Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the people who are with me here today. They are my friends from Ballinasloe. They have come with their families and the next generation. I acknowledge people who have known me up and down and in and out. We know our life here can sometimes be very intense and we know that our lives as Senators and public representatives can be full on. Sometimes our friends and families take a back seat. I want to acknowledge that I am very fortunate to have very good buddies and pals. They keep me grounded. They know the ups and downs and ins and outs. We have been friends since secondary school for the past 20-odd years. It is lovely to see their families coming here today to see democracy at work and what it means to be a public representative. They are proud to come from the west of Ireland. They have met their true loves and travelled far and wide but there is a grá for the west. When you come from the west of Ireland, regardless of where you decide to land that grá never changes and never ends.