Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Clonan captured everybody's attention because he spoke so poignantly about a community that both he and I come from. It is not just Finglas, Ballymun, Clondalkin or Cherry Orchard but any other community. We have a growing and deeply disturbing rise in the use of guns in this country. What is equally as worrying is the growing acceptance by people when they hear about shootings, as we did last night on the radio. We think it is only those gangland people killing themselves and we just carry on as if it is not important. What is significantly important about shootings is that, first, these people are human and have families. Second, these incidents are happening in communities that have many other families and children who are blighted by their actions and live in fear. The issue is definitely worthy of a debate and I will try to organise that.

Senator Dooley spoke about the need for more specialist services. We definitely need more scrutiny. It is a telling sign that young people and young males in particular are walking around with the trappings of wealth, such as wearing designer label gear, that in no way could be afforded by the average 16- to 26-year old. While we may be asking questions, we are not getting to the root of where these guns are coming from and what the organisations' connections are with criminality and drugs.

Senator Kyne opened today by talking about inland fisheries, as he has done here over recent weeks. There is potential that he will seek a review but we will get to that on another day.

Today is a very important day in the context of the decade of centenaries because the foundation of the State and the bedding down of the democracy we enjoy happened 100 years ago today. Saorstát Éireann officially came into being and, for the first time in 753 years, the island of Ireland became a single and sovereign nation. A lesser known fact is that the Six Counties of Northern Ireland were a part of the original Irish Free State on this day in 1922 but they opted out a day later through a vote in Stormont. The new Irish Government was a pro-Treaty faction of the then Sinn Féin Party, which went on to form Cumann na nGaedheal, which was a precursor to my own party of Fine Gael. William T. Cosgrave, a Dublin publican, Easter Rising veteran and Minister in the underground Dáil ministry, was elected to be the first President of the Irish Free State; in other words, our first Taoiseach. He was described in Michael Laffan's biography of him as "an extraordinary ordinary man". The Free State Constitution established a second Chamber, the Upper House or Seanad Éireann, of which we will celebrate the 100th anniversary next Monday. This monumental day had no pomp nor ceremony. The bitter and tragic Civil War was still raging and absent from the Dáil was Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins, who were two of our most formidable founding fathers.

Today is a day for us to reflect on the foundation of our State what our founding fathers sacrificed to create Saorstát Éireann, which was declared a Republic in 1949 by the then Taoiseach, John A. Costello. I agree with Senator Craughwell when he said we should remember the National Army soldiers who loyally served the Irish State in 1922, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice. They defended the institutions of the State, our democracy and the will of the people. Their legacy is the State.

Finally, I wish to quote President W.T. Cosgrave on this day 100 years ago. He said, "On this notable day when our country has definitely emerged from the bondage under which she has lived through a week of centuries, I cannot deny that I feel intensely proud", and I think we all still are. I wish everyone a very happy 100th anniversary. This is our Independence Day, the fourth oldest democracy in Europe.