In this maidan speech, I will start by thanking the people of Dublin Central who voted for me and turned out in good numbers. In everything I do, I am going to work to repay the trust they put in me. I thank my family and friends and everyone who has helped me get to this point. It is a proud honour for both myself and my family. Without my fiancée, Chloe, my son, Wylder, and my daughter, Wren, I simply would not be here. I thank them for all their love and strength. I thank the amazing campaign team, Gary, Cáit and El, as well as everyone who turned out, including volunteers and canvassers. I also thank the youth and sports clubs and schools that were my safety nets in the north inner city. On that point of sport, sport has changed my life. Growing up in the north inner city, sport kept me on the right track. It kept me connected to my community and friends. From grassroots level on our local pitches and play spaces right up to national level, sport has always been a place of unity, friendship, inclusion and, most importantly, respect. I have seen sports pitches be places that unite our communities and bring people together over a shared love and language. Sport saves lives. It has taught me so much. It is more than just a game. Sport only works as a tool when we ensure it is grounded in respect, that is, respect for each other, the game, our teammates and our opponents. We must also have respect for our athletes representing our nation and its jersey. This Government has shown a complete lack of respect for our nation, supporters and athletes when it insists that we should play any sporting fixture against Israel. Many of our athletes and club members have already voiced concerns and frustrations about the possibility of Ireland playing sporting fixtures against Israel. Wheelchair rugby player, Alan Dineen, made his position clear when he stated that he would refuse to play against Israel in any international competition. FAI members were clear when 93% of them passed a resolution last November to ask UEFA to remove Israel from all competitions. The Irish public could not be any clearer in this regard. We should not be playing against a genocidal regime. People have said that politics should not be involved in this decision and that sport and politics simply do not belong together. Choosing to play any fixture against the Israeli state, however, is a political decision. It is a political decision because, for Israel, this is not about football; it is about keeping its reputation clean by continuing on like nothing is happening. For Israel, it is more than a game. It is certainly more than a game for us, too. It is more than a game because, right now, it represents a regime that, for nearly three years, has systematically committed genocide against the Palestinian people. It represents a regime that has overseen the killing of nearly 75,000 Palestinians, including some 22,000 children. It is absolutely shocking and shameful. It has deliberately destroyed water, energy, healthcare and education infrastructure in Gaza. It has committed ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from Gaza. Sharing that pitch is sharing respect with not just the Israeli team but with that genocidal regime. By our Government refusing to act on this matter, it is placing a responsibility on the shoulders of athletes. While the athletes who represent this country at international level are some of the bravest people we have - they have committed their lives to their sport - it is not and should not be their responsibility alone to make choices like this. This is a decision for our Government and governing bodies. In June 1999, we were faced with a similar situation that we are faced with now. The Republic of Ireland and Yugoslavia were scheduled to play a European qualifier at Lansdowne Road. UEFA refused to postpone the game and threatened the FAI with sanctions if they did not play. The public and players made themselves clear at that time that they did not want this to go ahead. Certainly, the Government at the time had a tough decision to make but days before the game was due to take place, the Government led by Bertie Ahern of Fianna Fáil - in which our current Taoiseach was a Cabinet Minister - refused to grant the Yugoslavian players entry visas because of the atrocities that were taking place in Kosovo. The football pitch has been a place where I have learned some of my core values. This set of values prioritises being brave, standing up for yourself and fighting for what you believe in and fighting for what is right. It is a set of values that all athletes show time and again when they play, especially when they play for our country. When they go out on the pitch or court, they put themselves out there and show bravery, leadership and accountability. They show how to be bigger and be a part of something bigger. In 1999, when our Government decided that we could not justly play against Yugoslavia, it was brave. It stood up for what was right. It showed leadership and accountability. It showed the same traits that our athletes show every single time they step out to represent our country. We need our Government to act like our athletes again. We need it to be brave and stand up for what is right. We need it to ensure that none of our athletes have to be faced with a decision to play on the same pitch or court or in the same stadium as the same genocidal regime that is committing atrocities in Gaza. We need the Government to respect and trust the power of sport and show that this is more than just a game.

Sentiment score: 0.27