Léargas

Your man and me went to last Sundays game in Casement. It was a great day out. The pitch was in great condition, the crowds were expectant, excited and colourful. The atmosphere was great. The new stadium, when it comes, will be a great venue for more great occasions. Okay we lost. This blog would be happier if we won but you got to give it to Tír Éoghan. Too many people, including your man, were writing them off in advance of the game. You don’t write off Tír Éoghan like that. Especially against an Aontroim side which is still evolving, still a team – a very good team – but a team in transition with its best yet to come. Last years success meant there was going to be a very high expectation among players and fans alike. That’s a good thing. Liam Bradley and his management team are doing a great job and we have some of the best players in the country playing for us. But Tír Éoghan have craft and experience. By the bucket load. And they used it. So we can’t complain. They won the first...

Maghaberry Prison Two weeks ago a Sinn Fein delegation, including elected representatives Caral Ní Chuilín, John O’Dowd, Paul Maskey and Raymond McCartney visited Maghaberry prison to view conditions and meet with prisoners. Coiste Na nIar Chimí representative Michael Culbert was also part of the delegation. I had already discussed the Maghaberry situation with Minister of Justice David Ford and asked for clearance for the Sinn Fein prison visit. At the start of this week Martin McGuinness and Raymond McCartney MLA also met with him on this situation. In addition Caral Ní Chuilín MLA has also met and had several conversations by phone with the Head of Prisons in the north Robin Masefield. The news on Tuesday evening that Liam Hannaway had ended his hunger strike was therefore welcome news. He had raised a number of issues with the Sinn Féin delegation when they met him two weeks ago. These were discussed directly with the prison administration and the Justice Minister. It ...

What we have we hold! Not an inch! No surrender! No Pope here! No Catholic need apply! I wouldn’t have a Catholic about the place. Some of the slogans and catch cries of unionism seem quaint and old fashioned nowadays. Relics of another age. And that’s only the printable ones. No doubt that sentiment exists yet but its public expression is on the wane. No longer politically correct. Even though the emotion may linger on. And not only in the TUV. Some senior DUP members find it hard to come to terms with the new dispensation. They wander around Stormont like lost souls ever alert to the possibility that the young person sharing the lift with them or the queue for lunch might be a Sinn Féin staffer. Difficult to know who to be polite to or friendly with in this place. It’s easier to avoid the public face of Sinn Féin. But all the rest of them? That’s a different story. That is why the DUP detest the TUV. Jim Allister says what some of them think. Even though they might not admit it nowa...

Last Monday Paul Butler MLA moved a motion at the Assembly calling for the Executive to explore “through the North/South Ministerial Council, ways to develop policies in conjunction with the Irish Government which benefit both economies on the island, with particular consideration being given to the potential benefits of the harmonisation of VAT rates, taxation systems and corporation tax; and further calls on the Executive to work with the Irish Government to develop an all-island economic recovery and development plan, aligned with an investment strategy, to help address the adverse impacts of the present economic climate.” It was a good motion, well thought out and full of common sense proposals to help end unnecessary duplication of services and administration and create more efficient economies north and south. The small number of unionist MLAs who were in the chamber railed against Paul’s motion. I listened intently to what they said and I would strongly suggest that readers log ...

The new British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived in Belfast today for his first visit since he took up his new job. Before I went up to Stormont House to join the other local party leaders in meeting him I travelled out to Dunmurry to meet Declan Kelly the US Economic Envoy to Ireland who is here for several days of meetings and events. Yesterday he was in Newry and Derry and this morning he spent time in the City Hall with the Mayor Naomi Long. This morning he was visiting Lightstep Technologies who have developed what they describe as the “world's first Situation Sensitive, telemetry reactive Intelligent Evacuation System.” Sounds impressive and it is. I have had several meetings with the management of this locally based company and have been impressed by their drive and determination. I was also impressed by the technology they have developed to save lives. Their goal is to introduce an evacuation technology system into buildings, sea going vessels, aircraft, in fact anywher...

Caoimhe Butterly at Stormont with this blog and the Joint First Minister Last Wednesday evening the MV Rachel Corrie sailed out of Dundalk harbour at the beginning of an historic journey. Its goal is to deliver hundreds of tons of much needed construction, school and medical supplies to the besieged people of the Gaza Strip. Irish woman Caoimhe Butterly is one of the main activists behind the plans for a flotilla of eight ships to break the Israeli siege by delivering supplies by sea to Gaza. This blog renewed its acquaintance with Caoimhe last April when a delegation of Shinners visited the Middle East and spent two days in Gaza. Caoimhe had worked during the Israeli assault on Gaza the previous December and January as an ambulance helper. In the past she has worked with victims of aids in Zimbabwe and with the homeless in New York. In 2002 she was shot by an Israeli soldier in Jenin and spent over two weeks in President Arafat’s compound in Ramallah when it was under siege by the Is...

This morning the second bi-annual Gaeltacht Quarter conference took place in Colaíste Feirste. Entitled the Destiny Decade – Deichniúr an Chinniúna – it had four broad themes. Looking at the challenges and opportunities of community development; examine how local areas can develop strategies to attract business; look at how education infrastructure planning can help local areas and examine how regeneration can contribute to good relations. I was asked to speak and my remarks focussed on “Culture and Language in 21st Century Belfast – A Catalyst for Change” Below are my remarks which focussed on “Culture and Language in 21st Century Belfast – A Catalyst for Change” Ar dtús ba mhaith liom fearadh na fáilte a chur roimh gach duine chuig Coláiste Feirste i gcroílár Iarthar Bhéal Feirste. Agus mo buiochas fosta daoibh mar seans a chuig sibh domh a caint libh ar an maidin geal seo. The 21st century will see significant changes to the population and infra-structure of Ireland as we seek to co...

One World Day abú: One World Day is a unique, innovative and wonderful initiative held each year by St. Paul’s Primary School in Mica Drive in Beechmount. I visited the school last Tuesday and was met by Cathal O'Doherty the Principal and Gerry McDonald the Vice Principal and Fr. Devlin the local Parish Priest. They explained to me that the school has a high proportion of children who are non Irish – around 30 out of a school population of 260 - or who have parents who are not Irish. They are from many different countries across the world, including Ghana, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Iraq, China and the Philippines. There was music and dance and African drums and tin whistles and costumes representing all of the nations present in the school. Rev Edith Quirey from St. Luke’s Church spoke to the children about the importance of reaching out to others of different cultures, races and nationalities. Later this morning there will be a food fest where different foods from these ma...

A jubilant Michelle celebrates So the elections are over. All the votes are counted. At the time of writing a government is still to be formed in Britain and here in the north of Ireland people are waiting to see who will be the next tenant in Downing Street. For our sins voters here are, at this time, part of the same electoral system so there is some interest at popular level about who will get the top job. This blog has no preference either way. Even benign British Prime Ministers have little real working knowledge of Ireland. They depend a lot on their system of ‘permanent government’ to guide them. So the challenge for Irish democrats is to educate, educate, educate. Tony Blair, at least in his first term, was the exception to this. He knew a wee bit about us. But all British PMs have a duty to uphold the union. Therein lies the undemocratic reality of British rule in Ireland. The Union. Even if a British Prime Minister is personally indifferent on this issue he or she (and in th...

A couple of months ago this blog was asked to formally open the new complex for the west and north Belfast black taxis in King Street. Unfortunately the talks at Hillsborough were taking place and I was unable to fulfil that engagement. Last week I was able to make up in a small way for that by officially opening Café an Rí – the new café which provides a hot food service for the thousands of customers who use the taxis each day. Dominating the café is one of Danny D’s brilliant wall murals which reflects life in the community. The Black Taxis – some of which are green and red and grey - which service west and north Belfast are famous the world over. No tourist visit to the city would be complete without a black taxi trip. The Taxi Association runs a thriving tour business bringing visitors around the city and giving them a potted history of the place. But its main function is as a transport service for the citizens of west and north Belfast. 40 years ago it was a different story. Belf...