Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome to the Gallery two special guests of Senator O'Loughlin, Joeleen Dyland and her son James, who has a huge interest in politics. We look forward to James coming back to Leinster House in the future, perhaps to work in the office with Senator O'Loughlin and maybe later as an elected Member of Seanad Éireann or Dáil Éireann. We are delighted to have him here and we look forward to seeing him again in the Houses of the Oireachtas in the very near future.

It is also my pleasure to welcome the Belgian ambassador to Ireland, H. E. Nicolas Nihon. We will mark Belgian National Day later this month. There is a long and enduring friendship between our two countries dating back through the centuries to the time of St. Brigid, St. Dymphna and St. Foillan, who apparently spent time in Bruges. The Deputy Leader has been a great advocate of St. Brigid's Day. A part of St. Brigid's cloak is in kept in the cathedral in Bruges. After the Flight of the Earls in 1607, a tragic time in our history, the Earl of Tyrone, Hugh O'Neill, and the Earl of Tyrconnell, Rory O'Donnell, spent time in Leuven with their families that winter. The Franciscan friars of the Irish College of St. Anthony hosted many of the O'Donnell clan and they are buried in the college. Later, nearly 11,000 Irishmen were buried in the Flanders fields and throughout Belgium during the First World War.

The relationship between our two countries has flourished as a result of our shared membership of the union of nations that is the European Union, where we have worked together on issues of multilateralism, shared interests and support for the United Nations. There are 10,000 to 15,000 Irish people working in Belgium, many of them EU staff. This year is the 20th anniversary of Belgium GAA, which includes the EC Gaelic Club in Brussels. Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and Conradh na Gaeilge, the Irish language organisation, also have branches there. This year marks the fifth anniversary of Irish being an official language of the European Union.

As we mark Belgium's National Day in Seanad Éireann, we are delighted to have the ambassador here. We look forward to building further relationships with Belgium, including at the EU. We are delighted also to welcome members of the parliamentary friendship group, including the convenor and the Leas-Chathaoirleach, who are with the ambassador in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. I thank them for being here.