Galway Advertiser 2001/2001_09_06/GA_06092001_E1_022.pdf 

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Comment & Letters
Bringing the Liam McCarthy C u p back to Galway
There is nothing quite like the atmosphere at an All-Ireland final. On these occasions, it's as if the entire country collectively sways towards Croke Park, while the inhabitants of the competing counties up stakes and off to Dublin for the duration, travelling by car, bus, trains - We even know of one gentlemen who was helicoptered to the stadium when it looked as if he might miss the start of the match. The Galway colours of maroon and white will be waved at Tipperary's blue and yellow like tribal banners, and we are confi dent that - never mind the match - the voices of Galway men and women roaring out The Fields of Athenry will be more than a match for anything Tipperary can come up with. Ah, but the match is the thing to catch the spirits of us all on Sunday. That's what the day is all about. Expectations will be running high for both Galway and Tipperary, with the prize of the Liam McCarthy Cup to make it all worth while. So, to those travelling up for the final, take care how you go, because the roads will be packed, going and coming. And keep up the traditional high standards of fan behaviour which are so much a part of the ethos of the GAA. And all that remains for us to say is, May the best side win - and we all know who that is, don't we?



N o such thing as a 'bogus a s y l u m seeker*
Dear Editor, I was quite shocked by the tone and misrepresentation of facts in the two letters in last week's Advertiser. First of all, there is no such thing as a 'bogus asylum seeker'. Anybody - you, me, the Pope, God - can apply for asylum in a different country, thereby becom ing an asylum seeker. They may be refused but that does not make them 'bogus asylum seekers'. Calling them that just panders to the idea that 'bogus' equals bad & criminal. Secondly, I don't understand why peo ple consider asylum seekers coming here for economic reasons to be less entitled to a 'new life', as surely all of us want to ensure that our families have a secure future. Unfortunately, under current government law, asylum seekers are not allowed to work, no matter how long their application takes. As your 'Not so hopeful' pointed out, the Irish in the USA had to work very hard illegally as they weren't enti tled to any social welfare. It so hap pens that most Irish in the USA were white and therefore less likely to be checked out by the police. A Black per son working in Ireland without having their papers in order (ie, his residency or refugee status) is asking for trouble. Thirdly, what is the big deal now with more immigration? As long as immi gration tended to be white, almost nobody ever said anything. And Europeans have settled in every corner of the world, though that is seen as being a 'natural expansion'. Most refugees actually stay in a neighbour ing country. If Pakistan (which is ranked 139 in terms of the Human Development Index) can afford to look after 1.2 million Afghan refugees, then why can Ireland (ranked 17 in 1996) not look after 11,000 asylum seekers (or indeed 46,200 immigrants - includ ing 18,200 Irish returnees & 12,800 from the European Union - coming into the country in the year 2000 [see Irish Times, August 30, 2001])? It is the 20 poorest nations with a per capita income of no more than $700 who host the highest proportion of refugees. Ireland's GNP in 1996 was $17,110. Besides, as long as injustice (including economic injustice) exists, people will have to move. If Irish people really are concerned about the plight of refugees and the struggle of all humanity, they should question their own privileges and benefits derived from the 'Third World'; they should pressure the Irish Government to campaign towards changing global trade structures and debt cancellation. Considering that the World Conference against Racism is currently taking place in South Africa, we should also throw our weight behind a global campaign for repara tions. I could go on with a few other factual misrepresentations from Mr Walsh and 'Not so hopeful', but I would like to finish by saying that we need to look at problems in this country (both factual and imaginary ones) before blaming the refugees for them. Irish culture and identity is changing for "a society that is static will die" and no amount of scaremongering will alter that. Yours sincerely Heike Vornhagen Co-ordinator Galway One World Centre Top Floor, The Halls, Quay Street, Galway, Ireland.

S u f f e r i n g little c h i l d r e n
Let us, for there are those who would wilfully misunderstand us, first of all condemn unequivocally the ugly sectarianism of the Protestant mob who have taken it upon them selves to strike a blow for Ulster by spitting, hurling abuse, and threatening the lives of the terrified young girls who this week had their first day at Holy Cross Primary School for ever blighted by the loud-mouthed sectarian bigots who live in the Protestant Ardoyne district of North Belfast. Nothing - and let us repeat it - nothing can justify the barbaric and ugly behaviour of the mob which decided to assert its loyalist credentials by frighten ing small children. The girls and their parents were showered with stones and abuse. And how many of those who saw the tiny, vulnerable figures clutching onto their mothers as they walked home through a cordon of police and soldiers, could feel anything but contempt for the bullies whose voices could be heard heaping foul curses on their heads as they made their way home? Many of the girls went home in tears. Said one of the pupils, Erin Keenan, seven years old, "It was so scary yesterday. I cried in school, and I cried all last night, so Mummy said, 'Erin, you're staying home for a while'." For 30 years, the Holy Cross girls have passed along Ardoyne Avenue in their uniforms with no trouble. But problems broke out on the street in the final days of school last June. Protestants were angry because a tricolour flag of the Irish Republic, a Catholic territorial symbol, was hung on one of the Protestant-occupied blocks. Attacks and counterattacks went on all summer: what is happening now was predictable. On Wednesday morning, a bomb injured a police officer guarding the entrance to Holy Cross, causing further terror to the young children and their parents. The Royal Ulster Constabulary, which has conducted itself very well so far, said 41 officers and two soldiers were injured by rioters in the 24 hours ending a Sam Wednesday, and that more than 250 gas bombs, nail bombs and homemade grenades had been detonated. This is our area and they've been attacking it all summer," said a Protestant demonstrator who identified herself as Marie. "There are other ways the Papists can walk to school.' However, newspapers of every political stripe and members of the Protestant clergy have denounced the local residents and demanded they let the girls walk peacefully down Ardoyne Avenue, the direct and traditional route to Holy Cross. The response of the Protestant political leadership has been disappointing. David Trimble former first minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly, was less than forthright in his cautious statement, merely saying that the situation was "appalling" He did not, however, call on the local Protestants to stop harassing the schoolgirls.As for North Belfast's representative in the British parliament, Nigel Dodds of the DUP, his comment was risible; he said the police, not the protesters, were to blame. "If we didn't have this excessive security presence, I'm sure the girls could walk safely to school." This is the kind of breathtakingly ignorant statement that has contributed to the breakdown in communication between the two communities. Yet, if the loyalist demonstrations are altogether contemptible, it is also true that at least some of the parents of the Holy Cross children have - putting it as mildly as we can - involved their young children in a situation where their safety has been put into serious jeopardy in order to make a political point. Of course it is unacceptable that young girls should be prevented from making their way to school, even if their route takes them through a Protestant neighbourhood But it is also surely bordering on the irresponsible for parents, however strong their political convictions, to force their children to run the gauntlet of hate and physical abuse on a point of principle. At an emergency meeting Monday evening, the head of the Passionist order, Fr Aidan Troy urged Catholic parents to lead their children on the alternative, back-door route to the school, at least temporarily. And since Monday it would seem that many parents have done just that. Fr Troy remarked that "I suggested we turn the other cheek, but it was evident that many parents didn't agree with me." Can anyone seriously doubt that where there is political capital to be made out of the current situation by Sinn Fein and the IRA the opportunity will not be taken? The Protestant residents of Glenbryn have endured repeated attacks by Republicans since the marching season, and con siderable pressure and intimidation has been used to 'encourage' the small enclave Protestants to leave what is a predominantly Catholic area. On Tuesday, a local Protestant teenager who was allegedly throwing stones into the nearby Catholic estate, was run down and killed. With so much bad feeling between the communities, is the pursuit of a principle to take precedence over the safety of small children? We repeat: the behaviour of the loyalist mob is nothing less than despicable. But the world has witnessed its appalling bigotry. Prudence would suggest that now it is time to think about the children, whose lives are of more importance than any principle, however fiercely believed. GALWAY ADVERTISER 41-42 Eyre Square, Galway. Telephone 091 - 567077 Fax (General) 091 567079 ISDN 507170 Fax: (Advertising) 091 - 567150. Fax: (Newsdesk) 091 - 565627 Internet Address: http://wvrw.galwayadvertiser.ie email: sales@galwayadvertiser.ie news@galwayadvertiser.ie production @ gal way advert iser.ie classified @ gal way ad vert ise r. if

Ireland's thick blanket of litter
Dear Editor, I spent two weeks in Ireland at the start of June. One week was spent in Galway and Clare. My previous visit to this area was in September 2000, when I found Galway city and Clare county seriously littered, and in some scenic areas, downright disgusting. I had hoped that this time around, given all the talk in Ireland about the need to create a litter free country with an international 'green image', that things would have changed for the better. I found no change. In reality, I found the state of Galway city in particular to be worse than I found it last year. Almost every city building, and their basement areas, appeared to be used by the public as their personal rubbish dump. The situation in Galway's coun tryside was little better. Salthill was lit tered with all kinds of rubbish, throwaway and domestic. After several days, I gave up taking woodland and forest walks, as everywhere I went, we were confronted by what can only be described as a blanket of litter. I travelled to Ireland on a flight with 150 others and 90 pc of the holidaymakers on the flight between Munich and Dublin were Germans on their first visit to Ireland. Two subjects dominat ed their conversation on the return flight. Their first gripe was the lack of a cordial service in smoke filled pubs and restaurants. But by far the greatest tongue lashing Ireland received from visiting Germans was an almost total disbelief in how any society, with any degree of pride in their country and culture, could turn a truly beautiful island into little short of an open rubbish skip. I share their views. Overseas visitors to Ireland seldom complain. Their protest is silent and effective. If they do not like what they see, they do not return, and through word of mouth, also advise family and friends to do likewise. I notice that Irish economists are blam ing foot and mouth for the downturn in tourism. Ireland's real enemy is not foot and mouth, but the wholesome neglect of its environment. Inviting overseas tourists to Ireland should be akin to inviting a special guest to one's house. Would one invite a guest to a house which was a veritable eyesore. I think not. But this is what Ireland is doing. Maurice O' Brien, Munich, Germany Muiris@gmx.de

All-Ireland wins
Dear Editor, Congratulations to Galway Hurling and Football Teams on both their great wins, especially the footballers who coura geously came from behind to turn almost defeat into a stun ning victory. Well done to all concerned in both great achievements. I wish the teams every success. Cork got the back to back in 1990, so maybe 2001 could be the year for Galway! Sincerely yours, Jim O'Sullivan Newtown, Bantry, Co Cork.

THIS WEEK.

L t r t t e E io: ees o h d r t
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