Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I note the Leader will be proposing a minute’s silence for the passing of Pope Francis at the end of the Order of Business. Before I ask the Leader to outline the Order of Business, I welcome to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery the chargé d'affaires from the Polish Embassy, who is most welcome. Poland will be celebrating its national day on Saturday, 3 May, but I am assured by the Leader that the Seanad will not be sitting that day. I thank the chargé d'affaires for being here. There are long and enduring links between Ireland and Poland, going all the way back centuries, and decades in terms of being part of the European Union, which has helped transformed both our countries - two small countries that struggled long and hard for freedom, which we now both enjoy thanks to the relentless work of successive generations.

In 2019, the Polish Embassy produced an exhibit, A Forgotten Polish Hero of the Great Irish Famine: Paul Strzelecki’s Struggle to Save Thousands, which was opened by President Michael D. Higgins. Another exhibit, which is open to everybody, in Dublin Castle, is on Constance Markievicz, who of course is so much part of our history, not only here in the Houses of the Oireachtas as a Member but also as somebody who struggled as part of our struggle for independence and freedom. The last census showed there are more than 122,500 people in Ireland who have Polish heritage or were born in Poland. There is a Polish cultural and social association in Ireland that has done great work in supporting its neighbours from Ukraine. There are more than 40 Polish schools here and I also believe Polish is an exam subject in Ireland. We have worked together on UN duty with UNIFIL and our collaboration in that regard continues. In advance of the celebration of the national day, we acknowledge Poland's great support for Ireland during Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement. I thank the chargé d'affaires for being here. I wish him a happy Polish Constitution Day.

I welcome visitors from CBS Secondary School Kilkenny, who are guests of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Deputy John McGuinness. They are most welcome here today. I thank them for coming.

Anois, I call on the Leader to outline the Order of Business.