I will also speak about International Women's Day. I believe it should be a time of review and reflection. Typically, it fills me with hope and renewed commitment to the cause of equality. This year's theme, break the bias, certainly hammers that home. I am also using this week to reflect on lessons learned from some of the amazing women from the midlands I have had the privilege to meet in my roles as Minister of State, Senator and a member of my community. They include women who have overcome personal tragedy to lead their family farms and businesses, Traveller women who, despite facing bias and discrimination, are working hard to help others, women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, sport and politics, and women who lead in activism to protect this beautiful planet we call home. These are women who inspire us all each and every day.

Mná 100 celebrates the women of 1916, many of whom have been forgotten over this past century. These include women such as Áine Ní Riain who was living in Offaly when she took part in the 1916 Rising. As a member of Tullamore's Cumann na mBan, she served at Reis's Chambers, the Hibernian Bank and the GPO garrison until 28 April which, as she later recounted, she only left by order of P.H. Pearse. They also include women such as 23-year-old nurse Mary McDonald from Abbeyleix, who was training as a midwife at the Rotunda Lying-in Hospital during Easter 1916. When the British military occupied the hospital, Mary and the staff were given orders to get on with their work, not to go out of doors and to keep away from the windows. Mary later recalled that "Shots and explosions were then the order of the day, we did our work, ate our short ration."

This is but a snapshot of some of the wonderful women of the midlands, past and present. As the phrase "nothing about me without me" goes, today we celebrate and thank those women for inspiring us to break the bias and move us ever closer to an equal Ireland for every woman.

Like my colleagues, I wish everybody a very happy International Women's Day.

I too will raise issues around the crisis in Ukraine. One thing we have seen in recent weeks is the great community spirit on the part of citizens and residents throughout the country who are volunteering to help out. We need to recognise their contribution. It is astounding to see those who are looking to help registering with the Red Cross. I also suggest we look at those who have holiday homes throughout the country. Such homes may be made available for the six- to 12-month period when we will need to house some of those who will come here.

A considerable number will come. If we see up to 100,000 refugees, we have to welcome them. If those holiday homes can be made available, that would certainly help.

I welcome the fact that the Government has made its message on St. Patrick's Day very clear. Messages around Ukraine will be to the centre of it and no representative of either Russia or Belarus will be officially invited to any St. Patrick's Day event. We need, as colleagues have said, to show solidarity with our EU neighbours. Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have shown extraordinary generosity, as indeed has Moldova. We need to express our solidarity with those countries and provide them with the necessary support.

Schuman, one of the founders of the European Union as it is now, when he started speaking about the future of Europe, said that much of Europe would be forged out of crisis. We have gone from Brexit, through Covid, to the current crisis in Ukraine. I ask for a debate around the future of Europe. We need to see closer co-operation. Its merits are very plain to see now in terms of how we addressed all those crises, especially the current crisis.

It would be appropriate, at some stage, to invite President Zelenskyy to address this House or to address both the Dáil and the Seanad. He has shown wonderful leadership over the past period. Extending that invitation as a sign of the solidarity of the people of Ireland with the people of Ukraine would be welcome.