Danny Healy-Rae Welcomes Shein Family, Praises Government Apology
Danny Healy-Rae welcomed the Shein family and expressed sympathy for their long fight to secure recognition for what happened on a fateful night. He praised the minister and the government for issuing an apology and said the apology was the right outcome after years of cover-up.
Danny Healy-Rae opened by welcoming the Shein family to the event, naming Jim and Lucy and their girls. He expressed sorrow that the family had to endure so much in their fight for recognition and commiserated with them for their loss.
He thanked the minister for doing what he described as the honourable thing and thanked the government for giving the family the apology he said they deserved. He framed the apology as a necessary acknowledgement from the state.
Danny Healy-Rae said a terrible wrong had been done and that the matter had been covered up for many years. He stressed that the apology matters because it addresses that wrong and recognises the suffering the family endured.
He said the apology should lift a burden the family carried through their long campaign for recognition. He expressed hope that while the family will never forget their loss, the acknowledgement will help clear their minds and wished them the best for the future.
Family welcomed
Danny Healy-Rae opened by welcoming the Shein family to the event, naming Jim and Lucy and their girls. He expressed sorrow that the family had to endure so much in their fight for recognition and commiserated with them for their loss.
Praise for the official apology
He thanked the minister for doing what he described as the honourable thing and thanked the government for giving the family the apology he said they deserved. He framed the apology as a necessary acknowledgement from the state.
Acknowledgement of injustice and cover-up
Danny Healy-Rae said a terrible wrong had been done and that the matter had been covered up for many years. He stressed that the apology matters because it addresses that wrong and recognises the suffering the family endured.
Closure and future hopes
He said the apology should lift a burden the family carried through their long campaign for recognition. He expressed hope that while the family will never forget their loss, the acknowledgement will help clear their minds and wished them the best for the future.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Shay Brennan
Shay Brennan endorses focused international aid and rights
Brian Stanley
Brian Stanley: Opposes 100% Mortgages, Flags Rent vs Deposit Fairness
Gerard P. Craughwell
Gerard P. Craughwell Calls for Urgent Debate on Ukraine
Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy Demands Immediate Sanctions Over Gaza Civilian Deaths
Rose Conway-Walsh
Rose Conway-Walsh: Urges Ban on Israeli Bonds over Gaza
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan Demands Minister Explain Problematic Return Scheme
Transcript
I'm glad to get the opportunity, first of all, to welcome the Shein family here this evening, Jim and Lucy and their girls. I'm sorry that he had to go through too much to get recognition for what happened on that fateful night, and so sorry that he had to go through so much, and commiserate with him for the last of his own, and I thank him for doing so much to try to protect his name and to ensure that he got the proper recognition that he deserved and that he deserved. I want to thank Minister Jim O'Callaghan for doing the honorable thing here this evening, and thank this government for giving him and giving him the apology that he so deserved. And it really matters because a terrible wrong was done, a man that shouldn't be on the road, shouldn't be even loose, and that the whole thing was covered up for so many years. It's only right that we and this government give him the apology that he so deserves and hope that he can clear his mind he'll never forget Shein and he'll never cease to miss him, but at least the burden that he were trying and the fight that he were carrying on for so many years is over to get recognition. He can bring him back, but at least right is being done here as far as the government and Jim O'Callaghan is concerned, and I'm grateful for that, that this is happening tonight, and I wish he the best for the future, each and every one of you, because he deserved it.