I wish our friends in Scotland the best of luck in their fight for independence from Britain. Even if they are defeated, things will never be the same again. Scottish independence would be wonderful for Ireland and would bring a united Ireland faster down the track. I am a passionate believer in achieving a united Ireland by peaceful means.

I listened to Senator David Norris speak blithely of the heroes of the 1916 Rising. I take serious issue with the views of the Senator and those of the former Taoiseach, Mr. John Bruton, who described the day Prince Charles visited Ireland as the happiest day of his life. Most of those present were reared on stories of Padraig Pearse and his comrades who fought for independence after 800 years of domination by Britain. Whereas the Scots were included in the development of the British empire from the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Irish people were suppressed and not given a chance to be successful. In 2016, we will celebrate the Easter Rising and the freedom achieved by those brave people who fought on these streets.

Two days ago I listened to a radio recording of Mrs. Thomas Clarke in which she described Eoin MacNeill as a traitor for trying to call off the Rising.

The Senator is entitled to her opinion.

I have a problem with the revisionists who praise Redmond. We would have got home rule my eye; there is absolutely no way we would have got it.

The Senator is very wise about events that took place 100 years ago.

The Senator must be allowed to conclude without interruption.

The greatest honour of my political life was to be asked to give the oration commemorating Tom Barry's final battle with the British army in County Cork. It is fascinating to note that Tom Barry would not have led that successful ambush if he had not fought in the First World War and learned battle tactics in Mesopotamia, as Iraq was known at the time.

My colleagues and I in the Fianna Fáil Party look forward to the celebration of the 1916 Rising. I am privileged to have been nominated by party leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, to serve on the committee on commemorations established by the Taoiseach. We will continue to take on the revisionist and derogatory comments that are made about people who laid down their lives with bravery and without fear. I assure Senators that Fianna Fáil is the true republican party.

The Senator is testing my indulgence.