The Irish Post - April 8, 2023

FAMILY VALUES AN EASTER DATE

Why we celebrate Easter on a different date every year See Page 14

A hard won but fragile peace

The Irish in Britain organisation believes that implementing the vision of the Good Friday Agreement, signed 25 years ago, is the responsibility of everyone in these islands

BY FIONA AUDLEY

THE current political stalemate in Northern Ireland shows how fragile the hard-won peace in the region is, claims a leading charity representing the Irish community in Britain.

Darren Murphy, chairperson of the Irish in Britain (IIB) organisation, and its CEO Brian Dalton have called on those in power in the North to channel the “vision and values” of their peace-brokering predecessors to ensure their achievements are protected.

“The 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement provides an opportunity to reflect on the immense contribution of David Trimble and John Hume, and in 2007 Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness,” they said last week in a public letter.

“Northern Ireland’s power-sharing governance and cross-community institutions miss

their courage, commitment and leadership. Today, Northern Ireland needs the vision and values of these sadly departed leaders to resolve the current absence in democratically elected self-government.”

Brian Dalton, CEO at Irish in Britain, is one of the signatories of the letter

The Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly are the two democratic governing institutions created for the North as a result of the Good Friday Agreement.

Ironically, as the agreement anniversary approaches, both are out of action.

There has been no working Executive or Assembly in the North since May 2022, when, following Sinn Fein’s historic Assembly Election win, the DUP refused to take up its powersharing roles until their demands on issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol were addressed.

As it stands that refusal continues and the power-sharing government has yet to reform.

Noting the ongoing instability in the region, the IIB leaders called for the current political leaders in the North to do more to protect peace in the region.

“The Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement is built on the principles of consent, cross-community power-sharing and respect for the identities and traditions of all the people of Northern Ireland,” they explain.

“The current representative deficit at the Stormont Assembly confirms the Agreement is not perfect — neither in the breach nor the observance — but in a world of flux and uncertainty the Good Friday Agreement delivered a hard won but increasingly fragile peace. The Agreement’s imperfections serve to remind us that, in the end, it is all there is,” they add.

“Today, it is a shared and urgent responsibility of everyone on these islands to help

realise the vision of the Agreement’s signatories. To do this we must ensure our current representatives understand that the institutions that delivered the peace of the last 25 years have to be nurtured and restored to fully functioning health.”

British TV in the Republic could be restricted

BY MAL ROGERS

ANOTHER of the unintended consequences of Brexit emerged last week.

Proposals put forward by the European Commission could remove the UK from the list of countries deemed to be providing “European” television and streaming content.

Fianna Fáíl MEP Billy Kelleher told RTÉ that the Commission’s proposal was outlined in the Audio Visual Media Services Directive. “A certain amount of content has to be made in Europe effectively,” he told RTÉ radio. “Obviously since Brexit, as you know, people view the UK differently, but from the perspective of the European Commission in

reviewing what constitutes European work, they are considering removing the UK and that would have a profound impact on RTÉ and many other providers of content in Ireland as well.”

Mr Kelleher added: “It is a very serious issue and I think it’s just something that we have to monitor very, very quickly. On the face of it looks like being petty from the point of view of the Commission coming forward with its proposal to tighten what qualifies as European.”

The European Commission policy document proposes that British broadcasting output should not be classified as “European” because of Brexit. This would come into effect when the rules are revised in the coming months

First reported on the Politico website, the Commission’s document says: “The need to re-define the concept of European works has been raised in the context of Brexit. It is arguable that, since the UK is no longer a member of the EU, works originating in the UK should no longer be considered as European.”

The changes could see EU-based broadcasters such as RTÉ and Virgin Media broadcast anything between 30 to 50 percent of their out put as “made in the EU”.

In France, the quota could be as high as 60 percent of output originating from within the EU.

But such a move would impact on Ireland to a much greater degree than any other EU country as the lingua franca is English. A

substantial output on both RTÉ and Virgin Media is of British origin.

The new proposals would see streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime adjust their broadcasting output. Britain is one of the major contributors to streaming platforms such as Netflix with programmes such as The Crown, Peaky Blinders and Doctor Who — all popular series in the Republic.

The UK is Europe’s biggest producer of film and TV programming. However, according to The Guardian there is a body of opinion in the EU — that has been spelled out in an internal EU document — that regards British dominance as a threat to Europe’s “cultural diversity”.

Kim

NOBEL LAUREATES: David Trimble and John Hume in 1998 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Picture: Rolling News

Large funding donation for Birmingham Irish Association

BY FIONA AUDLEY

A BIRMINGHAM charity serving some of the most vulnerable members of the city’s Irish community has received a funding injection of £30,000 to support its dementia services.

The Birmingham Irish Association (BIA) received the funds from the Birmingham Irish Cycle Appeal.

The fundraisers presented a cheque to the Irish charity at an event which took place at the Regency Hotel in Shirley.

“Birmingham Irish Association are proud to announce that we have received a huge £30,000 for our dementia services,” they charity confirmed.

“This donation towards our service is going to make such a major difference to the service that we provide

RTÉ long wave service ceases on April 14

BY MAL ROGERS

Monday to Friday.”

They added: “We would like to say a massive thank you to Michelle and Joe Argue, all the bike riders and to everyone who nominated our charity to receive this incredible amount.”

Trudy, Service Manager at BIA, said: “The huge amount we have received for our Dementia Centre is going to help us with continuing to provide a safe, enjoyable environment for our service users and allow the family members to get the respite that is very much needed.

“We cannot thank the Birmingham Irish Cycle Appeal enough.”

Sharon, BIA’s Dementia Centre Coordinator, added: “I am overwhelmed by the donation the Birmingham Irish Association’s dementia centre have received.

RTÉ, the national broadcaster, last week announced that RTÉ Radio 1 will cease broadcasting on Long Wave 252 (LW 252) from Friday, April 14 — next week.

A statement from RTÉ said that listeners can continue listening to RTÉ Radio 1 on Freesat (channel 750), Sky (channel 0137) and Virgin Media (channel 917*), and on the RTÉ Radio Player and Irish Radioplayer apps.

The full range of listening options is available on www.rte.ie/keeplistening and details of how to voice search RTÉ Radio 1 on Alexa or Google smart speakers are available on www.rte.ie/voice

Despite pleas from several organisations and individuals particularly in Britain, the phasing out of the Long Wave service has gone ahead.

It was one of the recommendations of the Future of Media

Commission Report which was published by the Irish government in July 2022.

RTÉ Director General, Dee Forbes said: “While RTÉ has invested considerably in prolonging the life of the transmitter to broadcast RTÉ Radio 1 on Long Wave 252, we can no longer justify this investment. Not only is RTÉ Radio 1 widely available in the UK across television and online services, including apps and smart speakers, the energy costs involved along with the cost of replacing the transmitter mean that, in line with the recommendation of the Future of Media Commission Report, the time has come to bring the Long Wave service to a close. While this may be disappointing to some listeners, RTÉ must continue to invest in critical projects underpinning our production, distribution and business activities, as well as digital projects which are essential to ensure we continue to deliver value to our audiences.”

President’s visit causes upset to Belfast’s ‘Big Two’ soccer clubs

Biden’s proposed journey to Northern Ireland has caused fixture friction

BY GERARD DONAGHY

HE MAY be the leader of the free world, but the visit of US President Joe Biden to Ireland has irked some after it resulted in a football game being delayed by a day.

In fact, one politician has claimed the clash between the ‘Big Two’ of Linfield and Glentoran is more interesting “than anything the US President says’.

Linfield, one of the club’s involved in the rearranged fixture, say they have ‘concerns’ following the decision.

President Biden will visit Ireland after Easter to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and is expected to head to Belfast during the five-day trip.

Accommodating a visit from the leader of a global superpower will no doubt provide a logistical challenge for police.

As such, following consultation between the PSNI and Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), Linfield’s crucial clash with arch rivals Glentoran has been moved back 24 hours to Wednesday, April 12.

However, the Windsor Park side say the decision has left them ‘bemused’ as home games involving Belfast sides Cliftonville and Crusaders will go ahead as planned on Easter Tuesday.

“Linfield can confirm that we received correspondence from NIFL on Wednesday evening suggesting that our home fixture v Glentoran would

THIS WEEK they said...

“In the weeks ahead, the eyes of the world will be on us as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the enormous interest that will accompany the visit of the US President Joe Biden. We need political stability and a functioning Executive to grasp that major opportunity to create good jobs, grow our businesses and strengthen our economy.”

Michelle O’Neill, First Minster designate of the Northern Ireland Assembly

be moved from Easter Tuesday, due to a PSNI decision relating to operational pressures, as a result of the upcoming US Presidential visit,” read a statement from the Blues.

“While we accept that this decision may be necessary, given policing levels, we have concerns at the impact this short notice change will have on our supporters.

“Furthermore, we were bemused that two other NIFL fixtures have been given permission to go ahead in North Belfast, under three miles from Windsor Park.”

Linfield’s home ground Windsor Park (Image: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

The club said that in the interests of fairness and sporting integrity, it suggested that all NIFL games scheduled for Easter Tuesday should be postponed until Tuesday, April 18.

However, they added that they were not afforded the chance to have face-to-face discussions with the police or NIFL chiefs.

The PSNI had originally wanted all three fixtures set for Belfast on Easter Tuesday to be postponed.

However, following further discussions with the NIFL and revised risk assessments, Crusaders v Coleraine at Seaview and Cliftonville v Larne at Solitude will go ahead as planned.

Secretary of the TUV party, Ron McDowell, backed reigning champions Linfield, downplaying the president’s visit as ‘media hype’.

“Once again it seems that Linfield are to be treated

differently to all other NIFL teams,” said McDowell.

“A match scheduled for Easter Tuesday has now been moved to accommodate a visit from President Biden.

“The NIFL and PSNI have stated that due to operational commitments they cannot provide the manpower to oversee the Linfield match, however they have been able to find the manpower to oversee the two other matches being played within a threemile radius of Windsor Park.

“The PSNI and NIFL have so far refused to afford Linfield the opportunity to discuss this issue which will prove a problem to the team and fans alike.

Linfield are managed by former Northern Ireland striker David Healy (Image: David Rogers/Getty Images)

“You won’t know if from the media hype but frankly I expect there are many people who will be much more interested in the football than anything the US President says.”

Linfield, managed by Northern Ireland’s all-time leading scorer David Healy, are currently second in the NIFL table, five points behind leaders Larne with five games left to play.

While his itinerary has not been officially released, it is believed President Biden will head to Northern Ireland on April 11, before spending four days in the Republic.

He is, unsurprisingly, not expected to take in any Irish league games during his visit.

“

It is a very serious issue and I think it’s just something that we have to monitor very, very quickly. On the face of it looks like being petty from the point of view of the Commission coming forward with its proposal to tighten what qualifies as European.”

Billy Kelleher MEP, on proposals from the European Commission that Britishproduced television output could be restricted in the Republic

“I invite you to meet my officials to discuss how you propose to scope, identify, and pay for remediation works. This would go some way to restoring confidence in the sector in the way that we have recently seen from developers.”

British government housing secretary Michael Gove, petitioning Cavan cladding manufacturer Kinsgspan. A small amount of the firm’s product was used in the building of Grenfell Tower.

“I look forward to our conversations and also importantly, to invite you to Northern Ireland, which hopefully you will be able to do and so we can commemorate the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. I know it’s something very special and personal to you — we’d love to have you over.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak issuing his invitation to President Joe Biden

There is a great passion in Ireland that is hard not to admire — this passion, this love of life seems to send a signal to seize the day.”

Canadian travel writer Kimberly

Dickson

Michelle O’Neill calls on DUP to return to power-sharing

Irish 14-year-old caught driving

Joe

between clubs and the PSNI

Call for DUP to return to power sharing

Michelle O’Neill believes Northern Ireland has a unique opportunity

BY FIONA AUDLEY

THE First Minister Designate of Northern Ireland has called on the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to return to power-sharing immediately so the region can seize the “unique economic opportunities” before them.

Following a meeting of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce, held at Belfast Castle, Sinn Féin’s First Minister designate Michelle O’Neill confirmed the “urgent need” for the immediate restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Ms O’Neill highlighted the “unique economic opportunities” now available to Northern Ireland due to the new Windsor Framework Brexit agreement between Britain and the EU.

“This is a time of huge opportunity for our local businesses as the North now has a real competitive economic advantage,” she said. “The recent deal between the EU and British Government has unlocked unique and unparalleled access for our businesses to both the EU and British markets,” she explained.

The Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly have been unable to function since May 2022, when, following Sinn Fein’s historic Assembly Election win, the DUP refused to take up its power-sharing roles until their demands on issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol were addressed.

As it stands that refusal continues and the power-sharing government has yet to reform, even with the 25th anniversary of

the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on the horizon.

The irony was not lost on Ms O’Neill, who urged the DUP to consider the optics of the ongoing political stalemate at a time when the world will be watching Northern Ireland.

“In the weeks ahead, the eyes of the world will be on us as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the enormous interest that will accompany the visit of the US President Joe Biden,” she said.

“We need political stability and a functioning Executive to grasp that major opportunity to create good jobs, grow our businesses and strengthen our economy.

“Alongside seizing the economic opportunities available to us, a restored Executive should adopt three key economic

Wronged soldier given reception

BY FIONA AUDLEY

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins has hosted a reception for a former Irish solider who was wrongfully forced to retire from the defence forces.

priorities; transforming Invest NI to ensure it works more effectively, tackling skills shortages and making childcare affordable.”

She added: “It would be unforgivable if the opportunities now available to us are squandered by the DUP’s boycott of the Executive and their refusal to work with the rest of us to create jobs and build our economy.

“Public patience has long run out with this delay and uncertainty. They want an Executive now. Our people can’t wait. Our businesses can’t wait and, critically, international investors will not wait.

“It is time to move forward. It is time to work together and to put our shared economic priorities ahead of narrow party political interests or electoral advantage.”

Dónal de Róiste and members of his family and friends were the guests of President Higgins and his wife Sabina at Áras an Uachtaráin yesterday afternoon.

The reception was held in recognition of an apology which Mr de Róiste received from the Irish Minister for Defence last December for the distress which he has suffered over five decades, and his long pursuit to clear his good name.

In April 1969 Mr de Roiste was interrogated by army authorities while based at Custume Barracks in Athlone.

Then aged 23, he was interrogated in relation to an allegation made by an unidentified person.

Irish President of the time, Eamon de Valera subsequently retired him from the defence forces, acting on the advice of the government. The former solider campaigned hard to clear his name in the years that followed but has only been successful following a review of his case undertaken in 2020 by Mr Niall Beirne.

In 2022 Mr Beirne concluded that Mr de Róiste’s dismissal was not in accordance with the law.

His findings prompted the Government’s apology as well as the agreement of a financial settlement of an undisclosed sum.

From Punjab to the peace line

MALACHIO’DOHERTY

I’M SITTING in a little theatre space in east Belfast. It’s in an old church building but here inside, this might be a dark little intimate club, chairs at round tables, a tiny bar in the corner. There’s a woman on the stage and she’s telling a story. We are all listening.

Lata Sharma is local, born and raised in Belfast. She speaks like a local and laughs like a local. She has the native humour so fierce and caustic that this cannot be imitation.

The show is called Sausage Soda and Onion Bhajis. It illustrates points of contact between Indian and Northern Irish culture, moments of perplexity, moments of recognition and affirmation.

Lata recounts a life of growing up in Belfast where she integrated well and became a Belfast girl.

She makes fun of moments that others might make more of, like the gym teacher looking at her brown legs and telling her to take her tights off.

She wants to pay tribute to a

Belfast that accepted her family and also to have a little dig at some migrants arriving here and being oversensitive to the easy mistakes that arise from cultural differences.

She says, “My duty is to project a story about how lovely it is to be raised in a society like Northern Ireland.”

At the heart of that story are her mother and father. The mother is Maji.

There’s a joke in that name itself.

Ma, in Belfast slang is an over casual, slightly disparaging way of referring to your mother, your ma. There is no such suggestion when Ma is a Hindi or Punjabi word. And the suffix ‘ji’ denotes respect.

Wee Lata is invited to sing at the Nativity play. She is going to take singing lessons. Maji doesn’t like it. A good Punjabi girl does not aspire to being a singer.

And then she is offered a part in West Side Story and will be kissing a boy on stage. Maji is furious.

Lata’s father is happy with this but Maji reminds him of the pact they made when she agreed to come to Belfast. He had agreed that they would not abandon their traditional values.

But really, they have no choice but to let their daughter grow up a Belfast girl.

Then she is singing with a band, this is all too much for Maji to take.

But what choice has she?

We know she has no choice but to accept Lata’s white Belfast boyfriend

and their marriage because we know the story already, or at least my generation does.

It could have been the story of a Catholic Irish girl in the 1950s whose parents would have had the same worries about her meeting a Protestant boy, losing her faith, perhaps getting pregnant. We know both versions of what comes next. Either the family accepts everything that they feared or they lose their daughter.

Irish girls were thrown out of their homes, sent to the nuns to have their babies in secret and give them up for adoption. Some were condemned to lives of incarceration and enslavement in the Magdalene laundries.

But others, perhaps most, were ultimately accepted, and we know this from our own acquaintances and experiences.

Parents who had had fierce Catholic values instilled in them and hoped to pass them on found in time that they could not police their children and chose to preserve their relationships rather than disown them.

But those parents had their own grievances and fears drawn from their own distant pasts.

Lata’s story unfolds to explain how her own parents had come to be married.

Her father’s first wife died giving birth to their third child and her cousin was asked to marry him so that the family could be held together. Maji had agreed to that.

Her father had been a refugee from Pakistan after the partition of India when two million people died in the rush of Hindus and Muslims to cross the new border in opposite directions to safety from sectarian carnage on a scale that is beyond imagining.

The Sharmas arrived in Belfast, like other Indian and Pakistani migrants in the 1950s and ’60s with a more intimate experience of sectarian horror than anyone here had experienced at that time.

When the Troubles came they preserved their friendships in both communities, not taking sides, well aware of how vicious division can get, more aware of it indeed than we were ourselves.

Maji was anxious to preserve their culture and tradition but repeatedly gave ground as Lata’s father asserted his daughter’s right to grow up within the local culture.

Lata’s story might have been a minority report of an unfamiliar experience and yet the audience erupted in applause because it was, essentially, a reworking of their own.

She is a Belfast girl. I asked her if she would pose for a photograph. Let’s have some fun, I said, we’ll pose you in a sari on the peace line. “Aye, your arse,” she said. You don’t get more Belfast than that.

 Malachi O’Doherty is one of Ireland’s leading political commentators and author of 11 books on the North of Ireland.

The Sharmas arrived in Belfast, like other Indian and Pakistani migrants in the 1950s and ’60s with a more intimate experience of sectarian horror than anyone here had experienced at that time

The immigrant experience in Belfast demonstrates that family values tend to be universally shared

AL FRESCO FEAST: Punjabi woman preparing a meal Picture: Sanyam Bahga via Wikimedia

Biden to visit ‘home’

Ballina and Cooley Peninsula to be on the presidential itinerary

Clare teen appears in a Wiltshire court

A TEENAGE boy from Ireland appeared in court last week after being caught towing a caravan on a motorway in England.

The boy was 14 when he was spotted driving a car towing the caravan on the M4 near Swindon in Wiltshire. The teenager, now 15, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court last week charged with obstructing police as well as driving without a licence or insurance.

The teenager, from Co. Clare in Ireland, pleaded guilty to all offences.

The boy was stopped on October 26, 2022 after a police officer spotted him driving a Saab and towing a caravan on the M4 westbound between junctions 16 and 17.

Police indicated for the vehicle to stop and the teenager, who was in the driving seat, initially gave officers a false name and claimed he was 22.

The vehicle had three passengers inside, none of whom had a valid British driving licence.

The boy was arrested and taken to custody, where it was established he was only 14.

He was later charged.

Due to a lack of means, the court made no order for costs.

PRESIDENT Joe Biden is expected to spend time in Co. Louth and Co. Mayo, where his Irish roots lie, during his trip to Ireland this month.

The US President is due to visit Ireland next week to mark the 25-year anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

He is expected to arrive in Belfast on April 11, the day after the actual anniversary of the signing, which took place on April 10, 1998. His full itinerary for his historic trip – his first to

Ireland since becoming the 46th US President in 2021 –has yet to be confirmed, butit is expected to include a visit to Dublin as well as to counties Mayo and Louth, where he has family connections. One of his forebears came from Ballina in the north of Mayo, while a great-great grandfather, Owen Finnegan, came from the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth.

Biden has made clear his intention to visit Ireland since he took office and was quick to respond to an

invitation made by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this month.

Speaking at a press conference in California on March 14, following a meeting with Prime Minister Sunak, the President responded positively when the Prime Minister said: “I look forward to our conversations and also importantly, to invite you to Northern Ireland, which hopefully you will be able to do and so we can commemorate the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Shoplifting spree at Dublin Airport led to Gatwick arrest

BY GERARD DONAGHY

A SHOPLIFTER at Dublin Airport thought she had evaded detection and had got away with her crime after making her escape on board a flight to England.

However, the thief was in for a shock when British police officers were waiting for her on arrival at London Gatwick.

After reclaiming goods valued at more than €600, Gatwick Police dubbed the successful operation ‘true cross border policing’.

According to the official Garda Twitter account, the force responded to reports of a shoplifter, who was initially thought to have stolen €260 worth of goods from the Loop shop in Dublin Airport’s Terminal 1.

After taking a description, gardaí tracked the suspected thief via CCTV but were unable to intercept her, getting to the boarding gate for the London Gatwick flight just as the plane was taxiing.

Undeterred, gardaí contacted officers from Sussex Police based at Gatwick, providing them with details of the incident and an image of the suspect.

“After Gatwick Police intercepted the person, it was discovered that she had stolen more than €660 worth of items,” said gardaí.

“The crew of Ryanair flight FR115 returned

the items to Dublin Airport and they were back in retail stores by lunchtime. Teamwork!”

Gatwick Police, whose B Section officers collared the suspect, thanked Ryanair for flying the goods back on the return flight, adding: “True cross border policing.”

“I know it’s something very special and personal to you –we’d love to have you over.”

Biden replied: “Twenty-five years? It seems like yesterday. It’s my intention to go to Northern Ireland and the Republic.”

The boy, who cannot be named due to legal reasons, was given a four-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay a £20 surcharge.

“Not only was this boy just 14 with no driving licence, none of the three passengers inside the vehicle had a valid driving licence either,” said PC Luke Hobbs of Wiltshire Police.

“Their actions could have had devastating consequences on other road users and it is fortunate that no collisions occurred as a result of such stupidity.”

GOTCHA! Gatwick Police tweeted their success

WILD COUNTRYSIDE: The Cooley Peninsula, part of the president’s intended itinerary

minutes with...

DUBLIN-BORN singer, bouzouki player and traditional singer Daoirí Farrell has just released his fourth solo album The Wedding Above in Glencree.

His British tour begins this month at Cramlington Folk Club (near Newcastleon-Tyne) on Wednesday, April 9

DAOIRÍ FARRELL

Display to mark role of women in peacebuilding in the North

BY FIONA AUDLEY

THERE remains ‘much to be done’ to secure a lasting peace on the island of Ireland, President Michael D Higgins has warned.

Speaking at the launch of an artistic exhibition celebrating the contribution of women to peacebuilding in Ireland to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, President Higgins told those gathered that the work was not yet over.

“Yes, we have achieved much on this island by working together for a peaceful resolution, to face up to historical wrongs, to heal the painful wounds of what we refer to as the ‘Troubles’, but there remains so much to be done to achieve an island at lasting peace with an ability to recall ethically, transact that history, and to live harmoniously together,” President Higgins said.

Mr Higgins and his wife Sabina hosted a special viewing of the Peace Heroines exhibi- tion at their Áras an Uachtaráin residence in Dublin last week.

The display was specially presented to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, which was signed on April 10, 1998.

The President decided to host the exhibition “in honour of the significant and essential contribution that women have made to the critically important task of peacebuilding on the island of Ireland”, his office confirmed.

The display, which consists of a series of information panels and portraits commissioned and curated by HerStory, celebrates the role of women in the building of peace in Northern Ireland from grassroots up to government levels.

It features 30 women’s stories, including Bridget Bond, Monica Patterson, Ruth Agnew, Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Inez McCormack and Dr Mo Mowlam amongst others.Central to the exhibition are nine large portraits by the visual artist FRIZ, featuring Pat Hume, Bronagh Hinds, Eileen Weir, Susan McCrory, Saidie Patterson, Monica McWilliams, Pearl Sagar, Anne Carr and Baroness May Blood.

What are you up to?

Well recently I’ve got a new mandolin from the great Joe Foley and I’ve been trying to brush up on my mandolin technique. Although it looks like a bouzouki it is played quite differently.

Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?

Lots of music does this. I always loved John Martyn’s version of Spencer the Rover

Which musician has most influenced you?

I suppose the members of that super group Planxty. You’ve got Christy Moore, Andy Irvine, Liam O’Flynn and Dónal Lunny. What a serious combination.

How did you get started in music?

My ma and da bought me a bodhrán and a guitar when I was about 15 and off down the rocky road I went.

Where are you from in Ireland, and what are your roots?

I am from Dublin. Born and reared here. My roots for the most part are Dublin also. Up the Dubs!

Pantomime or opera?

Oh, the panto although I do love an opera as well.

What is your favourite place in Ireland?

Dublin I guess. But I also love the Co. Kerry

Mozart or Martin Hayes?

Now that’s the toughest question on here. Can I choose both?

What would be your motto?

I am currently working towards a full

motorcycle licence so I guess it would be if you can’t find it, grind it.

Which living person do you most admire?

I’d have to say my loving partner. She is just amazing. Sure doesn’t she put up with me??? Nuff said!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given this year?

Try not burn the Brussels sprouts next Christmas, Daoirí!

Have you a favourite line from a song?

I love so many songs that I honestly couldn›t choose one but I do love Bill Caddick’s song John O’Dreams and that line “Both man and Master in the night are one, all men are equal when the day is done.”

In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession?

My 2022 Foley Bouzouki or my Honda Super Cub 50.

What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?

Try to treat people as you would like to be treated yourself

What gives you the greatest laugh?  Looking in the mirror. Haha, only joking; hanging out with my family is a great laugh. They’re all mad.

What do you believe in?

I try to work hard and practise as much as I can. I believe in that.

Who/what is the greatest love of your life?

Ah now if I didn’t say my partner and the kids I’d be lying to you all. They’re the reason I wake up every day.

EU envoy for the North

New position suggested to assist in streamlining EU-Brexit legislation and communications

A GROUP of Irish MEPs has called for a special EU envoy for Northern Ireland to be created to ensure effective communication between political representatives on both sides.

Five Fine Gael Members of European Parliament (MEPs) have proposed the move –Seán Kelly, Frances Fitzgerald, Deirdre Clune, Maria Walsh and Colm Markey – claiming there is a need to ensure formalised communication with representatives in Northern Ireland so that any issues can be identified and addressed in good time.

The Fine Gael MEPs have proposed the creation of the new role in a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and to the EU’s chief negotiator with the UK and Vice-President of the Commission, Maroš Šefčovič.

“The unique historical, legal and social circumstances on the island of Ireland, with part of the island under the legal jurisdiction of the UK, meant that Brexit was always going to fundamentally impact Northern Ireland in particular,” Seán Kelly MEP

and Leader of Fine Gael in the European Parliament said.

Following Brexit, Northern Ireland remained inside the EU Single Market for goods under the provisions of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

This gives the North direct access to both the EU’s single market and the internal market of the United Kingdom.

Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly is among the group who have proposed the move

“We have already seen increases in investments in Northern Ireland as one of the benefits of the EU singlemarket and UK internal market access making it an attractive option for many companies,” Mr Kelly added.

“I hear from business leaders all the time about the opportunities this arrangement has for Northern Ireland and the possibility of enhanced economic prosperity should be highlighted at every turn.”

The MEPs have backed the recently announced Windsor Framework as a positive step forward in EU-UK relations that will significantly reduce checks and paperwork.

Within that agreement, the

Stormont Brake gives the Northern Ireland Assembly the power to object to changes to EU rules that apply in Northern Ireland.

“This mechanism is designed to be used in the most exceptional circumstances, therefore it makes complete sense that we should have direct and official lines of communication with representatives in Northern Ireland so that we avoid any major issues,” Mr Kelly said.

“Therefore, the Fine Gael Delegation in the European Parliament is calling for the creation of an EU Special Representative (Envoy) to Northern Ireland with sufficient dedicated resources.”

He added: “Due to the type of Brexit chosen by the UK government, it was inevitable, albeit unfortunate, that some sort of democratic deficit would exist in Northern Ireland thereafter.

“A Special Representative from the EU would help reduce this deficit by engaging with Northern Ireland’s political representatives and public officials to explain upcoming EU legislation and listen to any concerns.”

ON THE ROAD: Daoirí Farrell

Who is policing the police?

THE Metropolitan Police is under fire from all sides for the conduct of its officers.

The latest damning indictment comes from the report of Baroness Louise Casey, which found it to be institutionally racist, homophobic, corrupt and sexist.

The Met Commissioner Sir Paul Rowley already seems to be digging himself a bigger hole by refusing to admit these problems are institutionalised.

The big question going forward is how to attain change.

The police are very good at damage limitation, managing situations to safeguard the institution, whilst ensuring that very little changes.

Some 20 years have passed, since the Macpherson Inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence found the Met to be institutionally racist. Macpherson made 75 recommendations, yet from Baroness Casey’s findings little seems to have changed.

Back in the days of the miscarriages of justice, the rogue officers were viewed as a few bad apples in the barrel. Noble cause corruption was a popular term, where the end justified the means. Today, the view is more that the whole barrel is rotten

A good example of the resistance of the police to change comes from a look back at the aftermath of the Irish miscarriage of justice cases.

In 1991, the Birmingham Six walked free through the front doors of the Court of Appeal.

Previously, the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven had been similarly exonerated. Judy Ward was later cleared (1992) relating to the M62 coach bombing. More were to follow.

The establishment was in crisis. There was a lack of confidence in the police. Increasingly, juries were not believing what they were being told by police officers. Ring any bells?

Few though believed that when a Royal Commission into the Criminal Justice system was set up following the exoneration of the Birmingham Six that this was the start of the fight back process.

There were some whispering campaigns against those cleared of the bombings.

The term miscarriage of justice was refocused to mean the guilty walking free (though this had always been the case, whilst the innocent were in prison).

PAULDONOVAN

The threat of crime was ramped up in the media.

The final result was the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, which gave more power to the very people supposedly in the dock at the outset, namely the police.

So, the right to silence was removed, stop and search powers were extended and rights like assembly restricted.

A few middle ranking police officers were brought to trial in relation to the miscarriage of justice cases but all collapsed. No senior officers came close to being made accountable.

So the whole thing came full circle.

Whilst the Royal Commission was thorough and did lead to the setting up of the Criminal Cases Review

Commission to look at questionable cases, from the legal establishment angle it bought time.

The agenda moved on, to such a degree that the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act could effectively reward the original wrong doers.

This all under the Tory Home Secretary of the time, Michael Howard, who was most remembered for his mantra that prison works.

So what is to stop a similar process occurring regarding the Casey report?

What does seem to be different is how far things have now gone.

Back in the days of the miscarriages of justice, the rogue officers were viewed as a few bad apples in the barrel. Noble cause corruption was a popular term, where the end

justified the means. Today, the view is more that the whole barrel is rotten.

There does need to be strong political leadership shown. Thus far London Mayor Sadiq Khan deserves credit for driving the process. He took the controversial action to replace Cressida Dick as Commissioner.

The Home Secretary though also has a crucial role to play, especially given that the problems found by Baroness Casey are unlikely to be exclusive to the Met.

Sir Mark Rowley needs to put root and branch reform in place to get the change in culture required. He would do well to note the words of a former reforming Met Commissioner Sir Robert Mark, who said: A good police force is one that catches more crooks than it employs.

There must be questions though as to whether the Met can be reformed from within. Sir Mark has already questioned whether the problems are institutional.

They obviously are, as Baroness Casey found out. Questions need to

be asked, like whether the ethos of the police now is so bad that it attracts the wrong type of people, who are then moulded to become misogynistic, racist and homophobic. Or are those tendencies hidden prerequisites for the job?

There have been calls for the break up of the Met – it is too big and unreformable. That maybe the case, what is for sure is that there needs to be drastic action.

The Met are rapidly losing the consent of the people they seek to police. Confidence is at an all time low. Consent and trust needs to be won back. This can only be done with radical reform.

Hopefully, this will be forthcoming but always beware the police’s power to turn the tables, time and reputation manage their way out of trouble. The confidence and so permission of the public to be policed needs to be won back. Failure to act decisively now will see little change, with more victims and injustice perpetrated down the road.

DAMNING INDICTMENT: Baroness Louise Casey carries a copy of her final review into the behaviour and internal culture of the Metropolitan Police Picture: Getty Images

Irish experience illustrates the power of the police to avoid real change and accountability

TLICN Westminster reception

PICTURES BY MALCOLM MCNALLY PHOTOGRAPHY

THE London Irish Construction Network (TLICN) held its 7th annual parliamentary reception at the Terrace Pavilion in the House of Commons, Westminster.

The evening was sponsored by Karin Smyth MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ireland and the Irish in Britain and among those present were Irish Ambassador Martin Fraser, Robert Jenrick MP, Minister of State for Immigration, Francie Molloy MP, Michelle Gildernew MP and Cllr Claire Tighe from Ealing Council.

TLICN was formed in 2009 and holds a number of networking events throughout the year, often engaging high profile speakers.

Networking

Ryan Crumley (K Crumley Construction), Noel Byrne (Ardent Tide) and Kieran Crumley K Crumley Construction)

Joan Smith (Catax), Catherine Orpen (Orpen Design Solutions) and Orla Bance (Alchemy)

Michaela Patterson (Fladgate), Sandy Donnelly (DBC Health Retreats), TLICN Director Niall O’Dowd and Sinead Whelan (Traveller Movement)

Cathal Crossan (London Irish Construction) and Gerrard McMorrow, Tracey Heneghan, Damien Barrett and Martin Maloney (Capital Sky Ltd)

Patrick Rochford from the Embassy of Ireland, Irish Ambassador Martin Fraser and Cllr Claire Tighe from Ealing Council are pictured with TLICN Directors Niall O’Dowd, Sean Daly, Con O’Sullivan and Frank O’Hare and sponsors William Dalton and Frank Hughes from North London Structures and Groundworks, Dermot O’Grady from Ardent Tide, Martin Mockler from Evans Mockler and David Daly from HD Construction Solutions

London Irish clarify position regarding players’ salaries

BY CONOR O’DONOGHUE

GALLAGHER premiership rugby club

London Irish have responded to rumours concerning its players not receiving their wages.

According to The Daily Mail, “Exiles employees were worried about the threat of their monthly wages not being received.”

The same report also went on to say: “It is understood that coaches and players have been seeking assurances, after being made aware of potential trouble.”

This comes months after other clubs like Wasps and Worcester’s financial woes ended their stay in England’s top flight. Leicester Tigers also raised £13m to help

the club with its money problems. They are still in the Gallagher Premiership.

London Irish, who play at Brentford FC’s Gtech Community Stadium, are thought to be at risk because of their low turnover and high debt.

Businessman Mick Crossan, who has been trying to sell the club, stated he would do so for free if reassurances could be provided that they would be properly funded going forward.

“Well-placed sources say this is not the first time this season that there have been doubts over wages, at a time when owner Mick Crossan has been trying to relinquish control of the club,” said The Mail “It is thought that there were similar fears around Christmas, which proved to be

unfounded. Employees have been told repeatedly that a buy-out is imminent –but that is yet to take place.”

London Irish have responded to the report and claimed no comment will be made until there is progress made around the issue.

“It has been public knowledge that the cllub is exploring its options with regards to investment; however, no comment will be made until there is anything to announce,” said the club in a press release.

“In regards to recent media reports, London Irish can categorically confirm that all staff will be paid this month. Anything reported to the contrary is speculation.”

Kingspan faces call for funds for remediation to high-rises

BY MAL ROGERS

BRITAIN’S housing secretary

Michael Gove has said he wants to hear very soon from Kingspan, the Co. Cavan manufacturer, with regards what financial support they intend to offer towards remediation work in high-rises where their product has been used.

The Cavan firm was a supplier of a small amount of material, Kooltherm K15 insulation, used in the building of Grenfell Tower. It was destroyed by fire in 2017 killing 72 people.

Minister Gove’s letter, which has been published on Twitter, reads: “I have long argued that those who manufactured flammable products and sold them have a moral and financial imperative to recognise their role in the proliferation of unsafe buildings.

“The testimony at the Grenfell Tower inquiry uncovered shameful practices and an abhorrent culture of disregard for the safety of residents in their homes.

“I was appalled by the evidence heard by the inquiry about the reckless and deceptive behaviour within your company.”

The letter references a report in The Observer newspaper earlier this year noting that Kingspan had said it would pay for remediation where its K15 product had been inappropriately used in a high-rise building.

Mr Gove wrote: “If the report was accurate, this acknowledgement is a positive step. I sincerely hope it is a first step only, in what should be a

comprehensive package of financial support from Kingspan and other construction product manufacturers.

“Your record trading profit of £382.8m will, I presume, help to fund this commitment.

“I invite you to meet my officials to discuss how you propose to scope, identify, and pay for remediation works.

“This would go some way to restoring confidence in the sector in the way that we have recently seen from developers.”

In the letter, addressed to chief executive Gene Murtagh, Mr Gove says: “My department will continue to be driven solely by our commitment to protect people in their homes: people who bought or rented

homes in good faith, whose safety continues to be threatened by your products and who deserve better from the companies that have exploited their basic need for a home.

“Those companies who do not share our commitment to righting the wrongs of the past must expect to face commercial consequences.

“I look forward to hearing from you before Easter.”

Kingspan was founded in 1965, when Eugene Murtagh began a small family business in Cavan. Over the years the company expanded its product offerings, becoming a leading provider of insulation and building products. It has reported more than £2bn in profits in the years since the Grenfell Tower fire, and is a major.

Mercedes ended its Formula 1 sponsorship deal with Kingspan in 2021 after facing an outcry over the company’s involvement in the Grenfell Tower inferno. A statement from Mercedes at the time said: “The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Kingspan today announced that they have mutually agreed to end their partnership,” a statement from Mercedes reads.

“Announced last week, the new partnership included Kingspan chairing a new Sustainability Working Group for the team, and aimed to deliver carbon reductions through their leading-edge environmentally sustainable solutions for the team’s future campus.

“However, both parties have subsequently concluded that it is not appropriate for the partnership to move forward at the current point in time, notwithstanding its intended positive impact, and we have therefore agreed that it will be discontinued with immediate effect.”

Kingspan still sponsors Ulster Ruby – their home ground is the Kingspan Stadium, which has been the target for graffiti attacks.

Co. Cavan cladding and insulation manufacturers contacted by British government housing secretary Michael Gove in effort to get products firms as well as developers to stump up for repairs

OWNER: Mick Crossnan Picture: Getty Images

FINANCIAL IMPERATIVE: Housing Secretary Michael Gove Picture: Getty Images

Jail sentence for man who attacked passengers

A 40-YEAR-OLD man who struck and knocked another passenger off a bus in west Belfast has been jailed for four months.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that Seamus McGranaghan targeted the man for trying to calm him down. McGranaghan also attempted to headbutt and bite police officers during his arrest.

Belfast Magistrates’ Court heard he initially exited the bus following a commotion on board.

Crown lawyer Mark Conlon said: “However, the defendant returned to the bus and struck a male passenger, causing both of them to fall off the bus.”

BELFAST

McGranaghan tried to punch a window of the vehicle and instructed the driver not to move.

Mr Conlon said the victim was attacked for intervening as “the defendant had been shouting at an older male,

causing a younger girl sitting nearby to get upset”.

Police detained McGranaghan at a nearby pub, but he struggled amid efforts to apply handcuffs.

McGranaghan pleaded guilty to common assault, attempted criminal damage to the bus, two assaults on police and resisting arrest.

His barrister, Michael Boyd said McGranaghan was “deeply embarrassed and ashamed of himself,” adding, “He had far too much to drink and lost his temper.”

Idyllic location makes seaside resort top of the towns

DONAGHADEE in Co. Down has come out tops in Northern Ireland in the 2023 Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide.

Praising regional winner Donaghadee, the judges were impressed with its community spirit and idyllic location, while being close to Belfast.

“All the joy of living by the sea surrounded by a friendly community is what you get in this colourful seaside town,” read the guide.

With a population of around 8,000, Donaghadee is known for its lighthouse and

harbour as well as a 12th century motte.

Many of Donaghadee’s buildings date back several centuries and the town centre is a conservation area.

Home to one of Ireland’s oldest pubs, Grace Neill’s, it is also mentioned in Johnny Cash’s 1961 song, Forty Shades of Green

Galway city expansion proposals slammed GALWAY

Ballina looks forward to welcoming Bidens

COUNTY Councillors are furious over what’s been described as a “land grab”, as consideration is given to expanding the boundaries of Galway City, reports Galway Bay FM. The move would see Galway City Council assume responsibility for a number of outlying urban areas.

At a recent meeting of Galway City Council, Galway Bay FM reports there was strong support for an exploration of taking Oranmore, Claregalway, Moycullen, and Barna under Galway City council jurisdiction. But the suggestion has been slammed by some county councillors, who made their opposition clear at County Hall last weekCouncillor Jim Cuddy likened the proposal to Russia’s illegal seizure of Crimea in 2014. Councillor Liam Carroll issued a warning to Galway City Council to “keep its hands to itself”.

County CEO Jim Cullen said he strenuously agreed and warned that if the proposals were passed, Galway County Council would become “unviable” due to loss of income. Overall, the message from County Hall last evening was a clear and simple one.

BALLINA residents are eagerly awaiting official confirmation that US president Joe Biden will visit his ancestral hometown during his planned trip to Ireland later this month.

The Mayo News reports that the town is celebrating its 300th anniversary this year with a huge programme of cultural events planned.

A formal invitation has already been extended to the President and First Lady Dr Jill Biden to visit Ballina, Chair of Ballina 2023 Steering Group, Cllr Jarlath Munnelly said: “This is a momentous year for Ballina and we are proud to showcase Ballina with our exciting events programme. To have President Biden return to the town and join the celebrations would make it incredibly special.”

MAYO

Ballina is also the hometown of former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson. Susan Heffernan, Project Manager, The Mary Robinson Centre said: “Ballina is in the unique position of being a town of two Presidents, and we are very fortunate that there’s a long and enduring friendship between former President Mary Robinson and US President Joe Biden. We recognise that it is an unmissable opportunity to have our Presidents – both proud Mayo people – here in Ballina together.”

COMMENT&OPINION

MALROGERS Hard news the easy way

Shadowy reason for refusing an honour

ONE hundred years ago on April 12, 1923 the world premiere of The Shadow Of A Gunman by Sean O’Casey took place at the Abbey Theatre.

The play is set in 1920 during the War of Independence, and centres on Donal Davoreen, a self-styled poet, but one who does nothing to correct the perception of acquaintances that he is an IRA gunman on the run.

Davoreen’s braggadocio, which runs alongside his cowardice, is parallelled by the philosophising of his room-mate, Seamus Shields.

Funnily enough when Irish people have received royal honours from the British monarchy, Sean O’Casey is often cited as a fine example of those who steadfastly refused a bauble. This is not quite the whole story.

His refusal of a CBE is certainly

remarkable on one count. O’Casey lived in Britain for the last 37 years of his life, dying in Torquay. During much of that time his publisher was McMillan. And indeed it was the proprietor, Prime Minister Harold McMillan who wrote to him offering the CBE. Declining it was difficult.

Even more surprising was that that O’Casey more than once turned the chance to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was on the grounds that James Joyce was never so honoured, so O’Casey felt it would dishonour Joyce’s memory in his view. He was a continual torchbearer for Joyce, and nothing would have persuaded him to take the ultimate honour in world literature when the greatest novelist of all was overlooked.

Boglands and Brexit

THE boglands are particularly squelchy at the minute. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a stroll on the trail at Mongan Bog, within sight of the ancient monasteries and high crosses of Clonmacnoise. The trail winds through classic bog countryside – a patchwork of pools, hummocks and flat ‘lawns’ of sphagnum moss. The hummocks are home to a wide variety of plant life, including ling heather, bog rosemary, cranberry, sundew and the sulphuryellow, star-like flowers of the bog asphodel.

The Pilgrim’s Road to Clonmacnoise skirts the northerly edge of Mongan Bog before arriving at the monastery on the banks of the Shannon.

Just south of Mongan Bog stands Clonony Castle, built by the local MacCoghlan clan but subsequently seized by Henry VIII’s people. It eventually ended up in Thomas Boleyn’s possession. Mary and Elizabeth Boleyn lived and died at Clonony, and would doubtless have wandered through the bogland perhaps contemplating the fate of their tragic sister Anne Boleyn, executed by Henry VIII. The sisters’ tombstone stands some 100 metres from the castle.

But in the boglands of our country, you do need to be careful; stray too far off-piste, and you could find yourself sinking into an oily morass.

So here is this column’s guide to surviving such a situation. Come to think about this is advice that can be applied to a range of situations. So much so,

Travel warning

Some of the world’s leading conspiracy theorists have deduced that all that track-andtrace intel, all the quarantine regulations requiring a record of your name, address and whereabouts, all that CC TV being used to monitor any journey you might make. Well the theorists have it on good authority that it has all been collated and stored, so that the Chinese / the CIA / Interpol / the guards / the police – they know exactly where you are.

Now I’m no adherent to these theories, but all the same, if I were you I’d cut out the hanky panky for a while.

Cheesy joke

DRAMATIC MESSAGE: Sean O’Casey (inset) and, above, Shadow of the Gunman poster used in a 1932 election campaign by Cumann na nGaedhael, playing on fears of Fianna Fáil’s connection to the IRA and using O’Casey’s title as their slogan

that I’m going to make it a special present to the British prime minister.

What to do if you get stuck in a swamp (can be anything from a bog to Brexit):

1. Remain calm. Panic doesn’t help.

2. Insist you know the way out.

3. Quietly assess the situation.

4. Whatever the result of the assessment, DO NOT leave the bog. This is the same as admitting you’ve made a mistake.

5. Ask others to join you in the bog.

6. If even your best friends refuse, never mind: continue in the same direction, going deeper into the bog.

7. Talk about something else. Don’t let the conversation be dominated by bog talk

8. If things don’t improve, eventually hand over to someone else in the bog.

HISTORIC FORTIFICATION: Clonony Castle

Picture: Public domain

Not going Dutch

AMSTERDAM has launched a new campaign discouraging drunken party tourism. Locals are fed up with bad, drunken behaviour, so Dutch authorities have launched a new ‘stay away’ campaign

An online advertising campaign – initially targeted at men aged between 18 and 35, and in English – features a series of short videos depicting nights out gone wrong, and end with the punchline: “Coming to Amsterdam for a messy night + getting trashed = €140 fine + criminal record?” the ads ask. “Stay away.”

The videos will be shown to people who search online with terms like “cheap hotel Amsterdam” or “pub crawl Amsterdam”.

A famous television chef once had the idea for a restaurant for hen-parties and stag-dos: just two troughs – one for the food one for the drink. It’s an excellent idea, but one that won’t float in Amsterdam

King Charles III has visited an organic farm in Germany, where he helped to make a special cheese – one that will be dedicated to him and his visit to the land of some of his ancestors.

The monarch, interested in ecology and green agriculture for many years, was joined by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Brandenburg State Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke.

They visited a farm where Charles tried his hand at making the local Bauern käse, a Brodowiner type of cheese. The king along with Queen Camilla also sampled the local sausage. It was, to be quite frank, a wurst-kase scenario.

Worrying extraterrestrial thought

The US website Ironic Times has a disturbing take on the latest news that scientists now believe Oumuamu was nothing more than a comet.

You may remember that a mysterious cigar-shaped object was spotted tumbling through our solar system in 2017. Speculation was rife that it may have been an alien spacecraft sent to investigate Earth.

But now scientists have said that it was definitely a comet, perhaps a meteor from outside our solar system. But not of ‘artificial origin’. In other words it was just a piece of innocent space rock. But as Ironic Times pointed out: “You’d say the same thing with some weirdlooking ray gun pointed at your head.”

VIP VISITOR: The royal touch

The voice of the Irish in Britain since 1970

A key date in Irish history

THE eyes of the world will be on Northern Ireland next week as President Joe Biden arrives to help celebrate the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

The world is beset by seemingly insurmountable problems. From existential worries occasioned by climate change to the continuing war in Ukraine, from the territorial and geo-political machinations of China to continuing unrest in the Middle East, and from the ever-increasing plight of refugees to the problems of the homeless — the 21st century is fraught with major dilemmas and challenges.

But the Good Friday Agreement is a glimmer of light in a world that seems weighed down by issues that appear to have little chance of being resolved any time soon.

Many players were responsible for finally solving the seemingly intractable problem of civil strife and violence in Northern Ireland. But the US administration from President Clinton through to Joe Biden played a key part.

So for that, President Biden will be welcomed in Ireland.

But President Biden has, of course, huge political clout, and he wielded it in recent years on behalf of the interests of all who are interested in peace. At an administration level, the Irish government and the EU have cause to thank President Biden. Over recent years he has made it known to the British government, very specifically Boris Johnson when he was prime minister, that the US would brook nothing that risked harm to the Good Friday Agreement. And lo and behold the Westminster Framework and the Stormont Brake were among Prime Minister Sunak’s first major policy initiatives.

Northern Ireland still has its issues — any that was 400 years in the making is unlikely to be solved overnight. But the challenges now are largely political, not least ensuring that the democratic institutions as laid down in the Good Friday Agreement are restarted at Stormont.

The threat of terrorist attacks, sadly, is still a fact of life, but a wholesale return to paramilitary action now seems unlikely. The Good Friday Agreement has largely eradicated the possibility of that, and President Biden should be thanked for his part in it.

But the president will also be welcomed as someone who has expressed his pride in his Irish heritage — his lineage has roots n Co. Mayo and Co. Louth.

So a huge thanks to President Biden is in order. And a welcome home to Joe Biden is entirely appropriate. Welcome back to your ancestral home. And totally well done laying it on the line as regards Brexit, Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement.

A blueprint for greenness

I HAVE been very impressed by both sides in the argument regarding votes for the diaspora in any future Irish presidential election and those who have pointed out the drawbacks to such a course.

As has been pointed out in your letters page, the ease with which it is possible to get an Irish passport means that Irish citizenship can be bestowed on people who would have difficulty placing Dublin on a map. This is one of the big arguments against extending the voting franchise, specifically voting for the President, to anyone who can claim Irish nationality.

But as your correspondent J. McMahon pointed out last week – it must be made harder to get an Irish passport. That is the only solution to this problem.

The solution to me seems simple. Stop allowing people to have dual citizenship. You can either be solely Irish, or not Irish at all. Under this legislation you would not be able to hold an Irish passport and a US passport, or an Irish passport and a British passport – or any other dual arrangement.

Why does anyone need dual citizenship? As regards our community in Britain, every Irish person benefits from the Common Travel Area. This arrangement between Ireland, the UK, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands allows for the free movement of people between these areas without the need for passport controls.

The CTA was first established in the 1920s and has evolved over time. It is not a formal treaty or agreement, but rather a set of understandings and practices that have been developed over many years.

Under the CTA, Irish and British citizens can travel freely between the two countries and live and work in either country without the need for a visa or work permit. The CTA also allows for mutual recognition of educational qualifications, healthcare entitlements, and social welfare benefits.

So there is no real benefit in having both passports.

Admittedly the list of countries that don’t allow dual citizenship is small, but includes Japan, Singapore, India (the world’s largest democracy) and several others. In Europe, the list includes the Netherlands. If a Dutch national is over the age of 18 and willingly obtains citizenship or naturalisation from another country, in addition to a Dutch citizenship, that person will subsequently lose their Dutch citizenship. The only way you can keep dual citizenship is if you’re a citizen of another nation and you marry a Dutch national or you’re a refugee. But basically the

situation is – if you want to be Dutch, that’s fine. So prove it. Don’t have a passport for any other nationality; that’s how the Dutch see it.

There are a handful of other countries where dual citizenship is not allowed, and Ireland should perhaps join them. That would sort out those who genuinely wanted to express their Irishness, and those who want it for frivolous reasons, such as making holidays easier.

We would then end up with a diaspora suitably enough engaged to vote in an election that has been called under Irish jurisdiction.

There is another reason to curtail dual nationality.

Irish passports are used by a wide and disparate range of groups and individuals – from counter-espionage agents to terrorists – partly because they’re easy to obtain, and partly because, Ireland being a neutral country, the Irish passport carries little colonial or imperial baggage. Thus travel in many countries is rendered easier than if you have, say, a US passport or a British passport.

Fake Irish passports have almost certainly been used by both CIA and Mossad agents travelling throughout the Middle East and Africa.

The assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in 2010 in a hotel room in Dubai is alleged to have been ordered by the Israeli government and carried out by Mossad agents

holding fake or fraudulently obtained passports – six of the passports found by the Dubai police, and believed to have been used to enter the country, were Irish.

So, being able to get Irish passports easily is something that should be curtailed anyway, never mind votes for the diaspora. And the easy way to do that is make anyone applying for an Irish passport renounce any other citizenship and may eventually pave the way to a more cogent profile for the Irish diaspora.

Bernie Maguire Gloucester

Irish in Britain support for GFA

THE 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement provides an opportunity to reflect on the immense contribution of David Trimble and John Hume, and in 2007 Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness. Northern Ireland’s power-sharing governance and cross-community institutions miss their courage, commitment and leadership. Today, Northern Ireland needs the vision and values of these sadly departed leaders to resolve the current absence in democratically-elected self-government.

The Good Friday Agreement is built on the principles of consent, cross-community power-sharing and respect for the identities and

traditions of all the people of Northern Ireland. The current representative deficit at the Stormont Assembly confirms the agreement is not perfect – neither in the breach nor the observance – but in a world of flux and uncertainty the GFA delivered a hard won but increasingly fragile peace.

The agreement’s imperfections serve to remind us that, in the end, it is all there is. It created a window for reconciliation and healing that appeared to utterly change Northern Ireland. By doing so, it helped to improve British-Irish relations across these islands. For many of the Irish in Britain who had been touched by the death and destruction of the conflict, the Agreement was a deeply emotional moment.

We now cherish the reality that there is a new generation of young people in Northern Ireland who have known only peace and since 1998 the default lived experience is largely one of stability. Today, it is a shared and urgent responsibility of everyone on these islands to help realise the vision of the Agreement’s signatories. To do this we must ensure our current representatives understand that the institutions that delivered the peace of the last 25 years have to be nurtured and restored to fully functioning health.

Darren Murphy, Chairperson Irish in Britain

Brian Dalton, CEO Irish in Britain

BREAK FOR THE BORDER: The Common Travel Area doesn’t specify no border checks Picture: RollingNews.ie

reserves the right to edit all letters as applicable. Please keep your letters as brief as possible. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Irish Post.

COMMENT&OPINION

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Do we blame the message and the messenger?

MAYBE social media does good things. Maybe it brings people together and gives people some sense of achievement.

JOEHORGAN

Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper. The Irish Post is published every Wednesday by Color Company (TM) Ltd.

The newspaper seeks to provide the Irish in Britain with comprehensive news coverage of Irish issues from Ireland and Britain, sports news and reviews, a weekly entertainment guide, reader feedback and features of interest to the Irish in Britain.

©2009 ISSN No. 0959-3748. The Irish Post Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publishers. Newsagent distribution and printing by Trinity Mirror Printing Limited whose registered office is at One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AP.

Maybe it helps to get some hopeful messages out and about and helps inspire people. Maybe it contributes, overall, to the human good. And with social media it doesn’t matter whether you are in Cork or Chicago, whether you are in Dublin or Dubai, people can see what you are thinking.

Sometimes for the good, but often – it seems to me – for the bad.

The latest manifestation of the darkness of social media in Ireland – the sheer negativity that it can be used for – was the abuse suffered by football players representing Ireland internationally. Users of Twitter objected to these players wearing the green shirt on the basis of some of them being black. The level these players were playing at was under-15. So what the brave Twitter users were objecting to was children and you do not get braver than having the courage to fire

The racists and the bigots who, in an Irish context, may well be just a spiteful minority, are nothing if not loud. Social media merely amplifies this. Twitter is their megaphone

abuse at children on the basis that you object to the colour of their skin.

So clearly there is a problem with racism in Ireland. I’m not a person of colour so I can’t speak directly of that, nor would I presume to, but I’m also a part of a society where I can directly see and hear racism in action.

Indeed, the senior Irish football international Adam

Idah, who is from Cork, spoke directly about his experience as a black Irishman in the wake of these latest incidents and about the racism he has encountered. The Irish Network against Racism reported very recently that racism in Ireland is “an everyday reality for people from minority groups”. I think anyone with a fair, balanced mind accepts that racism is a reality in Irish society.

What is interesting, though, is what Adam Idah has said about how he has dealt with racism. Idah said that the best thing he did was to come off Twitter. He said he had been off Twitter for two or three months and all his family had done the same. So a successful man, supported by powerful sporting organisations, concluded that, although racism was the problem, removing himself from

Twitter was the solution.

Interestingly Corkman Idah plays his football in the UK. Whether in Cork or Norwich it doesn’t matter when it comes to social media. And there it is.

Social media, and in this case directly Twitter, is the problem. The racists and the bigots who, in an Irish context, may well be just a spiteful minority, are nothing if not loud. Social media merely amplifies this. Twitter is their megaphone. Twitter is the problem. Racists are rats but they have made Twitter their sewer.

I have no answer to this. I have no solution to the problems of an online culture. But if we at least acknowledge that social media, in this case Twitter, is not some neutral, benign element, then we are making a start, aren’t we? I say this, by the way, as a writer and journalist only very recently trying to engage with this medium.

I’m currently on it but still undecided. I find it hard to see beyond the bleakness of a media form that black people find easier not to engage with than to use. This shiny,

new world, this omnipresent forum, can be a pretty tacky thing when you get close up to it. It appears to me to be just a fairly grim place.

It is worth making this clear. I’ve been writing this newspaper column, writing about Ireland, for over twenty three years. I’ve heard some hateful things and listened to some bigoted opinions. But social media is different, isn’t it? Twenty three years ago anyone so distorted with hate they could object to children on the basis of skin colour seethed away in a dark corner. And we were all the better for it. Now they loudly pollute any discussion we might all seek to undertake. And, of course, some people are getting very rich by giving a sound system to the rancid half-thoughts of hateful bigots. Whether that bigot is in Mullingar or Moscow seems beside the point. Racism and bigotry are problems, aren’t they? But social media is one too, is it not? Twitter is one too, isn’t it? It’s not a medium. It’s a problem.

n Joe Horgan tweets at @JoeHorganwriter

MEGAPHONE DISHARMONY: Extreme views are given voice by social media Picture: Wikimedia Commons

The date of Easter

approximately the same length. The day is widely regarded as the first day of spring - although not by Celtic peoples who prefer February 1, a salient point.

The earliest date for Easter is therefore March 22 and the latest April 25. This year Easter Sunday is April 9.

The system for calculating Easter was finally settled just over 1300 years ago – and regrettably for those who would like a settled date, Irish advice was not taken on the matter.

The date of Easter is defined as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The latter is taken to be March 21

It all began at the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325, when emperor Constantine called the leaders of the early Christian church together to, amongst other things, select a day for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. The vernal equinox calculation was put forward, but didn’t receive universal acceptance.

the matter, and accordingly a special synod was convened in 664 AD at the monastery of St. Hilda in Whitby.

Bishop Colman, Bishop Chad and the Abbess Hilda arrived in the seaside town to represent and petition on behalf of the Celtic tradition.

Bishops Wilfrid and Agilbert attended on behalf of the Roman Church, with the matter finally decided by the arbiter, the AngloSaxon king Oswy. He was anxious not to offend the might of the Roman Church, and came down firmly against the Celts.

The synod, however, was not just about Easter. Much more important was whether the Church in England should link its fortunes to the now-declining and loosely organised Irish Church, or throw its lot in with the rising power of the Roman organisation. The proselytising, missionary Celtic/Irish Church was seen as a spent force – the squabble over the date of Easter was merely the grounds for a classic power struggle.

It was poor reward for the Irish monks who had not only saved Christianity during the dark ages and re-introduced the Faith back into Europe, but who had also become the first missionaries to take the gospel beyond the boundaries of the old Roman Empire.

EVERY year the cry goes up: why can’t Easter be the same date every year?

The answer is fairly straightforward – there’s no reason. The Easter holiday affects a large number of secular affairs in many countries, so it has long been urged as a matter of convenience that the variable date be either narrowed in range or replaced by a fixed date like Christmas.

One hundred years ago in 1923

the problem was referred to the Holy See, which found no canonical objection to the proposed reform. Nonetheless Easter remains the original moveable feast. This is probably because the decision on a set date would require the agreement of so many diverse concerns ranging from other church authorities aside from the Vatican to secular bodies such as the EU and worldwide sporting organisations. Not to mention chocolate manufacturers.

A date with history

What happened on this day...

Saturday, April 8:

1960 – The Royal Showband is forced to change their name to the Waterford Showband for an appearance at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London because two members of the British royal family are in attendance.

1964 – Terence O’Neill becomes the first prime minister of the North to visit a Catholic school (in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim)

Sunday, April 9:

1961 – A census shows the population of the Republic to be 2,818,341; that of the North (later in the month) is shown to be 1,425,642

Another consideration may well be that the churches are aware that were Easter fixed, it would increasingly become more commercialised, on a par with Christmas. A move to a fixed date could open the floodgates to consumerism.

The date of Easter is defined as the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. The latter is taken to be March 21, the date in the northern hemisphere when night and day are

The church in Rome subsequently fell out with the church in Alexandria over which mathematical tables should be used to calculate the date. Then along came the Irish. When St Columbanus arrived on the continent at the latter end of the 6th century, he noted that the Irish Easter was not the same as the Roman one. They definitely weren’t singing out of the same hymn book.

So confident was he that the Irish calculations were correct, he wrote to Pope Gregory the Great in 600 and roundly reprimanded him for advocating an Easter table that everyone in Ireland knew was wrong. The Irish were ignored, and Rome continued with its Easter, while the Irish and British continued with theirs.

It was eventually decided to settle

Wednesday, April 12:

1923 – World premiere of The Shadow Of A Gunman by Sean O’Casey at the Abbey Theatre. 1960 – A broadcasting authority, Radio Éireann, is established to conduct national radio and television services.

To add insult to injury, the very name Easter was probably laid down at this time and formally adopted by St Bede of Jarrow (673735). The name ‘Easter’ probably derives from the pagan festival of Eostre. However, old customs die hard and local traditions associated with the worship of the pagan goddess, during which rabbits and eggs were seen as fertility symbols, are probably the origins of rabbits and eggs being associated with the festival.

The Irish Church seems to have been opposed to this further hijacking of pagan ways, and were reluctant to have any further idolatry associated with the main Christian festival of the year – when Christ’s Resurrection was celebrated. However it seems they were over-ruled.

1981 – Bobby Sands becomes the Honourable Member of the British House of Commons representing South Tyrone.

Monday, April 10:

1912 – The Titanic, built at Harland and Wolff shipyards in Belfast slips anchor in Southampton bound for Cherbourg.

1838 – Fr Theobald Matthew from Cashel sets up his total temperance society.

Tuesday, April 11:

1971 – The GAA lifts its ban on members playing or attending ‘foreign’ sports such as soccer or rugby.

1986 – Brian Keenan is taken hostage in Beirut.

Thursday, April 13:

1742 – The world premiere of Handel’s Messiah takes place at Mr. Neale’s Great Musick Hall, in Fishamble Street, Dublin.

1906 – Birth of Samuel Beckett in Foxrock, Co. Dublin.

1968 – Cliff Richard comes second in the Eurovision Song Contest with the Phil Coulter composition Congratulations. It subsequently outsells the winner throughout Europe.

Friday, April 14:

1912 – RMS Titanic built in Belfast’s Harland and Wolff, hits an iceberg at 11.40pm. She sinks the following day, the 15th, at 2.20 am. 1507 people of the original 2206 passengers and crew perish.

PASSIONATE PRAISE: An Easter parade in Malaga Picture: Getty Images

The date of Easter varies from year to year for complex reasons. GERARD CASSINI investigates

Sean O’Casey – his Shadow of a Gunman celebrates its 100th anniversary this week

Derek Hickey album launch

IMDL and London Irish Centre present a Derek Hickey album launch concert, with support from The Trad Gathering

THE London Irish Centre is hosting an album launch party on Friday, April 21 which also features Jack Talty on piano, with support from The Trad Gathering.

Derek Hickey, from Adare, Co. Limerick, is an acclaimed accordionist. Both his grandfathers played fiddle and his own musical career began at ten years of age when his uncle left an accordion in the family home. Derek progressed to dance tunes within weeks, though he didn’t begin lessons – under the tutelage of Donal de Barra – until he was 12.

Derek’s professional career began three years later when he joined the Shannonside Céili Band. Formed by the Liddy family, the band was particularly popular in the north of the country. It also toured extensively in England and made regular trips throughout Europe.

In 1991 Frankie Gavin asked Derek to join him for regular sessions in his then leased hotel in Kinvara, Co. Galway. One year later, at just eighteen years of age Derek joined Arcady, Johnny ‘Ringo’ McDonagh’s band. Frances Black, Brendan Larrisey and Patsy Broderick were also members of the band at that time and many other household names have played in the line-up including Sharon

Wilfried from French pop-rock-folk band Doolin talks to Rí-Rá about his love of Irish music Page 17

The making of the Land of Saints and Scholars

Shannon, Cathal Hayden and Gerry O’Connor.

In I995 Derek joined the legendary De Dannan alongside Frankie Gavin. He toured with De Dannan until 2003. He spent some time teaching as a button accordion tutor on the BA Irish Music and Dance at the Irish World Academy. Alongside teaching he returned to performing with De Dannan and he continues to tour nationally and internationally.

The Trad Gathering

IMDL’s London-wide youth project The Trad Gathering features 30 young traditional Irish musicians led by Karen Ryan and Pete Quinn.

The group will perform tunes from the repertoire of the legendary Kerry fiddler, Julia Clifford.

An icon of the traditional Irish music scene in London since the 1950s, she often played music at the London Irish Centre.

The Trad Gathering was jointly commissioned in 2008 by the BBC Proms and Return to Camden Town Festival. In recent years, the group have been celebrating music from the repertoires of a number of prominent members of the London Irish music scene, including Bryan Rooney (Leitrim fiddler), The McCarthy Family

(Co. Clare), Roger Sherlock (Sligo flautist) and Lucy Farr (East Galway fiddler), Danny Meehan (Donegal fiddler) and John Bowe (Offaly accordionist).

The group have performed on stages including: the Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Kings Place, Cadogan Hall, Mayor of London’s St Patrick’s

Day Festival (Trafalgar Square stage), Bush Hall, Rich Mix, Grand Junction and more.

 Derek Hickey at the London Irish Centre, Friday, April 21 at 8pm tickets £15/ £6 U18s londonirishcentre.org. London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, London, NW1 9XB

Galway Girl composer booked for Galway festival

Galway Folk Festival 2023.

Recorded with legendary musician Sharon Shannon, Earle’s most famous song Galway Girl has earned him a place in Irish music history, carving a unique bond between the artist and the west of Ireland. It was featured on Earle’s 2000 album Transcendental Blues.

Follow-on covers by Mundy and Ed Sheeran have reignited the original work for future generations, becoming the eighth highest selling single of all time in the Irish charts.

“We are thrilled to have Steve Earle perform at the Galway Folk Festival 2023,” says festival organiser, Peter O’Sullivan, of Monroe’s Live.

“His music is a perfect fit for our festival, which celebrates the rich history and diversity of folk music.”

He added: “We are expecting a huge turnout for this year’s festival, and Steve Earle’s gig is sure to be one of the highlights.

FROM the 6th to 9th centuries, Ireland saw a remarkable increase in scholarly works. Why this happened will be addressed in a lecture at the British Academy in London SW1 on April 27.

The evening runs from 17:30 - 18:30

Part of the Sir John Rhys Memorial Lectures, in this event entitled Early Irish Learning and Society, Professor Thomas Charles-Edwards will investigate why Ireland produced an exceptional number of scholars and range of written texts

Professor Charles-Edwards’ assertion is that this is a crucial topic for historians, not just of Ireland, but also of Celtic Britain (including Wales) as well as Anglo-Saxon England and the Carolingian empire. The academic and historian will argue that the reasons for the profusion of Irish teachers of Latin learning lie in the nature of Irish society in the pre-Viking period.

Professor Thomas Charles-Edwards, FRHistS, FBA, HonMRIA, FLSW is a former Professor of Celtic, Fellow Librarian and Fellow Archivist at Jesus College. His expertise is in the fields of the history and language of Wales and Ireland, during the so-called ‘Irish Dark Age’ (during the Roman Empire) and the medieval period. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Fellow of the British Academy and a Founding Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. He was elected honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2007.

This event, which includes a reception for all attendees after the lecture, is being hosted in partnership with Cardiff University.

Live English captioning will be available for this lecture and the Q & A will include simultaneous translation Welsh / English as required.

Free, booking required events@ thebritishacademy.ac.uk

 The British Academy, 10–11 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AH

SACRED TEXT: Book of Durrow

STEVE Earle, the American singer-songwriter who composed Galway Girl, will perform in the city which inspired his lyrics this summer.

Grammy award-winning Earle will perform at the Seapoint ballroom in Salthill, Galway on Tuesday, June 13 as part of the

The semi-autobiographical tale of the songwriter’s reaction to a striking blackhaired, blue-eyed girl he meets in Galway includes local references to Salthill and The Long Walk.

The Galway Folk Festival is a celebration of traditional and contemporary folk music, showcasing some of the finest musicians at home and abroad.

“We can’t wait to welcome music lovers from around the world to Galway for what promises to be a truly unforgettable experience.”

Tickets for Steve Earle’s performance at the Seapoint ballroom in Salthill, supported by Roseanne Reid, on Tuesday, June 13 are now on sale at www.galwayfolkfestival.ie and www.tickets.ie.

The full line up for the Galway Folk Festival will be announced next week on April 14.

SONGSMITH: Steve Earle Picture: Getty Images

Derek Hickey

Irish radio in your area...

BEDFORDSHIRE

 Jim Carway presents Luton Irish Live on Diverse 102.8FM and online every Tuesday evening 6-8pm. Contact Jim on 07977 063233.

BRADFORD

 Joe Sheeran presents Echoes of Ireland on Bradford Community Broadcasting 106.6FM every Sunday at noon. The programme is repeated on Mondays at 9am and Wednesdays at noon and is online at www.bcbradio.co.uk.

BRIGHTON

 Brighton and Hove weekly Irish radio airs live on Mondays from 8pm on Radio Reverb, 97.2 FM, DAB and online.

COVENTRY

 Hands Across the Waters on Hillz FM. Broadcasting live every Monday and Thursday 1pm-2pm and the best of Irish & Country every Sunday 1pm-2pm. You can tune in locally on 98.6fm or catch us online at www.hillzfm.co.uk

 Join The Four Country Road Show with Colm Nugent and Michael Gallagher every Tuesday 9-10pm and Sunday 2-4pm. Broadcasting live in Coventry from the studios of Radio Plus 101.5fm and online around the world on www.radioplus.org.uk playing the very best in Irish and Country music, news, guests and more.

GLASGOW

 Celtic Music Radio on 1530AM and www.celticmusicradio.net featuring Paddy Callaghan’s Trad with Pad every Tuesday from 6-7pm.

HERTFORDSHIRE

 Radio Verulam 92.6FM and online at www.radioverulam.com

featuring The Emerald Hour with Kathy Weston, Lydia El-Khouri and Shane every Thursday from 7-8pm, and John Devine’s Traditional Irish Music Show, featuring Joe Giltrap, every Monday from 7-9pm (available on the website for seven days after broadcast)

 John Devine, Monday evenings from 7-9pm on Radio Verulam in West Hertfordshire 92.6FM or through the internet at www. radioverulam.com. Facebook www.facebook.com/rvirishmusic.

LONDON/SOUTH-EAST

 Johnny Jameson hosts Ireland’s Eye on Resonance 104.4FM every third Wednesday of every month, 8-9pm and repeated the following morning at 10pm.

 Emily Horgan, Pippa T and Róisín O Rourke broadcasting What’s the Craic? every Tuesday from 7-8pm on West London’s ONFM 101.4.

 Johno’s Irish Hour, ONFM 101.4, every Saturday morning from 10-11am with presenter John O’Sullivan. Anything and everything Irish including traditional Irish music, news and sport.

MANCHESTER

 Out and About in Manchester with Martin Logan, Wednesdays 7-9pm on 96.9FM.

 The Irish Connection Show with John Lowry on Wythenshawe 97.2FM, Saturday from 10am to noon. www.wfmradio.org.

MIDLANDS

 Bob Brolly’s Irish Show, Sundays 4-7pm on BBC Radio WM 95.6FM and DAB Radio.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE

 Jim Bennett, Fiona Clelland and Tommy McClements present NE1 Irish from 5-7pm every Wednesday on 102.5FM or www.ne1fm.net. Text NE1 + message to 60300. Contact 0191 261 0384.

OXFORD/BERKSHIRE

 BBC Radio Oxford/BBC Radio Berkshire hosts Henry Wymbs’ Irish Eye, Sundays from 2pm on 95.4FM | 104.1FM.

ONLINE

 Gerry Byrne’s Irish Radio: www.irishradio.org 24/7 non-stop Irish Music. Live weekdays 1-3pm; Saturdays & Sundays 11am-1pm. Podcasts uploaded to website immediately after shows are transmitted. Requests welcome to: gerry@irishradio.org. For music, arts, charity sector, commerce and current affairs interviews search YouTube Irish Radio with Gerry Byrne.

 Mid West Radio, the home of Irish music, chat, news, culture and gossip 24 hours a day! www.midwestradio.ie

 RTÉ Radio operates four primary national stations — RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta — and seven exclusively digital stations — RTÉ Radio 1 Xtra, RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Pulse, RTÉ Chill, RTÉ Gold, RTÉ 2XM and RTÉ Junior, available online.

 Alan O’Leary of Copperplate presents two hours of Irish traditional and folk music every Sunday at 8-9.30pm (repeated Wednesday 8-90pm) on www.liveireland.com — 24/7 live Irish trad and folk. It can also be heard 24/7 on Mixcloud, Soundcloud and Podomatic.

 All Folked Up – a folk show with an Irish influence – is broadcast on the third Thursday of the month on sarumradio.com at 7pm.

 Irish Country Music Radio (Limerick) – Broadcasting live and recorded programmes 24 hours a day covering a broad spectrum of Irish music: www.irishcountrymusicradio.com.

THE IRISH IN THE UK TV SHOW

www.theirishintheuktv.com

Join Martin each week as he meets the community around the UK with an Irish connection

Every Thursday evening at 7.30pm

Repeated Sat at 8.30pm and Tues at 1pm Sky 186 Freesat 161

Martin Logan 07808 573142 martinloganmanchester@gmail.com

Sponsored

FM fundraiser in Manchester

OUT and About Manchester Irish Radio in Manchester had a recent fundraising night for the community voluntary radio station based in Manchester.

All Fm 96.9 covers areas of Ardwick, Levenshulme and Longsight, and broadcast in a wide area of Greater Manchester Every Wednesday night thousands of listeners tune into the Manchester Irish slot at 7pm till 9pm hosted by husband and wife team Annette and Martin Logan. The station is voluntary and relies on community funding.

The Irish station listeners came from as far as Co. Mayo, London, Luton, Liverpool, Leeds and Warrington to support this event and raised a massive £5, 500 for the community station.

Guest singers gave their own time up to take part in this event including the ever popular Irish singer/ songwriter Kevin Prendergast from Co. Mayo as well as singer Marian Waldron and the McGuire Family from Manchester — plus many more guests on the night.

Words and pictures by Kevin Gallagher

Right: Aaron, Kevin and Annette

OUT AND

ABOUT MANCHESTER RADIO SHOW

96.9 ALL FM Wednesday, 7-9PM with MARTIN LOGAN

T: 0161 248 6767 | M: 07706 682622

E: outandaboutmanchesterradio@yahoo.co.uk

HOSTS: Annette Logan and Martin Logan with Ronnie Keeling (centre)

Manchester’s oldest pub landlord, 93-year-old Tommy Grogan and daughter Angela Kelly

STAR TURN: Paul Cawley, Fiona Macpherson, Marion Macpherson and Maggie Cawley with Kevin Prendergast (centre)

Above: The Maguire family

Prendergast

In his own words...

WILFRIED BESSE of

Irish folk band Doolin, from Toulouse

FRENCH pop-rock-folk band

Doolin — who specialise largely in Irish roots music — have just released their latest album Circus Boy, with their single Darkest Way

The album recorded in part in the US (Chicago, Kansas City and Pittsburgh) during their 2019 tour, was completed at the legendary Studio Ferber in Paris, France, under the direction of two legendary producers, Olivier Lude and Patrice Renson.

Widely regarded as France’s premier Celtic and Irish band, their interpretation of traditional music also has added influences of French chanson and America roots music. Their unique sound feature Wilfried Besse on vocals, accompanied by the driving rhythm section of Josselin Fournel (percussion), Sébastien Saunié (bass) and Nicolas Besse (guitars).

The traditional Irish influence is accentuated by the whistle playing of Jacob Fournel, the bodhrán of his brother, Josselin, and the exquisite accordion playing of Nicolas’ brother, Wilfried.

The album Circus Boy also includes three of the best European fiddlers of the genre: Niamh Gallagher, Niall Murphy, and Guilhem Cavaillé, himself a founding member of the band.

They are also joined by The Screaming Orphans (from Donrgal) and Ashley Davis (Lunasa, Tthe Chieftains) on backing vocals.

Wifried Besse tells The Irish Post about the band, his music and his life...

Lots of Irish songs really move me, really get to me. But I’d say Tá mé ‘mo shuí and A Tune for Frankie from Altan’s Blackwater album are among the finest pieces I know. But I also love rock music, and would rate Sergeant Pepper as one of the greatest works of art ever. OK Computer by Radiohead is also close to the top. And when it comes to lyrics, probably my favourite line is from Bob Dylan: “When you ain’t got nothing you got nothing to lose, you’re invisible now, you’ve got not secrets to conceal…”

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Hozier. Love his singing and his music.

In my ideal band, I’d have who I have now — but I wouldn’t mind a few additional

musicians such as Cathal Hayden on fiddle or banjo and John Doyle on mandola or bouzouki. And if Larry Mullen jnr could add some drum tracks that really would be cool.

As a band I’d say the musicians who have most influenced us are John Doyle, Sharon Shanon, Seamus Begley, Frankie Gavin and Bono.

(The best rugby team ever!) My family home is an old farm where we rehearse and throw big parties sometimes — that’s my favourite part of France. The food, the wine and the countryside are all fabulous. But the beer isn’t so good. . In Ireland my favourite place in the countryside is Doolin (obviously) and in the city upstairs at the Cobblestone.

(guitar), our cousin Sébastien (bass) and I

Doolin is made from two families steeped in music. My brother Nicolas (guitar), our cousin Sébastien (bass) and I come from a music family where my grandfather and father were musicians. Nicolas and Sébastien had a band when I was young and progressively took me under their wings. Jacob (whistles) and Josselin (bodhrán) who are brothers too have both parents who are very interested in music as well.

U2, The Cranberries, The Pogues and The Waterboys first led us to Irish music. One day we met Guilhem (our former fiddle player) and he introduced us to Jacob and Josselin who had been on a trip to Ireland with their parents. They originally played keyboards and drums but fell in love with the culture and gave it a go at whistles and bodhrán.

We live in the south / southwest of France around the city of Toulouse.

If it came to a choice between Mozart or Martin Hayes, I’d have to say — that’s a very difficult one. I think my answer would be . . . M

In the very unlikely event of anyone making a documentary about me and my life, or a film about me, I’d probably say I’d like Woody Harrelson to play the part of me — but my girlfriend suggests Xavier Bardem.

I’m not sure if you could call a musical instrument an inanimate object, but I value mine so much. My accordion. But for non-musical objects, the brother of a good friend of mine me a leather cigarette case that I love and never leaves me.

What do I believe in? I believe in love in every shape. That’s what I stand for. And the greatest love of my life — that’s easy: my nine-year-old daughter Margot and my girlfriend Sophie.

If I thought about what is the greatest love of my life, that’s easy too music.

mandola

Doolin with Wilfried at the piano

Picture: Yann Orphaan

FULL SWING: Wilfried

IN CONCERT: Doolin on stage Picture: Yann Orphan

Bearing witness to a tragedy

Photographer Deirdre Brennan has spoken to relatives, victims and responders who witnessed the terrible events of Bloody Sunday 51 years ago in Derry

ATHREE-PART podcast has just been launched by artist and photographer Deirdre Brennan. It includes interviews with the relatives of the victims of Bloody Sunday and those on the fateful march 51 years ago.

Deirdre Brennan told The Irish Post: “My mother was from the North. I spent a large part of my childhood there during the Troubles. Growing up in a household steeped in Northern Irish politics and civil rights it was very important to me to create a body of work to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday in 2022.

I am a photographer so the initial idea was to create a series of portraits of the relatives of the victims of Bloody Sunday and those who were on the civil rights march 51 years ago.

“The day before I was setting off to Derry for the first time, I was encouraged by Barry Connolly, a sound engineer to record interviews with relatives. The recordings have culminated in a three part podcast

entitled My Bloody Sunday.

“The recordings were edited and arranged by Barry at Plexa studios.

The title is a quote from Ursula Clifford, a nurse who was on the march and

tended to the wounded and dying.”

THE THREE EPISODES ARE:

1. The March — relatives of the victims and those who attended the march, journalists and photographers recount the events

2. The Aftermath — The wakes, the funerals and the effect it had on the families and the city of Derry. Relatives also describe in detail the type of people the victims were.

3. The Search For Justice — The relatives describe the 51 years they have been fighting for justice.

Deirdre Brennan has also produced a series of portraits. She said: “The portraits were inspired by the iconic photograph of Fr Edward Daly waving a bloodied white handkerchief as he attempted to lead a dying teenager Jackie Duddy to safety after he shot by the British army’s Parachute Regiment. The photograph became one of

the enduring images of the Troubles.

“The portraits of the relatives are merged onto the actual handkerchief Fr. Edward Daly was waving on Bloody Sunday. The background is a view of Chamberlain Street where Jackie was carried by the group of people trying to save his life.

“In the podcast you will hear from Kay Duddy, the sister of Jackie. Charlie Glenn, the Order of Malta volunteer who is helping to carry Jackie in the photograph, and from Fulvio Grimaldi, the Italian photojournalist who took the photograph.”

LISTEN ON SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/episode/ 3TRHUUmatoO4CXHrPIHRww?

si=hh5x4v4kTeO7IZxWlts8Tg&nd=1

LISTEN ON APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/ my-bloody-sunday/id1667925801?i= 1000596593885

DERRY BECOMES A WAR ZONE A British paratrooper ‘apprehends’ a marcher during Bloody Sunday; Right – Kay Duddy, top, sister of Jackie and Liam Wray, brother of Jim

Extradition and Irish-British relations

ASEQUEL to the groundbreaking 2019 book A Broad Church has just been published. The academic work continues its revelations of support for militant republicanism in the Republic from 1980-1989. This Volume 2 covers key events including the Hunger Strikes, the election and death of Bobby Sands, and the Brighton and Enniskillen bombings.

Gearóid Ó Faoleán’s new book shows, amongst many key revelations:

 How IRA members who escaped from the H-Blocks in a 1983 mass breakout claimed to have stayed in the homes of prominent Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael members when they made it safely into the Republic.

 That 100 blank Irish passports went missing in 1984 from the Department of Foreign Affairs and were subsequently used by IRA members on various operations abroad.

 How, In the largest counterfeiting operation in the history of the State, the IRA nearly succeeded in circulating £1m in fake £10 notes into the economy of the Republic in 1983.

 That in 1985, the government hurried through legislation to allow them to seize £1.75m in a Co. Meath bank account belonging to an Irish businessman. The government claimed it was IRA money but never offered any evidence for this.

IRA money but never offered within

 The IRA used grants from the Department of Agriculture to finance the building of cattle sheds which were used to hide arms dumps.

 How IRA targeting of British shipping in Lough Foyle in the early 1980s led to a serious territorial dispute between the Irish and British governments over sovereignty of the sea lough.

Here the author Gearóid Ó Faoleán gives the background to one particularly contentious issue between the Irish and British government — the extradition of suspected republican paramilitaries.

During the early 1980s, INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey was the most wanted man on the island of Ireland, sought by both the RUC and gardaí in relation to a number of crimes. Between the time of his going into hiding in late 1982 and his eventual capture in Co. Clare on St Patrick’s Day 1984, McGlinchey travelled the country evading security patrols and occasionally holding up unarmed gardaí at checkpoints, stripping them of their uniforms. A musical recording of these exploits, “Hands Up! Trousers Down!” was recorded by rebel group The Irish Brigade.

For all his notoriety, McGlinchey’s swift extradition to Northern Ireland

hours of his 1984 arrest to face a murder charge took many people by surprise as it represented the first time a republican had ever been extradited from the Republic to Northern Ireland.

In 1965, four years before the outbreak of the Troubles, an extradition act entered Irish law which included an exemption for: “a political offence or an offence connected with a political offence”. This exemption was used throughout the 1970s by Irish courts to avoid extraditing republicans to Northern Ireland or Britain.

In 1978, the High Court even intervened to overrule a District Court’s granting of an extradition order for republican Rita O’Hare who was being sought for the attempted murder of a British soldier in Belfast in 1971.

The exemptions were a running sore in British-Irish relations, with one Tory MP accusing Ireland of being “in the second league of civilised states” due to their extradition policies. In 1977, Ireland was the only one of sixteen European states that refused to sign up to the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism as the provisions for extradition were viewed as “repugnant to the

never showed up. McGlinchey was eventually found guilty of murder but immediately appealed and was acquitted in October the following year. He was then re-extradited to the Republic, tried and jailed for offences relating to his St Patrick’s Day arrest in 1984.

Senior politicians in the Republic, including Brian Lenihan Snr’s, viewed the affair as a debacle, while unionists in the North were appalled. One member of the then-Northern Ireland Assembly remarked: “As far as I am concerned, the extradition of McGlinchey was nothing but a con trick on the people of Northern Ireland. McGlinchey was becoming too hot to handle in the Irish Republic. Too many policemen’s uniforms were being lost at his hands.”

The British seemed to accept that the McGlinchey case was about ceding the battlefield but winning the war, with their DPP referring to the primacy of the ‘symbolic value’ of that extradition. He declined to appeal the acquittal to the House of Lords and British media took the opportunity to highlight the case as an example of the fairness of their juryless courts.

Constitution”. Recognising that some concessions must be made to the British however, particularly following the IRA’s assassination of their Ambassador to Ireland Christopher Ewart-Biggs, Ireland passed the Criminal Law (Jurisdiction) Act in 1976. This law allowed the State to prosecute people in the Republic who had committed crimes in other jurisdictions.

their Ambassador to Ewart-Biggs, Ireland passed allowed State to prosecute people in the crimes in other jurisdictions.

The extradition issue in Ireland was always as much a political hot potato as a legal one, and Fianna Fáil in particular has long resisted public and private pressure to yield during the worst years of the Troubles. There were legitimate concerns about the application of justice towards Irish republicans – or even simply Irish people – in British courts during this period.

By the early 1980s, however, with a Fine Gael–Labour coalition government in power, the State seemed committed to finally addressing the issue head-on with a high-profile extradition. Given the depth of public concerns, this first extradition would need to be one with no ambiguity as to the horror of the crime committed. Dominic McGlinchey was sought by the RUC for his alleged involvement in the 1977 attack on the house of an RUC reservist in which the intended target’s mother was killed. In a late-night emergency session of the Supreme Court hours after his 1984 arrest in Co. Clare, an extradition order was approved and McGlinchey was taken by armed garda escort to the border near Newry and handed over to waiting RUC officers.

Given this was a precedent-

setting case, the argument made for extradition remains a curious one. The Supreme Court did not clarify what a ‘political offence’ was or was not, only that “this offence could not be said to be either a political offence or an offence connected with a political offence.” Rather than attempt to change the extradition laws, it appears that the intention was to create enough of a precedent with the extradition of McGlinchey as to open the door to subsequent extraditions through an ambiguous interpretation of the law.

The extradition and attempted extradition of republicans to Northern Ireland and Britain remained contentious and legally problematic for the remainder of the Troubles. It was one issue that could guarantee large crowds of protestors in the South, long after the prison crisis in the H Blocks had settled down.

But following the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement in November 1985, Ireland had committed to pursuing extradition more actively. Indeed, in 1987 Ireland also finally signed up to the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism, a full decade after the rest of the original signatories.

 A Broad Church - Volume 2 is published by Merrion Press.

for extradition. As per

clear, so that charges

Concerns were raised in the Dáil and elsewhere regarding the RUC’s conduct once they had McGlinchey in custody, as they breached several of the conditions for extradition. As per those conditions, suspects could only be extradited when the case against them was clear, so that charges and a trial date could be proffered swiftly, and suspects were only to be questioned about the offences for which they had been extradited. McGlinchey was not charged immediately, he was questioned about other offences, and he was not brought to court within forty-five days. When the trial did eventually take place later in 1984, it was beset by problems.

The first judge had to recuse himself after thirty minutes and five Crown witnesses

MEMORIAM: Dominic McGlinchey’s grave in Bellaghy, Co. Derry and, left, Dominic McGlinchey (Picture: Wikipedia)

Honours for founder of Glasgow céilí band

RENOWNED traditional Irish musician and educator Frank McArdle from Ayrshire will be honoured with an Outstanding Contribution Award next month.

The musician, whose roots lie in counties Antrim, Sligo and Monaghan has been voted the winner of the Gradam Comaoine/ The Outstanding Contribution Award in TG4’s annual Gradam Ceoil awards.

For 2023 Gradam Ceoil changed how The Outstanding Contribution Award was chosen. For the first time it has been selected by a combination of public nomination and panel selection.

After a call-out for nominees TG4 received hundreds of submissions from all over the world for this year’s award, but the Irish language broadcaster confirmed this week that the award will go to McArdle when the ceremony takes place next month.

McArdle, whose grandparents came from Antrim, Sligo and Monaghan, is a musician, educator and founder of the St Roch’s Céilí Band in Glasgow.

Having grown up in the small

town of Dalmellington in Ayrshire, he moved to Glasgow and worked as a maths teacher in St Roch’s Secondary School, where he founded a céilí band for students – the St Roch’s Ceilí Band – in 1978.

As a musician, he plays the piano accordion, fiddle and guitar and was inspired by Irish traditional musicians such as fiddle player Sean McGuire, button accordionist Joe Burke and The Bothy Band.

As a member of his local

Comhaltas branch The Irish Minstrels, he began to introduce his pupils from the school céilí band to the Comhaltas lessons, céilís and fleadhanna.

He later took on the running of the branch and moved its classes to St Roch’s Secondary School where it is still based.

The Irish Minstrels Comhaltas branch now has over 150 pupils and provides free tuition in whistle, fiddle, flute, button accordion, piano accordion, concertina, banjo and uilleann pipes.

CROSSWORD

Clues Across

1. Setanta’s adopted name. (10)

6. Moist. (4)

10. No mud can be found in this hillock. (5)

11. A group of people with a shared commitment to their locality. (9)

12. Hit Cary with benevolence. (7)

15. Nip. (5)

17. Sparkling wine which is a central ingredient to a pastille. (4)

18. Burden. (4)

19. Alan reverses around a turn for her. (5)

21. The average monarch is positioning his car. (7)

23. Belonging to them. (5)

24. Scorch. (4)

25. Les and I together must cross water to get here. (4)

26. Cowboy group enlisted to help a sheriff in pursuit of criminals. (5)

28. A sitting of a court. (7)

33. Confectionary store. (9)

34. Cyril has the words of the song mixed up. (5)

35. Makes a mistake. (4)

36. Menial part for where government sits. (10)

Gallagher

on tour

McArdle is now Chairman of the branch and facilitates its lessons and entries to fleadhanna across Britain and in Ireland.

The branch has 30 tutors, who learned their music at the classes and are happy to teach on a voluntary basis.

In 2022, the branch, which performs as the St Roch’s Céilí Band, sent four céilí bands and four grúpaí ceoil to the All Ireland Fleadh in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.

“McArdle is a passionate educator and musician who has taught hundreds of young traditional musicians and provided free tuition and performance opportunities for all ages and levels of ability,” a TG4 spokesperson said.

An Gradam Comaoine was first presented in 2006 to pay tribute to the dedication of those people who have worked tirelessly to ensure the preservation and dissemination of traditional Irish music.

McArdle will receive his award at the awards ceremony due to be held on April 23.

Fiona Audley

Clues Down

1. Arrived. (4)

2. O lush cube, found near the nineteenth hole. (9)

3. Beneath. (5)

4. A Southern bed provides a racecourse. (5)

5. The what-do-you-call-it is encased in enamel. (4)

7. One whose origins are out of this world! (5)

8. Mental study of the yachts I pry into. (10)

9. Leaping. (7)

13. Peruvian native. (4)

14. Americans - or a New York baseball team. (7)

16. While it keeps them pearly-white, does it also glue them in? (10)

20. The Meath town sounds like it makes a tree go on fire. (9)

21. Clergymen. (7)

22. Breaking stories from all directions.  (4)

27. Cut wool from a sheep. (5)

29. Throw someone out. (5)

30. Little Sarah’s a saucy type! (5)

31. Islamic sect. (4)

NOEL Gallagher’s High Flying Birds single Dead To The World was released last week. The track is taken from the fourth studio album Council Skies, due for release on June 2 (via Sour Mash Records).

The epic Dead To The World is “by some distance my favourite tune on the album,” Noel says. “It has this film noir vibe. It’s not like anything else I’ve ever done before. It’s very melancholic, but I like that. I’m a Gemini – I’m as up as I am down, and the trick is to meet somewhere in the middle and turn that into music.”

The band has also announced a major UK and Irish tour, including a huge homecoming show at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park in August.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds include the following shows:

July 21 — Buckinghamshire - Pennfest

July 23 —Nottingham, Wollaton Park –Splendour In The Park Festival

July 28 — London, Crystal Palace Bowl – South Facing Festival

July 30 — Brighton, On The Beach

August 4 — Bingley Weekender

August 5 — Saffron Waldon, Essex - Audley

End

August 19 — Monmouthshire, Caldicot Castle

August 20 — Sedgefield, Co DurhamHardwick Festival

August 24 —Somerset, Taunton Vivary Park

August 26 — Manchester, Wythenshawe Park

August 27 — Dublin, Royal Hospital, Kilmainham

September 1 — Sheffield, Don Valley Bowl

No.

Sudoku requires no calculation or arithmetic skills. It is a game of placing numbers in squares using very simple rules of logic and deduction. It can be played by children and adults. Simply fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. However each number can appear only once on each row, column and 3x3 box. Answer next week.

32. See the Pole sever the rabbit’s tail. (4)

Noel Gallagher Picture: Matt Crockett

Frank McArdle with two of his daughters - Siobhan on fiddle and Patricia on flute Picture: Alistair Cassidy

Animal cures of old

holly in this way is still seen on some farms today. Ivy was used in Co. Offaly to treat colic in sheep (a digestive upset) and was widely used throughout Ireland as an appetite stimulant in convalescent cattle and sheep, again, this practice of feeding ivy to sick farm animals is still seen today.

AUSTIN DONNELLY, vet and author, is passionate about animals and nature. He has a particular fondness for the stories and characters: both human and animal that he encounters in his work. Here he shares with us a series on old Irish animal cures

VETERINARY medicine as we know it, has not always been available in all areas of Ireland. It was the arrival of mandatory tuberculosis testing of all cattle in the 1950s that helped bring veterinary services to the smaller towns and villages.

Before vets, those people that treated sick animals were termed ‘Cow doctors,’ while herbalists, chemists, clergymen, farriers and locals with cures and charms were often called upon too. Interestingly the term veterinarian roughly translates from Latin as ‘cattle doctor,’ a term perhaps a little outdated today. Here we look at some of the folk cures used. These can be roughly categorised as either herbal, magico-religious or surgical.

When it comes to herbal remedies, often weeds of cultivation found around the crop fields were used. In Co. Wicklow stockmen used wood sorrel to treat fleas and tick

sheep in Co. Donegal was to

science in this cure as to lieving properties. Many will recall the became scarce. It is thought that the

infestations on sheep. A cure for heather blindness (causing a red sore eye) in sheep in Co. Donegal was to roast willow sapling and blow the powder into the affected eye with a straw. There was some primitive science in this cure as willow bark contains salicin, which is a chemical closely related to the drug aspirin and therefore had some pain-relieving properties. Many will recall encountering holly bush cuttings hung high above cattle in barns and byres. This was a remedy for ringworm (a fungal infection of the skin) and preference was for the larger leaves of the male holly bush (the female holly bush has berries.) In some areas this practice was so widespread that the holly bushes became scarce. It is thought that the leaves drop an anti-fungal powder on the cattle as they wilt. The use of

of the field and thrown where possible onto a white thorn bush, with a prayer. Cattle suffering with ‘worm tail.’ Treatment here involved placing garlic cloves under the skin at the tail. With milking cattle

tasted in their milk that night. When it comes to early cures for milk fever (where cattle become dangerously low in calcium from overproduction of milk), it was not unusual for a farmer to inflate the cow’s udder with air from a bicycle pump to help stop milk production. There was some science in this, as this allowed the cow to conserve calcium, in those days before our modern calcium supplements!

Transference – is a common theme in folk cures. This is where the ‘evil’ that was causing sickness was transferred to a plant or a material and that was thought to resolve the condition. An example of this was the tying of a gut knot in a length of string over an animal that had a suspected obstruction of the intestine. When the knot was untied this was believed to relieve the obstruction. Many stock keepers had concerns that when strangers arrived on their farms, some had the ability to ‘blink’ an animal with an evil eye: that could bring about disease. One way to ward this off was to tie red ribbons on sheep and cattle, especially before trips to the markets. Striking red colours were thought to help keep malevolent faeries away also. There was a cure recorded for a blinked cow and that was to give a drench of mixed garlic and soot. Magico-religious cures often combined prayers. Foul in the foot, is a painful infection between the hooves in cattle, particularly in wet fields in summer. One cure used in many parts of Ireland, was the ‘turning of the sod.’ Although there were variations on how to do this, the affected animal was watched in the field. When the farmer identified an imprint of the bad hoof in the ground, they would then use a pen knife to cut out the sod. In some areas this sod was turned and replaced along with prayers. In Co. Meath the sod was taken to the edge of the field and thrown where possible onto a white thorn bush, with a prayer. Cattle suffering with difficulty standing after calving, were thought to have a ‘worm in the tail.’ Treatment here involved placing garlic cloves under the skin at the tail. With milking cattle receiving this treatment on a morning, it is said the garlic could be tasted in their milk that night. When it comes to early cures for milk fever (where cattle become dangerously low in calcium from overproduction of milk), it was not unusual for a farmer to inflate the cow’s udder with air from a bicycle pump to help stop milk production. There was some science in this, as this allowed the cow to conserve calcium, in those days before our modern calcium supplements!

In the next article we look at more animal folk cures including

In the next article we look at more animal folk cures including the charm to stop bleeding. Thanks to all the farmers and vets who contributed to this article. Please always consult your vet for animal treatment.

Austin Donnelly is the author of a memoir on his

Fur: Veterinary Tales of how to get a copy are available at: https://austindonnellywrites. wordpress.com/whiskers-feathers

Austin Donnelly is the author of a memoir on his international work as a veteriWhiskers, Feathers & Fur: Veterinary Tales. All details of how to get a copy are available at: https://austindonnellywrites. wordpress.com/whiskers-feathers -and-fur-veterinary-tales/ on

DOWN ON THE FARM: Austin and farmer John Byrne in Roundwood Co Wicklow

Austin with one of his patients

TRAVEL

Edited by Mal Rogers

A VIEW FROM ABROAD

Canadian writer and photographer KIMBERLY DICKSON is proud of being from Nova Scotia. But there is a special place in her heart for Ireland and the Irish

ACCORDING to the Ancestry DNA test, I have 20 per cent Irish heritage. At least on the latest update. There is also genealogical evidence to suggest a fourth great grandfather on my paternal grandmother’s side, Robert Dickson, was born along the Antrim coast and became a sea captain who found his way to the shores of Newfoundland.

On my mother’s side there is also lots of Irish heritage as her maiden name was Malloy.

She clearly had an Irish look. She also had what I think of as Irish charm – authentic and fun; a sparkle and a love of life that was demonstrated in her openly affectionate manner; her loving, freely given compliments, her generosity. And she was a heck of a dancer.

It is strange how one’s ethnicity can sometimes show through. Is this nature or nurture, a longing and a belonging – or a combination of all four?

There is a great passion in Ireland that is hard not to admire – this passion, this love of life seems to send a signal to seize the day

Other parts of my DNA reveal ancestors connected to England, Wales and Scotland – a dead heat with the Irish. And then there is a smattering of Norse and Spanish.

Despite being from a province called New Scotland (Nova Scotia), a

town called New Glasgow, a background in Highland dancing, and a good dose of Scottish ancestors in my family tree, when I visited Scotland on several occasions- I repeatedly got the same response: “You look Irish!”

My dark almost black hair with pale skin and hazel brown eyes were the reason.

Clearly an influence of the people of Irish descent who are believed to be descendants of the Spanish Armada, which sailed in the 16th century.

When my husband, son and I visited Ireland, I did feel a compelling connection with the raging sea and the emerald green rolling hills, with the people and with the culture.

We booked our trip to include Dublin, Belfast, the Wild Atlantic Way, Galway and Killarney. How eerie that after we arrived, I discovered that one of the ancestors mentioned above was born very near one of the areas we were visiting. It was as if we had been directed there.

And there was something about the people that felt so familiar. Perhaps it was because of my mother’s ways. The Irish we met were so proud of their homeland, content with themselves and as my grandmother would say, their “lot” in life, identified themselves by who they are, not by what job they had and took time to rejoice.

They had time to chat and they say they are “grand” or will be grand no matter what stress, hardship or burden they may have to bear. I call

that the power of hope and resilience. They were witty, friendly and welcoming, making you feel like you were just given a big hug.

The wonders of the Cliffs of Moher and the Giant’s Causeway took our breath away; we were enthralled with the raging Wild Atlantic Way, we marvelled at the emerald hills and pristine lakes of Killarney, were dazzled by the streets of Galway & Dublin and in awe of the architectural beauty and Titanic story of Belfast. And of course we were bewitched by the ancient natural beauty and power of the Ring

of Kerry, with views fit for a queen.

We also knew there was so much more beauty to be experienced.

As it happens I am a teetotaller, but that didn’t matter. A visit over a cup of tea or a quick conversation on the corner or in the driveway is valued every bit as much as a sit down in a pub.

My impression of the people we tended to meet was that they didn’t like to be rushed. Also, despite their revelry I detected a certain reserve. There is a great passion in Ireland that is hard not to admire – this passion, this love of life seems to send a signal to seize the day.

I love the essence, the warmth, the spirit, the banter, spunkiness and capacity of the people to put out their energy and passion for all to see.

It is a fascinating culture too. How can one not be lured by the haunting sounds of Ireland’s national symbol – the harp, be drawn to the promise of a three leaf clover aka the shamrock, imagine the thought of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, the beauty of an Irish harmony and the intricacy of Irish dance, be transformed even for a moment by the fanciful folklore stories of myths, leprechauns and fairies, and be moved by the indomitable spirit of its people?

At the end of the day, I am proudly Canadian and so grateful for all the diversity and geographical beauty that our nation embodies while embracing all of my heritages yet very interested in and respectful of others.

But Ireland has garnered a certain place in my heart. I know I will return some day.

ONE HORSEPOWER: A jarvey with his jaunting car in Killarney Left – Kimberly Dickson in Ireland

The rugged shoreline of the WIld Atlantic Way

Signals success in Tooban

Seventy years after the last Swilly train left town, a sculpture evokes memories for the families of emigrants from Donegal

BY HUGH DOUGHERTY

RAILWAY signals have returned to Tooban Junction, just outside Bridgend in Donegal, seventy years after the last Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway train called at the station.

It’s all thanks to Buncrana-based sculptor, John McCarron, well-known in Glasgow for sculpting the striking Tower of Silence Famine memorial, unveiled at St Mary’s church in Calton in 2021.

Realising that it will be 70 years ago in August that the last Swilly train ran through Tooban, John decided to sculpt a replica of the original railway signals, dubbed ‘Ghosts of Tooban Junction’.

“I felt that I had to mark the railway heritage of this site,” said John. “Tooban was where the narrow gauge lines from Derry to Letterkenny and Buncrana met and passengers knew they were near journey’s end. Thousands of exiles from Donegal, especially coming on the train from Burtonport, Dungloe, the Rosses and Gweedore, heading for the Scotch Boat to Glasgow, would have passed through this spot, which has a rich heritage that we must not forget. That’s why it’s been an honour to make this unique sculpture out of metal, with the manufacture done by Crana Engineering of Buncrana.”

The sculpture, which includes the replica junction signals, a Lough Swilly ‘No Trespassing’ notice and a see-through viewer which shows visitors what the station would have looked like in its heyday, is backed by the West Innishowen History and Heritage Society and the Inch Wildfowl Trail.

Two Irish restaurants receive stars as Michelin Guide 2023 announced

BY FIONA AUDLEY

TWO restaurants based in Cork have received coveted stars in the annual Michelin Guide announcement.

Dede in Baltimore and Terre in Castlemartyr were the only Ireland-based restaurants to receive new stars this year – as the 2023 restaurant selection of the Michelin Guide Great Britain and Ireland was announced.

During the ceremony, held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, 20 restaurants were newly awarded one Michelin Star; three restaurants were awarded two Michelin Stars; and four restaurants received a Michelin Green Star.

In total, the Michelin Guide of 2023 recommends 1,143 restaurants, of which 206 are Michelin-Starred, 29 have been awarded a Michelin Green Star, and 116 are highlighted with a Bib Gourmand.

Dede was one of the three to be awarded two stars for the first time this year.

Offering “outstanding” Turkish cuisine and run by award-winning chef Ahmet Dede, Michelin describes dede as “a true destination restaurant”.

It won its first Michelin star in 2021.

Among the 20 restaurants receiving their first Michelin Star, Terre, at Cork’s

Castlemartyr Resort, impressed judges, with Chef Patron Vincent Crepel’s “international travels informing his refined and striking dishes”.

The restaurant has only been open for six months.

Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides

Commenting on the awards, Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guides, said: “Great Britain & Ireland continues to impress with the sheer variety of its Michelin Stars. Whether diners are looking for somewhere formal or casual, historic or new, there is a Michelin Starred establishment for them.

“In every region of Great Britain and Ireland, you can now find hugely talented chefs calling out to gourmets with their exquisite and accomplished cuisine,” he added.

“To have 20 new One Michelin Stars and three new Two Stars in a year where the hospitality industry has faced so many challenges, is an extraordinary achievement.

“The addition of four new Michelin Green Stars to the selection is also a clear illustration of the growing desire within the restaurant industry for more sustainable gastronomy.”

JUST DESSERTS: Two Irish restaurants have gained Michelin recognition in 2023 Picture: Getty Images

THE GHOSTS OF TOOBAN JUNCTION: Signalling to the past and a glimpse into Tooban’s steam engine heritage

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The location is a major benefit to the business as it sits on the Fermanagh/Cavan border which is heavily industrialised, and within two miles there are at least ten manufacturing factories operating.

In 2017, the premises was extended and offers a number of units that could be leased out to generate a healthy income and suitable for companies requiring office or commercial space.

The current business has been successfully operated by the present owners since 2005; the sale offers scope for multiple business use.

Stock and facilities can be bought to continue the current trade, if required, that has attracted a loyal customer base over the years.

14th Anniversary DEACY

In loving memory of Patrick Francis (Frank). Late of Derby and formerly of Swinford, Co. Mayo. Who passed away on 2nd April, 2009. A much loved husband, father, brother and grandad.

You will always be in our hearts and thoughts.

R.I.P.

MICHAEL HEALY

21 April, 1933 – 25 February, 2023

Requiescat in pace

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Michael Healy from Castlemaine, Co Kerry. Husband to Margaret, father to Caroline, Michael and Colette, father-in-law to Dominic, and grandfather to Oliver.

29 March: Reception at 7pm – St Mary and St Andrew RC church, Dollis Hill.

30 March: Requiem Mass at 10 am – St Mary and Andrew RC church, followed by the burial at St Mary’s RC cemetery, Harrow Road. Family flowers only. Donations if desired should be made to: Haematology Cancer Care – uclhcharity.org.uk. Please select ‘Haematology Cancer Care’ for your donation.

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Sexton sidelined with injury

BY CONOR O’DONOGHUE

LEINSTER and Ireland captain Johnny

Sexton is likely to miss the rest of club season. A groin injury picked up in the Six Nations campaign is being treated.

A statement on the club’s website said: “Johnny Sexton will see a specialist on Tuesday and have a procedure on the groin injury picked up in Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations game against England which will likely keep him sidelined for the remainder of the Leinster Rugby season.”

Sexton captained Ireland to a Grand Slam in the final game of the tournament in March but picked up the groin injury in the process.

The injury and follow-up treatment means that Sexton will miss the United

Rugby Championships play-off at the end of April and the rest of the Leinster’s Champions Cup run.

The final is being held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on May 20.

Leinster’s have also said Garry Ringrose, Hugo Keenan and Caelan Doris will continue to follow the Graduated Return to Play Protocols this week.

Ed Byrne came through the Stormers game at the weekend with no issues after his return from a knee injury.

There are no further updates on: Jamie Osborne (knee), Ronan Kelleher (shoulder), Joe McCarthy (ankle), Cormac Foley (hamstring), Martin Moloney (knee) and Charlie Ngatai (hamstring).

Boxer unwilling to back up social media comment

Kellie Harrington refuses to answer questions about a retweet she posted from GB News regarding an attack in France that involved immigration and violence

BY CONOR O’DONOGHUE

IRISH boxer and Olympian Kellie Harrington has responded to a viral clip where she was asked questions about her views on immigration.

Harrington, who is one of Ireland’s most successful boxers had retweeted a clip from English news station GB News in October.

The retweet involved a GB News contributor speaking about the murder of a 12-year-old girl in Paris by an immigrant.

The Portland Row native quoted tweeted the clip with a comment, but has since removed the tweet because of the backlash online.

Last week Harrington who is a SPAR Ireland Brand Ambassador appeared on a press call on OTB AM. The interview topics began with boxing and Kellie’s plans, but as the interview progressed the question of the deleted tweet from October came up.

Harrington became irked by the line of questioning and believed the interviewer was looking to ‘hang her out to dry’. This was a phrase she repeated as Shane Hannon, the interviewer continued to question her about the tweet. She told Hannon that she thought that he’d brought the topic up just to create a bit of controversy.

Hannon denied this, saying: “It’s certainly not. People will know that’s not my style to look for a bit of controversy. I genuinely just feel that if anyone posts something up on social media, or says something in

an interview, those are beliefs that are strongly held and thought out.”

Harrington replied: “That was in October... we’re nearly into April now.”

At this a minder – not in shot in the interview – asked the interviewer to move the conversation on.

However, the interview continued

in the same vein and eventually it ended with the boxer refusing to answer the question put to her.

The clip of the interview went viral soon after. Many people defended the Dubliner, while others slammed her for refusing to back up her views.

Harrington subsequently issued

a statement in response to the interview.

“Last October, I reposted a tweet of a video from a journalist [whom I did not know at the time] detailing the story of a young girl from France who was kidnapped and murdered,” said the boxer.

“Moved by the horrific

circumstances of this story, I reposted a video of this journalist together with a copy of my quote. My thoughts at that moment were of that young girl and not any political opinion.

“Having realised the significance of my tweet and the hurt caused to a number of people, I immediately deleted the tweet.

“I engaged privately with a number of people who were hurt by my tweet, and I apologised to them. As a sporting role model, I am aware that I need to be mindful of what I do and say. I reacted with my emotions and without the facts. How this came across is not reflective of me as a person or my thoughts.”

The 33-year-old then went onto say that she did not want to get involved in political issues.

“I do not want to engage in politically sensitive matters,” added the Dubliner.

“What I want to make clear is, through my life in boxing and inside boxing, I have been lucky to have had many multicultural influences and this continues to shape me to this day.

“That is something that shapes me as the person I am today and something I am very grateful for.

“The people closest to me will attest to this. Since the interview, I have seen some comments that I feel I should address and make my feelings and thoughts clear. As a sportswoman, I am proud to say I am all about community, inclusion and diversity.”

RELUCTANT INTERVIEWEE: Irish boxing champion Kellie Harrington Picture: RollingNews.ie

SIDELINED: Johnny Sexton

Picture: Getty Images

I engaged privately with a number of people who were hurt by my tweet, and I apologised to them

Ireland’s cricketers fail to shine

The Irish eleven face reality despite historic win over Bangladesh - The Irish Post’s MALHAR HATHI reports

IRELAND may have lost the T20I series to hosts Bangladesh 2-1 but at the end of it, Paul Stirling walked away as the first Irish captain to win a game of cricket in the country.

The seven-wicket win in the third T20I in Chattogram was also Ireland’s first over the hosts since 2009.

Having failed to get early wickets and stem the flow of runs in the first two T20Is, Ireland’s bowlers finally stepped up after a high-scoring ODI series and deservedly had a win to show for their efforts.

Stirling stood in for regular captain Andrew Balbirnie, who was being rested for the Tests against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

As far as the first two rain-affected T20Is were concerned, not a lot seemed to have changed as Ireland’s woes from the ODIs continued. Bangladesh’s quick fire opening stands and the wrath of their seamers ensured they took an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Having been inserted to bat first in the series opener, Bangladesh romped to 207-5 in 19.2 overs before rain caused a two-hour delay. The final total was swelled by Tony Talukdar’s maiden T20I fifty, a quick fire 38-ball 67, in a first-wicket partnership of 91 in just 42 balls with Litton Das, who chipped in with a 23-ball 47.

On a flat pitch, only seamer Graham Hume and spinners Harry Tector and Gareth Delany returned a bowling economy in single digits as Craig Young finished with two wickets albeit expensive (2-45).

Set a revised target of 104 in eight overs, Ireland flew off the blocks with Stirling and Ross Adair swiping away 32 off the first two overs. Despite 13 fours in total, a lack of sixes and losing regular wickets meant Ireland were always behind the eight-ball as they eventually fell short by 22 runs. Delany top-scored with an unbeaten 14-ball 21 but Taskin Ahmed’s triple-wicket fourth over killed the chase.

Chattogram was a far cry from Sylhet’s bouncy wickets and Stirling was visibly disappointed not to have capitalised on a flat pitch. “I actually think we got the better of the conditions and it got easier to bat. Disappointing to lose, with the conditions in our favour,” he said after the game.

Any hopes of the visitors putting in an improved show in the second T20I were extinguished as Bangladesh went one better than their own efforts by hammering 202-3 in 17 overs and restricting the Irish to a paltry 125-9.

Talukdar (44) and Das (83) continued their good form with a 124-run stand, with the latter bringing up the fastest T20I fifty by a

Bangladeshi batter, before Shakib Al Hasan (38*) and Towhid Hridoy (24) plundered 61 runs in 4.5 overs.

If Ireland’s bowling looked listless, barring leg-spinner Ben White’s 2-28, the batters left a lot to be desired.

Al Hasan was the chief tormentor as the visitors were reduced to 43-6 at the end of the powerplay on the back of his second T20I five-wicket haul. In the process, Al Hasan also overtook New Zealand’s Tim Southee to become the format’s highest wicket-taker with 136 scalps.

Curtis Campher’s 30-ball 50 saved Ireland’s blushes and averted the ignominy of being bowled for under 100 but could not avoid a 77-run loss.

In a dramatic turnaround for the third T20I, Stirling led from the front with an innovative 41-ball 77 on the back of a comprehensive bowling performance to thump the hosts in a historic seven-wicket win with six overs to spare.

Bangladesh collapsed to 41-4 in the powerplay and slid to 61-7 courtesy Lisburn’s debutant left-arm spinner Matthew Humphreys, who became the first Irish bowler to take a wicket off his first ball and two balls later had another.

Mark Adair led the attack with three wickets as all the seven bowlers used on the day chipped in with a wicket each to bowl out Bangladesh for 124 with four balls unused.

“T20 cricket is so up and down, it’s about creating and taking chances and if you can miss the middle of the bat, great,” Adair said at his postmatch press conference. “For example, Litton Das hit one straight to deep point today, the same ball in the first two games went for six.”

At 41-2, it felt like Bangladesh could claw their way back but Stirling ensured no further let-ups and was at his innovative best ramping and scooping fast bowlers at will. In all, he struck ten fours and four sixes before Campher iced the chase with a six over deep fine leg.

“We have been a little slow off the blocks,” Stirling admitted after the game. “My knock comes from how the bowlers set up the game for us.

We improve when we play more and they deserve all the credit to come back from what we have been through the last few weeks.”

Adair, too, was realistic despite a historic win: “We want to win games of cricket no matter how hard it may be or how difficult the conditions may be. We won the final game and that’s great but it doesn’t change the fact that we had a pretty disappointing ODI series and a disappointing start to the T20I series.

“For us right now, it’s about how you go about things in the subcontinent and how we can continue to get better, provided we can get better every time we play and that’s all we can ask.”

TOP SCORER: Gareth Delany in action against Blangladesh

Picture: Getty Images

Grand Slam bags Ireland ten places in Championship best

BY CONOR O’DONOGHUE

THE Guinness Six Nations Team of the Championship has been announced, and it features ten of Ireland’s Grand Slam winners, including the record points scorer and captain, Jonathan Sexton. The team also includes three French players and two Scottish players.

Although Ireland’s Hugo Keenan, Caelan Doris, and Mack Hansen were shortlisted for the Player of the Championship, they lost out to France captain Antoine Dupont in the public vote.

Dupont is now the second player in the award’s history to claim the title three times, alongside Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll, who won the award in 2006, 2007 and 2009.

The forwards of the Team of the

Championship are dominated by the Irish, with seven being chosen.

The front row is composed of an all-Irish line-up of Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, and Finaly Bealham, while James Ryan is joined in the second row by France’s Thibaud Flament.

The back row is also all Irish, featuring Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier (who won his 50th cap against England), and Caelan Doris.

Dupont is named at scrum-half, with Sexton at out-half. Scotland’s Sione Tuipolotu and Huw Jones are named in the centre, while France’s Damian Penaud is named in the back three alongside James Lowe and Hugo Keenan.

Overall, the Team of the Championship is a deserving recognition of the top performers in this year’s Six Nations

tournament. With ten Irish players in the line-up, it’s clear that they were the dominant team, and Dupont’s award as Player of the Championship is a testament to his exceptional talent and contribution to France’s campaign.

Hugo Keenan; Damian Penaud, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, James Lowe; Johnny Sexton, Antoine Dupont; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Finlay Bealham, Thibaud Flament, James Ryan; Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

Racial abuse of Ireland U15s condemned on all sides

BY CONOR O’DONOGHUE

REPUBLIC of Ireland striker Adam Idah believes that the racial abuse of the Ireland’s Under-15s boys’ team last week was ‘outrageous’.

Ireland played the Latvia u15s and went on to win 6-0, but soon after a tweet went viral questioning how Irish some of the players really were in the squad.

The FAI (Football Association of Ireland) went on to say that they were working with Gardaí and social media companies to find the people behind the racist posts.

They also said at the time they were offering support to the families of the children involved.

FAI chief executive Jonathan Hill said: “There is no place for racism in football. To see such young players targeted in this manner is particularly sickening and the FAI will do everything in our power to

ensure the perpetrators are identified and held responsible for their disgraceful actions.”

Ireland as a country is starting to become more multicultural and this is finally being reflected in its senior team and younger ranks

Some of Ireland’s brightest stars have African lineage. They include Gavin Bazunu, Andrew Omobamidele, Chiedozie Ogbene, Michael Obafemi and Idah himself who has a Nigerian father and an Irish mother.

All these players played in the 1-0 defeat to France last week.

Idah, who came on in the France game as a substitute gave his view on the abuse of his junior counterparts: “The lads know themselves they are Irish, no matter what colour skin you are, what religion you are. If you feel like you have the Irish in you, of course,” said the Ireland frontman. We

are all here to welcome whoever. If you want to play for this badge, then you are more than welcome. They want to put in as much work as everyone else and fight for their place in

the team, I stand by them.”

Idah also wants the players affected to emulate the senior squad in the future and add to the growing diversity in its ranks already.

“It’s not a nice thing to see or hear, it’s an awful thing. I have experienced it myself, it’s not nice for those lads. Under-15s is such a young age, it’s outrageous.

“You can see in the first team, there is so much diversity in the team at the moment. Anyone and everybody has a chance to play for this country. No matter where you are from or who you are, you always have that chance.

“All I can say to those young lads is to keep their heads up, don’t listen to what anyone says, focus on themselves and one day they could be in this team as well.”

Ireland’s next game will be in June against Gibraltar on June 19.

Ireland and France, predictably, have the lion’s share of places in the Guinness Six Nations Team of the Championship. Scotland takes third place, with England and Wales taking no positions

CLASSY KEEPER: Gavin Bazunu saves from Marcus Rashford Picture: Getty Images

SIX NATIONS STAR: Peter O’Mahony performs an interlaced arabesque at the lineout with Frederico Ruzza of Italy Picture: Getty Images