Letters to the Editor: MacSwiney's legacy must not be tarnished

'The grave of Terence MacSwiney in the Republican plot in St Finbarr’s Cemetery is held with the utmost respect by the people of Cork.'

Re Mick Clifford's  MacSwiney’s Legacy, stolen by Sinn Féin. My blood ran cold when I read this headline, however, the text’s response to the headline is based on fact and tells the truth. Mick Clifford is a journalist with integrity and intelligence with a deep sense of public service.

The sheer brazen antics of the latter-day Sinn Féin party to seek to link themselves to the “legacy” of the noble MacSwiney makes the blood run cold.

Do they think that we are fools or could it be that they are fooling themselves? The grave of Terence MacSwiney in the Republican plot in St Finbarr’s Cemetery is held with the utmost respect by the people of Cork. Any attempt by Sinn Féin or any other political party to use that grave for sordid political advantage will be held with fury in this city. Shame on you Sinn Féin, you owe us an apology.

Terence MacSwiney had a unique pedigree. An ardent separatist, he was active at the heart of the Irish cultural revival at the beginning of the 20th century. He was a founder of the Cork Celtic Literary Society and wrote very thoughtful articles for its journal. He also wrote plays for the Cork Dramatic Society which he founded with Daniel Corkery.

He was in essence a scholar, an idealist, a poet, and a true patriot. He was not a military man. He never sent anybody out to kill or lose their own lives in the process but when the time came he sacrificed his own life. Cast into Brixton Prison, he began his hunger strike lasting 74 days.

The nobility of his sacrifice and the duration of his excruciating suffering stirred the conscience of the civilised world. Interest and sympathy grew with every passing day. Thousands petitioned and King George himself argued for his release. Newspapers debated what ought to be done. What could drive a man of his calibre and character, a loving husband and father, a gentle and sensitive thinker to such a desperate deed? 

He died on the evening of October 25.

Newspapers throughout the entire world carried the story of his death and many respected editorials began to condemn the actions of the British government and began to question the conduct of the war in Ireland.

There was confusion in the war office but the people spoke. The Bishop of Southwark defied government orders and allowed the body of MacSwiney to lie in state in Southward Cathedral. Thousands filed past his coffin in respectful silence.

This was a profound moment in Irish history. Try to imagine the scene, the martyred Lord Mayor of Cork lying in state in all his nobility and dignity in the heart of London — the nerve centre of the Empire and the Empire beginning to feel the death rattle in its own throat.

The words of MacSwiney in City Hall Cork in his inauguration as Lord Mayor, less than seven months previously were about to be realised: “It is not those who inflict the most but those who suffer the most will conquer.”

The people of England lined the streets of London in respectful silence as the cortege passed by on his lonely journey home to Cork. Memorial services were held in cities all over the World. The great Opera House in Milan closed its doors and the house went dark in honour of his awesome sacrifice.

The British government was forced to concede that the war in Ireland was one war it was not going to win. Despite a few more atrocities on the part of the British army in Ireland, like the reckless burning of Cork, the War of Independence was now coming to an end. The British government began to sue for a truce. On July 11, 1921, the truce was agreed.

The War of Independence was over, but the influence of MacSwiney lived on.

His writings, published in book form Principles of Freedom, had a strong influence on the Indian campaign for freedom. Gandhi always spoke of that.

This is only a brief resume of his legacy others with more energy and knowledge than I should interrogate it more thoroughly. 

We owe that much to the next generation as Mick Clifford so powerfully puts it “the only way to highlight fraud is with facts”. Edmund Burke put it differently when he wrote: “The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing”. 

We must not allow any group to tarnish the legacy of MacSwiney.

Máirín Quill

Wellington Rd Cork

‘Radioactive wastewater’ was not discharged into sea

Regarding the article Fukushima nuclear plant begins releasing radioactive wastewater into the sea,  
I would like to provide your readers with basic facts and scientific data for their better understanding of Japan’s priority on safety for the environment and transparency.

The government of Japan will never discharge “radioactive wastewater” that exceeds regulatory standards into the sea. The water to be discharged is sufficiently purified through “ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System)”, and then is further diluted before it is discharged.

After the dilution, the concentration of tritium will be 1/40 of the regulatory standard and 1/7 of the WHO drinking water standard, and the concentration of radioactive materials other than tritium will be less than 1/100 of the regulatory standard.

The assessment of radiological environmental impacts was conducted in line with the international guidelines, taking into account ocean dispersion and the effect of bioaccumulation and long-term accumulation.

On July 4, the IAEA, the world’s authority on nuclear-related issues, published its Comprehensive Report, summarising the outcome of the review missions from an objective and professional standpoint based on scientific evidence.

In the report, the IAEA has concluded that (i) the approach to the discharge of the ALPS treated water into the sea and associated activities are consistent with relevant international safety standards, and (ii) the radiological impact on humans and the environment is negligible. The report also states that additional review and monitoring by the IAEA will continue after the discharge starts.

The government of Japan has received delegations of experts and has held briefing sessions for the diplomatic missions in Tokyo, holding explanatory sessions at international conferences including those organised by the IAEA, and has provided information on the government website under its policy of providing information to domestic and international community in a transparent manner based on scientific evidence, with an emphasis on providing sufficient data.

The government of Japan will continue to conduct appropriate monitoring and provide necessary information to the international community in a transparent manner based on the conclusion of the IAEA’s Comprehensive Report.

Norio Maruyama

Ambassador of Japan to Ireland

Irish Naval Service is close to collapse

Sean O’Riordan’s report, Two more naval ships put on operational reserve, on the crisis in the Naval Service with the number of operational vessels declining further is indeed very concerning.

The Government’s defence and security policy is one of abject failure with no meaningful intervention by Defence Minister Micheál Martin to address the crisis in the Defence Forces. It now appears that the total collapse of the Naval Service is not that far off.

In most other European countries such a situation would lead to the minister either resigning, or his resignation sought. The continuing unaddressed crisis clearly shows what little value the Government puts on defence and security policy and indeed on members of the Defence Forces.

The only hope now for improvement would be the running of pro-Defence Force candidates in the upcoming local and national elections.

Conor Hogarty

Blackrock

 Co Dublin

RTÉ management hoodwinked the public

I was glad to learn that Ryan Tubridy will not be returning to RTÉ in the immediate future. In my view what Tubridy did was completely wrong and immoral, and he should never be allowed back into RTÉ. His arrogance was his downfall. I hope the State broadcaster is no longer paying him. However, he should still pay back the €150,000 that he offered to pay back.

I feel we the Irish public need to counter the propaganda that has been coming out of the State broadcaster recently. Referring to RTÉ presenters such as Tubridy as ‘talent’ and ‘star’ is nonsense; they are no such thing. No one watched The Late Late Show to see Ryan Tubridy or because he was presenting it. People watched it to see the different guests and performers on the show each week. 

The audience for The Late Late Show was already established before Tubridy came along. It was not Tubridy’s personal audience. It was inherited from Pat Kenny’s time presenting the show and he, in turn, inherited his audience from Gay Byrne’s time presenting the show.

The questionable behaviour of RTÉ management needs to be further investigated. They have been hoodwinking the Irish people for too long. Salaries being incorrectly stated by RTÉ shows their arrogance and their disrespect for the taxpayer.

The culture of arrogance and entitlement needs to be removed from the State broadcaster.

In my view, top pay for RTÉ presenters should be capped at €150,000 per year. Furthermore, presenters must be RTÉ employees going forward.

JP Daly

Hollyhill

Cork