I was co-opted onto Kerry County Council in January 1990 following the untimely passing of my father. My very first motion was in regard to coastal erosion. That day I referenced Rossbeigh and Cromane. It is ironic that I am speaking all these years later about the same areas. I acknowledge the money that has been spent over the years, but we are talking about now. We are talking about the present and the future. It …
TDs / Michael Cahill
Michael Cahill
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
3,207
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
41,594
words spoken in the chamber
Across 178 contributions
414
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
392
topics asked about
Across 20 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 3,207 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 178 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 52 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 162 | 17 |
| March 2025 | 132 | 6 |
| April 2025 | 230 | 4 |
| May 2025 | 121 | 14 |
| June 2025 | 153 | 10 |
| July 2025 | 220 | 14 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 216 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 84 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 230 | 8 |
| December 2025 | 140 | 19 |
| January 2026 | 189 | 14 |
| February 2026 | 136 | 18 |
| March 2026 | 159 | 6 |
| April 2026 | 248 | 4 |
| May 2026 | 201 | 7 |
| June 2026 | 245 | 7 |
| July 2026 | 129 | 2 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 115 | 11 |
| October 2026 | 45 | 5 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 128 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 Kerry 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
I have a question about the funding of Killarney Technology Innovation Centre. The Minister or one of his officials might engage with Conor O'Leary, Sean Counihan and the team there. I acknowledge the work of the Minister on the Pretty Polly site. I ask him to ensure that in the new year, Kerry Education and Training Board will progress the project. Could he also try to resolve the green cert issue in MTU in Tralee f…
15. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to give a detailed report in regard to the CLÁR funding approval process (details supplied); if further funding will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68477/25]
The CLÁR programme exists to support less well-off areas and remote areas. I thank the Minister for the funding he announced recently. He may have seen a recent report on RTÉ News, fronted by Marty Morrissey, outlining the effects of depopulation on local GAA clubs in remote rural areas, particularly in south Kerry where up to five clubs have to amalgamate at under age level in order to field a team. Will the Ministe…
We want to continue to win all-Irelands. The problem with depopulation is that it will filter its way upwards in the coming years, through the more senior age groups, and wipe out many locally organised volunteer sports clubs and force parents and players to travel long journeys to take part, if indeed they continue. I sincerely thank the Minister. The Minister has already helped Dingle GAA, An Ghaeltacht GAA, Listry…
I urge the immediate initiation of a task force and I again call on the Government today to set that up with strong guidelines and short timelines to put the expertise of the hand-picked members to work as efficiently and quickly as possible to identify the many causes of depopulation and find solutions to it. In that news segment, south Kerry was highlighted not only by the Kerry county board demographics officer, M…
89. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the measures in place to ensure timely Garda statements and preservation of evidence where a victim is incapacitated; the measures in place in Garda stations to ensure suspected spiking incidents are treated as crimes, investigated promptly, and supported by appropriate policing protocols; and if he will make a statement on the matte…
I ask the Minister to outline the measures in place to ensure timely Garda statements and preservation of evidence in suspected spiking incidents where a victim is incapacitated. What measures are in place in Garda stations to ensure suspected spiking incidents are treated as crimes and investigated promptly? Are these measures supported by appropriate policing protocols? Will the Minister make a statement on the mat…
I thank the Minister for his detailed response and I welcome everything he said. I believe the numbers involved are increasing. I am basing that on reports coming to my constituency office, and telephone calls and meetings I am having with young women and, on occasion, young ladies with their mums.
Sadly, the Minister is correct in saying that many of these suspected spiking incidents involved rape. I believe we nee…
I believe toxicology reporting and testing in these cases is critical and it should be carried out in all suspected cases. Will the Minister commit to establishing a clear national pathway across all hospitals and Garda stations to ensure suspected spiking incidents are treated and investigated promptly and supported, as I said, by appropriate clinical and policing protocols? I cannot emphasise strongly enough how se…
Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce has been campaigning along with Kerry County Council for a CCTV system to be provided in Killarney town for over 20 years. Promises have been made and repeated time and time again. Promises were made that camera systems would be installed at several locations in the town centre and in key areas on the outskirts. The matter has topped the agenda of both the council and the cha…
I am anxious to get to the root of the numbers of respite beds not only available but also those required to bring us to a position whereby all families can avail of this vital service monthly. Respite is an extremely vital service and a survival requirement for many families, carers and patients. When dealing with patients with special needs, many carers and loved ones have to be available 24 hours a day to attend t…
I thank the Minister of State. We have to do more. These families in Kerry are suffering every single day of the week because of the chronic lack of respite for both children and adults with profound disabilities. They have been let down by the State. We have to help them and if we do not, we are all failures. Obviously, I welcome the fact that the Taoiseach has made disabilities a priority for this Government, and r…
We need to help them. There is a fabulous facility at St. Mary of the Angels in Beaufort. There is already residential care there. There is St. Francis Special School there. There are a lot of facilities. There is a special swimming pool there.
If I can finish, the land was donated by the Doyle family many years ago for children with special needs and it should continue to serve that purpose.
I am begging. I will keep hammering this. I am a member of the health committee.
I will be raising it again down there shortly and in the disability committee.
I am begging the Government and the Minister, my own party colleague, to act here, please.
I strongly support the horse and greyhound racing industry. We have, as has been mentioned, a couple of great meetings in Killarney on a number of occasions every year. There is the Listowel September meeting and, indeed, other dates in Listowel as well. This provides a massive contribution to the local economy in Kerry and creates employment and enjoyment. I was in Curraheen Park recently with some friends of mine, …
As the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, knows, I was born and reared in a coastal location, that is, the beautiful Rossbeigh beach in Glenbeigh, County Kerry, which forms part of Castlemaine Harbour, adjacent to Dingle Harbour, and includes places like Cromane, which is steeped in the history and culture of fishing. They are leaders in the art of aquaculture there. Companies in Cromane and many more throughout the c…
I acknowledge the Minister of State's work in this area to date and the fact that he has prioritised the issue of delays relating to the processing of aquaculture licences. He is very much on top of his brief, as I know from dealing with companies and people involved in the industry throughout my county, especially, and, indeed, further afield. I talk to all those people. I know he will pursue this to a satisfactory …
We all accept that mobile phones now play a major part in the social and working lives of the vast majority of our citizens. We become more and more reliant on them as the weeks and months roll by. Can we ask the Minister for communications if works are planned to improve mobile phone coverage in County Kerry and all over Ireland in those blackspots we all come across in our daily lives? These blackspots, for whateve…
We all know that, no matter where you live geographically, there are pros and cons that affect your quality of life. We can have priorities like living close to family or remaining where we were born and reared. Perhaps you visited a place and fell in love with the scenery and people. In any case, you will need access to the basic human requirements of air, food and shelter where you live. However, without access to …
Every week since I have come up here, I am consistently raising issues pertaining especially to the peninsulas that I have named, Iveragh and Dingle. I am also a member of the joint health committee, and I am consistently raising the issues there as well. It is every week, as there is always some issue. By and large, it is in relation to staffing, be it for home care, daycare, primary care, palliative care, mental he…
I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, regarding the new initiative that will allow private sector involvement in developing wastewater systems for smaller housing developments of up to 40 homes. This initiative is a crucial step towards addressing the infrastructure deficit in rural areas, particularly in County Kerry, where housing development has been …