that what happened on Friday affected not only all Donegal people but also Amber Barrett. It was remarkable and wonderful to see her go down on her two knees, grab her armband and kiss it, and dedicate that wonderful goal, which means the Irish ladies football team will go to the World Cup, to those ten people. At an extraordinary time of depressing and sad news this week, I do not know about the Cathaoirleach or the rest of the Senators but I find it very hard to be joyous. It was such a terrible occurrence that it is hard to go about one's business in the usual way, yet last night, Amber Barrett lit that light. It was like a night-light appearing out of the dark. In some way, it must be great news for Donegal, despite all the trauma and tragedy. We heard her refer to her grandparents who come from Creeslough and live in the area. She is an extraordinary young woman. Along with everybody, I extend my sincere congratulations to the Irish football team and Vera Pauw, an extraordinary woman. I am sure the Government will put adequate funding in place to help them with their World Cup trip. It will be great to see the Tricolour there. There is something special about the team, the management and the players. They all seem so united and happy as a group and it is a wonderful thing to watch. I would not miss any of their matches on TV and I hope to go in person to some of them shortly. It was a fantastic night.

I raise a new programme by Agri Aware that we should promote. The initiative, Farming Through the Seasons, enables Irish schoolchildren to learn all about what happens on Irish farms from farmers themselves. Agri Aware launched this plan to provide virtual farm visits for all schools. I understand there is a large take-up at present and I urge all schools to get involved. I know the Leader agreed with me on my next point some months ago. We should all realise how important agriculture still is to the economy. It is worth €14.5 billion in exports and employs several hundred thousand people on farms and in agribusiness. It is a major contributor to our economy. Sometimes we do not realise the great product we have that is recognised throughout the world - Irish food. Even in terms of where crops come from, as some people do not know, this initiative will be a wonderful experience.I urge all schools to become involved in it. It is a wonderful thing to do. We will help to promote it in any way we can. I am certainly doing my bit for it today.