Joe O'Reilly Seconds Nomination of Senator Maria
Joe O'Reilly seconded the nomination of Maria, praising her collegiality, integrity and public service. He outlined her experience in local and European bodies and highlighted her academic achievements as strengths for the role.
He acknowledged the presence in the gallery of Maria's colleague, Minister O'Donnell, Councillor Rachel Kerley and former colleague Senator Emeritus Catherine Noon.
He joined the Leader of the House in proposing and seconding Maria, saying she is respected across the House, very collegial, a good colleague and liked and trusted by people — attributes he said matter for the role.
He described her as a distinguished former Mayor of Limerick, a former member of Limerick County and City Council and a former member of the EU Committee of the Regents, and noted she used a recent sabbatical to pursue a Masters degree.
He emphasised her principled motivation, intellectual depth and general decency, arguing those qualities will help her keep order and secure buy-in from members in carrying out the duties she is being nominated for.
Acknowledgements in the gallery
He acknowledged the presence in the gallery of Maria's colleague, Minister O'Donnell, Councillor Rachel Kerley and former colleague Senator Emeritus Catherine Noon.
Support and reasoning
He joined the Leader of the House in proposing and seconding Maria, saying she is respected across the House, very collegial, a good colleague and liked and trusted by people — attributes he said matter for the role.
Public service background
He described her as a distinguished former Mayor of Limerick, a former member of Limerick County and City Council and a former member of the EU Committee of the Regents, and noted she used a recent sabbatical to pursue a Masters degree.
Character and expected performance
He emphasised her principled motivation, intellectual depth and general decency, arguing those qualities will help her keep order and secure buy-in from members in carrying out the duties she is being nominated for.
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Transcript
I would like to acknowledge the presence in the gallery of Maria's colleague, Minister O'Donnell and also Councillor Rachel Kerley, who's in the gallery as well, and our former colleague Catherine Noon, Senator Emeritus Catherine Noon. So it's a great pleasure for me to join with our Leader of the House in proposing and seconding Maria Byrne. Maria is respected across the House, she's very collegial, a good colleague and people like her and I think that's an important thing in the role that she's liked by people and trusted by people. I think that's important as she seeks to keep order that she will have buy-in from the members because people know that Maria is doing things for the right reason and is very principled and motivated and I think that all matters. She, as Sean pointed out, is a distinguished former Mayor of Limerick, former member of Limerick County and City Council, former member of the EU Committee of the Regents and in fact, when she had her slight sabbatical that Sean kindly alluded to, she used that to pursue a Masters degree. So she's not just a woman of political letters, she's a woman of academic letters also. And I think that also brings a gravitas and a level of awareness and intellectual depth that will be necessary in the role also. So I think for all of those reasons and just the general decency of the person, which is the ultimate consideration, I am very proud and very happy to second the nomination of Senator and Senator Maria Barnas-Lasker.