edward o'sullivan @nedpius

A perfect letter published in Irish Times today: Ireland, Israel and boycotts Sir, – I am disturbed by the furore about Ireland’s forthcoming Uefa Nations League fixtures against Israel on September 27th and October 4th. Anti-Israel sentiment seems to me uniquely obsessive in this country, amplified in media and public discourse to a greater extent than elsewhere outside Israel’s traditional enemies. Particularly disturbing is the inconsistency of outrage. Last week 28,981 people attended Ireland v Qatar at the Aviva Stadium. Qatar shelters and finances the leaders of the Hamas terrorist group, which waged a sickening attack on Israel, and the worst pogrom on Jews since the Holocaust, on October 7th, 2023 . In 2021 the Guardian newspaper concluded that more than 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died in Qatar on construction sites for the 2022 soccer World Cup. Yet there was no protest against Qatar in the Aviva. Nor are there signs of opposition to the Ireland cricket team’s planned five one-day internationals against Afghanistan in August, despite the appalling human rights violations of the ruling Taliban. Women and girls are being systematically erased from public life, education and healthcare in Afghanistan. We saw no protests outside the Iranian Embassy in January and February when, according to international media, about 30,000 civilians were murdered in just three days after protests against the brutal regime. Iran sponsors Hizbullah, whose terrorists murdered Pte Seán Rooney in Lebanon in 2022. Iran and Hizbullah propped up the Al-Assad regime in Syria during the civil war of 2011 to 2024 in which nearly 600,000 civilians are estimated to have been killed. I was shocked to see the new Iranian Ambassador being welcomed by President Catherine Connolly at Áras an Uachtaráin last month. The civilian death toll in Gaza is a tragedy, and informed criticism of Israel is valid, yet I have heard few voices criticising Hamas for using innocent Gazans as human shields, refusing them shelter in their underground tunnels, and operating militarily in schools and hospitals. What message is Ireland sending to the wider world? That we shrug off the brutalities of Hamas, Hizbullah, Qatar and Iran while obsessing about Israel, the world’s only Jewish state and home to half the world’s remaining 16 million Jews, who make up just 0.2 per cent of the global population? The continued focus on the forthcoming matches, not least in the Dáil which surely has more urgent issues to grapple with, feels unbalanced and frankly somewhat unhinged. Irish people can claim all we might that anti-Semitism and Israelophobia are not the significant problems I believe them to be in our country, but we should not be surprised if much of the rest of the world begs to differ. – Yours, etc, DR PETER BOYLAN,Ranelagh,

Marking 100 years of Fianna Fáil in Cork. We honour the republicans of 1926 who built a positive future for Ireland. We remain committed to ensuring our strong voice in the world. #100bliain

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

independent.ie/county/kerry/k…

@AntiWokeMemes Mick O’Connell

@liamcunningham1 Careful now.

@1rorycowan @Ostrov_A @antonioguterres You will always know when deaths are caused by Hamas n Hisbollah. No one is blamed. If IDF are the cause, well that’s a different story isn’t it!!!

@AnMailleach @dubreviewbooks Very interesting book. I learned from it.

🚨🇮🇪 The unhinged leftist who was filmed in front of the Leonardo Hotel in Dublin waving an IRI flag and threatening ‘to blow all the Zionist collaborators into the MF sea’ has been identified as Eoghan Harris and is associated with Future Generations Kerry / Todhchaí Chiarraí and Social Rights Ireland. According to Grok, Harris is from Listowel, Co. Kerry. @GardaTraffic @gardainfo @OCallaghanJim

keyboard_arrow_left Previous keyboard_arrow_right Next

Wishing all those doing exams today the very, very best of success. 📚

In a post from Future Generations Kerry, a Mr E Harris makes false statements about my support for the Shannon LNG project which clearly impugn my character and integrity. I demand an immediate withdrawal and apology to begin with.

@KerryFuture @SocialRightsIRL There are three untruths about me in this rant. I have reported it. I demand that Mr Harris issues an immediate retraction and apology for impugning my integrity. My solicitors have been advised.

@MHealyRae Good man Michael.

@MichealMartinTD @timmydooley @cardagh Huge congrats Catherine. Well deserved 👍👍👍

I want to wish Catherine Ardagh every success in her new role at the Department of Justice. She brings considerable legal experience and a strong background campaigning on education, health and social issues.

Wow. @MichealMartinTD laying out the real politik and destroying Boyd-Barrett in a blistering attack about banning trade with Ireland. An act of economic s^icide only the left cannot see.

@MichealLehane No better man. Ard-fhear.

@CowenBarry Glory!!

Delighted to open the wonderful new extension at Greenmount National School. This facility will have a real impact on students, congratulations to all involved.

@john_mcguirk @fiannafailparty not in Galway. far from it

@markhumphrys Not well.