Eibhlin O'Neill's blog

Demands are growing for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs to disclose how Ireland voted on Saudi Arabia's membership of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. According to the UN, the Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Last month, Saudi Arabia successfully campaigned for a seat on the commission, securing 47 votes, at least five of which are said to have come from European countries.

An Sionnach Fionn or “The White Fox” is an informative independent media website, not affiliated with any political party or organisation. It features Irish Republican commentary on national and international news, politics, history and culture. This article taken from that website looks at recent speculation about the possibility of establishing joint-authority or sovereignty between Ireland and the United Kingdom over the UK-administered Six Counties. A link to the article and the An Sionnach Fionn website is at the foot of this page:

Sinn Féin, the Irish republican political party has accused Fianna Fáil of a U-turn and shifting back to the Fine Gael position on the issue of water charges. A report by an Oireachtas committee on domestic water charges has made its final recommendations after a number of last minute changes were made. The last-minute alterations included re-introducing a measure to install meters in all new builds and the inclusion of “excess use” levies. 

News from the Celtic League:

I wrote about the Siege of Jadotville when an Irish Army UN Force of a few hundred men held of an attacking force of several thousand supported by aircraft in the Congo during the Defence Forces first (of many) UN peacekeeping deployments in 1961.

I came across this report recently which was written last year in the Derry Journal and gives a quite detailed account of the action and the involvement of a local man from the City, John MacAnaney

Oireachtas is the National Parliament of Ireland. A committee of the Oireachtas has been looking into the issue of water charges. Raising money from water charges was a condition imposed on Ireland by the EU-IMF-ECB troika as part of the country's bailout in 2010 after the economic crisis. The introduction of such charges as an austerity measure was very unpopular. It led to nationwide protests, the prevention of contractors installing water meters and the boycott of paying charges. The scale of opposition made it obvious that these charges could not be implemented.

A study by the World Economic Forum has ranked Ireland third out of 136 in the world for the effectiveness of its marketing and branding to attract tourists. The index forms part of the biennial Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report and shows that Ireland has moved from number five in the world, when the index was last compiled in 2015, to number three. Placing them ahead of countries including Spain, the UK, the US, Australia and France.

News from the Celtic League:

An analysis conducted by the Irish Language Commissioner has made scathing criticism of many Government departments, local authorities and State agencies for completely ignoring their obligations to the Irish language.

Report here in the Irish Times:

An Garda Síochána, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí is the police force of Ireland. For many years the Garda Síochána has faced allegations of corrupt and dishonest policing. There has been a history of the mishandling of investigations. This included the past failure of the Garda Síochána to protect victims of child abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese. Involving the church sexual abuse scandal in Ireland which revealed inappropriate relationships and contacts between Gardaí and the Dublin Archdiocese.

News from the Celtic League:

The Irish government has announced two enquiries into An Garda Síochána however bizarrely at the same time it has reaffirmed its confidence in the Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan.

However this political ‘state of grace’ for Commissioner O’Sullivan it seems is only subscribed to by the Kenny government.

An independent TD meanwhile (Clare Daly) as described the Commissioner as having a ‘brass neck’.

Sinn Féin Leader and former Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness has died after short illness at Derry's Altnagelvin Hospital with his family by his side. A former deputy IRA commander who was a key figure in Irish politics for five decades, his death at 66, prompted tributes from allies and enemies alike. In 1972, at the age of 21, he was second-in-command of the IRA in Derry, at the time of Bloody Sunday, when 14 unarmed civil rights protesters were killed in the city by British soldiers of the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment.