I thank Teachta Farrell and Teachta Doherty for this nomination. Government, of course, is not about one individual but the person elected as Taoiseach, their politics, their priorities and their values undoubtedly shape the future of the country. The Taoiseach and, by extension, the Government, must lead from the front and by example, demonstrate in word and deed that the public interest comes first, demonstrate cou…
TDs / Mary Lou McDonald
Mary Lou McDonald
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
193
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
141,893
words spoken in the chamber
Across 1,424 contributions
172
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
56
topics asked about
Across 12 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 193 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 1,424 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 10 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 17 |
| February 2025 | 15 | 76 |
| March 2025 | 22 | 80 |
| April 2025 | 22 | 73 |
| May 2025 | 19 | 157 |
| June 2025 | 14 | 113 |
| July 2025 | 4 | 111 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 12 | 47 |
| October 2025 | 9 | 85 |
| November 2025 | 4 | 71 |
| December 2025 | 1 | 25 |
| January 2026 | 13 | 59 |
| February 2026 | 22 | 92 |
| March 2026 | 3 | 53 |
| April 2026 | 10 | 84 |
| May 2026 | 3 | 88 |
| June 2026 | 4 | 68 |
| July 2026 | 1 | 38 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 2 |
| September 2026 | 5 | 31 |
| October 2026 | 10 | 44 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 1,197 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
-----and any attempt to railroad us will be met head on without fear or hesitation. We will stand our ground and we will always stand up for those who depend on us to fight their corner.
The people of Ireland have worked hard and the State now has unprecedented wealth and resources: everything needed to build a fair and equal society. The State has never been richer but so many of our people - working people - are l…
Our work and our ambition for building a better, fair, equal and united Ireland has never been more important. We stick to that task with real belief, with renewed hope and refreshed determination. It is in that spirit that I accept this nomination.
I am having a serious episode of déjà vu.
All of a sudden, I am transported back to 2020. The Tánaiste spoke of a balanced programme. I have to say what is manifest and obvious: you have got the gender balance wrong. You are very male. Some of you are pale but you are very, very male. In politics in a representative democracy, we should strive to reflect and mirror the communities we represent, inasmuch as we can. I have to say as an Irishwoman, leaving asid…
-----to set back the goal of ceasing trading with companies that profit from the dispossession, the apartheid and the brutal dehumanisation of the Palestinian people. I regard this as a stunning betrayal. Humanitarian aid is necessary and reconstruction is absolutely vital, but we need to be clear that on their own these are not enough.
Israel must be held to account. There have to be consequences for the Netanyahu regime and its genocidal actions. I feel certain there will be a united call from these benches, the Opposition benches, and from the Irish public that this Government should do the right thing by Palestine.
I have said before that elections are where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael make their promises and it is in government where they break …
It is ridiculous.
It is astonishing, after weeks and weeks of haggling among the parties that proposed to form Government over who would get which job, and how much they could increase the respective allowance for their record number of Ministers of State, that we find ourselves meeting on the first day of the Dáil and the first action of Government is to propose a further two-week holiday. This is unacceptable. We all know the big is…
-----which, remember, are elected here by hundreds of thousands of voters to hold this Government to account and express the democratic wishes and desires of those people and communities. I have seen brazen actions by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in past Dáileanna and Governments but this takes the biscuit. Rather than agreeing to temporary measures which afford these Government TDs speaking rights as though they were m…
Ceann Comhairle-----
In order for us to fulfil our democratic mandate, there has to be respect for the Opposition benches.
Ceann Comhairle-----
Ceann Comhairle-----
Nach bhfuil seans ag na ceannairí eile cúpla focal a rá faoin gCeann Comhairle?
We should have been informed of that.
I appreciate that but we should have been informed.
Ar dtús gabhaim míle buíochas leis na céadta míle duine a chaith vóta san olltoghchán ar son Shinn Féin, ar son athraithe agus ar son Rialtais nua. Déanaim comhghairdeas ó chroí le gach duine sa Teach inniu a toghadh mar Theachta Dála sa Cheathrú Dáil is Tríocha. Is onóir mhór é a bheith tofa ag toghdóirí mo Dháilcheantair agus tá sé i gceist agam mo lándícheall a dhéanamh ar son Bhaile Átha Cliath Láir agus ar son m…
It is rare, but the Tánaiste was actually right. Consistency did not matter, Micheál, although you have been consistent in this: of recent years you have been hell bent on putting Fine Gael back into Government. This time, you hope for another five years, to copper-fasten and lead to 19 years of Fine Gael in power. The Tánaiste is so committed to that particular goal that he will not even countenance talking to Sinn …
-----or indeed for anyone else, that their voices are equal, that their views are equal, that their hopes for the future are equal and that there are no second-class mandates and certainly no second-class voters.
There is no reason to believe that, having caused a housing crisis and made it worse, having sustained a crisis in health, having failed to deliver for working people, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, its junior partner, are in any position to straighten matters out. The parties that created these problems are not going to solve them. It is as simple as that.
I was alarmed this morning to hear, as I went innocently about …
Be aware. Be very aware that you will be judged-----
-----on the big promises you made to get back into power at all costs. History tells us that campaigns are where Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael make their promises and in government is where they break them. It is a tale as old as time itself.
We already have sight of what is in store should Micheál Martin and Simon Harris get this deal of theirs over the line with the manful help of Deputy Michael Lowry. What we will ha…
That is democracy. I respect everyone who voted in this election. I respect the choices they made on their ballot papers. My message to those who feel downhearted today is simply that it is okay to feel disappointed but they cannot and must not feel defeated. The working people of Ireland are no strangers to adversity. They know better than most that night is darkest just before the dawn. It may a take a little longe…