Victor Boyhan (Independent)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for the introduction to the presidential election. It is over and the people have spoken. The people have voted and they are sovereign. Along with my colleagues on this side of the House, I congratulate Deputy Catherine Connolly - she is still a Member of the Oireachtas - on becoming our elected President. Her inauguration will be next week, and I know many of us will be there and look forward to joining her in those celebrations. I also acknowledge her Oireachtas personal assistant, Béibhinn O’Connor, who played such a pivotal role in her election. Many of us in these Houses will know her.

I turn now to Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, a woman whom I knew and had great admiration for. I do not want to talk about her with a sense of sadness. Today, I want to talk about her in a climate of gratitude and thanks. As the Cathaoirleach said earlier, she was from a little village outside Dingle in County Kerry, a place she dearly loved. She was a proud Kerrywoman. She spent a lot of time in Kilkenny, but she was not from Kilkenny. Indeed, much of her later time was spent in Dublin. Her life's work was one of service and dedication, and always driven by the principle of humanity. She was one of many great women who had served in religious life in various congregations in Ireland and we must never forget them, for they were pioneers themselves and did great work. As I said, Sr. Stan was someone I knew. She was a constant voice for those who felt locked out of homes, of opportunities, of education, and of supporting and, sometimes, nurturing families. These were all issues she had to confront. Her belief, of course, was that everyone had a right to have a home and this was central to her advocacy and her work. Of course, we know of the foundation.

In the few minutes I have left, I want to touch on three key issues. Sr. Stan set up the Immigrant Council of Ireland. When we think about what has happened in our country in the last week, if there has ever been a need for the Immigrant Council of Ireland, it is now. We must have a great sense of gratitude for the pioneering work she did there. She advocated equality and was very proud when, in May 2015, she announced publicly that she would be voting yes in the marriage equality referendum. When asked about that referendum, she said exactly that, that she meant marriage equality. That was not an easy thing to do for someone in a religious life in 2015.

Finally, in relation to homelessness, her legacy will, of course, be Focus Ireland and the work she did there. Is it not a shame, as we close the figures for the last month on housing, that we are told by the Government that 16,614 people were living in emergency accommodation in September and, more disturbingly, 5,238 of them were children? Let us be grateful for the work Sr. Stan did but be committed to continuing that advocacy work through our political engagement in these Houses.