Ceann Comhairle interview: ‘What is happening in this country of ours?’

For Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, the low point of 2023 came when the Dáil returned from its summer recess on September 20th.

On that day a crowd of about 200 people gathered outside Leinster House protesting about everything from immigration to Covid-19 vaccines.

There was a mock gallows featuring images of politicians from across the spectrum and a figure in a suit was hung in effigy.

Protesters also jostled TDs attempting to enter Leinster House, with two needing Garda assistance and an escort away from the area.

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There were 13 arrests on the day.

[ Profile: Who is Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl? ]

Ó Fearghaíl called it “an unprecedented event”, saying Oireachtas staff, political staff and “the pretty hard-nosed politicians themselves were the subject of attack and intimidation of a sort that we’ve never ever seen here before and never want to see again . . .

“It left me wondering what was happening in this country of ours?

“It left me wondering had we dealt adequately with the indications of all this that had manifested itself previously” like intimidation of library staff and the “blockading” of centres for asylum seekers.

Asked about commentary suggesting gardaí had taken too soft an approach to such incidents previously, Ó Fearghaíl said he has “the height of regard for the gardaí” and “they adopted a strategy that they thought best at the time”.

He also said: “Certainly protests are something we always have to see as part of the democratic process.

“But when that degenerates into rioting, that’s a different story entirely” – a reference to the riot in Dublin in November.

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On the security measures like barriers and street closures that have been seen on several days outside Leinster House in recent months, Ó Fearghaíl said: “There’s probably at this stage the surplus of caution because of what happened on the 20th of September.”

He also says of that day that, “I don’t think anybody anticipated the event was going to be what it turned out to be.”

Now, Ó Fearghaíl says: “We’re trying to feel our way in terms of the new situation that we find ourselves in.”

He says he feels a “deep sense of responsibility” to the civil servants, political staff and members of the Dáil and Seanad.

He added: “The Constitution guarantees the members the right to come and go from the Houses of the Oireachtas without interference.

“So we have to ensure in conjunction with the gardaí that there will not be interference in the necessary movement of people in and out of these Houses.”

Ó Fearghaíl is adamant, however, that the high points of 2023 outnumber the lows.

He cites the visit of US president Joe Biden, who addressed the Houses of the Oireachtas in April; the first full year of reopening since the Covid-19 pandemic; and his hosting of the speakers of parliaments from many different countries at the Council of Europe’s Presidents of Parliament conference in Dublin.

He believes the unveiling at Leinster House of busts of both John Hume and David Trimble, the two key architects of the Belfast Agreement, are events that “will in time be shown to be of great significance”.

He said both men had taken risks for peace.

In reference to attempts to restore power-sharing in the North, he said: “In honouring them . . . we’re also, I suppose, indirectly saying to the people currently in charge, look, would you men and women take risks now and get the show back on the road so that the people in Northern Ireland can feel that they have the representation that they voted for.”

He is happy with the work carried out in the Dáil in 2023, saying 41 Bills were passed.

He praised Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton for her role in ensuring there’s no backlog of legislation ahead of the summer and Christmas breaks.

Previously, in 2021, President Michael D Higgins wrote to the Oireachtas about the “overwhelming number of Bills” being sent to him in the final two weeks before Dáil recesses, saying it was “less than ideal” as he sought to scrutinise complex legislation.

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Ó Fearghaíl said the President should be pleased at the “smooth flow of legislation” in 2023.

The Kildare South Fianna Fáil TD, who is 63, will not seek a third term as Ceann Comhairle should he return to the Dáil after the next general election.

He hopes a woman or younger person gets the job.

Will be back in the Dáil as a TD after the next election?

“If I’m still in this job, when the election is called, God bless the Irish Constitution it provides for my [automatic] return if I wish.”

However, he says his health, which he describes as “indifferent” in recent years, will be a factor in whether or not he decides to come back to the Dáil.

He will discuss it with his family and the “tremendous supporters” he has had in Kildare since he first ran for election to the local authority in 1985.

He said he will decide closer to the election “whether I want to go home and count my cattle and grow my chrysanthemums or whether I want to continue a job of public representation”.

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