EDITOR – A ‘celebratory shindig’ could best describe the centenary of partition event that took place in Armagh, and it showed that An tUachtarain Michael D is more in tune with the reality on the ground when he declined the invitation to attend because he recognised that the title of the ‘event wasn’t a neutral statement politically.’
How the Taoiseach Micheál Martin or Tánaiste Leo Varadkar – both leaders of Fianna Fail/Fine Gael – or as some say ‘two heads of the one snake’ could not see this is beyond me, and disrespected the office of An Uachtarain by attending.
The sermon was delivered by Dr Sahr Yambasu, who is originally from Sierra Leone, representing the United Methodist and Presbyterian churches.
I’d imagine that coming from Sierra Leone he would be well aware of the atrocities carried out by British soldiers in his homeland before they gained independence from Britain in 1961.
The fact that the Catholic church was involved as cheerleaders was rather strange, but at least Bishop Eamon Martin, who grew up in Derry, said that the partition of Ireland institutionalised difference and remains a symbol of cultural, political and religious division between our communities.
What were Commonwealth Coveney and Union Jack Chambers, as representatives of the government, thinking when they were taking part in this charade that was adding legitimacy to partition, with Boris Johnson smiling at how softly and efficiently his coup d’etat took place?
As usual the excuses were flying with FF’s Jim O’Callaghan saying that Jack Chambers was only there as a government representative, not on FF’s behalf. What exactly is he trying to say, is FF not in government? Make of that what you may, but it’s the usual tactic of FF trying to ride two horses at the same time.
RTÉ did their bit for partition as well, by glorifying the sectarian break-up of the country 100 years ago. Is it any wonder that FF/FG are going down in the polls while Sinn Fein are going up?
James Woods,
Gort an Choirce, Dún na nGall.
TDs need to hear you
EDITOR – With Cop26 and the recent IPCC report loudly echoing the messages put out by climate scientists and climate activists over the years, it is imperative that the world leaders react to the climate crisis, not with greenwash and weasel words but with real, fair and urgent action.
On a local level, I encourage people to sign up to an online town hall meetings for the Cork constituencies arranged by One Future Cork to enable discussion between TDs and their constituents on fair and effective measures that can be put into place quickly to begin our journey to a zero carbon society.
It is not all doom and gloom. Collaboration and positivity are crucial in managing this crisis on all levels, personal to governmental.
Taking up the Agenda 21 ‘think globally, act locally’ theme, what we do here in Ireland, or even West Cork, may seem small but it is an essential part of the global effort to reduce greenhouse gasses.
Please join the discussion – you need to be heard.
The online Cork SW meeting with Holly Cairns SD, Christopher O’Sullivan FF and Michael Collins Ind is on Monday November 15th at 7.30pm.
You can email [email protected] for the Eventbrite link.
Sekeeta Crowley,
Knockanoulty, Baltimore.
Line up at Lough Hyne
EDITOR – I noted recent articles in your paper on the resurfacing and re-lining of the road at Lough Hyne near Skibbereen.
As a regular user of this fantastic natural facility, can I make some observations? Firstly, several weeks on from the Council saying road markings would return, there is no sign of them. Also, the sleepers installed to mark the road edgings are sticking out at angles quite a lot – and could cause some obstacles to drivers attempting to park alongside them.
Thirdly, the pull-in areas along the main route to the pier have been nicely cleared but alas, without any yellow lines, they have now become regular parking spots for cars, thus, on busy days, causing the traffic chaos which these areas are meant to relieve. Is it possible the Council could mark these pull-in areas with double yellow lines, even if other road markings are not planned?
With Cop26 telling us that warmer summers are coming, the area is bound to become even more busy, so getting these areas marked well in advance of summer 2022 could get the regular users accustomed to not seeing these as handy parking spaces.
This might seem trivial to some, in the general scheme of what is happening in our world, but if there is an injury or more serious incident at the lake, emergency vehicle access will be necessary and the recent changes there may cause more problems than they were meant to solve.
Sue Crowe,
Ballincollig.
Knowing your rights
EDITOR – Christmas is fast approaching. Most purchases of goods and services go smoothly, but what happens when things go wrong. When you buy a product or a service you have a number of rights under Irish and EU legislation. These laws give you strong rights when you buy in a shop or online, make sure you get enough information to make a buying decision based on facts and make sure there are redress options available to you if things go wrong. By law, sellers or suppliers (known as ‘traders’) must treat you fairly, for example, by making sure products and services are safe and of a high standard.
For anyone needing information, advice or with an issue, you can call Citizens Information in West Cork on 0761 07 8390, who will be happy to assist. The offices are staffed from Monday to Thursday from 10am to 5pm, and 10am to 4pm on Friday, or email on [email protected] or see.citizensinformation.ie.
Anne O’Donovan,
South Munster Citizens Information Service, Bantry.
