Below is the full speech made by An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny in the Dáil on the McAleese report on State-involvement in the Magdalene laundries. “I begin today’s debate by thanking Dr Martin McAleese and his team for their excellent work on this report. I thank…. equally….all the women who met with them……to assist in… Continue Reading
[jwplayer mediaid=”1933″]Dáil motion on the McAleese report on State-involvement in the Magdalen Laundries It is difficult for people my age and younger to comprehend that places such as these laundries existed as institutions. It is extremely difficult to believe that people ended up in such places, stigmatised by society, forgotten, and abandoned in some cases… Continue Reading
Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Bill 2012 The redrawing of boundaries for Dáil constituencies is an issue that can give rise to significant grievances and protests, but it is a necessary part of a political process that takes account of constitutional requirements and census results. I was only two years old when the most infamous changes… Continue Reading
Statement on the Expert Group Report I welcome the opportunity to speak on what is a very complex issue. It is evident that this debate, which has been on-going since 1983, is one which divides the nation like few others. Since my election to Dáil Éireann I would have to say that I have not… Continue Reading
Private Members’ Dail Motion on Magdalene Laundries The Magdalene Laundries are perhaps the most powerful symbol of the inhumanity and brutality which formed a part of Irish society in the 20th century. It’s almost incomprehensible to my generation and to younger generations that such institutions were allowed to exist. Not only this, the Laundries system… Continue Reading