Eibhlin O'Neill's blog

The Israel Defense Forces continue their campaign of killing and genocide against Palestinians as they bombard the city of Rafah. This is where over a million Palestinians  have fled since Israel attacked Gaza. The Israeli operation in Gaza’s Rafah city has been described as yet another war crime committed by Israel. Their attack comes just a day after Hamas approved Qatar and Egypt’s proposal for a ceasefire deal. Since the attacks on Gaza began at least 34,735 people in Gaza and wounded another 78,108.

In  what Dublin describes as a “blatant violation” of humanitarian law in Gaza, Ireland has announced it will intervene on South Africa's behalf in the ICJ genocide case against Israel. In late December 2023 South Africa filed a suit against Israel at the ICJ, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza. The court issued provisional measures Jan. 26 requiring Israel to report back within a month. That report was submitted Feb. 26, and is yet to be been published.

Irish poitician Clare Daly is an Irish politician who is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Dublin constituency. She did not hold back when she blasted US President Joe Biden and EU President Gertrud von der Leyen over their support for Israel. In the European Parliament she said:

Irish President Michael D Higgins has criticised Ursula von der Leyen's comments on the Israel-Hamas war. Ursula von der Leyen voiced her pro-Israeli stance when on a recent visit to Israel. President Higgins said the EU Commission president was “not speaking for Ireland and she wasn't speaking for the opinions that they hold”. The Irish President has called for a cessation of violence in Israel and Gaza for “the protection of the lives of innocent civilians”.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s The News at 1, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has condemned the targeting of civilians and the taking of hostages by Hamas, describing its attack on Israel on Saturday as “truly horrific”. She also condemned the ongoing bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli defence forces. Sinn Féin is the main opposition party in the Dáil (principal chamber of the Irish parliament). Taoiseach (Ireland's prime minister) Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin have also condemned the attack and the response by Israel in Gaza.

The Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar has described the UK government's criticism of his comments about a united Ireland as a "double standard". This comes after Irelands Prime Minister said last week that he believed he would see a united Ireland in his lifetime. In response, the British  Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Heaton Harris said the remarks were "unhelpful".

Cúla4 (Cúla Ceathair) an Irish language channel for children has been launched in Ireland. Operated by the Irish language channel TG4 (TG Ceathair). The channel, available to all Irish TV providers, went on air on Friday 8th September and is targeted at children up to 12 years. The station's director general, Alan Esslemont, has pointed to the importance of the country's ability to pass the language on to future generations being a key to the proposal to have a dedicated children's channel.

Emain Macha (Navan Fort) is a large circular Iron Age earthwork on top of a hill close to the city of Armagh (Irish: Ard Mhacha) in the north of Ireland.  For centuries it was home to the kings and queens of Ulster, which is one of the four historic Irish provinces. Archaeologists, who have been studying the site over recent years,  believe they have now found physical evidence that Emain Macha  could have been in use as early as the 4th Century BC.

Inishbofin (Inis Bó Finne) is a small island off the coast of Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Under cover of darkness on 16 July 1890 academics Alfred Cort Haddon and Andrew Francis Dixon removed partial skeletal remains of 13 people. They were taken for the purposes of studying craniometry and had remained on display or in storage at Trinity College in Dublin since that time. It is thought the remains date from the mid-16th to mid-17th centuries, with the oldest dated to around 1550.