Time to tackle fishing rights legislation

It is all very well for Agriculture, Food and Marine Minister Michael Creed to insist that the detention of two fishing vessels from the North seized in Dundalk Bay has “zero to do with Brexit” but the reality is that it could sour relations between the Irish and British governments at a sensitive time in UK-EU negotiations and give the DUP more ammunition against our position on the backstop.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds has already called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to explain why the boats were “impounded by an Irish Navy warship”.