Senator Gerard Craughwell- speech from 8 Mar 2021

Goere māna, Teachta Cahirlik, Aara, Taoiseach, Root, Goed Jion, Chaach, A New Laa Seanna Internasioulna, Na Mán Lath Agus Le Gath Binaan Sió. Taoiseach Sainar Minish, Marwilisad, Taoiseach Máin, Only Men In The Room Today. So challenge, choose to challenge, I want to talk about a woman called Maureen Quigley, who chose to challenge. she was born in 1924 you can search all the history books you want you won't find her but she raised eight wonderful daughters and the eight wonderful daughters she raised she raised them to be strong courageous women who set about challenging life every day of their lives she was a woman who showed her daughters how to turn a one pound can of Heinz beans into a one and a half pound by pouring in a half a can of water she was a woman who showed her charity when five traveler children turned up at her door one evening and as they were waiting for her to get some bread for them they looked through the door and they saw the tv and they said can we see the moving pictures missus she brought them in she set them down she gave them their tea and she did that every day so she did so as they could watch sure shagas barkley dhahi laka and when the news came on they knew they had to go home Maureen Quigley was my mother and you know I grew up in a family of 11 and we idolized my father all of us and my mother was the engine room and we just took it that she was there she never missed one occasion in my life she turned up for my instant instigation as a an altar boy into the Boy Scouts into the FCA when I joined the British Army she came to my passing out when I passed out in the Irish Army she was there when I got my degree she was there she was never ever ever missing any time in my life and I didn't never put any thought into it and shortly before she died I had the privilege of arriving in the nursing home on my own one day and she was sitting on the bed she set up with a big smile she said Gerard what are you doing here I said I came down to visit you today mum and I said on the way down I thought about something and she said what was that and I said I thought about the huge influence you had on my life I said I would have never done anything but for the strong silent motivation that you provided for me and my brothers and sisters and she went to stop that now stop that but she did she drove all of us on to do wonderful things if my dad or my mother thought I would be standing here today I don't know what they'd make of it and the second woman I want to talk about is a girl called Rebecca Rebecca is my daughter whom I am so in awe of I cannot begin to tell you here and that's not forgetting my wife my wife of course was the strong woman behind my daughter but my daughter Rebecca was struck with cancer of the tongue at 19 years of age what should have been a wonderful career path for her has been damaged by constant setbacks with health and you would have a setback today and you'd go and you'd meet her in a hospital or wherever she'd be and she would be in tears and you'd go in the following day and she'd be sitting up in the bed and she'd be right let's get back to life here and she has lived that way every day since she was 19 years of age she's now in her 40s and good God I love her and I respect her courage her strength so when we talk about choose to challenge not everybody is going to be able to challenge for equal pay or equal rights I want to talk to the mothers today who chose to give up a career and stayed at home to make their children the best they can be I want to respect them and I wish to God the state would respect them and treat them properly because we don't treat them properly and I want to remember the women who had a child on their own and this is something that's going to come up here very soon the right of children to know their to have their birth cert and I have to say a minister today I know some women who had children when they were young and single who were castigated by society who left that behind them and you minister of all ministers have a huge challenge ahead of you because some of those women do not want to be known they do not want their private lives ever to be opened again and my heart goes out to them today in an equal way to the children they brought into the world so in this house we have a huge responsibility we shouldn't be talking about equal pay that should have been solved years ago I admire all of the women in here I don't like all of them but I admire all of them they're wonderful strong people and I hope that Regina the leader of the house is correct and I hope we see a huge increase in the number of women that come into this house I've worked in a women-dominated society for over 20 years as a teacher I never really found one that I couldn't get along with great women deserve great support let's go here look you've been very very kind to me allowing me to go over time thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed thank you very much indeed indeed