Protest against annual Islamic procession disrupts traffic in Dublin city centre
Dublin
faced disruption on Friday evening after a protest against the annual Muharram procession was staged outside the GPO.
Muharram processions to mark the beginning of the Islamic new year take place in cities across the world and a small gathering had arranged to walk through the centre of Dublin from Christchurch to the GPO.
Many of the about 100 people who took part were carrying Irish flags while others were waving Palestinian flags in solidarity with the people of
Gaza
.
A counter-protest was arranged with a similar number of people, many of whom were also holding Irish flags, gathering outside the GPO.
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Garda sources played down the scale of the counter-protest and there were no reports of violence.
Garda sources played down the scale of the counter-protest and there were no reports of violence. Photograph: Sam Boal/Collins
However, there was significant disruption to public transport as peak rush hour approached, with
Luas
services unable to cross the city for a period.
Transport for Ireland said Luas green line services were operating with delays due to the protest, with Luas tickets valid on
Dublin Bus
for the duration of the disruption.
However, just after 6pm it confirmed that services had returned to normal.
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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, July 5th: On doctors under attack, school admissions, and grand plans
Sir, – Channel 4 deserves great credit for broadcasting Gaza: Doctors under Attack which was aired on July 2nd (the BBC having changed its decision on broadcasting it) – as do Basement Films for having made it, and all those who bravely contributed to it. This powerful documentary should be shown on RTE – and made available on YouTube. Having said that, as a retired doctor, the documentary sickened me. For those who didn't see it, Gaza: Doctors under Attack portrays how Israel has systematically targeted hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare workers in Gaza to purposely destroy 'the one thing that Palestinians need most: its healthcare system'. Commencing with Gaza's main hospital, al-Shifa, and as shown by a UN Human Rights report in December 2024, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have used a standard sequence of assaults on all of Gaza's hospitals: airstrikes, blocking of access and medical supplies by ground troops, use of tanks and bulldozers, detainment of medical staff and patients and those taking shelter, forced evacuation, withdrawal of troops after rendering the hospital non-functional. READ MORE The scenes are graphic and highly disturbing: patients and staff being shot, emaciated children on intravenous drips, horrific injuries, medical staff digging graves for adults and children in the hospital grounds, beds with patients in them being dragged into the streets to avoid being shot. In addition to this, there are allegations of the targeted killing of medics (including in their homes and with family members), and the imprisonment, torture, rape, disappearance, and death of others in detention – as well as the abuse of prisoners by some Israeli doctors. The documentary includes the, by now, customary denials of wrongdoing by the Israeli authorities without evidence being presented (a) to refute the allegations being convincingly made (using the testimonies of detainees, whistleblowers, human rights activists and video footage taken by IDF and prison personnel) or (b) to back up IDF claims that Hamas is using the hospitals for military purposes. The denials are also implausible given the cumulative evidence that has emerged from Gaza, which includes the chilling statistic of more than 57,000 dead, including more than 1,400 healthcare workers. On the day the programme was screened, the death of Dr Marwan al-Sultan, a renowned and highly experienced cardiologist and the medical director of the Indonesian Hospital in Gaza was announced. He was the 70th healthcare worker to be killed in Gaza in the last 50 days. There is an urgent need for a ceasefire and for all the hostages to be returned and for medical aid (and food) to pour into Gaza and for hospitals and healthcare workers to be protected – as well as the need for a long-term plan to rebuild the health service. In this context, there is now an urgent need for doctors and other healthcare workers individually and collectively to raise their voices – as well as medical schools and professional training bodies around the world (including in Ireland). Israeli doctors, many of whom work in world-class hospitals in Israel, also need to have the moral courage to raise their voices in support of their Palestinian colleagues who continue to work under attack in the most appalling and dangerous of circumstances down the road from them. If we remain silent, we are also complicit. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin. Sir, – Niall McCann's excellent article ('Why is the United Nations not doing more on Gaza,' July 3rd) contains one of the most frustrating statements that sums up the tragedy that is happening there. He mentions Bosnia in the 1990s where the UN authorised Nato to impose a no-fly zone. So, if the UN had similarly bravely imposed this policy on Israel any time in the last 600-plus days of genocide how many thousands of Palestinian lives would have been saved? We are all complicit at this stage – Yours, etc , JUDY BURKE, Rosscarbery, Co Cork. Gaza children and visas Sir, – Your report ( ' Evacuation of ill children from Gaza stalls over visas ,' (July 4th) refers to the visas in question being for accompanying family members of critically ill children, some of whom have died waiting. You also report elsewhere that while one- third of Ukrainian refugees have left, there are still 80,000 in the State. What has happened here? Did we expend all our humanity on Ukraine? Have we none left for the victims of a genocide? Why can we not take all the families of these children and many more besides? Our Government has expressed many fine words to the world about the horrors of Gaza, but cannot seem to convert those words to even this small action. Our hypocrisy is staggering. – Yours, etc, DR EDEL McGINNITY, Mulhuddart, Dublin 15. Sir, – Ireland alone cannot stop the genocide in Gaza. Nor can we evacuate the entire population. But surely we can evacuate a few children. If they have families here, good. If not, surely families can be found for them? – Yours, etc, Ben Aveling, Ranelagh, Dublin. Health is wealth Sir, – A thought for the day: It occurs to me that we'd all be healthier and wealthier if we could switch the Revenue Commissioners to run Health and the HSE to run the Revenue . – Yours, etc, JOHN H. DOCKRELL, Foxrock, Dublin. It will never catch on Sir, – I only recently realised that the Irish Times e-paper subscription, as well as giving today's paper, also gives you the newspaper from the same day one, two, five, ten, 25 and 50 years ago. I now regularly read the 50-year-old one from when I was a teenager and totally uninterested in current affairs. Depressingly, many of the topics are similar today as back then; economy, inflation, energy, middle east conflict, etc. Today, the edition from June 2nd, 1975 had a little report in the motoring section ) on the production of the first British electric car. The Enfield 8000 cost £2,808 had a rust-free aluminium body and was powered by eight lead-acid batteries with a range of 55 miles but limited to 40 mph top speed. It has taken a very long time for the EV concept to catch on and contemporary EVs are a far cry from the Enfield 8000 but we're getting there! – Yours, etc, MARTIN HOWLEY, Carrigaline, Co Cork. Calling time on no comment Sir, – With regard to the Ranelagh charging arm, the real question is why did 'Dublin City Council not respond to requests for comment'? (' Dublin electric car owner ordered to remove 'unauthorised' charging arm by council , July 3rd). Who do they think they are? They work for us! If they don't want to talk about a specific case they can give general advice on the use of these devices or suggest real alternatives. The media should be chasing down CEO Richard Shakespeare on a weekly basis to explain these and other decisions about our city. It really is time for an elected executive mayor with a budget. – Yours, etc, MICHAEL O'LEARY, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Our friends in the North Sir, – Newton Emerson makes some salient points in respect of cross-Border student fees (' Fees for students from Republic in NI need to rise ,' July 3rd). Unfortunately, he slips into the usual blinkered thinking that has bedevilled cross-border mobility when he writes: 'One-third of students from Northern Ireland who want a local place are unable to get one, forcing them to study in Britain, where they have to pay the maximum fee anyway.' They are not forced to study in Britain. They could come South, where fees, even if they go back up to €3,000, would be just over a quarter of the sum to be paid in Britain (¤11,000). Yes, the cost of living is higher here, so some of the savings on fees may be needed for living expenses. And the poor A Level points equivalencies have been a handicap, though that has been removed now on the back of recommendations by a Universities Ireland working group that I chaired in 2023. If only our schools in the North gave students as much support for the CAO system as they do for UCAS, cross-border mobility for Northerners could be addressed. It is high time that they did so, and that they were helped to do so. If only for the sake of keeping more of our youngsters and their obvious talents closer to home. – Yours, etc, PROF PÓL Ó DOCHARTAIGH, University of Galway, Galway. Gaming the education system Sir, – Is it a rule for thee (the poor) and a rule for me (the rich) in modern education? An article by Carl O'Brien details how the deans of the medical schools in Ireland have met and are arranging plans to reduce the weighting of the Hpat aptitude test. ('C olleges to alter entry requirements for medicine amid concern applicants 'gaming' aptitude test ,' July 1st). The article highlights how 'gaming' the system is the perceived flaw of the Hpat exam. It struck me that the comment section related to the article was flooded with comments to the anecdotal tune of 'I know someone who got 625 points but, due to the Hpat, couldn't study medicine.' Surely, by now, we have concluded that being book smart is not the sole indication of the skill of a future doctor? I note that a well-known private 'grinds' school in Dublin, in 2020, had over 100 students achieve 600-plus points. Did these students also not 'game the system' by attending a private institution? Why is it okay to 'game' the Leaving Cert but not the Hpat? –Yours, etc, JAMES BOURKE, Kanturk, Cork. School admissions Sir, – I am writing in response to the article, (' New school admissions system for second-level schools to be piloted in five towns in October ,' July 3rd). While I believe this pilot is a step in the right direction, it ultimately fails to tackle the root cause of the problem. The current system's fundamental flaw lies in the existence of overlapping catchment areas, which actively encourages parents to apply to multiple schools. This therefore leads to 'long waiting lists and months of stress' and 'duplicate applications'. A single application form merely streamlines the submission of these multiple, often redundant, applications; it does not eliminate the underlying incentive for them. A far more effective and equitable solution would be to implement a system where schools have clearly defined, non-overlapping catchment areas. If every residential address falls within the designated catchment of one, and only one, second-level school, then the need for multiple applications vanishes. Parents would know precisely which school their child is entitled to attend, subject to capacity. If capacity for a particular school regularly comes under pressure then the redrawing of its catchment area would be necessitated. The pilot system, while well-intentioned, risks becoming a more efficient way to manage an inherently inefficient, unfair and stressful process. – Yours, etc, SEAN KEAVNEY, Castleknock, Dublin 15. Grand plans and infrastructure Sir, – I read with some dismay about the the grandiose plans of Transport Infrastructure Ireland to significant expand the Luas network. (' Future of the Luas: suburban routes and circular services around Dublin by 2050 ,' July 1st). In many ways this is symptomatic of the calamitous problem that continually bedevils getting any project done in Ireland. A large State agency with a large cohort of senior staff launches lofty plans, containing great ambition, no doubt having engaged many experts (not cheap) along the way in its compiling. The report or study is published, perhaps along with a media launch, maybe a government minister is present and it is handshakes all around. Let's be honest. We are codding ourselves here. Years later nothing has happened, the report or study got 'shelved' and perhaps many of the senior personnel involved are long retired. A small suggestion would be 'shelve' this approach. Instead, why not target small but realistic projects and get them built? In the case of the Luas why not construct small extensions each year or target a line say from Broombridge to Dublin Airport (I note that this is ruled out for 'operational' reasons, whatever they are). Rather than grandiose plans which remain just that why not pick a project and drive it on, less is more as is often said and what's more it might actually get done. – Yours, etc, ROB MAC GIOLLARNÁTH, Annascaul, Co Kerry. Counting the carbon cost Sir, – Your recent editorial, and letters drew attention to the issue of costs versus aesthetics in design for public buildings / infrastructure . However, what is truly depressing is the absence of discussion of the carbon cost, as opposed to the financial costs of such projects. Any discussion of these issues without a clear focus on the true cost to the planet is empty. After all, cement contributes about 8 per cent of all greenhouse emissions worldwide. We should not be embarking on such projects without serious consideration of the overall costs (to the planet) against perceived benefits (to whom?). Between artificial intelligence perhaps displacing the need for many jobs, and working from home obviating the need for more office space, not to mention the obvious need for a steep reduction in air traffic – it is surely time to realistically re-evaluate what our priorities should be. – Yours, etc, PAUL O'SHEA, Shankill, Dublin. A popular population Sir, – With reference to your article in today's article: ( 'The people behind the numbers as Ireland's population grows by nearly a third in 20 years, ' (July 3rd) showing Ireland's population increasing to over five million: When I in the course of my 'maiden speech' at the L & H society in UCD in January 1950 voted against the motion that we should unite with England politically, I stated that we had three million people and the audience immediately rose to its feet with thunderous applause! – Yours, etc, SEÁN Ó CEALLAIGH, Dublin 7
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
The Menu: Put it on a plate for the people of Palestine
I heard on the radio this week that Palestinian children in Gaza were in danger of dying of thirst as the Israelis are blockading fuel needed for trucks used to distribute water throughout this occupied territory — I didn't realise I still had the capacity to be shocked by Israel's inhumanity. It is a pleasure to earn a crust celebrating my passion for finest Irish food and hospitality, an especial privilege to share that passion in these pages. I also appreciate the food and drink section of the Irish Examiner can be a 'safe space', a sanctuary for readers in an increasingly batshit world where the grotesqueries of the daily news cycle become more outlandishly unfathomable by the day. Compounding that is an overwhelming sense of powerlessness most of us feel in the face of obscene wealth and populist power being wielded with hideous disregard for humanity and the planet. Currently, the Israeli State-directed genocide in Gaza is the most egregious example of such inhumanity in action. So, I have found it increasingly difficult to wax lyrical about delicious dishes and magnificent meals while a 'first world' state weaponises hunger as part of its ethnic cleansing of its own population. Is it any wonder there is such a thing as 'comfort food'? Any means of making a difference, however small, is invaluable beyond belief. One Plate for Palestine (July 22-27), is a wonderful fundraising initiative from Barbara Nealon (Kinsale's St Francis Provisions) and Beverley Mathews (L'Atitude 51, in Cork City) to support charities working in Gaza to combat starvation, and to raise awareness of, and maintain focus on, the genocidal actions of the Israelis. One Plate for Palestine is inviting Irish food and hospitality businesses — restaurants, cafés, bars, food trucks, market stalls, etc — from all over Ireland to add a special Palestinian-themed dish to their menus, with all proceeds from the sale of that dish going directly to Gaza. Food businesses can either create a Palestinian-themed dish (or drink) of their own or follow an existing recipe, using any or all of the following ingredients: Palestinian za'atar, sumac, labneh, hummus, Palestinian olive oil, and Palestinian olives. If you wanted, you could even serve up those gorgeous Palestinian goodies with good sourdough bread and a little salt, a super supper I've enjoyed many times in the past. Better again, restaurants can serve up One Plate for Palestine's suggested dish, Prátaí do Phalaistín/Potatoes for Palestine, a simple yet delicious combination which brings together the two food cultures in a symbolic nod to the historical ties that bind Palestine and Ireland, in particular a shared history of hunger and starvation as a result of colonial oppression. The dish comprises new season potatoes served up with any or all of the aforementioned traditional Palestinian foodstuffs and, if you've only ever eaten new spuds with too much butter — no crime there! — I think you'll be blown away by how well they work with the Palestinian additions. The goal is to raise at least €25,000 for charities working on the ground in Gaza, such as Gaza Go Bragh and World Central Kitchen, reputable charities that have been doing incredible work to bring fresh water and meals to the people in extremely challenging conditions. So, come on, Irish food world, let's see you stepping up, not only to feature a One Plate for Palestine on your menus, but also to spread the word amongst friends, colleagues and comrades in the industry and beyond, to reach as wide an audience as possible. This initiative is not just aimed at the hospitality sector because the other side of the equation involves Irish diners who are invited to also join in by supporting local restaurants participating in One Plate for Palestine. Or you could even run your own One Plate for Palestine fundraising supper evening at home for family and friends? After all, what finer seasoning could such a dish, any shared dish, have than to be sprinkled with love, hope and humanity. Instagram: @oneplateforpalestine FOODIE FARE Happy 10th birthday to Lott's & Co and, what's more, this birthday belle is the one dishing out the gifts with all manner of titbits, treats, giveaways and promotions for customers, across their three Dublin stores including a Beggar's Bush Birthday Bash (July 10) with prizes including hampers, dining vouchers, and the chance to win free catering delivered to your door. Instagram: @lottsandco Fans of Julia's Lobster Truck, in the Burren, will be delighted to hear that she is very close to securing a new pitch for one of Ireland's finest food trucks but the enforced absence saw Julia Hemingway take a serendipitous turn to teaching at home, where she now offers wonderful Seafood Cookery Experiences for 2-8 people in her own Burren kitchen, near Carron, Co Clare, including hands-on cooking (poaching and preparing lobster or crab, mussels and clams), followed by a delicious seafood feast at the kitchen table. Instagram: @JuliasLobsterTruck TODAY'S SPECIAL Ogam sauces South Korean food is most certainly catching the global imagination with Korean chicken set to be come as ubiquitous on Irish menus as Thai curry or lasagne. But when a cuisine and a dish in particular dish suddenly trends to that extent, quality can vary wildly which is why I am so delighted to have Korean Jay Choi as a near neighbour in Cork, not least because of I get to sample her new sauces/marinades. With the tagline, 'Born in South Korea, Made in Ireland', Jay's Korean BBQ Spicy Gochujang and Korean BBQ Original are not only stunning, but are real workhorses in the kitchen. Sweet and savoury in equal measures, with funky, fruity flavours, they have myriad applications in the kitchen once combined with a little imagination. A quick drizzle over rice vermicelli salad, with thinly sliced carrot, cucumber and peppers, was quite transformational; a dollop in homemade garlic aioli is my new BBQ burger sauce of choice; and, yeah, it makes for sublime Korean chicken wings, when cooked over charcoal.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Hamas says it is ready to enter ceasefire negotiations in ‘positive spirit'
Hamas said it had responded on Friday in 'a positive spirit' to a US -brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict. US president Donald Trump earlier announced a 'final proposal' for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in coming hours. On Friday evening Hamas wrote on its official website: 'The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterised by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.' Earlier a source said Hamas leaders were close to accepting a proposed deal for a ceasefire in Gaza but wanted stronger guarantees that any pause in hostilities would lead to a permanent end to the 20-month war. The militant Islamist group has come under immense pressure in recent months, with its military leadership decimated and the Israeli military forcing its fighters out of former strongholds in the southern and central parts of Gaza. In recent days, Israel has ramped up its offensive, launching an intense wave of air strikes across Gaza, killing more than 250 Palestinians, including many women and children, according to medical and civil defence officials. Hardline factions within Hamas had reluctantly accepted the need for a ceasefire to allow the organisation to regroup and plan a new strategy, one source familiar with the internal debate said. Since a previous ceasefire collapsed in March, more than 6,000 people have been killed in Gaza and an acute humanitarian crisis has worsened. Efforts for a new truce in Gaza gathered momentum after the US secured a ceasefire to end the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month. On Tuesday, Mr Trump announced that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire, during which the parties would work to end the war. When asked on Thursday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, he said: 'We'll see what happens. We are going to know over the next 24 hours.' Palestinians inspect the damage after an Israeli strike in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on Friday. Photograph: Eyad Baba/AFP via Getty Images Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with Mr Trump about the war in Gaza, the recent war between Israel and Iran and other regional issues. The Israeli prime minister has long resisted a permanent end to the war in Gaza, partly to retain the support of far-right allies in his ruling coalition. But Israel's successes in the war with Iran have strengthened his political position and opinion polls in Israel show strong support for a deal. [ Israel continues deadly attacks on Gaza as Trump awaits Hamas reply to ceasefire plan Opens in new window ] A senior Israeli official told Channel 12, a major Israeli TV network: 'Judging by the signals from Hamas, there is a high probability that we will start proximity talks in the next few days. If there is consent to proximity talks, there will be a deal.' Other Israeli officials said preparations were in place to approve the ceasefire deal and that an Israeli delegation was getting ready to join indirect talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt to cement the deal if Hamas responded positively. The proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that triggered the conflict, and the return of the bodies of 18 more, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, an official familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday. Hamas seized 251 hostages during the 2023 attack. Fewer than half of the 50 who remain in Gaza are believed to be alive. Aid would enter Gaza immediately under the agreement, and the Israeli military would carry out a phased withdrawal from parts of the territory, according to the proposal. Negotiations would immediately start on a permanent ceasefire. 'We sure hope it's a done deal, but I think it's all going to be what Hamas is willing to accept,' Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told Channel 12 on Thursday. 'One thing is clear: the president wants it to be over. The prime minister wants it to be over. The American people, the Israeli people, want it to be over.' The delivery of more aid to Gaza has been a principal demand of Hamas throughout negotiations. Israel imposed an 11-week blockade in March, which was only slightly eased in May under huge international pressure as famine loomed. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive private organisation backed by the US and Israel that was charged with delivering food in Gaza, has been dogged by controversy. Hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid at GHF hubs and after gathering in crowds at locations where convoys sent by the UN have been stopped. On Friday, a report by the BBC quoted a former GHF employee describing colleagues firing towards Palestinians who had posed no threat, with many appearing to have been seriously hurt on several occasions. The GHF employee told the BBC he and others had been given no clear rules of engagement or standard operating procedures, and were told by one team leader: 'If you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later.' The GHF said the allegations, which were also made by former employees quoted by the Associated Press on Thursday, were categorically false and that no civilians had come under fire at their distribution sites. The Israeli military has denied any intent to harm civilians seeking aid, saying it only fired warning shots. Speaking to journalists while on his way to a rally in Iowa on Thursday, Mr Trump said: 'I want the people of Gaza to be safe. That's more important than anything else. They've gone through hell.' Mr Netanyahu visited Israel's Nir Oz kibbutz on Thursday for the first time since the 2023 Hamas attack. The community was one of the worst-hit in the attack, with nearly one in four residents kidnapped or killed. He said: 'I feel a deep commitment – first of all to ensure the return of all of our hostages, all of them. There are still 20 who are alive and there are also those who are deceased, and we will bring them all back.' The prime minister has been heavily criticised for refusing to take responsibility for the failures that allowed the 2023 attack, during which Hamas-led militants killed 1,200, mostly civilians, and has been repeatedly accused of prioritising his political survival over the fate of the hostages. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to a count by the territory's ministry of health that is considered reliable by the UN and many western governments. The Israeli military said it 'follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm' when striking 'terrorist targets'. – Guardian
