Last of the Senators Appointed by Bertie

The following were appointed:

Dan Boyle (Green Party)
Martin Brady (FF)
Ivor Callely (FF)
Ciaran Cannon (PD)
Maria Corrigan (FF)
Deirdre de Burca (Green Party)
John Ellis (FF)
Eoghan Harris
Lisa McDonald (FF)
Brian Ó'Domhnaill (FF)
Fiona O'Malley (PD)

Also Senator Donie Cassidy has been appointed Leader of the Seanad.

Leo Varadkar was quick off the mark with a press release below. I'd kinda agree with it, though you can't expect hime to be reforming on it! IMO

Taoiseach blows opportunity to appoint genuinely independent voices
to Seanad - Varadkar


Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar has accused the Taoiseach of wasting his
last opportunity to appoint genuinely independent voices to the
Seanad.

'I would like to congratulate the new Senators appointed by the
Taoiseach and wish them well in their new duties.

'However, the selection of candidates from the Fianna Fáil ranks is
singularly lacking in imagination and appears to be driven by a
desire to repay political favours, or debts.

'The Taoiseach has squandered his last chance to appoint genuine,
distinctive voices to the Seanad. Among his appointments there is no
genuinely independent voice, no-one to represent Northern Ireland,
and no-one to represent the Irish emigrant community. This is
regrettable.

'When you consider the number of under-represented communities that
could have been put forward in these appointments, it is
disappointing that the Taoiseach has chosen instead to appoint a
number of people who were rejected in at least two elections in
recent months.'