EDITOR – Many so-called experts have come out of the woodwork since Cork’s great win in the camogie All-Ireland senior final, claiming that Cork’s goal, scored by Katrina Mackey, was illegal and tainted Cork’s deserved victory. They claim that Mackey threw the ball over the goal-line and therefore, if the referee and officials were doing their jobs properly, the goal should have been disallowed. Having received a pass from Amy O’Connor, Mackey threw the ball up to strike it into the net but was tackled, and fouled, as she attempted to strike. Yes, television evidence clearly showed she missed her strike but the sliotar fell to the ground and trickled over the goal line. The umpires awarded the goal. If Mackey’s attempted strike had happened further out the field, would it have been deemed a foul throw? No way, as she was clearly trying to hit the sliotar and play would have continued on.
I coach hurling to six-year- olds. This year it is all ground hurling, next year we will teach them to strike the ball from the hand, air-hurling as some people call it. We will teach them to hold the hurley firmly with the strong hand, throw the ball up with the weak hand and attempt to strike it. Of course there will be many more misses than hits. Am I now to understand, and tell those young players, that each miss is a foul because they threw the ball? Rubbish.
Mackey was clearly trying to strike the sliotar, which she was prevented from doing by the defenders, and she definitely did not deliberately throw the ball into the goal. To suggest her action was illegal, a foul, is doing a great disservice to a player who has given so much to Cork camogie, and to the Cork team in general. Cork won the game fair and square, they are worthy All-Ireland champions. Bravo Katrina Mackey. Bravo the Cork camogie champions. Rebels abú.
Tom Lyons,
Clonakilty.
Who left the way clear for creation of Israel?
EDITOR – My sincere thanks to S O’Mahony for the detailed response to my earlier letter.
He’s right in that politicians are reluctant to qualify their reasons for accepting the legality of the State of Israel, but one understands that the US president was under considerable pressure within his own government to further the cause for a Jewish homeland.
Greatly indebted to Britain and her allies for US help in bringing WWII to a conclusion, one might question whether the way may have been left clear for Ben-Gurion to suddenly declare his new State in1948 which was ‘recognised’ by the US the following day.
This occurred as recently as a few weeks after my fifth birthday, so should be documented somewhere.
Nick Turner,
Drimoleague.
Jesus forgave – so we should follow his lead
EDITOR – We are all living in an age where there are daily murders and assaults of people, and especially the innocent and helpless.
It’s very much in our own country and brought home daily by our television and radio stations. The mass murders and killings in the middle east, Ukraine, and the other trouble spots in our world is shocking and seem endless. It’s all driven by revenge and sheer hatred.
Gearoid Duffy’s recent letter on the importance of forgiveness and mercy in all our daily lives is the very essence and core teaching of our Catholic and Christian faith.
We should remember Jesus on the Cross who, in appalling agony, forgave his executors.
How many times did Jesus stress in the gospels the importance of forgiveness and the love of our neighbour and mankind?
Jeremiah McCarthy,
Tawnies Grove.
Kinsale town needs a traffic plan - urgently
EDITOR – The last transport study was carried out in Kinsale was 2009, which now is not fit for purpose, given the population increase.
The town has become chaotic since then with all the new developments. There is also the issue of emergency services struggling to get through the town when there is a call-out and this is a serious issue. The creation of the Wild Atlantic Way has increased the volume of traffic big-time. We need to have a plan in place to alleviate the congestion of traffic.
Noel Harrington,
Kinsale, Co Cork.
We need migration to keep our taxes down
EDITOR – Statistics now show that there are four people in paid employment for every one person on full social welfare.
With a now longer-living population, the number of people on State old age pensions in Ireland is set to reach one million in 10 years’ time.
This will result in there being only three people at work for every one person on social welfare in the future, resulting in higher taxation levels.
In the last 40 years, the population of southern Ireland has grown by one million, as Census figures show. And two-thirds of this increase has been by inward migration. Our hospitals, hotels and buses are run by people from all over Europe and the world.
I say that, contrary to limiting this influx of diverse peoples, we should be facilitating this enrichment of cultures – and to pay for my State pension for the next 20 years!
Michael Hallissey,
Mayfield,
Bandon.
