EDITOR – On the 9th August, RTÉ showed the film on General Michael Collins, who was played by Liam Neeson. He took off General Collins brilliantly, and the major role he played in the fight for Irish freedom, in the setting up of the Irish Free State, and the government institutions that we have to the present times. Great credit is due to him and to the other courageous men and women who gave and risked their lives for the freedom we all enjoy to this day.
They could not be appreciated enough in their achievements, in taking on the might of the British Empire and winning our freedom to govern ourselves. General Michael Collins was instrumental in taking the gun out of Irish Politics. Our country owe him and the others a huge debt.
While living and working in Dublin in the early 70’s, I met this elderly lady who relayed to me that Michel Collins was an regular in their house while on the run from the crown forces. He was much loved by all the household, young and old.
She said, we all called him Mick and used to have great fun and games with him. Before I left her, she relayed to me that Michael Collins was a daily mass goer, despite being one of the most wanted and most hunted men in the British Empire. Sadly he was shot down in his own county and by his own fellow Corkmen at the young age of 31.
The 103rd anniversary of his death is coming up soon, and our country as a whole should give due respect on that day.
Yours Sincerely,
Jeremiah McCarthy
Clonakilty
Memoriam cards for Kitty Cronin and Michael Collins. (From the colleciton of Noel Scannell)Michael D embodies the best of Ireland
EDITOR –As talk begins to swirl around potential candidates for the next President of Ireland, it’s worth reminding ourselves why the nomination process is so important.
The President holds a deeply symbolic and constitutional role, representing not just Ireland at home and abroad but also the values we hold dear as a nation. That’s why our Constitution rightly limits who can run: either 20 Oireachtas members or four local authorities must back a candidate. This isn’t elitism. It’s protection. It prevents the office from being reduced to a popularity contest or being hijacked by people with no grasp of the responsibility involved.
It’s how we’ve avoided situations where self-promoters or social media personalities with no public service experience like Conor McGregor or previous hopefuls like Sarah Louise Mulligan could simply buy or shout their way onto the ballot. Ireland deserves better.
The next president should have a background in public or political life, with an understanding of how our legislative system works and a proven record of compassion, service, and diplomacy. They should embody what it means to be Irish: kind, compassionate, intelligent, and passionate about this country and all who live in it. Conor McGregor has shown none of these traits. Instead, he has demonstrated violent, erratic, and misogynistic behaviour that would utterly discredit the dignity of the office. Look at the example of President Michael D Higgins has set. A scholar, a poet, a legislator, a diplomat, he embodies the very best of Ireland. He speaks with depth, warmth, and integrity. He commands global respect not through provocation but through wisdom.
Let’s ensure the next President carries that same light forward. The nomination process must remain robust because Ireland deserves more than a headline. We deserve a leader who reflects who we are. Let’s not take our democracy or institutions for granted.
Evie Nevin
Labour Local Area Rep Cork South West
The power of calming words
EDITOR – It was fantastic to see 300,000 people on a ‘march for humanity’ on 3rd August in Sydney in Australia for the war in Gaza to end, and for food to be fully allowed into Gaza by Israel’s government. Thousands kept arriving to join the march. The police had to stop them joining in the end, with march organisers’ agreement, for fear of them being crushed. The march shows there is decency in the world.
The premier of New South Wales banned the march. It was overruled by a judge. A ‘politician’ tried to stop it. A judge in tune with the people allowed it.
It was terrible when on 7th October 2023, almost 1,200 people in Israel were killed in a surprise attack by Hamas, and 251 hostages taken into Gaza. Hostages since released to Israel with 49 still in Gaza. We hope they will be returned soon.
It cannot excuse Israel’s government response of a long war in Gaza aimed very much now at the population. 60,000 civilians killed. Thousands dead under rubble. Gaza: a land, a home to 2.2million Palestinians is now a wasteland. It looks like Nagasaki and Hiroshima when they were hit by atom bombs in 1945.The chief of the IDF is against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plan for Israel to completely take over Gaza. (The IDF chief may be fired by time this goes into print). Some retired IDF chiefs and former heads of Mossad are against it. Israeli settlers illegally take land and homes from Palestinians in the West Bank, and have been condemned by the UN for over 20 years. They hope to do more of the same in Gaza. Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have legal rights to their homes and property. Robert F Kennedy Sr calmed supporters in Indianapolis on his campaign primaries’ stop to be the Democrat Presidential candidate for 1968, when he told them Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated that day. He spoke of his brother, JFK, also assassinated and to try and tame the savagery in man. He was a mostly changed man after his brother’s death. The city did not riot that night over King’s death. The power of calming, and not warmongering, words.
Mary Sullivan, Cork
