Limerick SHC wrap

It is very worrying to see blatant fear-mongering and misinformation about people who are fleeing from war in your letters page.

Only for two major battles won by Christian Kings in 732 AD and 1683 AD the dominant religion in Europe today would be Islam. This assertion has been made by many reputable historians, both Christian and Islamic, down through the ages. The avowed intentions of the commanders of defeated Islamic armies in above battles were to convert all of Europe by the sword to their religion. We owe a debt of gratitude to both Charles Martel, King of the Franks, and John Sobiski, King of Poland for turning the tide.

With his last letter, Desmond Fitzgerald questions the intellectual vigour of our Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

I got my Eircode this morning and it crossed my mind that life was all of a sudden much easier, until I thought of my Revenue PIN number for the Local Property Tax (put money away), MPRN number for electricity (put money away), WPRN number for water (put money away).

“Everywhere, welfare authorities were calling in the unemployed for questioning and examination as to whether they were fit for work, those who were deemed fit were drafted into……schemes of one kind or another; those who failed to appear were taken off the register, and their payments stopped. Rent supplements were cut, payments to carers for the old and sick for medication were slashed. A working-class woman who asked the welfare officer for help in paying for her 75-year-old mother, whom she cared for at home, was told that the state would no longer pay for such people, who were nothing but a burden on the national community’’.

So, M Jean-Claude Juncker feels betrayed by the people of Greece — poor M Juncker!

Tim Pat Coogan’s excellent biography of Michael Collins highlighted the method that successive British governments employed to sate public opinion when they controlled Ireland.

Thank you Ms Lagarde. Thank you ever so much for paying tribute to my heroism over the past years in enduring the regime of austerity that you, the Brians and Enda imposed on me and my fellow citizens. I’m so proud and re-energised by your plaudits!

Health Minister Leo Varadkar leads a charmed life. 

Does our Taoiseach have a few dopplegangers wandering about the country? He seems to be so busy opening factories, software houses, call centres, turnings sods and filibustering in the Dáil, how does he have time to run the country?

When Joan Burton, standing in the Taoiseach’s place in the Dáil, announces she expects water charges for a family of 4 adults to be less than €200 she was, we are told, speaking on a personal basis.

Fine Gael reverts to type by issuing threats.

Why will there be a dedicated Irish Water helpline for our politicians? 

As I watched the budget debate on TV it struck me that we, the Irish electorate, are a penny short of the full shilling with regard to the type of TD we elect. 

Farewell Donal Óg and thank you for your excellent articles over the past championship season. I hope you will continue where you left off next season even though at times I disagree with some of your thoughts.

Like many of the most fervent Cork hurling supporters I was sorely disappointed at the outcome of last Sundays All-Ireland SHC semi-final against Tipperary. More so since it was Tipperary who hammered us.

Our beautiful game of hurling is being destroyed by the tendency for match officials to ignore the 4 step rule with ball in hand. Time and time again goals are scored by forwards taking five, six and even eight steps.

Credit is due to all those people who took part in the Ring of Kerry cycle charity event last weekend with €1.2m-plus raised for the various charity organisations.

Seemingly the Government, due to an EU regulation, is obliged to include the ‘black market’ in the economic figures for the country. Your issue of Friday last has the CSO calculating a figure of €1.258bn for activities relating to sex and drug transactions. However, the CSO refuses to explain how they came by this figure.

You reported that Michael Noonan, Minister for Finance, said that support for opposition parties would result in new taxes and instability.

You get the sense that if there was a test case for the ideal way to deal with a cruciate ligament tear, Seamus Hickey would make the perfect candidate.

So, our Tánaiste and leader of the Labour Party, Eamon Gilmore is now voicing concerns that people may not be able to afford water charges.

Surely our Taoiseach, Mr Kenny, cannot be serious in proposing that members of the British royal family should attend the ceremonies that are intended to honour the men and women of the 1916 Rising?

Your classic photograph of An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, earlier this week is unfortunate from an historical point of view.

Louise O’Keeffe is to be congratulated for having the courage of her convictions for pursuing the State in relation to the grievous wrong done to her 15 years ago. Her bravery and determination should make her a role model for us all.

What a fabulous letter by Matt Aherne (Oct 12) regarding the views of the so-called ‘experts’ on our hurlers.

Reading reports on this year’s drawn All-Ireland hurling final and listening to people talking about the performance of our team, the general consensus seems to conclude that Cork were inferior to Clare. People, pundits and indeed hurling fans, seem to think that Cork got the ‘out of jail card’.

Loughmore-Castleiney and Éire Óg Nenagh, as expected, qualified for the Tipperary SHC quarter-finals with comfortable round four wins over Roscrea and Silvermines respectively on Saturday evening.

Senior members of the Democratic Unionist Party, including a minister in the power-sharing executive, crowded into the public gallery at a Belfast court as a party colleague was accused of posting an offensive Facebook message.

A Democratic Unionist councillor has appeared in court in the North charged in connection with a comment she posted on Facebook.

It was interesting to note that around 156 amendments were tabled on the recent legislation in the Dáil.

By my estimation the RTÉ programme, Irish Pictorial Weekly, lasted some three to four weeks.

In the business section of your paper recently I came across a photograph of our Finance Minister, Mr Michael Noonan, smiling. Is this a record?

Eddie Hobbs, when commenting on the Mick Wallace affair, stated that the Dáil technical group was like an old boys’ club.

Who is Shane Ross?

Your Friday edition (May 18) states that French President Francois Hollande and his government have taken a 30% cut in salary as a gesture of shared sacrifice with the unemployed and citizens suffering under the economic situation in France.

Speaking at the Government’s latest jobs plan launch, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that we couldn’t have a situation where people were “serially and forever’ drawing benefit that workers were paying for through taxes.

Some months ago, our Taoiseach, during his Address to the Nation speech, announced that the Irish people were not responsible for the monetary state of the country, yet, when he is the perceived centre of attention at the Davos Forum, he ridicules us, the Irish people, to the world.

I WISH to applaud your recent editorial and comment — you have hit the nail on the head in relation to ‘a society divided’.

As anticipated, the two All-Ireland SHC quarter-finals have been fixed for a double header bill at Semple Stadium on Sunday week.

LIMERICK will contest the Munster IHC final on July 6 against either Cork or Clare after beating Waterford in yesterday’s semi-final in Semple Stadium.

AT times, generally around elections, one hears politicians, of all hues, complaining of the stresses and strains of being a servant to our democratic society.