Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I join Senator Joe O'Reilly in welcoming his guests to the Gallery.

Last week, I raised the now notorious legacy legislation that the British Government is pursuing full steam ahead, it seems, despite universal opposition and all of the legitimate concern expressed by victims and survivors, legal, academic and human rights stakeholders. I welcome the fact that last week, the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement issued a statement calling on the British Government to withdraw the legacy Bill. In its call, the committee called on the Irish Government to consider interstate litigation in the European Court of Human Rights if the British Government does not withdraw that legislation. The statement continued: "This course of action would demonstrate tangible support and solidarity with victims' campaigners by sparing them the costly and arduous task of bringing individual cases to challenge the Bill."

The call by the committee on the Irish Government to consider interstate litigation is the appropriate reaction to the callous and uncaring attitude of the British Government despite widespread opposition to the Bill across Ireland, Britain, the US and the EU in political and human rights circles.Relatives and their organisations rightly see this call for the Irish Government to take the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights if the legacy Bill is enacted as tangible support for and solidarity with them. Such support and solidarity would give them great hope that they are not alone at a time of fear and uncertainty that the British Government will get away with protecting those who killed their loved ones by denying relatives the truth. I am sure that we, the Seanad, given our unanimous opposition to the legacy proposals, can join the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement in making a call on the British Government to withdraw its legacy proposals. If it does not, I hope we can encourage the Irish Government to take the necessary step to initiate interstate action.

It is difficult to find a hook for the Seanad, given the commercial nature of the issue, but I will endeavour to try to do so. There is huge frustration, anger and resentment about moves to put a number of the GAA championship quarter-final games this Saturday behind a paywall. I do not understand why Saturday's two matches, the Tyrone and Kerry game and the Armagh and Monaghan game, would be behind a paywall on GAAGO and then, on Sunday, the Derry versus Cork and Dublin versus Mayo games would be broadcast on RTÉ. I do not understand where the decision is made or what the rationale for this is. We heard from the uachtaráin of the GAA recently that the GAA is a member-led, community-rooted organisation. We know that young people need to see their heroes because you need to see it in order to be it. As a champion for senior citizens in this House, the Leader knows that many people do not have the GAAGO app or the ability to pay for it. I hope to pursue this by means of a Commencement matter this week, if the Cathaoirleach facilitates it, in order to try to get some clarity. At a political, community and cultural level, however, we must make a call to ensure that such important games are not so inaccessible and are universally accessible to all of us, as Gaels, fans and citizens.