The Irish government has made official a marriage wish made by a former minister to mark the anniversary of her husband’s death.
The wish, from the late former finance minister Michelle O’Neill, was made by her husband and her son after a ceremony in a Dublin church in May.
Ms O’Neil was the first minister to resign in the wake of the recent referendum on same-sex marriage.
Ms Naughten was appointed as the country’s first female finance minister in May 2018, and her role was to oversee the implementation of the Government’s plans to abolish the Eighth Amendment.
Ms Burch, a lawyer and member of the Irish Green Party, said she was “very proud” of the wish.
She said: “The idea is that it would be a blessing to have someone in the position of the Minister to help the Minister and the government in the moment.”
It would be very comforting and I would also like to extend a special thank you to the Minister for her great contribution and commitment to our country.
“The wish was made public on Wednesday and is available on a government website.
Ms Cáinne Fitzgerald, the former leader of the Social Democrats, welcomed the decision.
She told RTÉ News: “I think it’s a very significant move, and I think that the Government needs to recognise it’s an important day.”
We’ve got the government trying to take away some of the freedoms that we have and there are a lot of people who feel that they need that.”
A previous version of this article misidentified the minister for the Irish parliament.
She is Michelle Ollon and not Michelle Cáine.
