As Leader of Seanad Éireann I rise to speak at this very sad time in the history of the world. It is important that Seanad Éireann expresses its sorrow and outrage at the atrocities that have been committed in the United States of America and the blows that were struck against democracy by the taking of the lives of so many innocent people. These unspeakable acts have claimed thousands of lives, with five thousand people currently dead or missing. Many thousands more have been wounded physically and emotionally in the devastation and terrible pain of losing a loved one. Our sympathies and condolences go out to the victims of these outrages and their families.
We know that a number of Irish people are among those who died. Our sympathies and condolences go to the family of Ruth Clifford McCourt and her daughter Juliana, who were the first Irish fatalities to be identified. Regrettably there will be more. As the Taoiseach said in Dáil Éireann earlier today, the death toll of Irish people and of Irish Americans is proof, were it needed, of the close links between our two countries.
I know that we all shared the same sense of shock and disbelief when we heard of the terrible and horrifying events of Tuesday last, 11 September. We and millions of people around the world watched and re-watched television pictures of the appalling acts of terrorism which struck Washington, Manhattan and Pittsburgh. Having lived through a number of truly universal horrors in the 20th century, many thought there was nothing that could really surprise us anymore. Last week we were proved wrong. Who would have thought that any human being could be so evil as to inflict such pain, suffering and death on countless thousands of innocent people? The horror and scale of the atrocity will be etched in our memories forever.
As we watched and heard the dreadful scenes unfold on our televisions and radios, our hearts and prayers were with the victims and their families and all Americans. Sadly, we know some of our own citizens also lost their lives in the terrorist attack on New York and the Pentagon, with many missing, presumed dead. The list of firemen, police and other emergency personnel included scores of Irish names. As yet we are unsure of the final death toll.
One cannot help but be appalled by the sheer horror of this atrocity which was shown in the pitiful spectacle of people plunging to their deaths from the blazing towers of the World Trade Centre or by messages sent by victims in phone calls to their loved ones minutes before their deaths. We were all affected by the screams of those who witnessed the towers crumble, knowing that their loved ones were inside; by the picture of Father Mychal Judge, pastor to the fire fighters, who died while giving the Last Rites to one of the victims, or the rescue workers being crushed as the buildings came toppling down; of the thought of the hundreds of little children who have been left without a parent.
From the moment the first plane hit the World Trade Centre, the world changed forever. The events that followed have shocked and stunned the world. It has often been said that 26 years of war in Northern Ireland left no family untouched. That now seems to be the case in New York, and in Manhattan in particular, except that the death toll was amassed in 90 horrific minutes while family, friends and the world looked on helplessly. That is all it took for the planes to hit the World Trade Centre with such devastating consequences. Images of doomed individuals waving from the towers in the vain hope of rescue made ordinary people like us feel powerless and sickened in the face of such an insane act. That any individual can be so evil is unthinkable, yet the unthinkable happened.
When I heard of the first plane crash I thought it was a terrible accident. However, when I watched United Airlines flight 175 crash into the second tower I knew it was a deliberate act of terrorism and also an act of mass murder. These savage acts of terrorism and murder were an assault on democracy and the basic fabric of our civilisation. For people in Ireland, it was also an attack on many of our family and friends who have made the United States of America their home. Many thousands of Irish people visit the United States each year for holidays, to study or to work during their summer holidays. Statistics show that 44 million Americans claim to be of Irish descent. While we have many economic and political links with the United States, it is the intimate human ties that underpin the special and unique relationship that exists between Irish and American people.
In this time of great sorrow and loss we in Ireland can identify with the grief of the American people. During the past 30 years we have also witnessed many tragic events that have brought terrible suffering to so many people in our land. We know at first hand the dreadful pain and suffering that terrorism inflicts and the immeasurable fear it produces. We have also seen many lives cut short by numerous senseless barbaric and ruthless acts. Through those dark days, America was always a friend and supporter. With American support and involvement we have successfully changed the political landscape in Ireland.
Former President Bill Clinton visited this country and Northern Ireland on three occasions in an endeavour to create the climate for peace and sent us Senator George Mitchell whose hard work helped bring about the signing of the Good Friday Agreement by the Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern. This brought us new hope and a new vision for the future. We must now seek to offer comfort and support to our loyal and true friends who have also looked terrorism in the face and suffered. Their grief is our grief.
Looking at the rubble in the aftermath of last Tuesday's horrendous atrocity, I was reminded of the scenes witnessed at Omagh where 29 people were killed and many others physically disabled by the atrocity that occurred there. In New York last week, we saw again the rubble and dust, the twisted metal, the despair, the overwhelming sense of helplessness and, most of all, the senseless loss of life. We watched the impact on families who, one moment, were full of the joy of life and who, in the next, were stunned by the cruel loss of a loved one or were struggling with fear for a family member missing or trapped under the masses of rubble.
There are many social and political injustices in the world today but there can be no justification for last week's act. There is no justification whatever for the carnage and wanton loss of life we witnessed.