Eibhlin O'Neill's blog

Over the last week demonstrations have been seen across Ireland, Scotland and Wales in protest against the bombing of Gaza by Israel. Yesterday the Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbed to 212, including 61 children and 36 women, according to local Health Ministry officials. Two days ago Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney speaking at a UN Security Council said the international community has to intervene in a bid to stop the escalating violence in the region.

The Ballymurphy Massacre took place in August 1971 when during a British army operation 10 people were shot dead in Belfast. On May 11th 2021 a judge-led inquiry found that British soldiers unjustifiably shot or used disproportionate force in the deaths of nine of the 10 innocent people killed. Mrs Justice Siobhán Keegan also criticised the lack of investigation into the 10th death, that of John McKerr, and said she could not definitively rule who had shot him. It has taken fifty years of campaigning by the families of the victims to get some kind of justice.

The National Monuments Service has confirmed that two logboats, which could date from medieval times, have been found in the River Boyne (Irish: An Bhóinn or Abhainn na Bóinne). They were seen by citizen archaeologist Anthony Murphy using a drone, along with an an already identified third boat, on a stretch of the river close to the town centre of Drogheda (Irish: Droichead Átha). In a statement the National Monuments Service at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said it "can confirm that of the three logboats imaged by Mr Murphy, two are new discoveries."

Irish political party Sinn Féin's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, John Brady TD, has called for action after the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report finds Israel was guilty of committing the crime of apartheid against the Palestinian people. Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. In 1997 Human Rights Watch shared in the Nobel Peace Prize as a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.

A farmer undertaking land improvement works in the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland has uncovered an ancient previously undisturbed tomb. The Dingle Peninsula (Irish: Corca Dhuibhne) is in County Kerry ((Irish: Contae Chiarraí) in the south-west of Ireland. This tomb which is thought to date to back to the Bronze Age (2000BC-500BC), but could be earlier,  appears to be completely untouched. It is in its original state and contains human remains.

March 17th is both a religious holiday and a day of celebration for Irish people and those with an Irish connection around the world. Saint Patrick's Day festivities in 2021 are more retrained than normal in many places due to the coronavirus pandemic. For many this year it will be a day of quiet contemplation about the Saint himself and his works. Saint Patrick is the primary patron saint of Ireland and Saint Patrick's Day is oberved today 17 March, which is said to be the date of his death.

Tánaiste (Irish Deputy Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar has apologised and retracted a claim that Sinn Féin has no Protestants as senior politicians. Sinn Féin is an Irish republican political party dedicated to the reunification of Ireland and an end to British jurisdiction in the north of Ireland. It is the joint largest party in the Dáil and the second-largest party in the Northern Assembly. Mr Varadkar made his remark that Sinn Féin had no Protestant politicians in the Dáil (Irish parliament) or in the Northern Ireland Assembly when speaking on RTÉ Radio's News At One programme.

There is an article published today by the Celtic League about the murder of Pat Finucane. In 1989 Pat Finucane (39) was shot dead by loyalists at his home in north Belfast. It happened in front of his wife Geraldine, who was also injured, and their children Michael, Katherine and John.  It was found that loyalist paramilitaries were acting in collusion with the British government intelligence services. It is not the only such case of murders by loyalist gangs said to be acting with the alleged connivance of British security agencies.

On this day, 7th March 1921 two Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) mayors were brutally murdered by RIC Auxiliaries. The mayor of the city, George Clancy, was shot at his home in front of his wife in Castleview Gardens, close to the River Shannon. At around the same time, his predecessor as mayor, Michael O'Callaghan, was also shot dead at his home nearby. Both men were aged in their early 40s, nationalists, Irish speakers, volunteers, and GAA members.

This month, February, marks the birth of Constance Markievicz (4th February 1868 – 15 July 1927). Constance Markievicz was a staunch Irish Republican who was to play an integral role in the birth of modern Ireland. Born Constance Gore-Booth in Lissadell, Co. Sligo on February 4, 1868. Her early life was typical of many young women from a wealthy Anglo-Irish background at that time. Constance studied art in London and Paris. In France, she met her Polish husband, Count Markievicz. They married in 1901 and had a child in Dublin.