Léargas

In the same week that Boris Johnson achieved his long held ambition to be British PM, Fianna Fáil Leader Micheál Martin said he “ can’t comprehend ” why there is no Executive and Assembly in the North. I don’t believe this. Micheál Martin understands exactly why the institutions collapsed. He knows why they have not been restored. But he doesn’t let this get in the way of his totally self serving narrative. Micheál Martin has long been obsessed with the perceived threat to Fianna Fáil posed by Sinn Féin. He rarely misses an opportunity, in or outside the Dáil, to attack the party. Facts are irrelevant. The crisis in the North is shamefully exploited time and time again. Last year when the deal agreed between Sinn Fein and the DUP collapsed, because the DUP walked away, Martin was out of the traps almost immediately with his irresponsible and inaccurate tweet:  “The continued failure of the two dominant political parties in the North to agree restoration of government is bit...

The loss of a loved one lasts forever. That is hardly surprising. How could it be otherwise? The death of a loved one - a child, a parent, a partner, a friend can be devastating. Sudden unexpected loss is the worst. No time for goodbyes. No time for adjusting to the inevitable. Your whole life turned upside down in a second and in an incomprehensible way. Little wonder your grief lasts forever. But we slowly learn to live with that loss. We slowly reshape our lives around their absence. We heal. We will never be the same again. How could we be? We adjust slowly but surely. Because we have to. Healing is helped by the knowledge that we were loved and that we love the one we mourn. Death does not change that. Friendship does not cease because someone dies. Your friend is still your friend. They are no longer there for you to share life with but they remain your friend nonetheless. Forever. The Irish wake is a great comfort and a real help to the bereaved coming to terms with ...

The right of citizens living outside the southern State to vote for the President of Ireland is now a significant issue of debate, especially here in Dublin. Last week ‘Voices for Irish Citizens Abroad’ (VICA) visited the Oireachtas to engage with TDs and Seanadóirí on the referendum, which is to be held in October or November. That evening they held a public meeting in the EPIC centre on the Quays. EPIC is the Irish Museum of Emigrants and tells the story of the millions of Irish who left our shores as a result of poverty, hunger, economic crisis or political repression. It was a very appropriate venue for a very informative and encouraging engagement.. Four years ago I asked the then Taoiseach Enda Kenny when the referendum on extending the franchise in Presidential elections, as supported by the Constitutional Convention in 2013, would take place. He refused to set a date. But Kenny’s reticence didn’t succeed in pushing the issue off the political agenda. On the...

I have just finished reading The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. Christy was a volunteer working with families fleeing war in Syria and trying to get into the EU. Her novel is a profoundly disturbing and timely reminder of what happens to human beings, just like you or me, when they are caught up in dreadful conflicts or disasters not of their making. The plight of refugees and migrants is as old as human experience. The people of this small island, as a result of colonisation, have a long shared history of forced migration. As a consequence, most Irish people identify sympathetically with those who find themselves in similar situations. It’s in our DNA. The international refugee crisis of recent years, especially in the Mediterranean Sea, and the decades of displacement and disadvantage endured by the Palestinian people, have seen Irish citizens providing critical political, economic and financial support to those in need. This experience of the Irish as refugees fle...

Family funerals are an occasion for relatives - aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, cousins and distant relatives – who probably haven’t seen each other since the last funeral, to get together. We reminisce about the person who has passed. Remembering the good times, the bad times, the craic. We talk about when we were kids, our families, those others who died previously, where we all are now, our hopes for the future, and especially our optimism for the next generation behind us. Republican funerals nowadays are like that. Last week the republican family came together in Smithborough, County Monaghan to say goodbye to Kevin McKenna and to wrap our arms in solidarity around his bean chéile Marcella, their children and grandchildren. I saw the genuine delight of former prisoners, reunited for the first time in years, as they greeted one and other. Some were obviously surprised and happy that old comrades were still alive, though a lot of the talk was about hip operatio...

It’s always good to spark a debate, and my recent column and blog ‘ Planning for Irish Unity’  certainly did that. My core argument was the need to move those parties which aspire to Irish unity beyond their traditional republican rhetoric and to get them involved in the real work of planning for unity. In particular I argued that the Irish government has a duty, a constitutional imperative, to plan for unity now.  Why would a government, any government, not plan for the future? The future is not about a single step-change in which we go to bed one night in a partitioned Ireland and the next morning wake up in a united Ireland. It’s all about process. A process of change. A Process of transition. A process of transformation. It’s about agreeing how we will organize our society. It’s about how we share our future. It’s about all of us having our say and playing our part in this. Can Sinn Féin do this on our own? The answer is obvious – no. The Irish government has a...

I have long had an interest in the Traveller community, in their culture, nomadic life-style and music. The decision to recognise Traveller ethnicity in 2017 finally brought the Irish State into line with recognition already in place in the North, as well as in England, Scotland and Wales. But more is needed. The distinct culture, traditions and ethnicity of the Traveller community need to be cherished and valued. Two weeks ago the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) produced a comprehensive report on the treatment of Travellers, refugees, the Direct Provision system for asylum seekers, anti-racism laws and hate crime. The report is a scathing indictment of the failure of successive Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil led governments. It identified major legislative and policy failings in relation to hate speech, hate crime, the response of An Garda Síochána to these and the use of ethnic profiling by the Garda. It is especially critical of the disgracef...