I also welcome the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Ms Nancy Pelosi, to Ireland. Her comment in the United Kingdom and Ireland that any US-UK trade deal will not happen if any damage is done to the peace process is significant and sends a clear signal that the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process cannot be damaged in any way.

I thank Senator Lawless for the work he has done in bringing US and Irish politicians together

Hear, hear.

That is exactly what the Seanad should be about.

As somebody who advocates a greater association with the Commonwealth of Nations, I took great interest in the wonderful supplement in the Sunday Independent, the largest selling newspaper, outlining Ireland's association with the Commonwealth. As Members are aware, in 1949 Ireland was declared to be a republic by a Fine Gael Taoiseach, probably at the suggestion of Seán MacBride, the leader of Clann na Poblachta and an ex-chief of staff of the IRA. It was a significant mistake which resulted in the Ireland Act being introduced at Westminster which effectively recognised Northern Ireland for the first time and drove partition on the island more deeply.

Hear, hear.

Even Eamon de Valera said in 1953 when he went to visit Mr. Churchill that if he had been Taoiseach in 1948, there was no way Ireland would have left the Commonwealth. The rules of the Commonwealth of Nations were changed to allow Ireland to remain in it. A total of 53 countries and 2.4 billion people are in the Commonwealth. A total of 70% of the people born on the island who reside overseas reside in Commonwealth countries. From the point of view of co-operation, democracy, human rights and legal, political and sporting-----

They include Brunei.

Did I hear an English accent?

Even Sinn Féin-----

Go back to London.

The Senator is out of order.

Sit down.

The Senator has interrupted three times today and I am being very patient. He should, please, allow Senator Feighan to conclude, as he is almost one minute over time and there are another eight speakers and four votes to be taken.

I understand. Even Sinn Féin in the North and the South realises that if we are to have an agreed Ireland, our relationship with the Commonwealth will have to be paramount. We, therefore, need to have a debate on Ireland's future relationship with the Commonwealth of Nations. What do we have against Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India? There is a deep Anglophobia, with which we must deal if we are to have an agreed Ireland.