Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is a great honour to address the Seanad as leader of the Fianna Fáil grouping in Seanad Éireann. Today is an historic day as we participate in a special sitting to mark the centenary of the first sitting of the Seanad. We do not often hear much about those first Members so it is welcome to have an opportunity to look back on those who first served in this House and to mark their contribution. There were some notable an interesting Members of the First Seanad including, as has been pointed out, W.B. Yeats, as well as four women who were elected or nominated to the First Seanad. They were Alice Stopford Green, an Irish historian and nationalist, Jennie Wise Power, a founding member of Sinn Féin who also served as the first president of Cumann na mBan and Eileen Costello, a folk song collector and Irish language enthusiast who stood for Sinn Féin in the 1920 local elections and who became the first woman district councillor for Galway North. She, together with Jennie Wise Power, succeeded in convincing the then Seanad to reject the Civil Service Regulation (Amendment) Bill, which proposed to confine women to the lower grades of the Civil Service. Ultimately, they were successful in that, but it the Bill did go on to pass. Nevertheless, it shows the important role that the Seanad played at that time in particular in what was a de factoopposition to the then Government. There was also Ellen Cuffe, Countess of Desart, who was a London-born Jewish woman known for her philanthropy work. She was also the first woman in Ireland to be given the freedom of any city in the world, an honour bestowed upon her by the corporation of Kilkenny in 1910. They were no ordinary women.

I also want to point out another interesting member of 1922 Seanad, Senator Maurice George Moore from Moore Hall in County Mayo. Moore was a soldier and politician a member of the Irish Seanad from its establishment in 1922. He went on to serve in Seanad Éireann in 1937 until his death. Interestingly, Moore Hall in County Mayo was burned to the ground by the anti-Treaty IRA because they believed it to be his house. It was actually his brother George’s house.

I want of course to acknowledge former President Mary Robinson, whose contribution to Irish politics and the advancement of women's rights is something of which I, as a fellow Mayo person, am extremely proud. From my own experience in both this Chamber and the Lower House I can say that this Chamber is less partisan. This is due to the diversity of Members which lends itself to a different style of debate, often with more time to consider in depth the legislation we are scrutinising. This process of checks and balances between both Houses makes for a better legislative process in the Oireachtas. Many significant amendments to key Bills are born in the Seanad. Private Members’ Bills from Senators also have a significant impact on our laws.

The Seanad provides more space to debate contentious or challenging issues and over the decades it has allowed minority voices on issues to be put on the record. I think in particular of the struggle to advance the rights of the LGBTQI+ community and the fearless work of our longest serving colleague, Senator David Norris. I genuinely believe this work and some of the contributions on this matter would not have found the same space in Dáil Éireann. It is precisely for this reason that my party and I campaigned to retain the Seanad in 2013, acknowledging of course the need for reform.

Over the past century, diverse voices from all types of backgrounds and experiences have served in this Chamber. This is part of the richness of Seanad Éireann and precisely why we have centred the celebration around the them of Minority Voices, Major Changes. This Chamber offers the opportunity to elect or nominate individuals who bring a particular expertise or representation to the Oireachtas who otherwise would not have an opportunity to be here. Today's Seanad illustrates that very well where we have 40% female representation compared to just 23% in the Lower House. There is also the first ever Oireachtas Member of the Traveller community, my colleague, Senator Eileen Flynn. I have no doubt that Seanad Éireann will continue to provide a space for diverse and minority voices and for discussion on important issues in Irish society.