I join with the Cathaoirleach in welcoming Tom Clonan to the Chamber. It is an exciting day for all of us in the Seanad to have a new Member of the House. Senator Clonan is most welcome, as are his friends and family who are here to support him. It is a fantastic day for all of them, who I am sure were very involved in the campaign to get Tom elected. I can tell him that we all watched with great interest as the results came in. It is great to see a competitive contest. He has earned his position here and I have no doubt he will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the debate in the House. I look forward to working with him. I say that in my capacity as Deputy Leader. I am sure all of the group leaders will, in turn, share their thoughts on the floor of the House.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion re arrangements for the sitting the House on Wednesday, 6 April 2022, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business, without debate; No. 2, motion regarding approval of carbon budgets pursuant to section 6B(7) of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Acts 2015-2021, to be taken at 4.45 p.m. and to conclude at 6 p.m., with the time provided for the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed eight minutes, all Senators not to exceed five minutes, and the Minister to be given not less than eight minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 3, statements on tourism, to be taken at 7 p.m. and to conclude at 8.15 p.m., with the time provided for the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be give not less than seven minutes to reply to the debate.

I will break slightly with precedent, as I said, and call on the father of the House.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I have learned to expect special treatment from him and he is very kind indeed in facilitating me. I am absolutely delighted to welcome my good friend. I understand we share a distant connection to Leinster House through the late and lamentable General Sir John Maxwell. Tom has had a very distinguished career as a military analyst, and that is something that we could do with in this House, in particular at the moment with the problematic situation in Ukraine.

Tom has a distinguished record in reporting from various critical scenes such as Bosnia, Lebanon and so on. I know of his great understanding in those areas.

I also welcome his wife, Aideen, to the House. It is a proud day for her and the rest of the family who are here. Of course, we must not exclude Eoghan, who was the campaign manager, and a very effective one. Some people talk about being wheelchair-bound. There is nothing bound about Eoghan, as his success in campaigning in this election has shown.

Tom is a passionate campaigner for the rights of people with disabilities. As regards his education, he has more degrees than I do. He has a BEd from Trinity College Dublin. Good old Trinity. There is a constituency for you. He had a distinguished career in the Army and helped to highlight the issue of bullying in the armed forces which was known about but unacknowledged. He brought it to the foreground, which was extremely important. He lectures in media studies and so on at Technological University Dublin.

We are privileged to have a person such as Tom Clonan here with us. I welcome him to the House and look forward to taking part in many debates with him. He will add lustre to the House.

I know Senator Clonan is anxious to respond to such a glowing tribute. Senator Norris, as father of the House, has seen many Senators in more than four decades. To get such a glowing tribute is indeed testimony to Senator Clonan's hard work through the years on various campaigns, in particular the issue of bullying and harassment in the Defence Forces, as Senator Norris mentioned. The Defence Forces are a better place as a result of his work. I invite Senator Clonan to respond to the great words from Senator Norris.

I thank the Cathaoirleach. First, I wish to thank my cousin, Senator Norris, and remind him that we had a secret pact never to mention General Sir John Maxwell. We said we would claim one another, but would not claim him.

I do not give a damn. When one gets to my age, it does not matter any more.

The Senator has left me with the smoking gun. I thank Senators for their very kind welcome. We are exceptionally honoured and humbled to be here. I am very grateful for the extraordinary community of Trinity College Dublin graduates. I am privileged to be a member of that community. I grew up in Finglas, went to the Christian Brothers and was very fortunate to go to Trinity College Dublin. The ethical and intellectual formation I got in my studies there and the debates during that wonderful time in the 1980s when I was 19 or 20 years old really was part of the reason I pursued the research I did while I was an Army officer and some of the other directions I have taken in my life, so I am very grateful to Trinity as a university and an institution, but also to that community of support without which I would not be here.

I am struck by the painting behind the Cathaoirleach. My grandmother, Máiréad Begley, was born in Killorglin in 1900. She came to Dublin in 1916 to become a primary school teacher. She was radicalised by the events of that year, particularly the execution of the leaders of the 1916 Rising, so she joined Cumann na mBan. In 1919, she qualified as a teacher and got a job in Scoil Bhríde, which was then located on St. Stephen's Green. It was Ireland's first Gaelscoil, set up by Louise Gavan Duffy. My grandmother taught there from 1919 until 1965. In 1919, she became involved with the south Dublin brigade of the IRA.

She participated in firebombing police stations located all across south County Dublin and in Wicklow, including in Blackrock, Cabinteely, Dún Laoghaire, Bray, Greystones, Dundrum and Blessington. They were all attacked by my grandmother and her friends. Therefore, I like to think she was a typical woman, multitasking by being a schoolteacher by day and an arsonist and freedom fighter at night.

Granny came to live with us when she retired. I was born in 1966. Granny, my nana, kind of spoiled me. She used to call me "an gamhain breac", the speckled calf, because of my freckles. She was the only adult I knew who would allow me to drink as I wished, including seeing how much lemonade I could drink before I felt sick. What a granny.

I grew up in a matriarchal household with my grandmother, my mum and my three sisters. Therefore, I knew that women had played a very active role in the liberation of the State and in the formation of this Republic. I joined the Defence Forces and served here at home before the ceasefires in what we called aid-to-the-civil-power operations, and then in Lebanon in the Middle East during a violent deployment during which hundreds of Lebanese men, women and children were massacred in the Irish area of operations. I witnessed that at first hand. As I speak, I am conscious that this is happening in Ukraine, in Chernihiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv. I hope I can bring some of my experience and an awareness of the importance of peacebuilding, negotiation, back channels and always keeping the communication lines open to try to end the killing and the violence. We must ensure we do everything in our power to avoid escalation, because unique risks are involved with the conflict in Ukraine.

I am proud to see my wife, Aideen, here. Again, I would not be here without her. I would also not be here without the wonderful supportive community I have, including Eddie Barron, Roger Galligan, John and Emma Somers, David and Helle Moyna and Polly McCourt. This wonderful family and community of support rallied behind me in the election attempt in 2016, when Senator Ruane certainly taught me a few lessons, and again in 2020, when I think she doubled her first preference votes.