List of addresses to Seanad Éireann explained

Seanad Éireann, the upper House of the Oireachtas, has been addressed on occasion by invited non-members. Since 22 May 2001, the Seanad's standing orders allow its Committee on Procedure and Privilege (CPP) to approve the attendance of an Irish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the house.[1] (Currently S.O.57;[2] originally S.O.52A,[1] and later S.O.56.[3]) In July 2011, S.O.57 was extended to "representatives and persons in public and civic life".[4] Separately, the CPP can recommend inviting "Distinguished Persons" to address the house; since the late 1990s this has been extended, typically to EU officials.[5]

Senators have also been present alongside TDs at joint sessions of the Seanad and Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas: see list of addresses to the Oireachtas.

Date (link to text)SeanadSpeakerRoleCountry /
Institution		Notes
28 March 1996(20th)IrelandFormer professor, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cathaoirleach.
29 October 1996(20th)Commissioner for TransportEuropean Commission (Santer)
19 November 1998(21st)PresidentEuropean Commission (Santer)
14 November 2001(21st)Commissioner for Health and Consumer PolicyEuropean Commission (Prodi)
10 October 2002(22nd)PresidentEuropean Parliament
13 November 2003(22nd)MEP for DublinIrelandInvited under S.O.52A[6]
26 November 2003(22nd)MEP for Connacht–UlsterIrelandInvited under S.O.52A[7]
27 November 2003(22nd)PresidentEuropean ParliamentCox was invited as a Distinguished Person, rather than as an MEP under S.O.52A.
27 November 2003(22nd)MEP for Connacht–UlsterIrelandInvited under S.O.52A[8]
27 November 2003(22nd)MEP for LeinsterIrelandInvited under S.O.52A
27 November 2003(22nd)MEP for Connacht–UlsterIrelandInvited under S.O.52A[9]
11 December 2003(22nd)MEP for LeinsterIrelandInvited under S.O.52A
11 December 2003(22nd)MEP for MunsterIrelandInvited under S.O.52A
3 March 2004(22nd)MEP for Northern IrelandEuropean Parliament
8 November 2006(22nd)Ambassador to the United StatesEuropean UnionFormer Taoiseach
8 April 2008(23rd)PresidentEuropean Parliament
12 July 2011(24th)PresidentEuropean Parliament
28 September 2011(24th)President of the Irish Human Rights CommissionIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[10] Chair of the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions; Chancellor of the National University of Ireland; Former Leader of the Seanad
24 November 2011(24th)President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice[11] IrelandInvited under S.O.57(2). Former Senator, President of Ireland, and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Address on "the importance of the Seanad in her career as a human rights activist".
3 July 2012(24th)Grand secretary Grand Orange Lodge of IrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[12]
8 November 2012(24th)Professor of EconomicsLondon School of EconomicsAddress on the topic "Youth Unemployment and Public Policy".[13] Co-laureate of 2010 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
24 January 2013(24th)MEP for DublinIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2)[14]
29 January 2013(24th)MEP for EastIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).
13 February 2013(24th)MEP for SouthIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[15]
28 February 2013(24th)MEP for DublinIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[16]
25 April 2013(24th)MEP for North-WestIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[17]
30 April 2013(24th)MEP for SouthIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[18]
1 May 2013(24th)MEP for EastIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).
2 May 2013(24th)MEP for North-WestIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).
8 May 2013(24th)Commissioner for Research, Innovation and ScienceEuropean Commission (Barroso II)
16 May 2013(24th)MEP for North-WestIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[19]
29 May 2013(24th)United NationsInvited under S.O.57(2).[20]
25 September 2013(24th)General Secretary Irish Congress of Trade UnionsInvited under S.O.57(2).[21]
16 January 2014(24th)ChairpersonConstitutional ConventionInvited under S.O.57(2).[22]
12 June 2014(24th)President Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of EuropeInvited as a "Distinguished Person".[23]
19 June 2014(24th)Chairperson of the external assessment panelChildren's Rights Alliance report cardInvited under S.O.57(2).[24] Former Supreme Court justice and president of the Law Reform Commission. Address on "children's rights in Ireland".
23 June 2015(24th)Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentEuropean Commission (Juncker)Invited as a "Distinguished Person".[25]
5 October 2016(25th)Advocate of amnesty for Irish illegal immigrants in the United StatesUnited StatesAddress instigated by Billy Lawless. Topic was "undocumented Irish and immigration reform". Invited under S.O.57(2).[26]
29 November 2016(25th)First MinisterScottish GovernmentInvited as a "Distinguished Person".[27]
21 March 2018(25th)Sports broadcasterIrelandInvited under S.O.57(2).[28] The address, to mark Irish: Bliain na Gaeilge ("the Year of Irish") was mainly in Irish and partly in English. Responses from senators also mixed the two languages.
26 April 2018(25th)Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentEuropean Commission (Juncker)Invited as a "Distinguished Person".[29]
8 November 2018(25th)Lord MayorBelfastInvited under S.O.57(2).[30]
29 January 2019(25th)PresidentGaelic Athletic AssociationInvited under S.O.57(2).[31] After Horan's initial address, Senators made comments and questions, with Horan giving a final speech in response.
22 September 2021(26th), Maria WalshMEPs for Midlands–North-WestIrelandInvited under S.O.57(1). Luke 'Ming' Flanagan and Chris MacManus were invited but could not attend.
2 November 2021(26th), Ciarán Cuffe, Clare Daly, Frances FitzgeraldMEPs for DublinIrelandInvited under S.O.57(1).
18 November 2021(26th)TaoiseachIrelandInvited "notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders".
23 February 2022(26th), Grace O'Sullivan, Seán KellyMEPs for SouthIrelandInvited under S.O.57(1). Deirdre Clune and Mick Wallace were invited but did not attend.
3 March 2022(26th)Irish language in Northern Ireland activistInvited under S.O.57(2). To mark Seachtain na Gaeilge.
24 May 2022(26th)Chairman of Congressional Friends of IrelandUnited StatesInvited as a "Distinguished Person".
14 June 2022(26th), Alyona Shkrum,, Dmytro NatalukhaVerkhovna Rada membersUkraineInvited as "Distinguished Persons". In solidarity after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
20 September 2022(26th), Ciarán Cuffe, Frances FitzgeraldMEPs for DublinIrelandInvited under S.O.57(1). Clare Daly sent apologies.
5 October 2022(26th)Lord Speaker of the House of LordsUnited KingdomInvited as a "Distinguished Person".
26 April 2023(26th)PresidentGaelic Athletic AssociationInvited under S.O.57(2).
9 May 2023(26th)Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets UnionEuropean Commission (von der Leyen)Invited under S.O.57(2). Marking Europe Day
23 May 2023(26th)Former TaoiseachIrelandInvited as a "Distinguished Person". Marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement signed by Ahern.
13 June 2023(26th)President of the House of RepresentativesCyprusInvited as a "Distinguished Person".
27 June 2023(26th)Governor of the Commonwealth of MassachusettsUnited StatesInvited as a "Distinguished Person".
12 June 2024(26th)Former President.IrelandInvited as a "Distinguished Person".[32] Address on the "climate crisis".

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Amendments to or Modifications in effect of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business. MS Word . Seanad. Éireann. May 2005. Oireachtas. 4. Irish, en. 24 September 2011.
  2. Book: Éireann, Seanad . Members of the European Parliament: right of audience. . PDF . Standing Orders relative to Public Business . 55 . Irish, en . 2011 . Oireachtas. 24 September 2011.
  3. Book: Éireann, Seanad. Standing Orders relative to Public Business. 24 September 2011. PDF. 2007. Oireachtas. Dublin. Irish, en. 55. Members of the European Parliament: right of audience.. https://web.archive.org/web/20101017021818/http://www.oireachtas.ie/documents/proceduraldocuments/SeanadSO2007.pdf#page=75. 17 October 2010. dead.
  4. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2011/07/19/00005.asp Seanad debates Vol.209 No.10 p.5
  5. Book: ((Committee of Procedure and Privilege, 22nd Seanad)). Public representatives. MS Word. 24 September 2011. Submissions to the Subcommittee on Seanad Reform. 5. 2004. Oireachtas. 186. 5.8 (82) Senator Mary Henry MD . Our entitlement to ask distinguished speakers to address us is important too. This is particularly so with EU commissioners, members of other governments and so forth. We have used this facility with good effect, most recently with our members of the present European Convention. It may be necessary in the run up to the referendum on the European Convention to use this facility again..
  6. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2003/11/13/00005.asp Seanad debates Vol.174 No.13 p.5
  7. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2003/11/26/00005.asp Seanad debates Vol.174 No.18 p.5
  8. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2003/11/27/00005.asp Seanad debates Vol.174 No.19 p.5
  9. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2003/12/11/00006.asp Seanad debates Vol.174 No.24 p.6
  10. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2011/09/22/00004.asp Seanad debates Vol.201 No.5 p.4
  11. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2011/11/22/00005.asp Seanad debates Vol.211 No.10 p.5
  12. http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2012/06/07/00008.asp Seanad debates Vol. 215 No.14 p.8
  13. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2012110800008?opendocument#Unemployment%20and%20Public%20Policy:%20Address%20by%20Professor%20Christopher%20Pissarides Seanad debates, 8 November 2012, p.8
  14. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013012300009#H00500 Seanad debates, 23 January 2013, p.9
  15. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013021200022#V00100 Seanad debates, 12 February 2013, p.22
  16. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013022700011#K00100 Seanad debates, 27 February 2013, p.11
  17. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013042400009#J00200 Seanad debates, 24 April 2013, p.9
  18. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013042500009#J00187 Seanad debates, 25 April 2013, p.9
  19. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013051500010#J00600 Seanad debates, 15 May 2013, p.10
  20. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013052800020#U00200 Seanad debates, 28 May 2013, p.20
  21. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2013091800023#X00100 Seanad debates, 18 September 2013, p.23
  22. Web site: Address by Mr. Tom Arnold: Motion. 15 January 2014. Seanad Éireann debates. 4 February 2014.
  23. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2014060500013?opendocument#O02900 Seanad debates, 5 June 2014, p.13
  24. Web site: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Catherine McGuinness: Motion. 17 June 2014. Seanad Éireann debates. Oireachtas. 7 July 2014.
  25. Web site: Address by Commissioner Phil Hogan: Motion. 18 June 2015. Seanad Éireann debates. Oireachtas. 23 June 2015.
  26. Web site: Address by Mr. Manus Cooney: Motion. 4 October 2016. Seanad debates . KildareStreet.com. 29 November 2016.
  27. Web site: Address to Seanad Éireann by Ms Nicola Sturgeon: Motion. 10 November 2016. Seanad Éireann Debates. Oireachtas. Vol. 248 No. 5 p.2 . y. 29 November 2016.
  28. Web site: Address by Mr. Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh: Motion. 8 March 2018. Seanad debates. Oireachtas. 12 March 2018.
  29. Web site: Address by Commissioner Phil Hogan: Motion . Seanad debates . KildareStreet.com . 29 January 2019 . 24 April 2018.
  30. Web site: Address to Seanad Éireann by Lord Mayor of Belfast: Motion . Seanad debates . KildareStreet.com . 29 January 2019 . 6 November 2018 .
  31. Web site: Address by President of the Gaelic Athletic Association: Motion . Seanad debates . KildareStreet.com . 29 January 2019 . 22 January 2019.
  32. Web site: Address to Seanad Éireann by Former President, Mrs. Mary Robinson: Motion . Seanad Éireann (26th Seanad) debates . Oireachtas . 1 July 2024 . en-ie . 21 May 2024.

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