Joe Conway (Independent)

Next month, on 25 October, we will celebrate a fairly significant event in the tourism and socioeconomic life of Ireland, namely, the 40th birthday of Ireland West Airport. In the media reports back in 1985, it was variously described by journalists as being an airport built on the top of a mountain or on a bog.It was completely deprecated by the media and by the omniscient people of the Pale. Of course, 40 years later Ireland West Airport Knock is celebrating success after success and is getting on towards its millionth passenger per annum. It is a wonderful success story for the airport and the operation there.

I say this because back then it was execrated as a project in the same way as successive Governments have execrated the prospect of a regional airport in Waterford, which is backed by three councils: Kilkenny, Wexford and Waterford. This airport was operating quite successfully but to continue its development it needed an extended runway. That is really the crux of the matter at the moment. The councils are investing in it but we cannot get the Government to commit to funding the airport. Suffice to say, it is the only region in the country that does not have its own international airport. It is a real spancel to the economic development of the south east.

The next item I must treat with a certain amount of sensitivity because tá mé ag caint anois le mo theanga i mo phluc - a little bit tongue in cheek. I noticed in the last session of the Seanad that I was hearing the expression regularly, "I rise today to address" such and such a thing. Where is that coming from? I had never heard this when watching Oireachtas TV over the years. Then I twigged when I was listening to a report from the House of Commons when a Tory MP, Tom Tugendhat, was calling out Members of the Opposition and the Government for using "I rise today", which is a peculiarly American Congress expression developed back in the 1850s and since with Webster and Webb and other notable people then. It really does indicate that it is an American-based thing. I have strong suspicions, therefore, that it is being used due to AI or, more likely, ChatGPT. When we consider the notables who have addressed the Seanad such as Sir Horace Plunkett and William Butler Yeats, or in the latter years David Norris and Professor James Dooge, it would be terrible if the Members of this House were relying on AI to substantiate their contributions to the House. It is happening in another place as well.