Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Twenty-one Senators contributed - it was 20 until Senator O'Sullivan came in - and all of them paid glowing tribute to Senator Norris. It is now my turn to do so as Acting Leader on this very special day. It is a great honour.

Senator Norris is the longest-serving Senator for a reason. That reason relates to everything people spoke about today, namely, his dedication to public service and his courage and commitment to causes that were very unpopular. The action he took in speaking about his personal life was an inspiration to many young people coming up and to people of his own generation who suffered in silence for years and years and felt outcast by society. What he did by bringing challenges to the State, getting knocked back by the courts here and going as far as the European Court of Human Rights in 1988, was ground-breaking. It showed people in Ireland that if we are not willing to act and modernise as a country, someplace else will tell us and hold us up to shame.As a young law student, one of the first cases we came across in constitutional law was your case, Senator Norris, and I was always fascinated by it. It was a great thrill to get to meet you and be a colleague of yours when I was elected a number of years ago, a sentiment that has been expressed by many other colleagues in the House. Thank you very much for all you have done because that shattering of the glass ceiling, as it were, in the modernisation of this country led to a ripple effect. Women, who had been very much under the cosh in this country, started to gain more rights and more confidence to advocate for ourselves. We have seen huge strides and you have been to the fore in that, whether that has been the introduction of contraception or divorce and many other causes you have championed.

I do not think anybody mentioned that you, Senator Norris, are a member of the Church of Ireland and that this is a very important part of your personality, background and voice. One of the reasons this Chamber was created on the foundation of the State was to give minorities a voice. Your Church of Ireland heritage is very important to him and to this House and everything that is done in it. Thank you very much for bringing that level of diversity to this House. I wish you all the very best in the next chapter of your life and hope you will come back and say hello to us every so often. Enjoy your retirement. You have well deserved it now at this stage. It is a great honour to serve here with you. We will all miss you but we hope we will all be here when you come back to visit us.

I also pay tribute to Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, as mentioned by some colleagues. Niall and I were actually elected in the same week, so I know him quite well, and we have served together on a number of committees. I was very sad to hear he was resigning and retiring from the House before Christmas because he brought an extra layer of diversity as well. I am sure we all wish him very well in the next stage of his life. I am sure we have not seen the last of Niall Ó Donnghaile.

I also pay tribute to a former Member of this House, Tom Hussey, who passed away, as mentioned by the Cathaoirleach.

Three Senators, namely Senators Moynihan, Higgins, and Norris himself, made reference to the situation in Gaza. I believe we all speak with one voice when I say we are absolutely appalled at the worsening situation in Gaza. Every single life is precious, whether that is an Israeli life or a Palestinian life. Every life is equal; every life is precious. We know from our own experience that the only way forward is through peaceful negotiation. Escalating violence and bloodshed on both sides will never solve anything. If we want to see peace, as we have established peace in this country, a ceasefire is what is needed and that is the only way a route forward can be devised from this appalling situation. I know this is something on which the Tánaiste is actively working on behalf of the State.

I am very glad to see the domestic violence Bill brought in by Senator Martin. In a previous life, I did a lot of work in this area. He pointed out a big flaw in the current system, so I look forward to that Bill coming before us.

In response to Senator Craughwell, the referendum Bill is scheduled for two hours and I suspect that will be adequate time to debate it. That is the Order of Business.