I thank Deputy Ardagh for raising this important issue. I am aware of the outstanding work Ballyfermot Youth Service does. I know it from talking to the Deputy and other representatives and from my own general knowledge in respect of it. I want to see that excellent work continue. Before I came in here this morning, I had a look at the website for Ballyfermot Youth Service and I could see the extent of the outstanding work it does for youths in the community. The Deputy's concern is about funding that previously came to the Ballyfermot Youth Service from the community safety fund, particularly regarding the skate park and the psychotherapist posts. Before responding to that, I will bluntly state that I will take up her invitation. I will come out to the skate park. I will not get on a skateboard but I will certainly come out to see it. The Deputy will be aware the community safety fund has been an important part of the State's response to ensuring we have community safety. The then Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, permitted the establishment of this fund in 2022, along with the then Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee. Proceeds of crime seized by CAB are partially invested back into the community through the fund. Since 2022, over 127 community safety projects across Ireland have benefited from the fund. In 2025, I achieved allocation of a budget of €4.4 million to it. For 2026, I achieved a further increase to a figure in the region of €4.75 million. This reflects the importance of the fund and why it is so necessary. When I get money into the fund, I seek to distribute it so as to ensure communities affected by criminal activity predominantly see the benefit. That is why the fund has been used so well in supporting projects addressing youth engagement, domestic violence, restorative justice and substance abuse. I agree with the Deputy that the funding of the skate park and psychotherapist post show the fund is playing an essential part in Ballyfermot in terms of what it seeks to do. I have to point out, however, that the purpose of the community safety fund is not to provide repeated, consistent, annual funding. Because it is a limited and small fund, the objective is to pick projects in areas of disadvantage around the country and provide funding for individual projects. It is important to say it is not intended to provide long-term or continuous funding for projects. Nonetheless, I am conscious of the valuable role of the Ballyfermot Youth Service. It clearly delivers important supports throughout the community. I urge Ballyfermot Youth Service to engage with the national community office in my Department and get an assessment of the application process. Obviously, it did it before and was successful in its applications on two occasions. I think it got funding of €150,000 for 2025. I ask the service to engage with my Department. The community safety fund application process will be opening up again this year.

Sentiment score: 0.34

I agree with the Deputy. It is an essential part of ensuring we get youth diversion from criminal activity that we put in place facilities and services for young people. We had a very important discussion in this Chamber recently about scramblers and how young men and boys were using them, but we need to try to provide alternative avenues and opportunities for people to engage in certain types of activities of interest to them. I fully appreciate the skate park is something Ballyfermot Youth Services wants to see continue. I want to see it continue just as much as the Deputy does. I will engage with officials in my Department in respect of it. I just want to be careful about giving false hope that this can be sorted out this year in the short term. I am going to come out to the skate park and get an update from officials in respect of what is available. We can engage with other ministerial colleagues as well to see if any other emergency funds are available for the purpose of such essential community projects as the skate park. I do have to just emphasise again the purpose of the community safety fund. It is a small fund, only €4.5 million. I am hoping to get it up even further than that this year. The fund tries to pick deserving projects around the country doing very useful work to ensure that communities are safe, particularly communities disadvantaged as a result of criminal activity. If I get into the trend of saying we have set multi-annual funding that is always going to come from the fund, the application process and the diversity of the fund will be altered. I do hear what the Deputy is saying in respect of the importance of the skate park and the psychotherapist role. I will engage with officials in my Department and continue to engage with the Deputy. I look forward very much to coming out to Ballyfermot skate park.

Sentiment score: 0.36

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh. I am very pleased I have temporary responsibility for the issue of commemorations in the Department of culture. I agree with the Deputy that it is important that we should celebrate the great rescue by the Catalpa and how it carried out the rescue of the six military Fenians. The 150th anniversary of that important event is approaching in April this year and I commend the Deputy for raising this issue in the House this morning. Obviously, the State gets involved in many official commemorations. Aside from that, it is important that we recognise as a community and as elected representatives in this House that we also have a responsibility and an ability to celebrate great historical events. The Department, in which I am not the Minister, has done a very good job of respectfully commemorating important events that happened 100, 150 and 200 years ago. It is important we continue in respect of that. The Deputy will be aware that a commemorations advisory committee was established in May 2025 under the chairmanship of Bryan Dobson, the distinguished former broadcaster. It includes individuals from across the board in academia and politics. I am informed, and pleased to say, that the anniversary of the Catalpa rescue has been brought to their attention. I am asked to say that the committee agreed that a State commemoration to mark the event would not be possible at this stage because of the proximity of the anniversary, which, as I said, takes place two months from now. It is beneficial that the committee is aware of the event and that the Deputy has raised it. Obviously, John Devoy played an essential part in the Catalpa rescue. In my capacity as the Minister for justice, individuals have come to me in respect of the rescue by the Catalpa of the Fenians out in Perth. It is an important issue that we are discussing here today. I had the privilege many years ago to be in Fremantle Prison in Perth. It is a long way away and a lonely place to be if you are an Irish person, particularly back in the middle of the 19th century. It was a fantastic rescue. It is an essential part of the history of the Irish struggle for independence and it is important that we remember it. The Deputy will be aware that when it comes to official State commemorations, not every individual event can become an official State commemoration. This does not mean that we do not celebrate other important events and discuss them in the House. As I said, we have commemorated very many significant events professionally and, I think, sensibly here. When we look at what is ahead of us, a number of other important significant events are going to occur in the next number of years. Last year we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the birth of Daniel O'Connell and it was done very well. Some outstanding documentaries were made in respect of it. Ruán Magan made an outstanding documentary in respect of Daniel O'Connell's life. The important thing is that we are not just looking to the past but that we are educating Irish people and, indeed, the world about the great story of the Irish struggle for independence. It is a magnificent struggle that we should seek to promote to the world. When we think of other important events, there will be a significant celebration in respect of Catholic emancipation. This was an issue that deserves to be recognised. It liberated the overwhelming majority of Irish people from discrimination and unfair treatment. I hear what Deputy Ó Snodaigh has said and I welcome that he raised this issue today. The Department, of which I am not a Minister, does not have official plans to commemorate the Catalpa but we can certainly celebrate it.

Sentiment score: 0.39

I agree with Deputy Ó Snodaigh. The rescue by the Catalpa is a fantastic story. Irrespective of the prejudices Deputy Ó Snodaigh and I have, and that other people have, for preferring certain commemorations over others, it is objectively a fascinating story that deserves to be reported and promoted. In a way, it is a bit like the story of the Invincibles in the aftermath of the Phoenix Park killings and what happened there. Deputy Ó Snodaigh emphasised, as I did, that the State does not have to be the one driving every commemoration. For instance, as the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, Deputy O'Connor, is well aware, last evening I attended an event in the Rotunda to start the celebrations for the centenary of Fianna Fáil. The State is not involved in this; it is not on the list of events that the State has decided to commemorate, although it could very well be but it is not. Simply because the State has not decided to assume responsibility for it does not mean that individuals who are interested or individuals who are involved cannot seek to celebrate events that are particularly special and-or important to them. Deputy Ó Snodaigh has obviously done this in respect of the Catalpa and I commend him for it. Even just having this debate here this morning is important, as we are promoting the narrative about the remarkable rescue. I have no doubt Deputy Ó Snodaigh will continue to highlight this. I am very pleased to say that Bryan Dobson and his committee are aware of it. I am sure there are other mechanisms, aside from official State commemorations, whereby support can be provided to local groups who want to commemorate important historical events. To close on an important point, obviously we all come to commemoration with our political biases and our political interests involved. It is also essential that we recognise we have to be inclusive about commemorating events. This country has been very inclusive, as we commemorated the Ulster Covenant, which was not an issue a lot of people in the House would have thought they would have been supportive of. It is important that we commemorate events that may not suit our political agenda. I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for raising this important question.

Sentiment score: 0.35