Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)

I dtosach báire ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Richmond, atá anseo anocht chun an rún seo a phlé. I know that this is an area in which the Minister of State has a particular interest and an area in which he has done a lot of work. It is great to see him here this evening.

As a member of Fine Gael, the united Ireland party, I welcome this evening's motion on Irish unity and the continued discussions relating to the huge amount of preparatory work that needs to be done to pave the way for closer co-operation and the possibility of agreed constitutional change. As was included in the report from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement of the previous Oireachtas, as was referenced in this evening's motion, this must include significantly greater work in areas such as healthcare, taxation, education, social welfare, pensions and political representative institutions, to name but a few. As we work towards a brighter future, built on the peace that has been established over the past 25 or more years, it is essential that all of our efforts are focused on inclusion and respect. Like Senator Blaney, I welcome the tone of this evening's debate to date and, without intending to sound deliberately provocative or antagonistic, I feel it is important to point out that the prospect of progress towards a shared island and closer co-operation was undoubtedly set back many years by the futile campaigns of violence, bombings, murder, mayhem, hatred, sectarianism and division that took place during the three decades of the Troubles. The party which is proposing this evening's motion must also, as Senator Blaney alluded to, acknowledge its role and responsibilities, do more to heal the wounds of the past and create the confidence and trust that are needed to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.

I agree with Senator Murphy that the new Ireland to which we aspire cannot be created by stitching the Six Counties onto the Twenty-six Counties. That is a point I made in my maiden speech in Seanad Éireann. My fear is that many of those who have emerged from the provisional republican movement continue to aspire to a "Tiocfaidh ár lá" aspiration of a united Ireland and are focused on retribution and vengeance. That, as we all know, cannot work. We need to aspire to a united Ireland where we speak about unity in every sense of the word and everybody feels equally welcome.

My experience thus far on the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has been largely positive. However, one glaring obstacle that needs to be overcome if at all possible is the inclusion of unionist voices. Institutions such as the British-Irish interparliamentary body and the North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association are very positive and I was delighted to have been a part of the recent Oireachtas delegation in Stormont for the meeting of the North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association, where the very important issues of the all-island electricity market and all-island cancer care were discussed. I know that is a matter to which Senator Murphy contributed positively at committee level here in the Houses of the Oireachtas.

We need to aspire to greater unionist inclusion. It was fantastic in Stormont recently to be able to sit alongside MLAs from all sides and to be able to enjoy a great evening of entertainment with the Royal Hillsborough balladeers. They are affectionately known as RHUBARB.I have misplaced the acronym in my notes. It was a great evening, where people from all sides were able to enjoy one another's company. We need to work more closely together and understand the path forward, recognising people from all sides.

Senator Conor Murphy mentioned the Irish language and it is heartening to see progress being made in the likes of East Belfast Mission, led by Linda Ervine who is married to Brian Ervine, a brother of someone who was involved in the loyalist paramilitary strikes during the Troubles and brought the Progressive Unionist Party, PUP, to the negotiating table and the ceasefire. To see the love and grá someone from a background like that can have for our language gives me enormous hope for the possibilities that exist in the future.

Like my colleague, Senator Blaney from Fianna Fáil, I welcome this evening's motion, but we need to proceed with caution. My concern is about the timing of pushing for a date for referendums because a significant amount of preparatory work needs to be done in building trust and further reconciliation and looking at the detailed nuances of all areas in which progress needs to be made.