Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of myself and the members of Fine Gael in County Longford, and my fellow councillor colleagues on Longford County Council, I congratulate Senator Buttimer on attaining the position of Cathaoirleach. His appointment is more than well deserved.

The first time I met Senator Buttimer was probably the 2011 Seanad election. I recall that we had a deep discussion and realised that we shared a deep love for the GAA. Like him, I have a similar involvement in under age GAA and I have been involved at county board level, etc. That love shone through the very first time I met him. As I have discovered over the years, he is an accomplished parliamentarian. He has a love of this House, similar to our former Cathaoirleach, Senator Mark Daly, and will bring it to another level. I know that that is something that Senator Buttimer will look to continue to do. I am delighted that he has named a number of objectives and areas that he will highlight during his term such as the Good Friday Agreement and the issues that concern people with disabilities. Every day that we walk in here we can read the Proclamation that we must cherish all the children of this country equally. We, as a country, need to cherish all the children equally and make sure that we put supports in place. One of the first letters that the Cathaoirleach will get into his office will be from me as I am Chair of the Joint Committee on Autism stating that my committee seeks a day in the Seanad for parents from around the country thus allowing them to put forward their views on the changes that we need to make to ensure that autistic children are cherished equally.

I wish the Cathaoirleach, his husband, Conchobar, and his family well in the role of Cathaoirleach. Senator Buttimer is more than capable of doing the job and it is an honour to have worked with him as a Senator. I look forward to working with him over his term as Cathaoirleach.

I wish to mention Senator Mark Daly. A lot has been said in praise of him. He has done a fantastic job as Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann. He brought the Seanad to the fore and out of its shell where it was for a long number of years. Seanad Éireann is the Upper House and perhaps some people in the Lower House look down on the Seanad but I believe that situation has changed over the last couple of years due to the fantastic debates held here. Senator Mark Daly has really changed things and brought people into this House, which is appropriate as this is the people's House. He brought in people with various diverse opinions into the Seanad and I look forward to seeing that work continue. I thank him for his work.

Senator Mark Daly has done a fantastic amount of work on Irish-American links, which are important to keep because America has stood by us. I wish to mention the Good Friday Agreement and the role that America played in the lead up to that agreement. It is important that we maintain our strong links with the United States and Senator Mark Daly has done a massive amount of work on that. I wish him well in his new role as Leas-Chathaoirleach over the next couple of years.

As people in Longford say, and I presume people everywhere are familiar with the saying, blessed is man among women. We are probably the most unique Parliament in the world as we have three female party leaders. I think that we have been blessed by the quality of those leaders and I refer to Senators Lisa Chambers, Regina Doherty and Pauline O'Reilly. It is an honour for me to serve with them in here. They are fantastic parliamentarians. Senator Doherty has done a fantastic job as Leader and been a great support to me when dealing with any of my concerns or issues. I am delighted to have worked with Senator Pauline O'Reilly and I look forward to working with Senator Chambers over the next number of years. We are blessed, as a Parliament, to have three exceptional leaders and I wish Senator Garvey well.

I wish to mention our party leader, Senator Seán Kyne, and compliment him on the work that he has done. I see Deirdre Chambers in the Visitors Gallery. She keeps an eye on us to make sure that we are here for votes and I am sure she was sweating yesterday evening during the vote. I sincerely hope that I did not get a speeding ticket when I drove home to an event last night after proceedings here. As Senators it is our job to work for the Government and make sure that we bring in the legislation needed to improve society.

I feel honoured to come in here every day. My chest fills with pride every time I walk in the front door. That feeling is made better by the fact that I work with honourable people who work hard on behalf of all of their communities, and I include Senator Boyhan in that. I have gotten to know Senator Boyhan over the last number of years and I have realised that he is an exceptional parliamentarian. I know that he works very hard and wants to make Seanad Éireann a better place. I look forward to working with everybody collectively in their new roles in the term ahead. I reiterate that we are here to bring in legislation that improves the quality of life for all of our citizens.