I am grateful for the opportunity to speak as we mark International Women's Day. It would be remiss of me on my daughter Ailbhe's birthday not to mention her. She is abroad at the moment and, unfortunately, I will not get to see her. I would like to send all my love to her and, while I am at it, to my other daughter, Farren, my mother, my sister, Irene, and especially to my wife, Mary. An opportunity like this is good because it gives us a chance to recognise the value and the contribution of women in Irish society today. We saw that in particular with the recent challenges in respect of SNAs. There was a groundswell of opposition to the proposals to cut the SNAs in schools. I saw that initially from the SNAs in Fussa school and from Glenflesk, Portmagee and around the county. The U-turn by the Government on the issue sent out a message of hope that another way of doing things was possible. It sent a message for some other campaigns also that change can and will be achieved. I am thinking in particular about the lack of early intervention classes in the County of Kerry. We know there are two in the whole of the County of Kerry while in our neighbouring County Cork there are 22. There are also many schools looking for an extra autism class or, indeed, even one autism class, such as in the campaign waged by the teachers and parents in Moyvane national school. There is also another issue. I am dealing with a woman who has a cancer diagnosis and has to have 16 or 17 radiotherapy sessions. She has been denied a medical card even on a discretionary basis. She faced the tragic loss of her husband in the past few years and even still the Department has refused her a medical card. On top of all the problems she has in dealing with the diagnosis, she is battling to try to get a medical card. That is something everybody in this House has to take on and try to achieve, not only for women but for people in general. Given the week that is in it, I will finish by acknowledging Jessie Buckley from my own county. She spoke about the great lineage of women in her acceptance speech. I do not know Jessie Buckley but I did know her grand-aunt, Dodie Horgan, or Dodie Comer as she was before she married. Certainly Jessie does come from a great lineage. Her grand-aunt passed away about two months ago. Jessie was an inspiration to women. She sang in a previous album about the shoe box of dreams that she had under her bed. She worked for it; she went for it. Maith thú, Jessie. She had to find her own way, as she said herself, and make her own mistakes. She had to go but she never got too big, never got too heavy, never got too cool.

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