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Updated 20:12

SENATOR DAVID NORRIS caused a stir earlier today when he hit out at the Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty over her comments in relation to the abolition of the Seanad, describing her as “speaking out of her f***y”.

Norris was among a number of senators who heavily criticised the government’s plans to abolish the Seanad during the Order of Business this afternoon after Fine Gael launched their referendum campaign today on the plinth at Leinster House.

Director of Elections Richard Bruton described the upper house as a luxury that can no longer be afforded while Doherty said it is “shockingly undemocratic” and does not play a meaningful role in Irish democracy.

An angry Norris told the chamber this afternoon: “The idea that someone who has been a member of this house… has to listen to ‘The Regina Monologues’ from somebody who’s not a wet week in this house, talking through her f***y, I object on the strongest possible basis.”

Norris described an earlier press release from Fine Gael announcing details of their Seanad aboliton campaign as a “malignant and mendacious piece of tripe” and said that senators should issue a joint statement rejecting what he said was a “tissue of lies”.

Earlier, Fianna Fáil senator Mary White accused Bruton and Doherty of being “ignorant about how we get elected to Seanad Éireann”.

“How dare [they] criticise us as ineffective. How dare they do this to us,” she told senators describing the Fine Gael press release as “like propaganda from Hitler or something”.

Her colleague, Terry Leyden – who himself referenced Hitler in the Seanad last week – said that Bruton, the jobs minister, should “be bloody well busy enough with jobs”.

First published 16:19

Richard Bruton: The Seanad is a luxury we can no longer afford