Date (link to text)
|
Seanad
|
Speaker
|
Role
|
Country / Institution
|
Notes
|
28 March 1996
|
(
20th)
|
James Dooge
|
Member of the
Institute of European Affairs
|
Ireland
|
Former professor,
Minister for Foreign Affairs and
Cathaoirleach.
|
29 October 1996
|
(
20th)
|
Neil Kinnock
|
Commissioner for Transport
|
European Commission (Santer)
|
|
19 November 1998
|
(
21st)
|
Jacques Santer
|
President
|
European Commission (Santer)
|
|
14 November 2001
|
(
21st)
|
David Byrne
|
Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy
|
European Commission (Prodi)
|
|
10 October 2002
|
(
22nd)
|
Pat Cox
|
President
|
European Parliament
|
|
13 November 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Mary Banotti
|
MEP for Dublin
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[6]
|
26 November 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Joe McCartin
|
MEP for Connacht–Ulster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[7]
|
27 November 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Pat Cox
|
President
|
European Parliament
|
Cox was invited as a Distinguished Person, rather than as an MEP under S.O.52A.
[7]
|
27 November 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Dana Rosemary Scallon
|
MEP for Connacht–Ulster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[8]
|
27 November 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Nuala Ahern
|
MEP for Leinster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[8]
|
27 November 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Seán Ó Neachtain
|
MEP for Connacht–Ulster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[9]
|
11 December 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Avril Doyle
|
MEP for Leinster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[9]
|
11 December 2003
|
(
22nd)
|
Brian Crowley
|
MEP for Munster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.52A
[9]
|
3 March 2004
|
(
22nd)
|
John Hume
|
MEP for Northern Ireland
|
European Parliament
|
|
8 November 2006
|
(
22nd)
|
John Bruton
|
Ambassador to the United States
|
European Union
|
Former
Taoiseach
|
8 April 2008
|
(
23rd)
|
Hans-Gert Pöttering
|
President
|
European Parliament
|
|
12 July 2011
|
(
24th)
|
Jerzy Buzek
|
President
|
European Parliament
|
|
28 September 2011
|
(
24th)
|
Maurice Manning
|
President of the
Irish Human Rights Commission
|
Ireland
|
Invited 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)
|
Mary Robinson
|
President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice
[11]
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[11] 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)
|
Drew Nelson
|
Grand secretary
|
Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[12]
|
8 November 2012
|
(
24th)
|
Christopher Pissarides
|
Professor of Economics
|
London School of Economics
|
Address on the topic "
Youth Unemployment and
Public Policy".
[13] Co-laureate of 2010
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
|
24 January 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Gay Mitchell
|
MEP for Dublin
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2)
[14]
|
29 January 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Mairead McGuinness
|
MEP for East
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[14]
|
13 February 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Phil Prendergast
|
MEP for South
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[15]
|
28 February 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Emer Costello
|
MEP for Dublin
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[16]
|
25 April 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Pat The Cope Gallagher
|
MEP for North-West
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[17]
|
30 April 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Seán Kelly
|
MEP for South
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[18]
|
1 May 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Nessa Childers
|
MEP for East
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[18]
|
2 May 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Marian Harkin
|
MEP for North-West
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[18]
|
8 May 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Máire Geoghegan-Quinn
|
Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
|
European Commission (Barroso II)
|
|
16 May 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Jim Higgins
|
MEP for North-West
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[19]
|
29 May 2013
|
(
24th)
|
Margareta Wahlström
|
Special Representative and head of
UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
|
United Nations
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[20]
|
25 September 2013
|
(
24th)
|
David Begg
|
General Secretary
|
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[21]
|
16 January 2014
|
(
24th)
|
Tom Arnold
|
Chairperson
|
Constitutional Convention
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[22]
|
12 June 2014
|
(
24th)
|
Anne Brasseur
|
President
|
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
[23]
|
19 June 2014
|
(
24th)
|
Catherine McGuinness
|
Chairperson of the external assessment panel
|
Children's Rights Alliance report card
|
Invited 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)
|
Phil Hogan
|
Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
|
European Commission (Juncker)
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
[25]
|
5 October 2016
|
(
25th)
|
Manus Cooney
|
Advocate of amnesty for Irish
illegal immigrants in the United States
|
United States
|
Address instigated by
Billy Lawless. Topic was "undocumented Irish and immigration reform". Invited under S.O.57(2).
[26]
|
29 November 2016
|
(
25th)
|
Nicola Sturgeon
|
First Minister
|
Scottish Government
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
[27]
|
21 March 2018
|
(
25th)
|
Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh
|
Sports broadcaster
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[28] The address, to mark 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)
|
Phil Hogan
|
Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
|
European Commission (Juncker)
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
[29]
|
8 November 2018
|
(
25th)
|
Deirdre Hargey
|
Lord Mayor
|
Belfast
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
[30]
|
29 January 2019
|
(
25th)
|
John Horan
|
President
|
Gaelic Athletic Association
|
Invited 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)
|
Colm Markey ,
Maria Walsh
|
MEPs for Midlands–North-West
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(1).
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan and
Chris MacManus were invited but could not attend.
|
2 November 2021
|
(
26th)
|
Barry Andrews ,
Ciarán Cuffe,
Clare Daly,
Frances Fitzgerald
|
MEPs for Dublin
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(1).
|
18 November 2021
|
(
26th)
|
Micheál Martin
|
Taoiseach
|
Ireland
|
Invited "notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders".
|
23 February 2022
|
(
26th)
|
Billy Kelleher ,
Grace O'Sullivan,
Seán Kelly
|
MEPs for South
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(1).
Deirdre Clune and
Mick Wallace were invited but did not attend.
|
3 March 2022
|
(
26th)
|
Linda Ervine
|
Irish language in Northern Ireland activist
|
Turas
|
Invited under S.O.57(2). To mark
Seachtain na Gaeilge.
|
24 May 2022
|
(
26th)
|
Richard Neal
|
Chairman of
Congressional Friends of Ireland
|
United States
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
|
14 June 2022
|
(
26th)
|
Lesia Vasylenko ,
Alyona Shkrum,
Rostyslav Tistyk [
uk],
Dmytro Natalukha
|
Verkhovna Rada members
|
Ukraine
|
Invited as "Distinguished Persons". In solidarity after the
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
|
20 September 2022
|
(
26th)
|
Barry Andrews ,
Ciarán Cuffe,
Frances Fitzgerald
|
MEPs for Dublin
|
Ireland
|
Invited under S.O.57(1).
Clare Daly sent apologies.
|
5 October 2022
|
(
26th)
|
John, Baron McFall
|
Lord Speaker of the
House of Lords
|
United Kingdom
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
|
26 April 2023
|
(
26th)
|
Larry McCarthy
|
President
|
Gaelic Athletic Association
|
Invited under S.O.57(2).
|
9 May 2023
|
(
26th)
|
Mairead McGuinness
|
Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union
|
European Commission (von der Leyen)
|
Invited under S.O.57(2). Marking
Europe Day
|
23 May 2023
|
(
26th)
|
Bertie Ahern
|
Former
Taoiseach
|
Ireland
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person". Marking the 25th anniversary of the
Good Friday Agreement signed by Ahern.
|
13 June 2023
|
(
26th)
|
Annita Demetriou
|
President of the
House of Representatives
|
Cyprus
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
|
27 June 2023
|
(
26th)
|
Maura Healey
|
Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
|
United States
|
Invited as a "Distinguished Person".
|