Richard O'Donoghue: Calls for Ireland to Broker Peace
Richard O'Donoghue delivers a short address in the chamber condemning the taking of life and urging Ireland to act as a broker of peace. He challenges political posturing and proposes symbolic acts of unity, including asking rivals to link arms to call for an end to violence.
Richard O'Donoghue states plainly that any life taken is wrong and reiterates that Ireland should be a broker of peace. He refers explicitly to the situation in Gaza as wrong and extends that moral refusal to all places where families are destroyed by conflict.
O'Donoghue reminds the chamber that Ireland itself has a history of violence, noting that people who were once involved in taking lives now sit in this house. He uses that history to argue for a different path: one of reconciliation rather than repeating past errors.
He proposes a visible act of unity: for opponents to come together in the middle of the field, link arms and refuse to play until peace is the priority. The suggestion is presented as a way to move beyond politics and popularity to a clear, shared stance against violence.
Throughout the brief address O'Donoghue criticises the use of tragedy as a political football and insists he speaks from personal conviction. He closes with a direct appeal for Ireland to broker peace at home and abroad and for sporting figures to show leadership by choosing unity over division.
Condemning violence
Richard O'Donoghue states plainly that any life taken is wrong and reiterates that Ireland should be a broker of peace. He refers explicitly to the situation in Gaza as wrong and extends that moral refusal to all places where families are destroyed by conflict.
Historical reflection
O'Donoghue reminds the chamber that Ireland itself has a history of violence, noting that people who were once involved in taking lives now sit in this house. He uses that history to argue for a different path: one of reconciliation rather than repeating past errors.
A symbolic proposal for unity
He proposes a visible act of unity: for opponents to come together in the middle of the field, link arms and refuse to play until peace is the priority. The suggestion is presented as a way to move beyond politics and popularity to a clear, shared stance against violence.
Political critique and closing appeal
Throughout the brief address O'Donoghue criticises the use of tragedy as a political football and insists he speaks from personal conviction. He closes with a direct appeal for Ireland to broker peace at home and abroad and for sporting figures to show leadership by choosing unity over division.
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Transcript
Thank you, Chair. Any life that's taken is wrong. And coming in here, to me, is a broker of peace. And Ireland should be a broker of peace. And people can talk about what's happening in Gaza, which is 100% wrong. But it happens anywhere in the world of a life being taken and families being destroyed is 100% wrong. But look at the Irish history. There's people in this house that have been involved in the taking of lives. And they're sitting in this house. And we look at here, when we look at going back through traditional parties, going back through the years, okay? And the wars that happened here in Ireland, behind closed doors and everything else that happened, it was wrong. I stand for peace. And what I wouldn't mind seeing with the match that they're talking about, if both sides came out and sat down in the middle of the field and said, I'm not playing because of peace and linked arms together. That's what I would like to see. And I'd like to see unity shown that way. Rather than this being a political football being played inside here for popularity. I'm going to say what I feel and it's what I feel. I broker peace. I'd like to see peace happening. And I'd like to see that across the world. I'd like to see it in Gaza. And I'd like to see it across all the football. Let them link arms together and say, lads, this is wrong. We want peace. And that's what I'd like to see.