Paraic Brady (Fine Gael)

I address the House about something that happened at the weekend. I visited Dublin last weekend to see a band called Kingfishr in Fairview Park. I compliment the Dublin councils for putting on the events they run. It makes us Irish and unique that we have such talent, including bands like Kingfishr, Amble - one of its members is from my area - The Tumbling Paddies and The Whistlin' Donkeys. These are all groups that are homegrown, like Aslan, U2 and Riverdance. They are the people who sell Ireland for what it really is. In seeing Kingfishr play at the weekend - I had not heard of them; my daughters persuaded me to come to Dublin to see them - I was truly amazed, not only by the respect the band had for the people who were listening to them, but by the lead singer going into the middle of the audience, being lifted by the crowd while playing the mouth organ and the crowd singing back to him. I found the whole experience truly amazing. This is what makes us Irish and proud. Certain other local authorities throughout Ireland might need to take a leaf out of Dublin's book and promote the homegrown talent that is out there. It is really unique to see. This is a group of engineers who gave up engineering. They are now in the music industry and a known household name throughout Ireland. It is truly amazing to see we have such raw talent in our Irish musicians. There are many more examples of such homegrown talent. I felt immensely proud that these were our own. I wish them luck and I hope that our diaspora across the world will go to see them when they visit.