Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too would like to be associated with the many tributes to the late Michael O'Regan. When I was first elected to the House, Michael took an interest in my story and career. Every time I met him, he had an inquisitive mind about County Clare and its politics and would regale me with many stories of former legendary political figures in County Clare with whom he had engaged. His passing is too soon and his wisdom will be sorely missed. May he rest in peace.

Like other speakers, I would like a debate on public transport, especially the rail network. I acknowledge the very good work being done by Jim Meade and his team at Iarnród Éireann. There is now a 6 a.m. train to the Cathaoirleach's city, Cork, that gets in before 9 a.m., so if people need to go to Cork for a day's business, whether from Dublin, Thurles, Limerick or even Ennis, they can be there in time, given all those lines feed into the Cork line. You can now leave Ennis in the morning and be in Cork before 9 o'clock. Nevertheless, we need significant investment in electric rail lines and we need much greater speed. I travel by train all the time, because I do not drive, so I come to Dublin on the train on a Tuesday and go home on a Thursday. I have been doing that since I was first elected to the House in 2011, and I have noticed the trains are now practically full all the time, not just in the morning or the evening. When I have occasion to travel during the day, the trains are full then as well. It is a mode of transport that is working, and if we are looking for a green environment and trying to reach our emissions target, investment in rail is good.