Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29 ============================================================ Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central I ask the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the House to indulge me for a moment as I acknowledge the presence and imminent retirement of our colleague Miriam Lord, who is in the Gallery today. I think we would all agree that Miriam’s journalism, and in particular her oversight and accounts of our work in this House, has been a critical part of our national conversation, and indeed our nation’s democracy, over quite a number of years. In her unsparing but razor-sharp perception and analysis, I sometimes felt that she was rather unfair about me, but she was always spot on about everyone else. More seriously, Miriam has been an outstanding journalist and never produced anything short of must-read reporting. Her many awards and accolades were all richly deserved, and I feel that her absence from the analysis of and argument about our daily cut and thrust in this Chamber will be sorely missed. I am grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to Miriam and all that she has done. I appreciate the Deputy raising the issue of what has transpired over the last number of days in Northern Ireland, particularly Drumcree, and the parade, or the decision by the Parades Commission in respect of a parade down the Garvaghy Road. We in the Government, along with everyone in the House, are deeply concerned with what has transpired. In many ways the events of last weekend were deeply depressing. There is a real risk now that the progress that has been made on community relations in Northern Ireland will be set back. We continue to monitor the situation very closely. Our officials are on the ground, remaining in contact with all key interlocutors, including the Garvaghy Road residents. I have maintained personal contact with Prime Minister Burnham over the weekend, and I know he shares our commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement and the immeasurable gains that have been made over the last 30 years. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, also remains in contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who is meeting with the five main political parties and the representatives of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition. The Minister has also been in touch with other political parties and groups. I am keenly aware of the hurt around Drumcree. I have been through it before. I was in government when we had to deal with the catastrophe that unfolded in the late 1990s, as articulated by the Deputy. I too remember very clearly the fear, chaos, violence and tragedy the dispute generated. Drawing directly on that experience, I would urge extra sensitivity from everyone in positions of political or community leadership. I understand fully that feelings are very high, but this is the time for all of us to be calm and careful in what we say and do. I am relieved that those directly involved are open to mediation. I support and encourage that work. I also support the idea that we might look at an independent international figure to play a role in supporting and encouraging mediation and negotiation. Overall, we need to acknowledge the bottom line is we have made significant progress over many years in furthering reconciliation under the Good Friday Agreement and that a return to the divisions of the past is simply unthinkable. My views on the original decision are well known. My focus now, working with all involved, is to see how we can create a pathway forward that mediates the community out of the grave risk that overshadows it right now. Beimid sásta gach aon iarracht a dhéanamh agus cabhair agus tacaíocht a thabhairt chun an fhadhb seo a réiteach agus treoir níos fearr a chur san áireamh. --- 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