Seanad debates

Wednesday, 23 November 2022

10:30 am

Photo of Mark DalyMark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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Before we adjourn for a sos, I welcome the serving poet laureate of the Canadian Parliament to the Distinguished Visitors' Gallery. Louise Bernice Halfe is representative of the voice of Canada within its Parliament. I thank her being in Seanad Éireann today. We met earlier and I am delighted to make your acquaintance. She described herself as a victor of the institutional system in which she was put in along with so many thousands from the indigenous nation. Unfortunately, as I said, we share that common history between Ireland and Canada. We share so much more in terms of the links between Ireland and the people in Canada. We thank her for coming to Seanad Éireann today. The convenor of the Parliamentary Friendship Group came up with the suggestion that we would also have a poet laureate for our Parliament. Given the fact that W.B. Yeats was a Senator but also a Nobel Prize-winning poet, I think it is a good suggestion, on this our 100th anniversary, that we look at the issue of culture and art within our Parliament and our nation.I thank her for coming to Seanad Éireann today.

On the other side of the Chamber we do not have a number of poets, but a number of students from St. John's National School, Kenmare. I thank Barry O'Leary, Tadhg Morley, Fiona O'Mahony, Maureen Harrington, Grace Healy and Deirdre McCarthy for bringing them here today. It is like herding sheep but they are doing a great job. The students have had a good visit so far and we look forward to them visiting the rest of the Parliament. They are fortunate to be in the Chamber at the same time as a poet laureate from the Canadian Parliament. Please God, perhaps some of the students will apply for the job of poet laureate to the Irish Parliament. I thank all our guests for coming to Seanad Éireann today.

Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 12.31 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 12.45 p.m.

Sitting suspended at 12.31 p.m and resumed at 12.45 p.m.