Filibuster deployed to defy will of the Dáil on Road Traffic Bill

“It is a sad day for rural Ireland,” boomed a defiant Danny Healy Rae.

His strong Kerry accent was instantly recognisable and was rapidly greeted by groans and jeers in a hot and heavy Dáil chamber.

Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, who had endured a rough morning, had just finished his declaration of the passage of the controversial Road Traffic Bill, pioneered by Transport Minister Shane Ross.