Is that so?

Yes, I am not going to give out. Regardless of what is said to me I am going to be nice today on our last day. I echo what is being said about everybody enjoying their break and the thanks to all the staff in here. It can be very daunting when you first come in but everybody makes you feel like you can do it. It is great to work here. I am going to end by wishing the Limerick hurlers the best of luck on Sunday. I am proposing that everybody in Limerick gets a day off on Monday because there will be mighty celebrations. It is probably too late to bring this up - I should have brought this up about a month ago when I knew we were going to be in the final - but it would be nice to see, maybe for the next one, extra buses and train times being put on. I know it was done for the Kerry games but Kerry seems to take precedence when it comes to transport for some reason. They think they are better than Limerick. I wish the two teams the best of luck, but we are going to enjoy our celebrations on Sunday.

Before I call Senator Martin Conway, I welcome Leryn Stephenson to the Public Gallery. She is a guest of Senator Conway and is visiting from Texas in the United States of America. I hope she enjoys her visit her today. It is lovely to see her.

I too would like to welcome Leryn to Seanad Éireann. It is a very special trip back to Ireland for her and I hope she enjoys her time here. I also echo the good wishes and the thanks to Martin and all his team who make life so much easier for us here, and I hope all colleagues across the House have an enjoyable summer. They can all come to County Clare on their holidays. We have many beautiful spots that they can visit starting with Lahinch and the Cliffs of Moher. There is lots to do in Clare and I hope I see many of them down there over the next few weeks.

When the Leader returns in September, I ask for two quick debates. The first is on the protocols the Department of agriculture uses in culling animals on-site in farms. We need to have a discussion and a conversation on the protocols because they could certainly be improved. I have come across a number of examples lately that are quite distressing. I have to do further research but if the information that has been brought to my attention is correct, it is very distressing. I also seek a further debate on tourism. We have the Walker Cup coming to Lahinch in September and people are very excited about. We also have the Irish Open in Doonbeg this year. Those big tourism events, coupled with the Ryder Cup that is coming to Adare next year, are bringing fantastic revenue and excitement. We need more of these type of events. Any investment the Government makes in big-ball tourism sporting events is well worthwhile, not just because of the revenue generated but also the international coverage we get.

Finally, I commend Cara Darmody, someone the Leader knows very well, who is at the gates of Leinster House doing her two-day protest. I think it is her second in the last year. I commend her on what she has achieved through her advocacy and her campaigning and what she will achieve. I know the Leader would agree with me on that.