It is great to see my colleagues in such fine form on a Tuesday afternoon. It is a great start to the week.

Nothing concentrates the mind more than seats in Seanad Éireann.

There should be no more interruptions.

Last Friday the Seanad Chamber hosted the inaugural meeting of the North-South Inter-Parliamentary Association, which was a great indication of the progress made on the island. The establishment of this association stems from the Good Friday and St. Andrew's Agreements. It was an historic moment and I look forward to working closely with the association for years to come.

I give a warm welcome to the decision made yesterday by An Bord Pleanála to give the go-ahead to the construction of a new bridge at Narrow Water on the River Newry, linking County Louth and County Down for the first time. This is something for which I have been hoping and on which I have been working for a long time. Following the granting of planning permission by the Northern Ireland Environment Minister last week, I am delighted the project can go ahead. Provided funding under the INTERREG 4 scheme comes through, I hope the bridge will open in 2015.

It is a great symbol, not only because Narrow Water was the site of where so many British soldiers were killed in one of the worst atrocities in the Troubles in the North, but because this project can be a step forward and the way towards unity of North and South.

I agree with what Senator Moran said about last Friday. The meeting of the North-South Interparliamentary Association in this Chamber, chaired jointly by the Speaker, William Hay, and the Ceann Comhairle was a remarkable event. There were superb presentations by Geoffrey Shannon and Ian Elliott on the cross-Border dimension of child protection. For lighter relief in the afternoon Brian Cassells and John Martin spoke about the restoration of the Ulster Canal as a tourism facility. Great credit is due to everyone who ensured that part of the Good Friday Agreement was finally implemented. Thanks are due to the Speaker, the Cathaoirleach and the secretariat. It was a most important day. One of the remarkable parts was that virtually everyone on the Unionist side claimed to be originally from places such as Monaghan or Donegal. The nine-county Ulster project was definitely revived last Friday. It was a great occasion and credit is due to everyone who organised it so well. History was made here last Friday.