Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber, congratulate him on his appointment and thank him for his generous assistance and support throughout his previous Ministry. I have no doubt he will make a great impact in his new role and I wish him well in that.

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner it is timely and proper that we celebrate and acknowledge our unique place on the world stage. We remember the many people who make up our diaspora, but also the handful of people working in our embassies and consulate offices across the world who provide unrivalled support. I had occasion last year on the death of a County Longford man who had lived in London all his life to contact the London consular office and they immediately linked in with the deceased man's sister and were there, on hand, every step of the way to help her make arrangements liaising with the morgue and police in London to get his remains back home. This is a man who might have died largely unknown in one of the biggest cities in the world but it mattered greatly to his family that the Irish State never forgot him and was there at the very end to support his family. That is something for us as a society and a country we can be immensely proud of.

Longford might be one of the smallest counties but we have consistently outperformed our neighbours and nowhere more so than in New York town. There we have one of the largest, most enthusiastic and committed expat communities. It would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to remember the late Mike Prunty who sadly passed away before Christmas. On news of his death the current president of the County Longford association New York, Pat Yorke, paid tribute and described him as a colossus and a legend in the Irish community in New York for many years. No person has ever done more for Longford causes than Mike Prunty. He opened his doors to many people, be they footballers out for the summer, or dignitaries for the annual Saint Patrick's day celebrations, or young people out for work. Pat Yorke spent his first two years in the United States working with Mike at an apartment block on Park Avenue. Mike Prunty's story was typical of so many immigrants. He was born in 1940 in Ballincurry, Drumlish. He went to New York in 1959 and lived with his sister in the Bronx. He got a job the day after arriving and worked every day until his retirement thereafter. As dedicated as he was to his work, he was equally immersed in the growing Irish community in New York and he leveraged his many connections in building management to secure jobs for many people arriving over from Ireland in search of a better life. The main criterion was that you had to be from Longford, but he did occasionally help people from Leitrim and Cavan so he was not totally committed to Longford it seems. He encouraged them to join Irish associations, namely, the Longford Football club and the Longford association. In the 133-year history of the Longford association he had the distinction in his time as president as being the longest serving member. I remember also his wife, Elizabeth Kenny, of Clontumpher, Ballinalee. They were married for 58 years. It was a wonderful love story and a great partnership. They had three children, Michael, Michelle and Kevin and their beloved grandchildren who took great pride in their grandfather's many achievements.

To bring the diaspora story full circle, I should also mention a young man called Danny McGee who sadly lost his life on the streets of New York in an assault in 2018 and who was a very good friend of Mike Prunty. It was Pat Yorke who took young Danny under his wing when he arrived in New York and helped him to get his first job. He was also on hand to assist Danny's family with the return journey of his remains when that unfortunate event occurred. Danny has not been forgotten in New York or Longford. Friends in the New York-Irish community rallied for a major fundraiser in his memory and raised a large amount that, in turn, helped to fit out a new day service centre for St. Christopher's services for people with special needs in Longford. It is a matter of great pride for our Longford community in New York that to this day a plaque celebrates and remembers young Danny on the wall of that building. That is something that he and his family can be immensely proud of.

We can be incredibly proud of our diaspora. They are people who brought the best values and principles of this great country to the four corners of the world. As a nation, we should never forget them and we can never do enough to celebrate and support them in all corners of the world.