Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today is World Autism Acceptance Day 2025 and it is an important day in the calendar when we are asked to pause and to recognise the importance of neurodiversity, to give recognition to the strengths and talents of autistic people, and to promote and champion understanding, acceptance and support for neurodivergent people.

I congratulate everyone who participated in Dublin city's first ever half-marathon last weekend. The sun shone in Dublin city and it was a truly glorious day weatherwise. More than 12,000 individuals set off and did the first ever city half-marathon. It was a huge success. In the north inner city many local people got involved, and I commend a young man, Dwayne Edgar, who, during Covid, set up the Inner City Running Club. This is a club that has engaged many inner-city residents and has taught them to get up off the couch, the sofa or the chair and go out and learn to run. They are an incredible group of people and they are supported by others such as Ruthanne, who did an incredible job coaching people for the first ever city half-marathon.I also commend all of the team at the north-east inner city office, NEIC, and Dublin City Council on supporting and making this first ever city half-marathon a reality. It was a great event. I congratulate all the participants, not just the winners, but everyone who participated. The city really came alive for it.

As we here we all hold out breath waiting for announcements from the other side of the pond, which the President of the United States is heralding what he calls liberation day, whatever transpires later this evening and whatever the outcome of his pronouncements, I hope we as a country stand united together, but united also with our European partners. We live in an incredibly challenging world. We are challenged environmentally, economically and socially. Now, more than ever, when we as a civilisation are probably more educated, more privileged and more developed than at any other time in the history of the planet, it is important we pull together. Tomorrow, the Tánaiste and Minister for trade will come to the House. It is important that everybody in the House engages constructively with the Minister following those pronouncements.