# List of addresses to Seanad Éireann

Seanad Éireann, the upper House of the Oireachtas, has been addressed on occasion by invited non-members. Since 22 May 2001, the Seanad's standing orders allow its Committee on Procedure and Privilege (CPP) to approve the attendance of an Irish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the house. (Currently S.O.57; originally S.O.52A, and later S.O.56.) In July 2011, S.O.57 was extended to "representatives and persons in public and civic life". Separately, the CPP can recommend inviting "Distinguished Persons" to address the house; since the late 1990s this has been extended, typically to EU officials.
Senators have also been present alongside TDs at joint sessions of the Seanad and Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas: see list of addresses to the Oireachtas.
| Date (link to text) | Seanad | Speaker | Role | Country / Institution | Notes |
| 28 March 1996 | (20th) | James Dooge | Member of the Institute of European Affairs | Ireland | Former professor, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cathaoirleach. |
| 29 October 1996 | (20th) | Neil Kinnock | Commissioner for Transport | European Commission (Santer) | |
| 19 November 1998 | (21st) | Jacques Santer | President | European Commission (Santer) | |
| 14 November 2001 | (21st) | David Byrne | Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy | European Commission (Prodi) | |
| 10 October 2002 | (22nd) | Pat Cox | President | European Parliament | |
| 13 November 2003 | (22nd) | Mary Banotti | MEP for Dublin | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 26 November 2003 | (22nd) | Joe McCartin | MEP for Connacht–Ulster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 27 November 2003 | (22nd) | Pat Cox | President | European Parliament | Cox was invited as a Distinguished Person, rather than as an MEP under S.O.52A. |
| 27 November 2003 | (22nd) | Dana Rosemary Scallon | MEP for Connacht–Ulster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 27 November 2003 | (22nd) | Nuala Ahern | MEP for Leinster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 27 November 2003 | (22nd) | Seán Ó Neachtain | MEP for Connacht–Ulster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 11 December 2003 | (22nd) | Avril Doyle | MEP for Leinster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 11 December 2003 | (22nd) | Brian Crowley | MEP for Munster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.52A |
| 3 March 2004 | (22nd) | John Hume | MEP for Northern Ireland | European Parliament | |
| 8 November 2006 | (22nd) | John Bruton | Ambassador to the United States | European Union | Former Taoiseach |
| 8 April 2008 | (23rd) | Hans-Gert Pöttering | President | European Parliament | |
| 12 July 2011 | (24th) | Jerzy Buzek | President | European Parliament | |
| 28 September 2011 | (24th) | Maurice Manning | President of the Irish Human Rights Commission | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). Chair of the European Group of National Human Rights Institutions; Chancellor of the National University of Ireland; Former Leader of the Seanad |
| 24 November 2011 | (24th) | Mary Robinson | President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). Former Senator, President of Ireland, and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Address on "the importance of the Seanad in her career as a human rights activist". |
| 3 July 2012 | (24th) | Drew Nelson | Grand secretary | Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 8 November 2012 | (24th) | Christopher Pissarides | Professor of Economics | London School of Economics | Address on the topic "Youth Unemployment and Public Policy". Co-laureate of 2010 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. |
| 24 January 2013 | (24th) | Gay Mitchell | MEP for Dublin | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2) |
| 29 January 2013 | (24th) | Mairead McGuinness | MEP for East | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 13 February 2013 | (24th) | Phil Prendergast | MEP for South | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 28 February 2013 | (24th) | Emer Costello | MEP for Dublin | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 25 April 2013 | (24th) | Pat The Cope Gallagher | MEP for North-West | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 30 April 2013 | (24th) | Seán Kelly | MEP for South | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 1 May 2013 | (24th) | Nessa Childers | MEP for East | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 2 May 2013 | (24th) | Marian Harkin | MEP for North-West | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 8 May 2013 | (24th) | Máire Geoghegan-Quinn | Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science | European Commission (Barroso II) | |
| 16 May 2013 | (24th) | Jim Higgins | MEP for North-West | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 29 May 2013 | (24th) | Margareta Wahlström | Special Representative and head of UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction | United Nations | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 25 September 2013 | (24th) | David Begg | General Secretary | Irish Congress of Trade Unions | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 16 January 2014 | (24th) | Tom Arnold | Chairperson | Constitutional Convention | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 12 June 2014 | (24th) | Anne Brasseur | President | Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 19 June 2014 | (24th) | Catherine McGuinness | Chairperson of the external assessment panel | Children's Rights Alliance report card | Invited under S.O.57(2). Former Supreme Court justice and president of the Law Reform Commission. Address on "children's rights in Ireland". |
| 23 June 2015 | (24th) | Phil Hogan | Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development | European Commission (Juncker) | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 5 October 2016 | (25th) | Manus Cooney | Advocate of amnesty for Irish illegal immigrants in the United States | United States | Address instigated by Billy Lawless. Topic was "undocumented Irish and immigration reform". Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 29 November 2016 | (25th) | Nicola Sturgeon | First Minister | Scottish Government | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 21 March 2018 | (25th) | Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh | Sports broadcaster | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(2). The address, to mark Bliain na Gaeilge ("the Year of Irish") was mainly in Irish and partly in English. Responses from senators also mixed the two languages. |
| 26 April 2018 | (25th) | Phil Hogan | Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development | European Commission (Juncker) | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 8 November 2018 | (25th) | Deirdre Hargey | Lord Mayor | Belfast | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 29 January 2019 | (25th) | John Horan | President | Gaelic Athletic Association | Invited under S.O.57(2). After Horan's initial address, Senators made comments and questions, with Horan giving a final speech in response. |
| 22 September 2021 | (26th) | Colm Markey, Maria Walsh | MEPs for Midlands–North-West | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(1). Luke 'Ming' Flanagan and Chris MacManus were invited but could not attend. |
| 2 November 2021 | (26th) | Barry Andrews, Ciarán Cuffe, Clare Daly, Frances Fitzgerald | MEPs for Dublin | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(1). |
| 18 November 2021 | (26th) | Micheál Martin | Taoiseach | Ireland | Invited "notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders". |
| 23 February 2022 | (26th) | Billy Kelleher, Grace O'Sullivan, Seán Kelly | MEPs for South | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(1). Deirdre Clune and Mick Wallace were invited but did not attend. |
| 3 March 2022 | (26th) | Linda Ervine | Irish language in Northern Ireland activist | Turas | Invited under S.O.57(2). To mark Seachtain na Gaeilge. |
| 24 May 2022 | (26th) | Richard Neal | Chairman of Congressional Friends of Ireland | United States | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 14 June 2022 | (26th) | Lesia Vasylenko, Alyona Shkrum, Rostyslav Tistyk [uk], Dmytro Natalukha | Verkhovna Rada members | Ukraine | Invited as "Distinguished Persons". In solidarity after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
| 20 September 2022 | (26th) | Barry Andrews, Ciarán Cuffe, Frances Fitzgerald | MEPs for Dublin | Ireland | Invited under S.O.57(1). Clare Daly sent apologies. |
| 5 October 2022 | (26th) | John, Baron McFall | Lord Speaker of the House of Lords | United Kingdom | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 26 April 2023 | (26th) | Larry McCarthy | President | Gaelic Athletic Association | Invited under S.O.57(2). |
| 9 May 2023 | (26th) | Mairead McGuinness | Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union | European Commission (von der Leyen) | Invited under S.O.57(2). Marking Europe Day |
| 23 May 2023 | (26th) | Bertie Ahern | Former Taoiseach | Ireland | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". Marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement signed by Ahern. |
| 13 June 2023 | (26th) | Annita Demetriou | President of the House of Representatives | Cyprus | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 27 June 2023 | (26th) | Maura Healey | Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts | United States | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". |
| 12 June 2024 | (26th) | Mary Robinson | Former President. | Ireland | Invited as a "Distinguished Person". Address on the "climate crisis". |