On Thursday, 3 November, a division was challenged on the question that the Bill be read a Second Time. In accordance with the order of the Dáil of that day, that division must be taken now.
Public Holidays (Lá na Poblachta) Bill 2016: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members]
Question again proposed: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
Question put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 33; Staon, 5; Níl, 91.
Tá
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Broughan, Thomas P.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Clare.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Ferris, Martin.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Healy, Seamus.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Nolan, Carol.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Caoláin, Caoimhghín.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- O'Reilly, Louise.
- O'Sullivan, Maureen.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tóibín, Peadar.
- Wallace, Mick.
Níl
- Aylward, Bobby.
- Bailey, Maria.
- Barrett, Seán.
- Brassil, John.
- Breathnach, Declan.
- Breen, Pat.
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Peter.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Catherine.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Canney, Seán.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carey, Joe.
- Casey, Pat.
- Cassells, Shane.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Michael.
- Corcoran Kennedy, Marcella.
- Coveney, Simon.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Curran, John.
- D'Arcy, Michael.
- Daly, Jim.
- Deasy, John.
- Deering, Pat.
- Doherty, Regina.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Doyle, Andrew.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Fitzgerald, Frances.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Harty, Michael.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Lowry, Michael.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Finian.
- McGrath, Michael.
- McGuinness, John.
- McHugh, Joe.
- McLoughlin, Tony.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Mitchell O'Connor, Mary.
- Moran, Kevin Boxer.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Moynihan, Michael.
- Murphy O'Mahony, Margaret.
- Murphy, Dara.
- Murphy, Eoghan.
- Neville, Tom.
- Noonan, Michael.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connell, Kate.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Dowd, Fergus.
- O'Keeffe, Kevin.
- O'Loughlin, Fiona.
- O'Rourke, Frank.
- O'Sullivan, Jan.
- Penrose, Willie.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Ring, Michael.
- Rock, Noel.
- Ross, Shane.
- Ryan, Brendan.
- Scanlon, Eamon.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Zappone, Katherine.
Staon
- Barry, Mick.
- Coppinger, Ruth.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Ryan, Eamon.
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Denise Mitchell; Níl, Deputies Regina Doherty and Tony McLoughlin.
Question declared lost.
Explanations under Standing Order 138(2A) as received from Members
Deputy Ruth Coppinger, Deputy Mick Barry and Deputy Paul Murphy abstained on the reading of the Public Holidays (Lá na Poblachta) Bill 2016 for a second time with the following explanation: The Anti-Austerity Alliance stands for an increase in holidays for workers, including increasing the number of public holidays. We are therefore supportive of the idea of an extra public holiday that this Bill contains. In addition to the establishment of a public holiday, the Bill also provides for a series of commemorative events on the 1916 Rising in all parts of the island, North and South.
We believe that a full discussion and a deeper understanding of the revolutionary events in Ireland in this era is vital. However the commemorations and events envisaged in this Bill could potentially be unbalanced. The Bill’s scope for commemorations is narrow and is focused solely on the run up to the 1916 Easter Rising and the politics of its participants. While the Rising is a key event in Irish history and the politics and motivations of its participants should be fully examined and discussed, we believe this would be a one sided and unbalanced look at this era in history. For example, the significant developments in the labour movement, both North and South, in the decade before and after 1916 are not mentioned in the Bill. This is despite the labour movement being a key driving force in the revolutionary events after 1916 and being a movement that showed an ability to cut across sectarian division and unite all workers in a struggle against imperialism and for a better future. Neither is the international context of this era in Irish history mentioned; a period that saw millions of working people and poor rise up in revolutions across Europe and beyond.
The Bill makes provision for commemorative events across the island, North and South. There is a particular danger of an unbalanced set of commemorative events taking place in the North which could further increase sectarian tensions. We have therefore abstained on the Bill at Second Stage.