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100 Days of Hell:
Israel’s
genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the west Bank passed the
100 day mark last week.
At
the same time almost two million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced.
That is comparable to the population of the North forced from their homes while
every hospital, school, university and most homes is destroyed. Oxfam has
concluded that the daily death toll of civilians in Gaza is greater than any
other major conflict in the last quarter of a century.
At
the weekend and across the world, in more than 120 cities – including Belfast,
Cork and Dublin - millions gathered in a global day of action to demand a
ceasefire and an end to the Israeli genocide. The protests also criticised the
military strikes by the British and US governments on Yemen.
Last week
the South African government led the international demand for peace by taking
the Israeli state to the International Court of Justice at the Hague. More than
50 countries are supporting the South African initiative. To its shame the
Irish government, which supported a similar case being taken against Russia for
its invasion of Ukraine, has refused to join with South Africa.
South
Africa lawyers presented an irresistible case against Israeli genocide. One of
its team of lawyers, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, gave the closing statement.
She told how Israel’s actions had coined a new and horrifying label WCNSFs
– Wounded Child No Surviving Family.
Ní
Ghrálaigh’s concluding remarks summarised the savagery of Israeli actions. She
said: “On average 247 Palestinians are being killed and are at risk of
being killed each day … They include 48 mothers each day, two every hour and
over 117 children each day, leaving UNICEF to call Israel’s actions a war on
children… The risk of famine will increase each day… Each day over 10
Palestinian children will have one or both legs amputated, many without
anaesthetic… Each day ambulances, hospitals and medics will continue to be
attacked and killed… Entire multigenerational families will be obliterated.”
The
International Court of Justice could take years to reach a final judgement
however it can make an emergency order against Israel’s continuing killing and
destruction in the Gaza Strip. That could take just weeks.
Consequently, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh concluded by calling on
the Court to “indicate the provisional measures that are so urgently
required to prevent further irreparable harm to the Palestinian people in Gaza,
whose hopes — including for their very survival — are now vested in the Court.”
Uachtarán
Mary Lou McDonald was in London last Saturday where she addressed several
hundred thousand protestors. She praised the South African initiative and
called for an end to the slaughter. She said: “We won’t stay quiet about
Israel’s apartheid. We won’t be silenced in the face of genocide – a genocide
that is broadcast every day for nearly one hundred days now…” For 100
days she said the mothers and fathers of Gaza have “wept an ocean of tears over
the still bodies of their dead children.”
Mary Lou
said: “The world stands at a crossroads and there is a choice to be made. We
now demand human rights, justice, and the rule of law for Palestine, for Gaza,
for the West Bank.”
Irish
Unity Summit for New York
This
week the tickets became available for a major public event on Irish Unity to be
held in New York on 1st March. Billed as an ‘Irish Unity
Summit’ the event is jointly sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the
Brehon Law Society, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Friends of Sinn Féin USA,
Irish American Unity Conference, James Connolly Labor Coalition, Ladies Ancient
Order of Hibernians.
The
‘Summit’ will be held in The Great Hall at Cooper Union. It will start at
1:00 pm on Friday 1st March and conclude at 6:00 pm. There will
be keynote speakers, panel discussions, and cultural performances.
So
far the programme will include Professor Brendan O’Leary (University of
Pennsylvania) in conversation with Meghan Stack (New York Times). Also speaking
will be Uachtarán Mary Lou McDonald TD; Niall Murphy (Human Rights Lawyer and
Ireland’s Future Board Member); Glenn Bradley (Former British Soldier, former
Ulster Unionist Party Officer, and member of Veterans for Peace); Ola
Majekodunmi (born in Lagos, Nigeria, Radio Presenter, Irish Language Activist
and member of Foras na Gaeilge); Sophie Colgan (Director of Navigating
New York, dedicated to connecting individuals and businesses in the Irish
diaspora in NYC) and Professor Christine Kinealy (Irish historian, author, and
founding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at Quinnipiac
University).
The
program will also include contributions from the Presidents of the sponsoring
bodies and bipartisan US political leaders. There will be live music and
spoken word contributions and performancesbetween speakers and panel
discussions.
If
you are interested in Irish Unity and live in the New York area I would urge
you to save the date and join the discussion on Irish Unity. I have no doubt it
will be a great event.
The
Fermanagh Blackbird
Dónal O Connor and his family have made a long standing
and continuing contribution to Irish traditional music and song. Dónal is a
well known and respected musican, broadcaster and producer. We are all indebted
to and enriched by the work of the O Connor and Ní Uallacháin clanns. Because
of them and others like them the traditional music scene is alive and well.
Many songs and tunes which might have been lost have been retained or
recovered.
This is especially the case in Ulster. The song tradition
is particularly strong here. Renowned singers and collectors like Len Graham,
Paddy Tunney, Sarah Makem, Eddie Keenan, Pádraigín Ní Uallachaín, Grainne Holland, Davy Hammond, Albert Fry,
Prionsais MacAirt, Seán Mc
Corry and musicans like Davy Maguire, Neal Martin, Sean
Maguire, John Sherry, Cathal Hayden, the Diamonds, the
Vallelys, the Sands and
McPeake families and many many more have ensured that our indigenous
music is a part of every day life for many people. A living
tradition.
Every part of Ulster has lively circles of singers,
musicians, dancers and story tellers. These
are the custodians of our music. But they are
also teachers, whether formally through Comhaltas or Singing and Music
Clubs or informally in sessions across all parts of the North. Many of them
learned their songs from parents or grandparents and from the generations
before them. And they are passing it on to the next generation.
Number Gabriel McArdle among them. Gabriel, from
Kinawley in Fermanagh, is a singer and a concertina and
accordion player. Dónal O Connor has produced an album - Gabriel
McArdle The Fermanagh Blackbird - which showcases Gabriels
talents. It is a fine uplifting record of traditional songs and tunes which
capture Gabriels great traditional singing style and music playing. It is also
his first solo album, though hopefully not his last.
Gabriel’s singing is exquisite.
Clear, melodic and true to his dialect. Sweet and easy on the ear.
Érin Grá Mo Chroi is a gem of a song. So is Johnny and Molly. In fact there is
not a bad song in this collection.
The instrumentals are equally good. Many perhaps suited
to, and drawn from, the dance music of Ulster. I was particularly
taken by I Buried My Wife And Danced On Her Grave and The March Of The Clann
Maguire. So well done to all involved with this fine album. Particularly
Gabriel McArdle. It has been on the go for a year now so thank you An
tAthair Seos for my copy. It has given me hours of pleasure.
http://www.redbox recording.com
http://www.facebook.com/gabriel.mcardle.1
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