Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29 ============================================================ Mary Lou McDonald (SF), Dublin Central Cuirim fáilte roimh Every Child Matters. You are very welcome to the House. Tá pobal Bhóthar Garbhachaidh go hiomlán i gcoinne an mhórshiúil de chuid an Ord Oráistigh atá á bhrú síos a mbóthar. Tá sé de cheart acu maireachtáil faoi shíocháin. Caithfidh Rúnaí Stáit na Breataine, Chris Bryant, gníomhú láithreach chun stop a chur le haon mhórshiúl atá á bhrú ar an bpobal seo. Dignity, togetherness, resolve and strength: that is what the community of the Garvaghy Road has demonstrated over recent days. Mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, families, neighbours and friends have stood together day and night to defend the peace their community has enjoyed for 28 years. They stand firm because threat remains. The fundamental question they ask is "why?" Why, after 28 years of peace, are the Orange Order and the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, so determined to force this unwanted march down the Garvaghy Road? Why, when a generation has grown up without this intimidation and fear, is there such determination to reopen this dispute and override the clearly expressed wishes of the community? It defies belief that the Parades Commission could conclude that this march should return after 28 years. The Taoiseach correctly described that decision as "incomprehensible and wrong". I agree, but how was such an incomprehensible and wrong decision arrived at? What changed? Remember what this dispute brought in the past: 21 sectarian murders. Among the dead were three little boys, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, murdered when their home was petrol-bombed by loyalists; Rosemary Nelson, the solicitor for the Garvaghy Road residents, killed by loyalists; and Robert Hamill, kicked to death by loyalists. Over recent days I have stood with the Garvaghy Road community. I have spoken to those mothers and grandmothers who lived through the dark years, and to parents, children and teenagers who have lived their entire lives free from that intimidation and fear. That is, in the end, the greatest gift that peace has given to an entire generation. Why, in God’s name, would anyone seek to drag this community backwards? Whatever their motivations, they will fail because there is no going back. The days of unionist domination are over. The Irish and British Governments have a responsibility to ensure that this community continues to live in peace, free from sectarian intimidation. They have a responsibility to ensure that there is no Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road. The British Secretary of State can stop this sectarian march being forced down that road and that is what he must do, because the way to restore peace and calm is this. That is the way to resolve this crisis. Has the Taoiseach informed the British Prime Minister and the Secretary of State of their responsibility to end this nightmare, stop this march and allow the people of the Garvaghy Road and beyond to return to their peaceful lives? --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-09-29