A Promising Future

GAY PRIDE PARADE DUBLIN 2017

Something in the air perhaps, certainly there has been a flow of positivity in the airwaves today, a refreshing surge of inspiration has been delivered to us by three men. Three men of independent thought and belief, each encouraging us to stand up and help to make necessary changes to our world for the right reasons.

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the Dublin Pride Parade today, said 

“ I pledge as Taoiseach to use my office, for as long as I hold it, to advance the cause of LGBT rights, to press for marriage equality across Ireland, to speak up for LGBT rights around the world where they are under attack, and to push for the implementation of the sexual health strategy here at home at a time when it is more important than ever.”

He continued, "So, I don’t really ask anyone to celebrate the fact that we have a Taoiseach who is a gay man. But rather we should celebrate the fact that we live in a free country, in a democracy where we have a Taoiseach who happens to be gay.”

- We are able to support or criticise him, based on our own beliefs and principles which, to me, is true freedom.

www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/taoiseach-promises-to-speak-up-for-lgbt-rights-around-the-world-at-dublin-pride-parade-794967.html

President of Sinn Féin Gerry Adams

Gerry Adams in Belfast, at a Sinn Féin conference, predicted a successful vote to end partition could come within a "few short years".

"We need a new approach, one which unlocks unionist opposition to a new Ireland by reminding them of their historic place here and of the positive contribution they have made to society on this island. 

Instead of concentrating on the negative aspects of our four centuries of shared history I suggest that we embrace the areas of agreement and of co-operation; of good neighbourliness and the common good. A truly united Ireland will emerge from the reconciliation of the people of this island based on equality."

www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/gerry-adams-we-need-new-approach-to-convince-unionists-about-united-ireland-794972.html

In England Jeremy Corbyn on The Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Music Festival gave his audience wise words.

After all of the recent gloom and despair that has rocked the people of theses islands it is good to end the week with hope.

No Apologies

Grenfill Tower

Conservative corporate criminals 

Patently corrupt all human law

avoided fire recommendations

Cared nothing for Safety

other than a rich salary

or a knighthood, perhaps ?

It was avoidable you know 

those tides of hot dense smoke

flamed a flow of terrible anguish

ceasing as cindered corpses

or as unrecognisable dust.

All of those deaths unnecessary. 

Survivors at your feet mrs may

only wanted words of remorse

care, respect and tenderness.

Your burden. Tory truth prevented

Killed immediate contact silenced

your poisonous tongue. dead.

We know now what was hidden…

Decision to avoid action. 

Take a risk, Save a few pound.

2009 to 2017 was it worthwhile mrs may ?

Not your life gone up in smoke

and none of them your relations.

Callous Conservatives caused

Grenfill Tower deaths.

©MRL 2017

Extract from Irish Examiner 19th June 2017

Ministers in the UK were repeatedly warned that fire regulations were not keeping people safe, the BBC says leaked letters reveal.

The broadcaster said letters show ministers were warned that people living in high rise blocks like Grenfell Tower were "at risk".

The dozen letters, sent by the All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group in the aftermath of a 2009 fatal fire in Lakanal House, south London, warned the British Government "could not afford to wait for another tragedy", according to Panorama.

The parliamentary group wrote in March 2014: "Surely ... when you already have credible evidence to justify updating ... the guidance ... which will lead to saving of lives, you don't need to wait another three years in addition to the two already spent since the research findings were updated, in order to take action?

"As there are estimated to be another 4,000 older tower blocks in the UK, without automatic sprinkler protection, can we really afford to wait for another tragedy to occur before we amend this weakness?"

After further correspondence, then government minister Liberal Democrat Stephen Williams, replied: "I have neither seen nor heard anything that would suggest that consideration of these specific potential changes is urgent and I am not willing to disrupt the work of this department by asking that these matters are brought forward."

The group replied: "We're at a loss to understand, how you had concluded that credible and independent evidence which had life safety implications, was NOT considered to be urgent.

"As a consequence the group wishes to point out to you that should a major fire tragedy, with loss of life, occur between now and 2017, in for example, a residential care facility or a purpose built block of flats, where the matters which had been raised here, were found to be contributory to the outcome, then the group would be bound to bring this to others' attention."

Former cabinet minister Eric Pickles received a letter about fire regulations from the parliamentary group in February 2014, according to the BBC.

In December 2015, the all-party group wrote to the former Conservative minister James Wharton, and warned about the risk of fires spreading on the outside of buildings with cladding.

"Today's buildings have a much higher content of readily-available combustible material. Examples are timber and polystyrene mixes in structure, cladding and insulation.

"This fire hazard results in many fires because adequate recommendations to developers simply do not exist. There is little or no requirement to mitigate external fire spread."

"This fire hazard results in many fires because adequate recommendations to developers simply do not exist. There is little or no requirement to mitigate external fire spread."

Former Conservative minister Gavin Barwell, who was recently appointed British Prime Minister Theresa May's chief of staff, received further calls for action in September last year.

In November 2016 Mr Barwell replied to say his department had been looking at the regulations, and would make a statement "in due course".

In April 2017 Mr Barwell wrote to say he did "acknowledge that producing a statement on building regulations has taken longer than I had envisaged", 

SLUGS FOR SUPPER

Our supper this evening contained, in amongst the crispy green salad leaves, that not so rare a specimen known as  Arion distinctus Eire or the Irish green slug and yet when treated with the culinary skills that

the dearly loved Mrs H possesses, are also known as Dolmades. 

There were as you can see five of them on my plate, wrapped in giant Irish shamrock leaves, which were grown in our own garden. They were then cooked and pickled gently in white Guinness for seventy two hours, drained and finally stored in a cool place for four weeks ‘till matured.

The Arion distinctus Eire were utterly delicious, very filling as you can no doubt imagine and put the rest of the meal’s ingredients as nice as they were, in the shade.
Mrs H’s skills as a dedicated nocturnal Slug hunter are renowned for miles around. Neighbours have been known to drive to our boundaries with their night glasses and notebooks following her at a safe distance as she makes her selection from a large herd of well fed slithering Irish slugs.

A Slug Supper

And so I wish you bon appétit!

For further information and recipes -
http://www.eattheweeds.com/are-slugs-edible-what-about-snails-2/

IRELAND'S LITTLE PEOPLE

Going through some of unpublished photo’s that I took at the Woodfield Market last month. I came across one of them which gave me confirmation of what I have always thought and could never prove.‘The Little People’[Fairies] always wear the costumes of the present time and because they do so, they are rarely seen today.

Can you spot him ?

Look to where the arrow is pointing

I have been spending a lot of time in recent days studying media reports, from various sources, on what is happening with our nearest neighbours, those on the island that lies between Ireland and Europe.

10 reasons to be cheerful - Not

© The Times 2017

It seems to me that there is an antithesis in the association of Mrs May and the DUP because the accepted social rights of individuals within England, Wales and Scotland differ greatly from those of the DUP.

The D.U.P.

Led by Arlene Foster.

About the DUP

With a third of its members drawn from the late Rev Ian Paisley’s staunchly Protestant Free Presbyterian church, it is unsurprising that recent research found more than half of the Democratic Unionist party “would mind a lot” if a close relative married someone from a different christian sect.

THE LEADER OF DUP is Arlene Foster and their membership includes:

Ian Paisley Jr. who in 2005 described gay marriage as “immoral, offensive and obnoxious.”

Gregory Campbell, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, Nigel Dodds, Paul Girvan and

Emma Little-Pengelly. 

Little-Pengelly, the 38-year old MP for South Belfast, was endorsed last month by an organisation linked to the Ulster Defence Association, a loyalist paramilitary group. 

David Simpson, MP for Upper Bann since 2005, is strongly opposed to abortion. He has described pro-choice supporters as “anti-democratic, anti-libertarian and anti-human rights”.

Gavin Robinson, Jim Shannon, Gregory Campbell and 

Sammy Wilson, MP for East Antrim, a former lord mayor of Belfast who has said he thinks climate change is a con.

For more information https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/11/dup-whos-who-party-members-prop-up-tories-theresa-may

Personally I would be very loathe to even have a cup of tea with any of them and I do wonder if Mrs May has any understanding of what these people are like.

" For the freedom of this island our people died"

Recent additions to the Mountmellick Monument.

Lights and Names of Comrades

and more names of those who gave....

and hand crafted benches.

 made by a local craftsman.

We are fortunate to have statements from some of Mountmellick people who took an active part in the liberation of Ireland. One of those was the Adjutant of 4th Battalion, Laois Brigade James Ramsbottom, of O’Moore Street, Mountmellick, Co. Laois. 

His statement can be found here: http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/bmhsearch/search.jsp?querystr=Mountmellick

“On 23 April 1916, when the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood finalised arrangements for the Easter Rising, it integrated Cumann na mBan, along with the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army, into the 'Army of the Irish Republic'. Patrick Pearse was appointed overall Commandant-General and James Connolly Commandant- General of the Dublin Division.”

Wherever there was an IRA Battalion or an Active Service Unit [Flying Column] there was also a unit of the  Cumann na mBan [the women’s organisation] that did great work in providing support in the fight towards an independent Ireland.

“Looking through the records of this amazing period, one cannot help but be struck by the modernity of these women. For all their studied antiquarianism and the plundering of Ireland’s distant past for inspiration, they were very much of their own time. Many were highly educated, three out of the six women in the Second Dáil were graduates. They earned their own living, demanded equal pay and were independent minded, bold and confrontational. The women were prepared to defy convention and break rules. It was to warlike heroines such as Granuaile and Maeve rather than more conventionally ‘feminine’ women like Emer that they looked for role models.

According to IRA Commandant Michael Brennan, the flying columns would have collapsed without Cumann na mBan. “In despatch carrying, scouting and intelligence work, all of which are highly dangerous, they did far more than the soldiers . . . the more dangerous the work the more willing they were to do it.”

For more information see:https://archive.irishdemocrat.co.uk/features/cumann-na-mban/