Letters: Honour women who played a key role in shaping the State

Perhaps Dublin city councillors might consider introducing a retrospective nomination process whereby those women who served Ireland and her citizens, acting on selfless motives, might be considered for the Freedom of the City award, too.

We in this country have been very fortunate with the calibre of citizens who, on the premise of volunteer participation, gave sterling service to assist the poor, the sick and the marginalised and are worthy of recognition by the State.

Dr Kathleen Lynn is one who would surely fall into this category. Dr Lynn was chief medical officer of the Irish Citizens’ Army during the 1916 Rising and was the first female doctor to work at the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital when she was appointed in 1910. Subsequently, she went on to establish the volunteer St Ultan’s Children’s Hospital.

Dr Lynn, a distinguished medical graduate, feminist, suffragette, trade unionist, politician and comforter of the poor, set high standards of care for the less well-off and destitute among us at a time when the nascent Irish Free State could not cope.

She was a major contributor to the shaping of modern Ireland.

With her life-long partner Madeleine ffrench-Mullen, she worked in the soup kitchens in Liberty Hall during the 1913 Dublin Lockout.

Both Dr Lynn and Ms ffrench-Mullen left a rich legacy of cultural influence on Irish society.

Tom Cooper, Templeogue, Dublin 6W

Heroic Gaza medics need our full support

Sir — As an Irish-American plastic surgeon who has spent a great deal of time working in Gaza, I am outraged at the current humanitarian crisis there.

Israel has targeted hospitals and advised people to go south; however, my friends and colleagues, though they could have left, chose to stay with their patients in the largest hospital in Gaza City, Al-Shifa, and are exhausted.

Running out of electricity, supplies, medications, food and water, they stay with the injured, the post-operative, the burned, the babies who no longer have functioning incubators, the paralysed. They stay with the scared and desperate patients and with the family members holding their loved ones and weeping.

These strong, heroic doctors and support staff refuse to discard their moral and ethical commitments, while Israeli bombs, snipers and drones target the hospital and anything moving.

Israel has a right to defend itself, but this is not defence — this is an outrageous defiance of international law.

And what about Palestinian rights? What about the thousands of Palestinians grabbed from the streets and held in Israeli prisons without charges, children included, without due process or hope of release? Are these not also hostages? Do Palestinians not have the right to try to secure their release?

Do Palestinians not have the right to do anything to defend their very existence against 50 years of occupation, control, displacement, illegal settlements, seized lands, night-time raids and targeted violence?

We cannot pretend we are blind to what is happening. History will judge our response. Will we stand by and watch history repeat itself, or will we speak out?

I call for an immediate ceasefire and the creation of realistic and workable safe passage for civilians, including the injured, elderly, disabled and those needing life support. I call for immediate safe passage for humanitarian workers to bring in supplies and assist the exhausted and dwindling number of healthcare workers. I call for the immediate provision of electricity, water, food and everything needed to sustain the lives of those surviving.

My heroic colleagues tell me they feel no one is paying attention, that they are alone, that the world has abandoned them and no one cares. Let us shine a light on and oppose the silencing, erasure and dehumanisation of the Palestinians. Let Ireland show we are watching, we are listening and we will take action.

Dr Eve Bruce, Annascaul, Co Kerry

​Antisemitic talk must be silenced

Sir — Once again, plaudits to Eilis O’Hanlon for her courageous, plain-speaking condemnation of the antisemitism that always lies barely concealed just under the surface at all levels of Irish society.

The barbaric attack by Hamas and, sadly, Israel’s excessive response are feeding that attitude here and around the world.

Even if by some miracle Israel were to find a peaceful means of coexistence with the many states that wish to destroy it, “Jew hatred” will live on and await the next excuse to parade for “human rights” — except when those people are denied those very rights by their own corrupt, and usually extremely wealthy, dictators.

Pat Conneely, Cedarwood Road, Dublin 11​

Babies dying amid a lack of humanity

Sir — Another frantic week for diplomacy, but not humanity, on the world stage. We all just wanted to reach in and cradle those innocent Palestinian babies and soothe their cries.

Beautiful babies, torn and injured children and adults bereft and tramped in ground zero above supposed bunkers of mass destruction.

Where was the god of all things that allowed this catastrophe to happen? Perhaps, like the rest of us, frozen, helpless in desperation, shouting for it to stop.

Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18

Historical reality must be learned

Sir — When I was a very young man, I read Leon Uris avidly, saw the film Exodus more than once and was convinced there was only one narrative on the foundation of Israel in the land of Palestine.

I loved the idea of Jewish settlers from Europe taking over the territory of others, in my ignorance of the reality.

It was only years later that I began to realise there was a more valid story regarding the indigenous population of Arabs, called Palestinians — who have been ignored and written out of the convenient history of the “accepted” version of why the United Nations and others capitulated to the Zionist lie of historical ownership.

I was late to hearing the truth of the expulsion of native Palestinians from their legitimate lands and homes.

We need to trace the Israeli history back to the lead-up to 1948 and to the terror inflicted on all who attempted to protect the native Arabs in order to fully understand the current horror in the Middle East.

Robert Sullivan, Bantry, Co Cork

Mary Lou McDonald keeping Hamas blinkers on

Sir — At the Sinn Féin ard fheis last weekend, Mary Lou McDonald again called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, which, unsurprisingly, attracted rapturous applause not only from the Sinn Féin faithful but from the Palestinian ambassador to Ireland, who was guest of honour at the event.

One wonders if Mary Lou thought to ask the Palestinian ambassador to use whatever influence she has to call for the immediate release of all 220-plus hostages being held captive in Gaza, especially Irish-Israeli child Emily Hand, who spent her ninth birthday as a hostage at the hands of Hamas.

Niamh Horan’s interview with the Palestinian ambassador (Sunday Independent, November 5) makes for remarkably interesting reading.

The ambassador failed on several occasions to call Hamas a terrorist organisation and went as far as to state that Hamas is part of Palestinian society. When it comes to the selective viewpoint held by Sinn Féin, PBP and other left-leaning parties, the blinkers are truly kept on.

Eoin O’Dubh, Delgany, Co Wicklow

Carte blanche killing happened here, too

Sir — In a very wide-ranging speech, I was taken with Mary Lou McDonald’s comments on the carnage in Gaza, which is happening daily.

She said: “When the European Commission gives carte blanche to Israel to massacre Palestinians, we say no. Never. They do not speak for us.”

When Sinn Féin was giving carte blanche to the IRA to murder people on both sides of the Border, we said something similar. How times have changed.

Pat Burke Walsh, Gorey, Co Wexford

​Partisan approach by Sinn Féin is worrying

Sir — When it is unfeasible for Sinn Féin to apply its “mantra” pertaining to “workers and working families” in the broader spectrum of issues that impact on our country, our people and our standing in the world, it exposes a worrisome lack of competence in how the party might play a leading role in any future Irish government.

Its very partisan and slanted approach to the current bloodshed in Gaza is a case in point. On the one hand, it invites the Palestinian ambassador to address its recent ard fheis, while on the other it supports a Dáil motion to expel the Israeli ambassador.

We are a small country that regularly and remarkably “punches above its weight” in international affairs. The integrity and credibility that underpins this standing has been built over many years and by successive governments, principally by being very even-handed with regard to the opinion of those on the populist margins of international politics and by keeping diplomatic lines of communication open and functioning at all costs.

Sinn Féin should reflect carefully on the candour and resilience of those, like John Hume and David Trimble, who opened and kept communication processes active with the IRA and other organisations when bloodshed was a blight on this island.

In many ways, the party now finds itself on the threshold of government because of the positive effect of these channels of communications and those who guided them with an even hand.

Michael Gannon, St Thomas’s Square, Kilkenny

Shane Ross is latest to be hit by political amnesia

Sir — Shane Ross is cynically adding fuel to a very dangerous looming political fire (‘Leo breaking for the Korean border won’t win any votes’, November 12), but as John McKeown pointed out in your Letters page last week, he also seems to be acquiring a certain amount of political amnesia.

He is not the first political pundit to suffer from this, and I am quite sure he will not be the last.

Thomas Garvey, Claremorris, Co Mayo

Carers’ pension boost an act of social justice

Sir — It may have gone unnoticed in the details of Budget 2024 that access to the contributory state pension will improve for long-term carers from January.

For the first time ever, those who forwent their entitlement to work outside the home in order to look after a loved one for 20 years or more will get a long-term carers’ contribution on their PRSI record for each week they provided full-time care. These contributions will be invaluable in helping them to qualify for the contributory state pension, which must be applied for.

Even though carers throughout the country provide long-term care with love, compassion and considerable self-sacrifice, they were thus far denied a contributory state pension. This commendable provision in the Budget is wonderful news for those who feared being left without an independent income in their golden years on the grounds that they had not paid PRSI on their meagre carer’s allowance.

Carers are angels of mercy who do their loved ones a noble service. They are shining examples of the goodness and the generosity of spirit that permeates Irish society. It isn’t an act of charity to pay carers a contributory state pension. Rather, it’s an act of social justice.

Carers make their contribution through their selfless dedication to those in need. They more than earn their contributory state pensions. Well done to the Government for recognising that fact, however belatedly.

Billy Ryle, Spa, Tralee, Co Kerry

We all need to know councils’ priorities

Sir — There was a time when local councils were responsible for building houses, collecting rubbish, repairing roads and fixing leaking water pipes.

We now appear to have an increasing list of actions they are unable to complete due to lack of financial and human resources.

The blame for the councils’ inaction is usually passed back to central government, and that can then be quickly matched by a similar list of incomplete issues that central government blames on them.

We can see that local property tax (adjusted for equalisation), rents, rates and parking charges are some of the main income streams for local councils. In the case of rents and rates, collection levels appear to vary from council to council.

Surely, in advance of the council elections next June, voters are entitled to ask what the local council priorities are and if their resources match?

In the absence of any clear answers, maybe we could also ask candidates for the next general election to tell us what they think.

Owen Davin, Ferrybank, Co Waterford

RTÉ’s Emma O’Kelly the real star of Tubridy drama

Sir — The drama has ended for the season, with Ryan Tubridy being written out of the script. The question now is: will Tubs follow the likes of Bobby Ewing, of Dallas fame, and suddenly make a reappearance on our TV sets?

One shining light emerged from the whole episode in the person of Emma O’Kelly, who time after time stood on the Donnybrook tarmac representing her fellow workers.

She showed a determination of steel, her voice breaking with emotion as she explained the ordinary workers’ side of the story.

Her future looks bright, and maybe the steps of Leinster House beckon.

In the meantime, keep one eye on your shower.

Paddy Pigott, Mountmellick, Co Laois

​Many voters register as ‘Shinner furious’

Sir — Further to Hugh O’Connell’s reporting of the phrase “Shinner curious” last weekend (‘Developers back Ó Broin policies’, November 12), it seems the push is on to portray Sinn Féin as the next best thing in Irish politics. From developers, letter writers, certain daily papers and wags, we must all jump on the bandwagon, it seems to me.

We must remember it is said that “curiosity killed the cat”. I am confident your columnist Máiría Cahill is not “Shinner curious”, nor are the families of those murdered (including innocent children) or maimed by subversives of the Irish State, namely members of the terrorist organisation the IRA, many of whom had direct links to and regular communication with Sinn Féin central command.

There is a significant cohort of the electorate that could only be described as “Shinner furious”. It may well be these votes that determine the final outcome at the next election.

Stephen O’Hara, Carrowmore, Co Sligo

Sinn Féin sits on the fence over coursing

Sir — Sinn Féin demonstrated a remarkable ability to “run with the hare and hunt with the hounds” at its recent ard fheis. Faced with motions calling for a ban on hare coursing, and rival ones expressing support for the practice, the party’s ard comhairle came up with a supposed compromise — that the party calls for “regulation” of the sport.

It may have escaped the attention of those who made this decision that coursing is already subjected to so-called regulations, but regulation is cold comfort to a hare when a dog mauls it and pins it to the ground; or it gets flung into the air like a sliotar.

John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny