Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I seek leave of the House to take No. 14 on today's Order Paper before No. 1, so I can introduce my cross-party Bill entitled Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill 2024. Currently, a person who is charged with breaching a domestic violence protective order of any kind can only be prosecuted in a summary fashion and the accused always faces a lighter bail regime. Domestic violence is often all about vulnerability. Victims of domestic violence will be heartened to learn that as one of his final parliamentary procedural acts, in such a distinguished career, Senator Norris has kindly co-sponsored the Bill that I propose to introduce today. A hallmark of Senator Norris's career has been standing up for and being a voice for the vulnerable, for those who may not have a voice. The names of Senator William Butler Yeats and Senator David Norris come to mind today, two people who have served this House with distinction. They were brilliant ambassadors for the Upper House. Norris and Yeats, or is it Yeats and Norris? It is not the name of a New York law firm, nor is it the name of a play on Broadway but perhaps it should be. No, they are two people who had a powering presence. All his life, Senator Norris has railed against, metaphorically speaking, more modern types of lockouts. The original lockout was famously described by Yeats as follows:

But fumble in a greasy till,

And add the halfpence to the pence

And prayer to shivering prayer, until

You have dried the marrow from the bone

Senator Norris has ensured that the marrow has not been dried from the bone. I wish you well in retirement and the next chapter of your life. Romantic Ireland is not dead and gone as long as the Norris legacy lives on.