Latest news with #ChrisFitzpatrick
Irish Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 24th: On the US, Iran and Israel, alcohol labels and Damien Duff
Sir, – Much of the narrative this past weekend has been about the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East and the wider world – and it does. However, when I look at the front page of today's paper (June 23rd) and see a picture of Donald Trump, wearing his signature MAGA baseball cap, I see an individual who, as each day passes, poses an even greater threat to the free world. His self-belief in his dictatorial rights and his personal ego, surrounded as he is by a fawning coterie of admirers, means that none of us can sleep easy in our beds. And the response of the rest of the world? 'Yes, Mr Trump' (and it doesn't matter about the question). – Yours, etc, T GERARD BENNETT, Bunbrosna, READ MORE Co Westmeath. Sir, – There is no evidence to prove that Iran's nuclear development programme was on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb – or that Iran intended to ever create one. The US has entered the war on the basis of a lie – just like the lie about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As a consequence, the world is a more dangerous place, and Israel can do what it wants in Gaza because Gaza is no longer headline news. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin 6. Sir, – The recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure – including the Fordow nuclear facility – represent a clear success. While echoes of Desert Storm are hard to ignore, this is no copycat conflict. Then, a crumbling dictatorship was flattened after weeks of preparation. Now, a theocratic regime faces targeted precision strikes – and still claims to speak for the Islamic world. Iran calls itself a republic but functions more as a clerical state. Since 1979, it has ruled through fear and martyrdom, pioneering the suicide bomber through the warped logic that 'martyrdom' is not suicide. It has bankrolled Hezbollah, funds Hamas, and propped up Assad in Syria. The Iran nuclear deal of 2015 is dead. Trump pulled out in 2018. The current operation has roots in joint war games conducted under President Biden – another example of continuity in US-Israeli strategic planning. Iran now faces the full squeeze of American power, staged in the sort of geopolitical theatre that feels closer to pro-wrestling than diplomacy. What this moment reveals is the irrelevance of soft power. The EU lectures. The US strikes. And Ireland? We shout from the back of the room like a student union officer trying to go viral. Despite being the most pro-Palestinian government in our history, we're still dismissed as 'Zionist puppets.' No one's satisfied. Nothing gets done. Maybe it's time we stopped chasing applause and started confronting hard truths. – Yours, etc. JORDAN COLE, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. Sir, – In the wake of the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, what rational actor in the Middle East region will not conclude that the only guarantee they have against future Israeli- US aggression will be to acquire their own nuclear arsenal as soon as possible? Rather than discouraging Iran, the air strikes will only serve to convince hardliners within the regime to develop nuclear weapons. In the meantime, while the world's media attention shifts away from Gaza, we should remind ourselves that the genocide there continues unabated with ongoing daily atrocities. – Yours, etc, TOMAS McBRIDE, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Nuclear disarmament Sir, – In her letter of June 21st, Mary Fitzgerald states she is not aware of any country disarming since the Non-Proliferation Treaty came into being on the early 1970s. Of course, there is one such country – Ukraine, which had the bravery and care for the common good to dismantle and disarm its nuclear arsenal. It has often been stated, in fact, that if it had kept them it would not have been invaded by Russia. A terrible repayment for doing the world such a service. – Yours, etc, ENDA SCANLON, Ennis, Co Clare. Damien Duff's Shels legacy Sir, – I was shocked to learn of Damien Duff's sudden departure from his position as manager of Shelbourne FC. His legacy as Shelbourne manager is multifaceted. He brought success back to the club after a couple of decades in the doldrums with the 2024 Premier Division title win. He has got Shelbourne back into Europe – a mouth-watering Champions League tie against Linfield awaits his successor. He has filled Tolka Park again – a heaving Riverside is in stark contrast to the empty one of just a few years ago. Then there's the boost to the league as a whole of having such a decorated and celebrated ex-player (two Premier League titles with Chelsea, and 100 Irish International caps). – Yours, etc, BRIAN QUIGLEY, Dublin 9. Alcohol labelling Sir, – Minister of State Alan Dillon is simply wrong when he says that delaying alcohol health-warning labels is not about undermining public health. ('TD says she hasn't drunk alcohol in over 13 years during impassioned plea to not delay health-warning labels,' June 20th). It is undermining public health. The current ministerial dialogue regarding re-examining the democratic Oireachtas decision and legislation to introduce alcohol health-warning labels is an outrageous dereliction of their duty. It prioritises alcohol industry profits over public health. Mr Dillon articulates alcohol industry themes when he says he is reflecting sequencing policy and protecting exports and jobs. Alcohol health-warning labels are a health issue, and are about improving health. Despite the enormous numbers of deaths, illness, crime and social harms of alcohol, most Irish citizens do not know or understand the risks of alcohol consumption. With this in mind, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act was passed unanimously by the Oireachtas in 2018. This Act included provisions to place alcohol health-warning labels on all alcohol products sold in Ireland. The regulations have been signed into law and are due to come into effect in May 2026, a decade after they were first proposed. Citizens, especially, are unaware of the huge cancer risks of alcohol. Alcohol causes seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancers, two of the most common in Ireland. Ireland has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in pregnancy in OECD, causing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which affects up to 2 per cent of people, with lifelong harmful consequences. In my own professional life, I have cared for thousands of patients with alcohol-related liver disease, many of whom have died. The alcohol industry is simply driven by maximising profits. It denies the scale of alcohol harms and deaths. As stated by the World Health Organisation, the alcohol industry, with their conflict of interests, should have no role in public health and should stay in lane. There should be no deferral or stepping back from the introduction of alcohol health warning labels on May 26th 2026. It is a citizen's right to know the harms of the alcohol they consider consuming, and a key public health action. – Yours, etc, Prof FRANK MURRAY, Chair, Alcohol Action Ireland, Dublin. Sir, – So Minister of State Alan Dillon is the latest to support the call by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to re examine the health labelling of alcohol products. He joins many others, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, who was instrumental in passing the labelling issue in the alcohol Act. Mr Dillon said: 'I have a duty to defend the interests of Irish indigenous SMEs who are facing unprecedented global trade pressures'. Not a mention of having a duty to defend the rights of Irish citizens to be informed of some of the harms that alcohol can have on their health. I also have a duty and whereas I don't have the podium that politicians enjoy, I have a right to call you out and say: 'I know that anyone who puts profit before health needs to re-examine their conscience and not re-examine the alcohol health-labelling issue. – Yours, etc, JOHN HIGGINS, Ballina, Co Mayo. A tattoo can be for you too Sir, – Dr Pat McGrath (Letters, June 23rd) writes that tattoos were once the preserve of 'male prisoners, sailors and psychiatric patients'. As a member of a generation born on the 'wrong' side of the release of Tommy by The Who, I admit to still indulging in a bit of body art. It's cheaper than therapy, lasts longer than a haircut, and – unlike a mortgage –I can still get one. A well-worn tattoo offers a much more interesting point of engagement for the younger generation than concepts they cannot relate to, such as landlines or home ownership. Many tattoos commemorate loved ones, mark personal milestones and memories, or serve as a form of entertainment. Most have no meaning to the viewer at all. In an age of deepfakes, disappearing data, doom scrolling, and negligible attention spans, a tattoo might be the last permanent thing left in the world to call your own. Provided that it's not done in comic sans. – Yours, etc, ULTAN Ó BROIN, Co Dublin. Sir, – As a grandmother of eight, I decided, post-pandemic, to fulfil a long held desire to get a tattoo. I now have 10 very small tattoos on the inside of my wrists. Each one has a special meaning for me and they bring me joy. I have no regrets at all. – Yours, etc, LAURA O'MARA, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. RPZs and holiday lets Sir, – The logical outcome of last week's decision to make all of Ireland a rent pressure zone is to immediately shutter short-term rental accommodation in the country, as most of these are now required to have change-of- use planning permission to operate (' Thousands of holiday lets will need planning permission due to rent pressure zone change s,' June 18th). We trust the Government has made alternative accommodation arrangements for all those tourists and Irish holidaymakers who will now be hearing from their holiday-home hosts informing them that their accommodation is no longer available. We trust, too, that the Government is making arrangements to compensate all the small business owners – restaurants, craft shops, tourist attractions – who will see their earnings evaporate from the loss of those visitors. Or, perhaps, the changes to the RPZ legislation is just further disastrous faffing to distract from the Government's failure to meet its own home building targets? All of this as our tourist season is about to begin. – Yours, etc, ROBBYN SWAN, ÁINE McCARTHY-KENT, Co Waterford. MARY VAN SON, Co Kildare, AIDAN SHILLING Co Wexford, Kieran Flanagan, Co Clare, DENISE NOLAN, Co Wicklow. Infrastructure suggestions Sir, – In his column last week, Michael McDowell urged the Government to replicate a piece of legislation from 1925 which the fledgling Free State government enacted to build the massive Ardnacrusha electricity station on the Shannon. It covered the State financing of the project, the CPO-ing of land, construction of canals, and so forth. This is the way, he suggests, to overcome the administrative sclerosis blocking the construction of the north Dublin sewage treatment plant, the piping of water from the Shannon to Dublin, talked about for nearly 30 years, the building of vitally needed onshore and offshore wind energy farms, as well as key road and rail projects. Meanwhile, every Government member, from the Taoiseach down, and the heads of the various State infrastructural agencies (EirGrid, ESB, Uisce Éireann, transport agencies), acknowledge the dire consequences of not resolving these logjams, and the fact that the existing permitting systems are not for purpose. Last month, the Government launched its new accelerating infrastructure taskforce to underline this fact. But this will be little more than the latest episode of 'kicking the can down the road' unless the Government undertakes the kind of bold legislative initiative urged by Senator McDowell. So, could it happen? Well, last week, the Government was able to draft, pass, and have enacted, a Bill extending rent pressure zones to the whole country. Where there's a will, there's a way! – Yours, etc, STEPHEN O'BYRNES, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. Remembering that summer Sir, – In tandem with your correspondent Michael Gannon (Memories of a summer solstice, Letters, June 21st) I too 'was among the many who had to traipse back to examination halls on Friday, June 27th, and Saturday, June 28th, to sit a repeat of the English and Maths exams' in 1969. In hushed tones, I have admitted that I was happy enough to have a second stab at the Maths papers, even if they had to be taken on a Saturday! The 'stolen papers' wasn't the only hardship visited upon us that year. Just as the cyclical post Christmas wind-up for June was beginning to gain momentum, secondary school teachers went on strike on Saturday, February 1st, 1969 for three weeks, causing considerable disruption, but especially in the mindset of us students. I often wonder how the challenges of the 'Class of 1969' would be dealt with in modern times. Looking back now, I am happy to say that I don't think a Covid-like compensatory inflation of my grades would have made any difference in my consequent and fulfilling working life. – Yours, etc, MAY FAHY, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Dogs on the beach Sir, – The main problem in trying to restrict dogs from our beaches (Letters, June 21st) is that politicians seem unwilling to address the problem. Here in Greystones, on the beautiful South Beach, dogs are supposedly banned from one small patch in the summer, but on most days, dogs and their owners can still be seen there. Local councillors are unwilling to do anything about it as there are just too many dog-owner votes to be lost. Another beach along the front, the Cove, might sometimes be mistaken for a dog park. Joanne Hunt makes clear in her article ( 'Dog business has no business on the beach', June 21st) that dog poo contains a lot of dangerous pathogens and unfortunately un-picked up dog mess decorates our Greystones pavements, grassy areas and all the beaches. – Yours, etc, IGOR CUSACK, Greystones, Co Wicklow. Sir, – Much of the narrative this past weekend has been about the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East and the wider world – and it does. However, when I look at the front page of today's paper (June 23rd) and see a picture of Donald Trump, wearing his signature MAGA baseball cap, I see an individual who, as each day passes, poses an even greater threat to the free world. His self-belief in his dictatorial rights and his personal ego, surrounded as he is by a fawning coterie of admirers, means that none of us can sleep easy in our beds. And the response of the rest of the world? 'Yes, Mr Trump' (and it doesn't matter about the question). – Yours, etc, T GERARD BENNETT, Bunbrosna, Co Westmeath. Sir, – There is no evidence to prove that Iran's nuclear development programme was on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb – or that Iran intended to ever create one. The US has entered the war on the basis of a lie – just like the lie about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As a consequence, the world is a more dangerous place, and Israel can do what it wants in Gaza because Gaza is no longer headline news. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin 6. Sir, – The recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure – including the Fordow nuclear facility – represent a clear success. While echoes of Desert Storm are hard to ignore, this is no copycat conflict. Then, a crumbling dictatorship was flattened after weeks of preparation. Now, a theocratic regime faces targeted precision strikes – and still claims to speak for the Islamic world. Iran calls itself a republic but functions more as a clerical state. Since 1979, it has ruled through fear and martyrdom, pioneering the suicide bomber through the warped logic that 'martyrdom' is not suicide. It has bankrolled Hezbollah, funds Hamas, and propped up Assad in Syria. The Iran nuclear deal of 2015 is dead. Trump pulled out in 2018. The current operation has roots in joint war games conducted under President Biden – another example of continuity in US-Israeli strategic planning. Iran now faces the full squeeze of American power, staged in the sort of geopolitical theatre that feels closer to pro-wrestling than diplomacy. What this moment reveals is the irrelevance of soft power. The EU lectures. The US strikes. And Ireland? We shout from the back of the room like a student union officer trying to go viral. Despite being the most pro-Palestinian government in our history, we're still dismissed as 'Zionist puppets.' No one's satisfied. Nothing gets done. Maybe it's time we stopped chasing applause and started confronting hard truths. – Yours, etc. JORDAN COLE, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. Sir, – In the wake of the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, what rational actor in the Middle East region will not conclude that the only guarantee they have against future Israeli- US aggression will be to acquire their own nuclear arsenal as soon as possible? Rather than discouraging Iran, the air strikes will only serve to convince hardliners within the regime to develop nuclear weapons. In the meantime, while the world's media attention shifts away from Gaza, we should remind ourselves that the genocide there continues unabated with ongoing daily atrocities. – Yours, etc, TOMAS McBRIDE, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Nuclear disarmament Sir, – In her letter of June 21st, Mary Fitzgerald states she is not aware of any country disarming since the Non-Proliferation Treaty came into being on the early 1970s. Of course, there is one such country – Ukraine, which had the bravery and care for the common good to dismantle and disarm its nuclear arsenal. It has often been stated, in fact, that if it had kept them it would not have been invaded by Russia. A terrible repayment for doing the world such a service. – Yours, etc, ENDA SCANLON, Ennis, Co Clare. Damien Duff's Shels legacy Sir, – I was shocked to learn of Damien Duff's sudden departure from his position as manager of Shelbourne FC. His legacy as Shelbourne manager is multifaceted. He brought success back to the club after a couple of decades in the doldrums with the 2024 Premier Division title win. He has got Shelbourne back into Europe – a mouth-watering Champions League tie against Linfield awaits his successor. He has filled Tolka Park again – a heaving Riverside is in stark contrast to the empty one of just a few years ago. Then there's the boost to the league as a whole of having such a decorated and celebrated ex-player (two Premier League titles with Chelsea, and 100 Irish International caps). – Yours, etc, BRIAN QUIGLEY, Dublin 9. Alcohol labelling Sir, – Minister of State Alan Dillon is simply wrong when he says that delaying alcohol health-warning labels is not about undermining public health. ('TD says she hasn't drunk alcohol in over 13 years during impassioned plea to not delay health-warning labels,' June 20th). It is undermining public health. The current ministerial dialogue regarding re-examining the democratic Oireachtas decision and legislation to introduce alcohol health-warning labels is an outrageous dereliction of their duty. It prioritises alcohol industry profits over public health. Mr Dillon articulates alcohol industry themes when he says he is reflecting sequencing policy and protecting exports and jobs. Alcohol health-warning labels are a health issue, and are about improving health. Despite the enormous numbers of deaths, illness, crime and social harms of alcohol, most Irish citizens do not know or understand the risks of alcohol consumption. With this in mind, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act was passed unanimously by the Oireachtas in 2018. This Act included provisions to place alcohol health-warning labels on all alcohol products sold in Ireland. The regulations have been signed into law and are due to come into effect in May 2026, a decade after they were first proposed. Citizens, especially, are unaware of the huge cancer risks of alcohol. Alcohol causes seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancers, two of the most common in Ireland. Ireland has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in pregnancy in OECD, causing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which affects up to 2 per cent of people, with lifelong harmful consequences. In my own professional life, I have cared for thousands of patients with alcohol-related liver disease, many of whom have died. The alcohol industry is simply driven by maximising profits. It denies the scale of alcohol harms and deaths. As stated by the World Health Organisation, the alcohol industry, with their conflict of interests, should have no role in public health and should stay in lane. There should be no deferral or stepping back from the introduction of alcohol health warning labels on May 26th 2026. It is a citizen's right to know the harms of the alcohol they consider consuming, and a key public health action. – Yours, etc, Prof FRANK MURRAY, Chair, Alcohol Action Ireland, Dublin. Sir, – So Minister of State Alan Dillon is the latest to support the call by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to re examine the health labelling of alcohol products. He joins many others, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, who was instrumental in passing the labelling issue in the alcohol Act. Mr Dillon said: 'I have a duty to defend the interests of Irish indigenous SMEs who are facing unprecedented global trade pressures'. Not a mention of having a duty to defend the rights of Irish citizens to be informed of some of the harms that alcohol can have on their health. I also have a duty and whereas I don't have the podium that politicians enjoy, I have a right to call you out and say: 'I know that anyone who puts profit before health needs to re-examine their conscience and not re-examine the alcohol health-labelling issue. – Yours, etc, JOHN HIGGINS, Ballina, Co Mayo. A tattoo can be for you too Sir, – Dr Pat McGrath (Letters, June 23rd) writes that tattoos were once the preserve of 'male prisoners, sailors and psychiatric patients'. As a member of a generation born on the 'wrong' side of the release of Tommy by The Who, I admit to still indulging in a bit of body art. It's cheaper than therapy, lasts longer than a haircut, and – unlike a mortgage –I can still get one. A well-worn tattoo offers a much more interesting point of engagement for the younger generation than concepts they cannot relate to, such as landlines or home ownership. Many tattoos commemorate loved ones, mark personal milestones and memories, or serve as a form of entertainment. Most have no meaning to the viewer at all. In an age of deepfakes, disappearing data, doom scrolling, and negligible attention spans, a tattoo might be the last permanent thing left in the world to call your own. Provided that it's not done in comic sans. – Yours, etc, ULTAN Ó BROIN, Co Dublin. Sir, – As a grandmother of eight, I decided, post-pandemic, to fulfil a long held desire to get a tattoo. I now have 10 very small tattoos on the inside of my wrists. Each one has a special meaning for me and they bring me joy. I have no regrets at all. – Yours, etc, LAURA O'MARA, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. RPZs and holiday lets Sir, – The logical outcome of last week's decision to make all of Ireland a rent pressure zone is to immediately shutter short-term rental accommodation in the country, as most of these are now required to have change-of- use planning permission to operate ('Thousands of holiday lets will need planning permission due to rent pressure zone changes,' June 18th). We trust the Government has made alternative accommodation arrangements for all those tourists and Irish holidaymakers who will now be hearing from their holiday-home hosts informing them that their accommodation is no longer available. We trust, too, that the Government is making arrangements to compensate all the small business owners – restaurants, craft shops, tourist attractions – who will see their earnings evaporate from the loss of those visitors. Or, perhaps, the changes to the RPZ legislation is just further disastrous faffing to distract from the Government's failure to meet its own home building targets? All of this as our tourist season is about to begin. – Yours, etc, ROBBYN SWAN, ÁINE McCARTHY-KENT, Co Waterford. MARY VAN SON, Co Kildare, AIDAN SHILLING Co Wexford, Kieran Flanagan, Co Clare, DENISE NOLAN, Co Wicklow. Infrastructure suggestions Sir, – In his column last week, Michael McDowell urged the Government to replicate a piece of legislation from 1925 which the fledgling Free State government enacted to build the massive Ardnacrusha electricity station on the Shannon. It covered the State financing of the project, the CPO-ing of land, construction of canals, and so forth. This is the way, he suggests, to overcome the administrative sclerosis blocking the construction of the north Dublin sewage treatment plant, the piping of water from the Shannon to Dublin, talked about for nearly 30 years, the building of vitally needed onshore and offshore wind energy farms, as well as key road and rail projects. Meanwhile, every Government member, from the Taoiseach down, and the heads of the various State infrastructural agencies (EirGrid, ESB, Uisce Éireann, transport agencies), acknowledge the dire consequences of not resolving these logjams, and the fact that the existing permitting systems are not for purpose. Last month, the Government launched its new accelerating infrastructure taskforce to underline this fact. But this will be little more than the latest episode of 'kicking the can down the road' unless the Government undertakes the kind of bold legislative initiative urged by Senator McDowell. So, could it happen? Well, last week, the Government was able to draft, pass, and have enacted, a Bill extending rent pressure zones to the whole country. Where there's a will, there's a way! – Yours, etc, STEPHEN O'B YRNES, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. Remembering that summer Sir, – In tandem with your correspondent Michael Gannon (Memories of a summer solstice, Letters, June 21st) I too 'was among the many who had to traipse back to examination halls on Friday, June 27th, and Saturday, June 28th, to sit a repeat of the English and Maths exams' in 1969. In hushed tones, I have admitted that I was happy enough to have a second stab at the Maths papers, even if they had to be taken on a Saturday! The 'stolen papers' wasn't the only hardship visited upon us that year. Just as the cyclical post Christmas wind-up for June was beginning to gain momentum, secondary school teachers went on strike on Saturday, February 1st, 1969 for three weeks, causing considerable disruption, but especially in the mindset of us students. I often wonder how the challenges of the 'Class of 1969' would be dealt with in modern times. Looking back now, I am happy to say that I don't think a Covid-like compensatory inflation of my grades would have made any difference in my consequent and fulfilling working life. – Yours, etc, MAY FAHY, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Delighted to be an atheist Sir, – Watching arguments unfold among self-declared Christians about the decision to welcome a member of the LGBTQ+ community into their midst, I am delighted to be an atheist. No biblical orthodoxy prevents or hampers my extending love to people of all genders and sexualities. I will march in as many Pride parades as possible this year to show my support for my brothers and sisters in the trans community and all who celebrate the rich diversity of human life and love. If that consigns me to hellfire and brimstone, I'll take my chances. Love wins. – Yours, etc, BERNIE LINNANE, Dromahair, Co Leitrim. Dogs on the beach Sir, – The main problem in trying to restrict dogs from our beaches (Letters, June 21st) is that politicians seem unwilling to address the problem. Here in Greystones, on the beautiful South Beach, dogs are supposedly banned from one small patch in the summer, but on most days, dogs and their owners can still be seen there. Local councillors are unwilling to do anything about it as there are just too many dog-owner votes to be lost. Another beach along the front, the Cove, might sometimes be mistaken for a dog park. Joanne Hunt makes clear in her article ( 'Dog business has no business on the beach', June 21st) that dog poo contains a lot of dangerous pathogens and unfortunately un-picked up dog mess decorates our Greystones pavements, grassy areas and all the beaches. – Yours, etc, IGOR CUSACK, Greystones, Co Wicklow.
Irish Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Letters: Wise words of Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel that could very well apply to Gaza today
These are the words of Holocaust survivor and writer Elie Wiesel: 'We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. 'When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. 'Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the centre of the universe.' At this moment in time, Gaza is the centre of the universe. Chris Fitzpatrick, Dublin 6 Disturbing similarities between Warsaw in 1943 and Palestine in 2025 On April 19, 1943, the Jewish residents of the Warsaw ghetto refused to surrender. The SS commander ordered the destruction of the ghetto brick by brick. A total of 13,000 residents were killed. There were 110 German casualties, including 17 dead. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the uprising was 'one of the most significant occurrences in the history of the Jewish people'. I look at the images from Gaza and cannot but gaze in amazement at the similarity between Warsaw in 1943 and Gaza in 2025. John M Nolan, Dublin 3 Politicians and media in Ireland distort war Israel is fighting as 'genocide' The increasing demonisation, vilification and singling out of Israel by the Irish political platform and media is now beyond rational explanation. A war is being fought in Gaza, which is not easy to accept as a society, but it is a war and not a genocide or ethnic cleansing as is being claimed by the media, activists and political elites. In fact, the most inflammatory claims once fact-checked are inaccurate, false or media spin. It is a war that Hamas and its supporters started on October 7, 2023, and continue to prolong based on perceived Western support and a genocidal policy of destroying the Jewish state. It is a war Hamas could end tomorrow by releasing the hostages and laying down its weapons. The continued weaponisation of language and distortion of words have an impact and have destroyed any chance of a diplomatic solution to this conflict. The constant criticism of Israel as the only protagonist and the spread of inaccurate accusations has emboldened not only Hamas, but every anti-Israel group across society. This is now manifesting in the increase in acts of intimidation, violence and murder directed towards Jews and Israelis. Chris Harbidge, Harold's Cross, Dublin After camogie decision, choice should now be in hands of pupils in schools If the Camogie Association can modernise its dress code for greater mobility, what's stopping schools from doing the same? At 15, I successfully campaigned for the option to wear trousers in my secondary school. I immediately switched to cycling – getting there faster and stress-free. Fifty years later, I still cycle regularly (with waterproof over-trousers when it rains), but now I find myself campaigning again – this time for my granddaughters. This week, Irish citizens are funding a new government campaign to encourage children to be more active. With €1m a day in public funds spent on active travel (Irish Independent, September 9, 2022), why are many schoolgirls still forced into skirts – impractical, unsafe and a barrier to cycling? This outdated rule discourages use of the very transport infrastructure their parents' taxes help fund. Only one in 250 teenage girls cycle daily (An Taisce, AndSheCycles). The Road Safety Authority advises cyclists to wear clothes that won't catch in chains or obscure visibility. Skirts, especially in wind, do both. Schools mandating skirts are ignoring these safety concerns. Let's retire outdated uniform rules that undermine girls' health, safety and mobility. Orla Farrell, address with editor Shortage of Irish players in top sphere unlikely to be remedied any time soon Last Saturday (Irish Independent, Sport, May 17) your soccer correspondent highlighted the fact that for the past nine years no Republic of Ireland player had played in the English FA Cup final, with Damien Delaney in 2016 the last to do so. This contrasts with the 1978 final between Ipswich and Arsenal when eight Irish players participated, and the 1980 final between West Ham and Arsenal when six played, albeit that a minority of them were from Northern Ireland. The position is not likely to change any time soon given that eight Republic of Ireland players in the league have seen their clubs relegated to the Championship this season, which leaves three players – Jake O'Brien (Everton), Nathan Collins (Brentford) and Matt Doherty (Wolves) – who could be considered regulars during the past season attached to clubs for next season's Premier League with perhaps Josh Cullen, promoted with Burnley, joining that list. James Healy, Highfield Park, Galway Name for new children's hospital must be inclusive and represent the island The name of the new children's hospital in Dublin must embrace all the children of Ireland. The All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network is a collaborative healthcare initiative between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This recently established network aims to provide comprehensive and high-quality care for children with congenital heart disease. Much co-operation has gone into its establishment, with surgery and interventional procedures now centred at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) in Crumlin. Other collaborative initiatives are anticipated. The peaceful future of our country requires 'hands across the Border'. Has Royal Belfast Children's Hospital been involved in the choice of the name? Have political sensitivities of Northern families been considered? Let our children lead us into that future by choosing an inclusive name for their hospital, such as the Ireland Children's Hospital. I believe Dr Kathleen Lynn would approve.
