Prosecute Lowry, O'Brien & Dunne!

Dail Éireann (Irish parliament) should ask for criminal proceedings to be brought against Michael Lowry, Denis O'Brien and Ben Dunne for corrupting the Irish political system & undermining democracy in this republic.
Fair play for Judge Moriarity for saying in plain English how Lowry and O'Brien used money to feather their own nests.
But if legislative action is not taken against these men, the taxpayers funding of the decade-old Moriarty Tribunal & its findings was and is a waste of time.

When the 'Bloody Sunday Tribunal' issued its findings, Prime Minister David Cameron made a statement to the British Parliament and apologised for the wrongs of the British Army. Taoiseach Enda Kenny should do likewise and issue a public statement in the Dail within the next few days & apologises for the damage done to Irish democracy by self-serving greedy politicians in Fianna Fail, Fine Gael & other parties who took monies from wealthy business men in return for land re-zoning, issuing of state contracts etc. These parasites need to be kick out of politics and put in jail. Plus there needs to be immediate legislation brought in to ban political donations from businesses, which has contaminated Irish politics since the 1960s when Charles Haughey set up the old boys network known as 'Taca' to fund raise for Fianna Fail.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0322/breaking17.html

St. Patrick & St. Patrick's Day - Not Irish After All!!

Great swathes of the world turn green on March 17th as people anywhere that have some ancestral roots to theEmerald Isle nosily celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the great festival of the Irish.

Yet, as with St. Patrick himself, so many of the traditions associated with our national holiday owe their existence to people and places far beyond our green shamrock shores.

Click here to find out more about this startling revelation from one of my previous and hopefully very interesting articles!

For instance....

Famous Ballad 'Dirty Old Town' - Not an Irish Song!

Dirty Old Town is a song synonymous with Irish Pub Ballads, with most people believing that its title refers to Dublin.

Actually, it was written by Ewan MacColl, an Englishman of Scottish ancestry, about the grimy old industrial town of Salford near Manchester!

Click here to hear Pogues' brilliant version of Dirty Old Town.

Ireland's Forty Shades of Green - Invented by an American Rock 'n' Roller!

Forty Shades of Green has all the hallmarks of a story penned by an Irish emigrant fondly reminiscing about memories of the lover, the landscapes and the people that he left behind in rural Ireland.
In fact it was written by the Man in Black- Johnny Cash, the legendary American Rock 'n' Roll & Country star.
Every line in the song feels like part of an authentic television documentary on Ireland.Who cares if it is sentimental. As an emigrant myself in times gone past, I can empathise with the feelings expressed.

Click here to hear a fine version song by his daughter Rosanne Cash

O No!! Irish Political Parties are already back to their old tricks!

1. An international independent review of the Dept of Finance, that showed successive governments ignored the warnings of officials that tax cuts fueling the property boom was endangering the economy, was only published after the general election even though it was presented to the Minister of Finance Brian Lenihan in early December!
This was blatant deception by the government parties designed to hide the truth from the Irish people until after they had voted.

2. Then we find out a few days ago that the bankrupt Bank of Ireland lied to the Dáil Éireann (parliament) when it said no bonuses were being paid to management. In fact since it was bailed out by the Irish taxpayer in late 2008, it has handed out bonuses worth over 66million euros to senior staff! Will anyone be sacked?

Gilmore, Kenny nor Martin sadly have not demanded such action.

Give the Seanad Over to Independents & Community Campaigners!3. Only hours after the election count is completed, the political parties are back to their old failed ways by displaying an unbelievable arrogance & disrespect to the electorate.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen, leader of a FIanna Fáil/Green government that sold our country into bondage to the pay for the gambling of property speculators/bankers & were decimated at the ballot box, in his last hours in office appoints to the Seanad (Senate) a politician (Darragh O'Brien) who was kicked out of office by his constituents only days ago.
The public institution of the 'Seanad' has for decades been brought into complete disrepute by the political parties (Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour & Green Party), with all but the 6 university seats being filled by party political appointees who were largely 'yes-men' & ineffective. It was only the few brave outspoken 'independent' Senators such as Shane Ross & David Norris

that will be remembered for their deeds and words.

Fine Gael says the Seanad should be abolished and will organise a referendum on the issue. But in the meantime, they & the other parties are once again doling out overpaid Senatorships to members of their parties.The Seanad in possibly its last few years in existence should be given over completely to independents such as David McWilliams, Fintan O'Toole & community campaigners with no members of the political parties being allowed to sit in its chambers. After all the parties have Dáil Éireann. Why do they need a second chamber!?

Finally, I am wondering if I made a mistake last week.
As with hundreds of thousands of other citizens, I am angered at the way the political system has failed our country and condemned so many to poverty and emigration. So I thought seriously in the last few days of entering the university Senate elections in the hope that, if I won, I could contribute in some small but meaningful towards securing a more equitable, just and sustainable future for Ireland. But in the end I decided against it as I feel that my present science and technology work combined with my community volunteerism could achieve more.
Hopefully I made the right decision though I feel at present like I chickened out & failed to answer my country's call.