Léargas

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny is off this morning to Brussels for a two day summit of European leaders who are meeting for the 20th time in the last two years to try and resolve the debt and banking crisis within the EU. At the start of the week Spain formally requested European aid of up to €100 billion for its banks making it the fourth state to require an EU bailout. Within hours of Spain’s request for help Cyprus became the fifth state seeking a bailout for its financial sector. And on Tuesday Italy had to pay more at a bond auction. The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy told his Parliament that he will demand in Brussels that existing "instruments" are used to calm financial markets. He warned that Spain ‘cannot finance ourselves for a long time at prices like those we are now paying.’ He was standing up for Spain. That’s his job and his mandate. He said: "I will propose measures to stabilize financial markets, using the instruments at our disposal right n...

The peace process has seen some strange and unexpected and remarkable developments in its almost 20 years. Sinn Féin leaders in Downing St and the White House; US Presidents shaking hands with Sinn Féin leaders; unionist leaders, who wouldn’t sit in the same television studios or talk to us in the negotiations, now sitting in an Executive and all-Ireland Ministerial Council; and Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley demonstrating that former enemies can be friends. And that work being continued by Martin and Peter Robinson. There has been much more. It is evidence of the success of the process in achieving change. Of course, it doesn’t mean that unionists are now republicans and prepared to agree to a united Ireland or that republicans have become unionists. And there are still many issues of difference and concern between us. But we have a process, rooted in equality, which has the capacity to resolve these with patience. This week will see another historic moment. Martin McGuinness ...

The publication of the report by the Independent Child Death Review Group is a chilling indictment of the child protection systems in the Irish state that repeatedly failed to save children from abuse and in some cases death. The last few years have seen a succession of reports and revelations around abuse. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, generally known as the Ryan Commission, was published in May 2009. It ran to five volumes and looked at the extent of abuse against children in Irish institutions from 1936. Most of these related to the system of residential and industrial schools that were run by the Catholic Church under the supervision of the Department of Education and which saw children treated like slaves and prisoners. They were subject to the most horrendous conditions and abuse. Other reports, including the Ferns Inquiry, the Cloyne Report, the Murphy Report and the scandal of the Magdalene Laundries focused on abuse by Catholic clergy and religious orders....

This blog is one of Sinn Fein's cadre of athletes. Aside from Martin Ferris who believes he still has a promising GAA career I am one of the few practising athletes in my peer group. But fitness comes at a cost as I discovered once again. Last week I badly wrenched myself while cycling. Nothing unusual in that and I never paid much heed to it at the time. But the pain in my arm and chest continued for a few days so eventually at the behest of your man I nipped into the hospital for a check up. And thus commenced yet another adventure. It ended you, like me will be relieved to know, with an all clear for yours truly. That is the most important personal outcome. But that to one side I also had a very useful and uplifting insight into the wonderful professionalism and kindness of our health workers from the tea ladies to the senior medical staff, and everyone else in between. From the minute I arrived at The Minor Injuries Unit at the Louth County Hospital, in Dundalk, I was hug...

I was to give the inaugural Redmond O Neill lecture in London on Wednesday night. All of the arrangements were made and the lecture was being held in Bolivar Hall, courtesy of the Venezuelan Embassy. Unfortunately I had to pull out at the last minute. I hate doing that. But thankfully Pearse Doherty stepped into the breech and with minutes to spare managed to catch a slightly later flight. Jayne Fisher, a friend of Redmond and one of the organisers, told me that Pearse was excellent. That he really impressed the 150 diplomatic, media and political colleagues and family and friends of Redmond who attended and that he delivered my speech probably better than me. Ken Livingstone, for whom Redmond worked when he was Mayor of London, chaired the event and Samuel Moncada, the Venezuelan Ambassador also spoke as did Kate Hudson, Redmond’s partner. Who was Redmond O Neill? He was the son of Irish immigrants from Tipperary who was born in London. But his love and commitment to Irelan...

Last weekend was wall to wall media coverage of public celebrations in Britain and in parts of the north as Elizabeth 11 celebrates 60 years as head of the British state and its Commonwealth. Later this month she will visit the north as part of these diamond jubilee celebrations. 35 years ago it was all very different. The atmosphere in the north surrounding the silver jubilee celebrations was one of confrontation and danger. In 1977 British direct rule was the order of the day and the Labour Minister Roy Mason was in charge. It was the height of the British government’s criminalisation, ulsterisation and normalisation strategy. Mason was a British militarist who believed that the republican struggle could be defeated through the application of brute British military strength. The strategy had been concocted under his predecessor Merlyn Rees but Mason made it his own. He embraced the military elements enthusiastically. The strategy was three fold: criminalise the IRA and republican...

In an earlier European campaign 2000 years ago King Pyrrhus of Epirus suffered such heavy casualties at the hands of the Romans that his apparent military victories ultimately led to his defeat. Out of that experience the phrase pyrrhic victory came into common usage and was used to describe someone who has been successful in some activity, usually politics, business or war, but the cost has been so great that it was ruinous to the overall project. And so it is with the referendum of the austerity treaty. The people have spoken and the Fiscal Compact Treaty will now become part of the Irish constitution. But the success of the YES side does not make the arguments of the NO campaign any less true and in the view of this blog will lead to a worsening of the social and economic circumstances for most Irish citizens. In the face of a deliberate campaign by the two government parties, supported by Fianna Fáil, built on fear, 40% of the electorate still said NO. And many of those who r...