"Bejaysus, I wish I didn't have to go back and face what I have to face."

“If there's anyone out there who still doubts that Ireland is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our ancestors is alive in our time, who still questions our capacity to restore ourselves, reinvent ourselves and prosper, today is your answer.”

“Is only justified if the target is a reactionary, anti-democratic, anti-human rights obscurantist like bin Laden?”

“The outstanding organiser who brought Lenin himself to Ireland to see how the National Loan worked.”

“The greatest nation and most powerful nation on Earth.”

“The fact is that I used the word, and no context can excuse it. I failed to exemplify my own standards and those of my party. I apologise for any offence this may have caused, particularly to the Lumumba family.”

“Whether it's in relation to the sort of music that is played there or not, in any event, it's tragic for the families involved here.”