Fiery focail fly during brawl in the Dáil

A BILINGUAL Ireland was achieved last night during one of the most bizarre — and nasty — exchanges the Dáil has seen in recent years.

On one side, Minister for Environment Martin Cullen agus ar an taobh eile, bhí Aengus Ó Snodaigh, ó Shinn Féin.

It took place during the final debate on the National Monuments (Amendment) Bill, the proposed legislation to facilitate completion of the M50 at Carrickmines and other major road projects.

Opposition deputies, including Ó Snodaigh, alleged the bill will allow the minister to destroy, sell off, and even export National Monuments that get in the way of road projects.

Ó Snodaigh, speaking in Irish, began his 20- minute speech quietly enough but quickly ran into flak from the minister, who used almost his full repertoire of Irish to declaim, "Níl sé sin ceart."

Soon the insults were flying in both first and second official tongues. It began to go downhill when Ó Snodaigh alleged that if a national monument was in the way, "they want to get rid of it, hide it or concrete it over".

"That sounds very like Sinn Féin with the IRA," said Cullen.

Ó Snodaigh then jibed that Cullen was the "Aire (Minister of) Corruption" and alleged there was no other reason behind the legislation other than corruption.

He then went on to call Cullen "an duine is gránna sa Dáil".

Cullen retorted that all Ó Snodaigh's party were good for was "kneecapping and bombing people".

With tempers fraying, Ó Snodaigh bellowed out that Cullen was a "first-class sleeveen".

"He doesn't understand what I am saying," he mocked, as Gaeilge. "That is how thick he is. Thick ... and bribery complete corruption.

"That's what the minister is up to and has always been up to."

Ó Snodaigh switched to English but that hardly eased tempers: "What I see across the chamber is a tiny little bigot who should be thrown out of the House for continuously disrupting me."

He repeated that the minister was connected with corruption.

Cullen, himself no wallflower, was riled and demanded the Sinn Féin TD withdraw his allegations or repeat them outside the House, "if he is man enough".

As the storm passed, an focal scoir (the last word) was left to young Meath TD Damien English: "That was great," he said. "I should have spent more time in Irish class."