Letters to the Editor: Ireland should not export anything that could be used for warfare
General view of the Rusal Aughinish Alumina plant on the Shannon Estuary, Co Limerick, one of Europe's largest bauxite refineries. File picture: PA
As a neutral country, Ireland should be actively promoting peace and avoiding the export of goods and services of a military nature or dual-purpose materials to countries engaged in wars.
It is wrong for Ireland to be exporting alumina from Aughinish if some of this material is going to the Russian military while Russia is waging war in Ukraine.
It is wrong also for the Irish Government to be actively supporting the Ukrainian government and their military forces.
The Irish Government should be actively promoting peace between Ukraine and Russia and elsewhere.
The same criteria should apply to Israel, which has also been engaged in acts of military aggression in Lebanon, Iran, and Syria and probable genocide in Palestine.
Investigations by the , Niall Sargent of , and others based on statistics from the Irish Central Statistics Office and parliamentary questions, show that the Department of Enterprise approved millions of euro in dual-use export licences for the Israeli military.
Goods being exported to Israel are reported to include integrated circuits and microchips.
The Irish Government understandably welcomed the prospect of Intel investing €5bn in its plant in Leixlip.
No mention was made of the very large amounts of Intel products being exported to Israel from Ireland which have potential use by the Israeli military.
Other significant Irish exports to Israel include computer hardware and software, as well as food and live animals at times when the
Israeli military was preventing adequate supplies of food, water, and medical supplies from entering Gaza, causing deaths by starvation and disease. Over 90% of all Gaza’s farm animals and poultry have been killed, mainly due to Israeli military actions.
In addition to the exports to Israel, Ireland should not be importing any goods or services either from Israel or from Israeli companies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
I write in response to Michael Moynihan’s column ‘Bessborough ruling proves that we can build anywhere’, (Irish Examiner, July 16), which asserts that the way is now clear for apartments to be built anywhere, and goes on to suggest locations including Fitzgerald’s Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and the cemeteries of Cork.
The assertion, satirical or not, is as inaccurate as it is ill-informed.
It demonstrates either a striking lack of understanding of Ireland’s planning law, or it’s a deliberate decision to ignore the complex processes involved.
At the outset, it is important to acknowledge the profound suffering experienced by women and children associated with Bessborough during its operation as a mother and baby home, and the legitimate desire to ensure that historical wrongs are fully understood and appropriately commemorated.
It is also important to provide context, and to put on record the fact that the sensitivity of the lands was central to the recent detailed assessments of a planning application on a privately-owned site on the Bessborough campus.
In the most recent Cork City Development Plan, lands at Bessborough were zoned for residential development.
The decision followed an extensive public consultation process, statutory environmental assessments, and consideration of submissions from the public.
Therefore, the question before Cork City Council planners in considering this most recent planning application was not whether the history of Bessborough is significant or deserving of further examination.
The question was whether the proposed development could lawfully proceed having regard to planning legislation, environmental requirements, archaeological considerations, and any conditions required to safeguard matters of public interest.
Planners do not have the power to refuse a development simply because a site is associated with a tragic chapter of Irish history.
They did not simply shrug their shoulders and decide sensitivity no longer matters.
They assessed the proposal against planning policy, environmental considerations, development plans, heritage protections, technical evidence, submissions received, and relevant statutory obligations.
They examined the evidence and arrived at a decision.
Following an appeal of that decision, the question then came before An Coimisiún Pleanála which also considered the application in detail, the submissions received, the planning record, expert evidence, and relevant legal obligations before reaching its decision.
Mr Moynihan claims that “the guardrails of human decency which have constrained us for so long have been cast aside” and that if apartments can be permitted at Bessborough, then apartments can be built almost anywhere in Cork.
That is simply not true.
The sensitivity of Bessborough has been recognised repeatedly and is there for all to see in the planning files.
The disagreement is not about whether the site is sensitive. Everybody accepts that it is.
The disagreement is about what development, if any, can proceed on lands associated with Bessborough and under what conditions.
That is a much more nuanced question — one this article does little to address.
We were taught when young that all lives matter and this is a belief in most religions and faiths in the world. It sounds great in theory, but not always practised.
Because [what] it looks like —from what I see in the news and media reports of injustices and wars that happen regularly — is that we are not all equal, that money and power sometimes overrule human decency and value for others.
People in decision-making positions have enormous power. It is a responsibility and a privilege to be in this position — sometimes having to make King Solomon type decisions.
We see this in the planning permission for over 100 apartments to be built on the grounds of Bessborough in Cork where there was a mother and baby home from 1922 to 1998. Over 60 graves were found as they were recorded. It is strongly believed there could be many hundreds more buried in unmarked graves or areas on the land. Planning permission has been granted for the apartments. It was appealed. The national planning body voted two to one supporting the planning permission.
At this late hour, some 10 Cork city and county TDs have signed a letter to the Government appealing for the State to negotiate and resolve the issue for all concerned — or as a last resort for a State compulsory purchase of Bessborough. Hopefully, a compromise can be reached for everyone.
Double collections are becoming the norm at Masses to the point where not a few weeks go by and the plate is out for more money.
In times gone by, there might be a rare one, but now it is not uncommon to have one every month. Many people bring just enough for one collection because they don’t know when a second is going to happen and may not be in a position to pay out again. There is also a noticeable sigh in congregations when priests ask for another offering.
Of course, one of the main reasons is smaller congregations, which means that the few that do come to Mass are taking up the slack, especially with the main church collection.
The Church must encourage more to attend, with dwindling numbers and priests.
I have been a bit of a sports fanatic all my life. Now, well into my pension years, I have recently found myself ‘cheering’ for and appreciating the remarkable efforts of both Tipperary in hurling and England in football (soccer).
For a long time, I’d sooner swallow nettles than cheer for either, even thoughts of such treason would have been a matter for the confessional… until now!
It seems that time has done what argument never could, it doesn’t just soften the joints; it eventually softens the stubbornness.
From a neutral point of view, to say the All-Ireland hurling final was disappointing is an understatement. It was very bad value for the cost involved.
Apart from the one-sidedness of the game, not counting legitimate hand passes there were at least 58 illegitimate throw-ball passes, 36 by Limerick and 22 by Galway, not one of which was blown by the referee. What is the future of the ‘stick’ game?
