Irish Echo March 2019

CELTIC TENORS

SHARON SHANNON

PAGE :: 4

INTERVIEW :: PAGE 3

Talented Trio Thrilled To Be Returning For National Tour

Ireland’s Most Popular Trad Musician Back In Australia

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AUST RALI A’ S I RI S H N E WS PA P E R March, 2019 | Volume 32 – Number 2

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Cross-coders Making Their Mark In Footy GIANTS TO CELEBRATE IRISH PLAYERS WITH ST PATRICK’S WEEKEND FIXTURE :: PAGE 20

Yvonne Bonner in action for the GWS Giants.

MAYO BACKPACKER AMY GILL ARRIVED IN AUSTRALIA IN JANUARY 14. THREE WEEKS LATER SHE WAS DEAD

AMY Gill (23) from Coolaught, Co Mayo arrived in Australia on January 14. On February 6, she was a back seat passenger in a car with four occupants that collided with another vehicle in the small town of Euston near the New South Wales/Victoria border.

Ms Gill and her friends were on their way to work on a farm when the accident took place. Ms Gill and another backseat passenger lost their lives. Her friend Catherine Langan from Bohola, Co Mayo was injured in the crash and is expected to make a full recovery, the

Mayo News reports. The tragedy led to a massive online fundraising campaign to cover repatriation expenses for Ms Gill’s remains. Her funeral took place earlier this week in Mayo.

See also Page 7

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EW S PAPER

irish australia SHARON SHANNON’S REMARKABLE TALENTS KEEP DRAWING AUDIENCES AROUND THE GLOBE

From Clare to here, trad icon returns to Australia David Hennessy talks to the superstar accordion player Sharon Shannon before her tour of Australia. She chats about how donated organs saved her partner’s life; playing with Ireland rugby star Rob Henshaw and how Ed Sheeran’s song gave the original Galway Girl another lease of life.

“WE always love going to Australia. We always have a good time and we love the bit of sunshine,” Sharon Shannon tells The Irish Echo with a laugh. Although it is not snowing where she is, it is freezing and some parts of Ireland do have snow.

Shannon has been at the forefront of Irish music for 30 years and has played and performed with everyone from The Waterboys to Bono. She featured not only on Steve Earle’s original Galway Girl but also on Mundy’s phenomenally popular cover.

“We’re really looking forward to the festivals in particular: Port Fairy and WOMADelaide,” she says.

“The festivals are great. There’s a great atmosphere and we love meeting all the other musicians and we usually end up having a few little sessions as well.”

While The Irish Echo finds Shannon in her usual jovial and friendly form, it was only last year when her partner’s life was saved in the nick of time by a liver transplant. Shannon shared harrowing pictures of Jimmy Healy on social media when he was seriously ill to spread the message about the importance of organ donation.

“It’s so easy. You can get an organ donor card at any pharmacy in Ireland.

I presume they’re easy enough to get in Australia too.

“We can’t bring them [organs] with us when we die and each organ donor has the potential to save five lives. It’s a brilliant thing to be able to leave behind because they’re no good to us in the grave rotting away.

“My partner Jimmy and myself found out that the liver that Jimmy got was belonging to a young girl, a 19-year-old

from Mayo called Orla, and we got to meet her mother and her auntie and it was just an amazing experience. She was killled in a car crash. She probably saved five lives as well.

“They were so so happy to meet Jimmy. It was so amazing for them and it’s such a big deal for the family that are left behind, the fact that these organs are still living. It’s just an amazing thing. It probably brings comfort to some people. It brought great comfort to Orla’s family to know that Orla was able to give life to someone else. Jimmy is just absolutely eternally grateful for it and he thinks about poor, tragic Orla every day and he goes to visit her grave up in Mayo and everything. It means an awful lot to him.”

Shannon, 50, has collaborated with many of the world’s most famous musicians but she recently found herself jamming with an Irish rugby star. Robbie Henshaw’s family is steeped in music and when they wanted to record a charity album for a worthy cause, the Leinster centre joined Shannon on accordion duties.

“We recorded the whole thing in one day so it’s a live album, really, except we recorded live in the studio. It wasn’t live in front of an audience. We did it to raise funds for the South Westmeath Hospice,” Shannon explains.

“We have a mutual friend called Ted Quinn and his wife Ann died of cancer about two years ago now. Ted is a very good friend of mine and Ann was a very good friend of mine as well and they were also really close with the Henshaw family. Ted and the Henshaws decided they were going to do a CD to raise money for the hospice.

“The hospice needs the money so badly. They get a small bit of state funding but not nearly enough and they’re very reliant on donations and help from ordinary people. That was the idea, to do an album that would raise funds for the hospice. They asked me to guest, which I did, and that was how I met the Henshaws and we had a great time doing it. The CD is doing really well and we’re delighted with it.”

SQUEEZEBOX SENSATION: Sharon Shannon is back in Australia for a series of gigs and festival appearances.

The experience has drawn the musician towards the ‘game they play in heaven’ but, she admits, she knows little about the code.

“I wasn’t into the rugby at all beforehand but of course I had heard of Robbie alright. The first time I ever watched rugby was when Ireland played against the All Blacks and won. IUt was a good one to start off with!”

On this tour, Shannon will be joined by special guest Susan O’Neill, aka SON, who, like Shannon, is from Clare.

Known for her husky and soulful vocals, O’Neill features on Shanon’s new single The Machine, on the album Sacred Earth.

Just last year, O’Neill toured with Áine Tyrrell for a show entitled From Clare to Here.

“I think she’s making a bit of a name for herself already in Australia, isn’t she? She has an absolutely amazing, beautiful voice,” Shannon says.

It is nearly 20 years since Steve Earle and Shannon recorded Galway Girl. Does it ever get tiresome?

“No. We do Galway Girl at all my gigs and I love doing it because people love it. We love it and what makes the audience happy makes us happy.”

What did she think of Ed Sheeran making a song of the same name?

“I thought it was great, delighted because it’s brilliant for Galway for starters. It put Galway on the world map and so did Steve Earle’s song. But Ed Sheeran is so popular all over the world. At all his Irish gigs he did the Steve Earle Galway Girl before he did

his own one, a snippet of it: absolutely fantastic. Everything rose up for me [with that song]. I was suddenly doing bigger gigs and so was Mundy. It was brilliant for us. Even now at my gigs some people come not because they like Irish music, all they want is to hear Galway Girl. It’s great to introduce new people to what we do thanks to Galway Girl, so many people have discovered Irish music because of it.

“It makes everybody happy including ourselves so I will never complain about that and never get sick of it.”

Sharon Shannon plays the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta with Susan O’Neill on Sunday, March 3.

IRISH FAMILY STUNNED AFTER ACCUSED MAN WALKS FREE OVER STABBING DEATH

Heartbroken over verdict THE family of a Corkman man who died after a fight in Western Australia just before Christmas 2017 says their lives have changed forever and they will be forever heartbroken.

Last week, fisherman Andrew Doan (35) was found not guilty of the murder of Charlie McCarthy (32). A manslaughter charge was also dismissed.

Mr McCarthy’s brother, Daniel, and twin sisters Sinead and Siobhan travelled to Per th for the trial at the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

The family did not comment immediately after the verdict but issued a statement later, via a solicitor in Cork.

“The McCarthy family’s lives have been torn apart since the horrific death of Charlie on December 23rd 2017,” the statement said.

“Charlie was one of seven children to Margaret and Charles McCarthy.

Charlie was a ver y hardworking, gentle, fun-loving, even-tempered and a real family man. He lived for his family, both in Ireland and Australia.

“He was very close with his entire family and would ring his mother on

a daily basis. He was a very keen GAA follower especially of his beloved Aghada GAA Club. He had a special interest in his twin sister’s football matches and would contact regularly for updates. On the unfortunate night of the 23rd of December 2017 Charlie was on a very rare night out with his wife, Nicole, which resulted in him being the victim of a fatal stabbing.

“Charlie has left behind two beautiful children, a wonderful wife, mother, father and six siblings.”

There were gasps and tears when the verdict was handed down.

Walking free outside cour t, the father-of-one described the past 13-and-a-half months in custody as a “crazy rollercoaster”.

He wept as he said it was good to be back with family and friends.

The trial heard how Doan had been fishing with his friend Tien Vu Huynh in East Fremantle in the early hours of December 23, 2017 when Mr McCarthy, his wife Nicole and friend Jason Mikel Curran walked by.

Mr Doan said that when the men saw him and Mr Huynh emerging

Charles McCarthy

from the water, they asked: “Have you caught much?” He had replied “not much” and they shot back “Bit of s*** luck”, Mr Doan told the court. Their next comment, along the lines of “Fisheries are going to come and get you”, upset him and Mr Huynh, both of whom are Asian, because they interpreted the comment as racist.

Prosecutor James Mactaggart told the jury it was a “smart-arse, throwaway” comment. Mr Doan said the remark was racist because there was a stereotype “that all Asians catch

undersize fish”. The trio walked off but Mr Doan pursued them and a verbal argument erupted. Mr Doan said his anger soon gave way to feeling vulnerable and outnumbered when Mr McCarthy walked back towards him with his fists clenched.

“It looked like he was coming into a demonic rage,” Mr Doan said.

He said he panicked, reached into his hoodie pocket, pulled out a screwdriver he had been carrying for crabbing and held it above his head, saying: “Get back or I’ll stab you.”

Mr Doan said that as he retreated to his car he scuffled with Mr Curran.

He said Mr McCarthy then charged and moved to punch him, ignoring his wife’s frantic pleas to stop, and impaled himself on the screwdriver that Mr Doan was still holding.

Mr Doan insisted he had closed his eyes, thrown his arms up to protect his face and forgot the tool was in his hand. When he opened his eyes, Mr McCarthy was on the ground.

He remained at the scene until emergency services arrived, telling police “it was me”.

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irish australia THE CELTIC TENORS RETURN TO AUSTRALIA IN MAY AND JUNE FOR A NATIONAL TOUR

Voice squad David Hennessy chats to Matthew Gilsenan of The Celtic Tenors about their upcoming tour of Australia, the emotional time he met one of his late grandfather’s football teammates and the time Bono asked the Celtic Tenors to sing at a party.

A L:ITTLE more than a year after their first extensive tour of Australia The Celtic Tenors are headed back down under.

The Celtic Tenors are one of Ireland’s most popular classical crossover acts. They have been performing together for almost two decades and have sold more than a million albums worldwide.

Australia is relatively new territory for the trio, although they have toured here with Celtic Woman. They are well established in the US and Canada.

“We’re a little bit late to the party [in Australia],” Matthew Gilsenan tells The Irish Echo. “We’ve been together as a group for 20 years but last year was the first time we did anything meaningful in Australia. We love it.

“There’s so many Irish, half the countr y lives in Australia at the moment. We can’t wait to get back.

Gilsenan acknowledges that the genre is crowded but points to the longevity of their success as validation of their appeal.

“There’s lots and lots of tenor groups out there and we’ve been around longer than any of them but we’ve kept the head down and kept it small. We didn’t have the resources to go as far as Australia early on.

“The fact that we managed to survive this long and still be productive is great. We’ve just finished our ninth studio album.”

The Celtic Tenors combine classical with pop and perform Irish classics but, as Gilsenan explains, the combination is unique.

“It’s not quite what it says on the tin.

We’re called the Celtic Tenors but about 10 years in we said, ‘We should have called ourselves something else’.

We don’t do too much of the tenoring.

Yes, we do Nessun Dorma and we do the big belter operatic things but only a bit. We’re very proud of our great Irish songwriters, from Declan O’Rourke to Phil Coulter, to Kodaline and the Script. A good song is a good song and that’s what we come to sing.”

On this tour they will perform The Irish Songbook that will include Song For Ireland, Danny Boy, You Raise Me Up and more favourites.

This is also very much the flavour of their forthcoming album: “It’s kind of the album we should have made the very first time out with songs like I’ll Tell Me Ma, Car rickfergus, The Parting Glass and The Rocky Road to Dublin. Many of these songs we’ve kind of avoided because everyone has done them and if we were going to be giving them a go at all, we would want to get fairly good at what we’re doing.

“I think 20 years in we’re beginning to feel almost like it’s a coming of age and have enough maturity to make musical calls.”

Gilsenan, from Meath, and James Nelson, from Sligo, have been members of The Celtic Tenors since the start. The third member, Daryl Simpson, from Omagh, replaced Niall Morris in 2006.

The Meathman believes the fact that they are not locked into one setlist keeps it interesting for them as performers and entertaining for their audiences.

“Because we haven’t written our own music so much, we tend to cycle through songs that we think are great songs. And the ones that are truly great songs are the ones that feel like we’re doing them for the first time every night and we still enjoy them,” he says.

“It’s a huge plus for us as performers. If you’re performing something that you’re sick of doing it’s going to come across. We never do anything we don’t like. That’s what surprises: the content of the show, the craic that we have. It’s a non-scripted show.

We’re kind of ordinary fellas.

“We’re not overly classical, we’re

IN FINE VOICE: Matthew Gilsenan, Daryl Simpson and James Nelson are The Celtic Tenors.

not overly Irishy, it’s just a good night of quality music. We don’t take ourselves serioiusly at all.”

Playing to expat audiences is always rewarding, Gilsenan says, and the degrees of separation with home are always few in number.

“An old man came to one of our shows a few years back,” he recalls.

“He said, ‘I noticed your name was Gilsenan. Did you ever hear of a man called Matt Gilsenan from Meath, the football player? That’s why I came, I recognised your name’. My grandfather was Matt Gilsenan. He was the captain of the Leinster football team in 1939 and they won the Railway Cup. He said, ‘I played with your grandfather in 1942’. And I said, ‘My God, that’s amazing’. He said, ‘Well, I left in 1945 and I never came home’.

“He wrote a little note to my

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grandfather who was the absolute definition of a hard man. But he was really, really gobsmacked when he got this. It’s quite emotional the stories that you come across, it’s unreal.”

What does Gilsenan consider the best compliment the group has been paid in 20 years?

“I remember we sang for Bill Clinton at an event in Dublin Castle. It was marking the fact that the Good Friday Agreement seemed to have stuck, so we were singing for Bill Clinton; Bertie Ahern was Taoiseach at the time, so he was there. Bono and Bob Geldof were there; President [Mar y] Robinson and all these people.

“Three days later, we get a phone call from Bono’s office to ask if we would sing at a private birthday party for him so he obviously thought our version of Danny Boy was good Breaching visa conditions can result in a new visa being refused or your current visa being cancelled. It’s worth noting that the compliance requirement does not apply to applications made from outside Australia.

A very careful check of your dates of employment against the dates of your visas is needed. If you are confident you have not breached the work limit condition a very detailed reply to DHA with all evidence of your employment may fix the problem.

If you find you have simply made a mistake on an application, you should write to DHA immediately to correct the information.

Consider asking a registered migration agent for help with your application. Find an agent at http:// mia.org.au/. Care should be taken with visa applications and requests for responses to ensure the information you give is accurate.

Immigration rules have a Public Interest Criterion (PIC) 4020. This allows Immigration to refuse a visa if they deem, they have been given a bogus document or information that is false or misleading. This PIC 4020 applies to any new visa application and any visa held in the previous 12 months.

If you are refused a visa on 4020 grounds, a three-year ban comes into effect.

enough. He asked us to sing five or six songs as a birthday gift for [the late Secretar y General of the United Nations] Kofi Annan’s wife. He was a lovely man and his wife was even nicer.”

Part of the fun of performing is to r econnect with audiences and, Gilsenan says the trio treat their fans as friends.

“Young pop groups have fans; we tend to treat them more like friends.

We don’t separate ourselves too much.

At the end of a show, we’re there signing CDs, shaking hands and saying hi and you end up knowing so many of them.”

The Celtic Tenors return to Australia in May and June for a national tour.

For more information, go to www.celtic-tenors.com

A U ST R A LI A’ S I R I SH N E WSPA P E R

Telephone: +61 2 9555 9199 Facsimile: +61 2 9555 9186 Postal Address: PO Box 256, Balmain, NSW 2041, Australia E-mail (Admin): mail@irishecho.com.au E-mail (Editorial): editor@irishecho.com.au Web: www.irishecho.com.au The Irish Echo is a national publication published monthly by The Irish Exile P/L Printed by Spot Press Distributed by Network Distribution Services

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irish australia :: st patrick’s day THE ROCKS TO PROVIDE PERFECT SETTING FOR SYDNEY CELEBRATIONS

ShamRocks set to go green THE Rocks area of Sydney will be the centrepiece of the city’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

The Saint Patrick’s Day Festival, with the theme Back to Our Roots, will kick off with a walking parade through the area on Sunday, March 17, reminiscent of the first Irish community parade.

The parade will kick off at 11am from First Fleet Park and will make its way through the historic area finishing at Dawes Park.

The parade will be family focused, an event spokeswoman, Mar y Doherty, said.

“Already applications have been coming in from local dancing schools, mothers groups and sporting clubs.

Groups or individuals who want to join the parade can still submit an application on the Sydney Saint Patrick’s Day Festival website,” she said.

The celebration will include a day-

long program of activities at Dawes Park starting at 11.30am.

“This year’s festival has something for everyone, young and not so young, Irish, non-Irish and those who just want to join in the craic,” Ms Doherty said. “As always music will be at the centre of the celebrations and this year’s line-up is fantastic.

“There will be live music from favourites such as Strawberries and Cabbage, Blackwater, Chris Harper and The Bottlers and plenty of up and coming acts in the form of buskers and street artists.

“The kids can enjoy dancing, Irish language sessions, cultural enter tainment acts, musical performances, prizes for best dressed, crafts, face painting, a tattoo artist, raffles and lots more.”

Approximately 50 Irish nationals will become citizens at a special citizenship ceremony on the day.

A large licensed bar and various

The Rocks area of Sydney will host the major community celebration.

stalls will offer everything from food and drinks, to crafts. The par ty extends from Dawes Park with the entire Rocks area transforming into an Irish village for the day. To add to the celebration, the sails of the Sydney Opera House will be illuminated in

green as part of Tourism Ireland’s Global Greening project.

“Now, would you get a better photo opportunity than that?,” Ms Doherty asked. “The Harbour Bridge, a green Opera House and a park full of people being happily Irish!”

The Mercantile Hotel, the iconic Irish pub in The Rocks, will be offering a full Irish breakfast from 7.30am on the day, plus live entertainment.

The Sydney Irish business community will celebrate St Patrick’s Day on Friday March 15.

More than 1,000 revellers are expected at the Lansdowne Club’s annual St Patrick’s Day Lunch at the International Convention Centre with special guest Heather Humphreys TD, Ireland’s Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Earlier in the day, the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce will host a St Patrick’s business breakfast at Doltone House at Hyde Park.

BRISBANE CELEBRATIONS

Paddyfest at Eagle Farm Racecourse in Brisbane will be a feature of Irish celebrations in the Queensland capital.

Brisbane St Patrick’s parade celebrates 30 years David Hennessy THE Irish will march through Brisbane city for the 30th time this year in a parade that begins and ends outside the Botanic Gardens.

The event attracted more than 30,000 onlookers last year as the city’s GAA teams, Irish groups and dancing academies presented their colourful floats or took part in walking groups.

The parade starts at 10.30am on Saturday March 16 but there will be stalls and entertainment both before the parade as people congregate and afterwards when everyone returns after the parade.

Saturday March 16 is also the date for Paddyfest at Eagle Farm Racecourse where the full day of entertainment will include indie rock four piece Kingswood; Brisbane-based Tullamore

Tree; Tartan Shamrock who go between traditional Irish and classic Aussie rock; singer-songwriter Shanon Watkins; City of Brisbane Pipe Band; Walker’s Irish Dancers and Leprechaun DJ. The programme will also include entertainment for kids of all ages, including a petting zoo, and at 7pm, the festival will wow with a big Irish-themed laser, lights and live DJ spectacular.

This epic show will be a huge hit with the kids so be sure to stick around for the show!

The build up to Brisbane’s St Patrick’s Day festivities begins well before the big weekend with the Brisbane Irish Festival Ball taking place at the Hilton Hotel in the city on March 9. Hosted by the Irish Australian Support Association of Queensland, this is a fundraising event for the association as well as a celebration.

Some lucky person will win $15,000 worth of gold bullion in the Luck of the Irish Art Union.

The Queensland Gaelic Football and Hurling Association hold its Family Fun Day on March 10 at Gaelic Park, Willawong. Admission is free for children and among the entertainment on offer will be novelty races, live Irish music, Queensland Irish Association Pipe Band, Irish dancing, Gaelic sports exhibitions, tug-o-war as well as a licensed bar and food available all day.

The Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce will hold its St Patrick’s corporate lunch at the Sky Room on March 15 from 12pm.

Hosted by well-known Brisbane journalist and Walkley Award winner, Patrick Condren, Dublin comedian Ian Coppinger will provide the laughs.

Anyone who wants to see some elite

Irish dancing accompanied by ballads can seek out the touring Heart of Ireland show which plays Nambour on March 15, The Star on the Gold Coast on St, Patricks’ eve, March 16 and Chermside in Brisbane on St. Patrick’s Day itself. Choreographed by a two time world champion dancer, every member of the Heart of Ireland troupe is a world championship finalist.

The city’s Irish pubs are also planning major celebartions.

Finn McCool’s Irish bar in Fortitude Valley takes over Brunswick Street Mall on St Patrick’s Day with an extended licensed area and live entertainment that includes Barley Shakes, The Gathering, The Munster Bucks, Queensland Irish Pipe Band, Limerick and Scoil Ard Rince Irish dancers.

There may also be no work on Monday, with a bar service until 5am!

MELBOURNE

Two major celebrations planned for Melbourne David Hennessy THERE are two major celebratory events taking place this St Patrick’s Day in Melbourne.

St Patrick’s Day Family Fun Day, hosted by Melbourne Irish Festival Committee, takes place at Edinburgh Gardens (Fitzroy North) between noon and 5pm. Described as Melbourne’s original Irish festival, this is a free event, supported by Yarra City Council.

The fun day boasts traditional and contemporary Irish music accompanied

by Irish dancers as well as activities for kids. Irish food will be served.

St Kilda has its own Irish St Patrick’s Day Festival. This event is the first of its kind in O’Donnell Gardens, St Kilda.

Kicking off at 2pm, the day will be brought to life with live cultural music, traditional Irish dancing, food and activities designed to give everyone a little taste of Ireland. This is an over 18s event but there is a free family festival earlier in the day, between 10am and 1pm.This is a non-ticketed event but tickets are required for the adult celebration.

The Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce is holding a number of events in Melbourne. The Friday before St. Patrick’s Day, the chamber hosts its annual St Patrick’s Day corporate lunch at Peninsular, Docklands. Starting at noon, this will be a chance to listen to some prominent speakers and do some networking at a waterfront location.

Also taking place on this day will be the chamber’s Brexit conference where visiting Irish Minister Damien English TD will be speaking.

The Irish Australian Support and Resource Bureau in Northcote is hosting a celebration on March 16. This will be a day cedlebrating Irish food, with free Sheridan’s Old Dubliner pork sausages from the BBQ. Craic agus ceol is also promised.

If your idea of a St Patrick’s Day celebration is to catch some of Ireland’s biggest musicians at the moment, you can see Kodaline who play Melbourne on St Patrick’s Day. Kodaline made their name with singalong hits like All I Want and High Hopes which came from their 2013 debut album In A Perfect World. This was followed by Coming Up for Air and then Politics of Living which have both further cemented them as one of Ireland’s best rock bands. Kodaline play 170 Russell on March 17.

Kodaline play Melbourne on St Patrick’s night, March 17.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EW S PAPER

irish australia FORMER SYDNEY ROSE OF TRALEE SPEAKS OUT AFTER BEING HARASSED ON A NIGHT OUT IN KILKENNY

‘I was put in a headlock by this massive rugby dude’ THE 2016 Sydney Rose of Tralee, Brianna Parkins says she was physically and verbally harassed by drunken men on a night out in Kilkenny last week.

The 28-year-old, who now lives in Dublin, claimed the man went on to try to kiss her against her will, forcing her to push him away from her and her friend. Speaking on The Ryan Tubridy Show on RTE Radio One, the Sydneysider said “in a perfect world”, the incident would have been seen at the time as an assault.

“We get to the first bar and within 10 minutes – I hadn’t even ordered a drink yet – I get put in this headlock by this massive sort of rugby-built dude,” she told Tubridy. “He grabbed me in a headlock in one arm and my friend with the other arm and just goes in for the shift. It was like being cuddled by an Alsatian, slobbering all over you.”

She said that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to her on a night out in Ireland, but what shocked her further was that no one stepped in to help.

“In a perfect world, it would be assault but I’m 28, I’ve been going out for years, it’s kind of sad that I am almost

desensitised to that. You expect that now on a night out but what I didn’t expect was, I reacted like a normal person, grabbed him by the back of the head, reefed him off me and my friend, gave a few solid good shoves for good measure and he kept coming back at us.

“I just had to keep responding more and more aggressively and everyone in the bar turned to look at me as if I am the person causing the problem, but this bloke had a good 30kg on me. No one helped, his mates didn’t help, they thought it was funny and the bouncer looked at us like they were going to almost consider kicking me out.”

She said that there was a further incident in another bar later in the night when a man screamed into her face when she rejected his advances.

“We [didn’t] even stay half an hour, a big group of guys are dancing around us, dancing on us quite aggressively,” she said.

She said the sort of behaviour she witnessed would be unacceptable even in rough outback pubs in Australia.

“I’ve been in rough, outback pubs in Australia but I’ve never had that level of carry-on happen.”

LOST AND FOUND

TREMENDOUS SUPPORT FUNDS REPATRIATION OF AMY GILL’S REMAINS

Crash claims Mayo woman David Hennessy

Kevin Fitzpatrick from Meath

Meathman ‘OK’ after family scare

THE Irish Australian Suppor t Association of Queensland (IASAQ) says that Kevin Fitzpatrick from Co Meath, who had been declared missing by his family in Ireland, is OK. Mr Fitzpatrick’s family had not seen or heard from him since October and raised the alarm with the IASAQ. A widely-shared social media post on February 22 said: “Kevin stands 6’2”tall (188 cms) is well built, blonde hair, normally cut very short, and is 35 years of age. Last contact with Kevin was October 2018.

“He has worked in Mt Isa, the Ranger Mine outside Darwin in NT and spent a lot of time in and around Brisbane when on break. His family are desperate for news of him.”

But the IASAQ posted a later message saying: “Kevin has made contact with his family and is ok, so thank you, each and everyone of you for the part you played. The strength of community and people working together, and looking out for each other is still power ful enough to achieve a happy ending.”

Brianna Parkins, who now lives in Dublin, represented Sydney in the Rose Of Tralee in 2016.

A GRIEVING Mayo family has thanked everyone who donated to an online fundraising drive for Amy Gill, who died on February 6 after a road accident in Victoria.

Ms Gill, 23, was just weeks into an Australian working holiday, having arrived from Ireland on January 14.

Ms Gill, from Claremorris, was on her way to her second day of work at a tomato farm when the accident, a collision involving two cars, occurred at Salisbury West in Victoria.

In the days after the crash, Amy’s cousins set up a GoFundMe page in the hopes of raising enough money to get her remains home and take the additional strain off her family.

The original appeal read: “Our beautiful Amy was taken from us too soon when she lost her life on 6th February in Australia. Amy, 23, started an exciting new adventure to Australia in recent weeks. After giving up her job in retail in Castlebar, Co Mayo before Christmas, Amy and her best friend left home to start their new lives in Melbourne, Australia. After a few

weeks of traveling the girls decided it was time to start their regional work just outside Melbourne.

“The girls were making their way to their second day of work when tragedy struck. Unfortunately Amy lost her life in a fatal road accident that morning.

Amy’s family are completely devastated with the loss and are desperately trying to get her home to Coolaght, Claremorris as soon as possible. There are massive fees and costs associated with getting Amy home, and we, Amy’s cousins, are asking you for your help in funding this. We know that Amy’s immediate family will not rest until they have Amy back home in Ireland. Any donation, no matter how big or small would be greatly appreciated.”

Although the initial target was only €15,000, nearly three times that amount was raised – €44,461 before the family stopped donations on Febr uar y 11, only two days after launching the appeal.

Amy’s cousins expressed their gratitude in an update on the fundraising page: “It is with great relief that we can say we have raised enough money

Amy Gill was laid to rest in her native Claremorris last Monday.

to get Amy home to Mayo. We, on behalf of Amy’s family, do not know where to begin in thanking everybody for their generous donations. The unbelievable support and generosity from all of you has given Amy’s parents and sisters some comfor t in knowing they will have Amy home as soon as possible now.

“We have decided to end this fundraiser tonight as we now have enough

funds to cover all costs in Melbourne for Amy’s repatriation. All donations will be transferred into The Kevin Bell Repatriation Tr ust, where these wonderful people will help us get our dear Amy home.”

Colin Bell of the Kevin Repatriation Trust told The Irish Echo: “Whenever tragedy hits like that and the word comes back to the families, who do they turn to? They don’t know what they’re going to do and how they’re going to get the loved one home. One phone call to us can change all that.

“There are so many young people out in Australia at the moment and accidents do happen and unfortunately, it can happen to anybody. It’s tragic.

“Tragedy is tragedy no matter where it happens but when it happens on the other side of the world. You’re pretty helpless here at home and that is where we can come in and help.”

The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust, established in 2013, has now repatriated the reamins of 659 loved ones to Ireland from all over the world, including 72 from Australia.

For more information, search for the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.

PRE-TRIAL HEARING OF ACCUSED SERIAL KILLER BEGINS IN PERTH

DNA evidence links accused to Irish victim Ciara Glennon A PERTH man accused of murdering an Irish Australian woman 22 years ago has been described as a depraved individual with a fetish for wearing women’s clothes.

At a pre-trial hearing in Perth last week, prosecutors outlined evidence against Bradley Robert Edwards for the abduction and murder of 27-yearold Ciara Glennon and two other young women in the 1990s.

The prosecution alleged that in 1997, Edwards abducted Ms Glennon from the Perth suburb of Claremont and murdered her, before dumping her body, ABC News reported.

Ms Glennon, whose family is originally from Westport, Co Mayo, disappeared on March 14, 1997 after a night out celebrating St Patrick’s Day in Claremont. Her body, which was identified by her parents, was discovered 18 days later in Eglington.

Her throat had been cut, a post mortem showed.

Police allegedly found Mr Edward’s DNA under Ms Glennon’s fingernails.

The court was also told that fibres found in her hair matched those from a car Mr Edwards had access to at the time of her disappearance.

When Mr Edwards was arrested at

his home in 2016, police said they discovered extreme pornography.

Mr Edwards has pleaded not guilty to a number of charges, including the murders of Ms Glennon, Jane Rimmer, 23, and Sarah Spiers, 18, who were also abducted in 1996 and 1997. He is also accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in 1988 and 1995.

Law graduate Ciara Glennon was born in Zambia to Irish parents, Denis and Una. The couple had moved to Africa to take up teaching posts in the region. The Glennons later moved to Australia when Ciara was five years old, settling in Perth.

Solictor Ciara Glennon was murdered in 1997.

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

news NURSES SUSPEND STRIKE AFTER LABOUR COURT INTERVENTION

Nurses mull pay deal Michelle Devane

THE nurses’ strike has been suspended after an intervention by the Labour Court.

More than 43,000 nurses and midwives were due to hold three days of industrial action earlier in the month but the planned action by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) was suspended on Monday evening to allow members to consider a recommendation made by the Labour Court.

The intervention came after nurses held three one-day strikes. In a tweet the INMO said: “The INMO’s elected executive council have just received the recommendation by the Labour Court.

“They have suspended the upcoming strikes at the request of the court to consider the wide-ranging recommendations.

Health Minister Simon Harris welcomed the unions’ decision. “This is welcome news for patients across the country but it’s also, I know, welcome news for nurses and midwives who did not take the decision to strike lightly.

“I’m very much aware that the last number of weeks have been difficult.

Difficult weeks for nurses, difficult weeks for midwives, difficult weeks for patients.”

He said the health service will do all it can in the coming weeks to catch up on what he called lost time.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said he would press Cabinet ministers

THE VIEW FROM AUSTRALIA

Government disrespects the job, says expat nurse Aoife Moore

Health Minister Simon Harris (left) and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe speaking at Government Buildings in Dublin.

to accept the Labour Court’s recommendation. “It is our hope and our anticipation that this will form a basis of the resolution of the difficulties that have been at the heart of industrial action over the last number of days,” Mr Donohoe said.

“I believe that the Labour Court recommendation is consistent with the public service stability agreement.”

Mr Harris subsequently survived a motion of no confidence by 58 votes to 53.

There were 37 abstentions, while TDs Denis Naughten, Noel Grealish and Michael Lowr y voted with the government.

Sinn Féin tabled the motion in response to a separate controversy surrounding the increasing costs of the National Children’s Hospital.

The government estimates the new hospital will now cost €1.7 billion.

However, critics have speculated this price could rise.

The Taoiseach said being Minister for Health is one of the toughest jobs in government, to much heckling.

“It helps you understand what a crisis is and what is not,” Leo Varadkar told the Dáil.

“I have confidence in the Minister for Health for many reasons, he’s a Minister who’s getting things done.”

IRISH nurses working abroad say the Government does not respect the workforce, and gives emigrants no reason to come home.

Anna Enright, from Tralee, Co Kerry, has lived and worked as a nurse in Melbourne, Australia, for five years.

“When I first started I worked in hospitals in the Midlands on threemonth contracts for €13.60 an hour,” she said.

“We were worked to the bone in unsafe conditions because of chronic understaffing. There was no support, no room for job growth, not to mention the salary.

“There are amazing nurses in Ireland, they work so hard considering what they’re put through.

“I’m very angry over it. I’ve been speaking to the girls at home. My heart breaks for them. I honestly feel bad, and kind of guilty at how good we have it over here. We make money that allows us to have a great lifestyle; we enjoy work, are so supported to grow in our field.

“Nursing is highly respected over here, whereas I feel in Ireland it never will be. To be honest I can’t see a change happening. The Government don’t respect nursing as a profession to increase our pay. It’s not that we are greedy for money; we need to be able to live.”

More than 30,000 nurses took to picket lines in freezing conditions outside hospitals across the country

Anna Enright from Kerry works as a nurse in Melbourne.

before the Labour Court intervened.

Nurses are calling for a pay increase of about 12 per cent, but the Government has said it cannot borrow the money to pay for pay increases.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: “The nursing unions are seeking a significant increase in pay over and above all of the benefits of the current agreement seeking parity with other health professionals.

Concession of this pay claim, even if possible, would have serious consequences for the public finances and for public pay policy generally with estimated costs of €300 million annually based on a 12 per cent claim in pay.

However, it would not end there.

“It would, I have no doubt, generate knock-on or ‘leapfrogging’ claims from the rest of the public ser vice workforce.”

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

ireland FORMER PRESIDENT MARY ROBINSON HAS NO REGRETS ABOUT VISIT TO DUBAI PRINCESS

Robinson brushes off UAE princess brouhaha Michelle Devane FORMER Irish president Mary Robinson said she has no regrets over getting involved in the case of a Dubai princess who had tried to flee the UAE. Mrs Robinson, a former UN High Commissioner for human rights, was criticised by human rights groups after she travelled to Dubai to meet Sheikha Latifa, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai Sheikh Al-Maktoum in December.

Following the meeting, Dr Robinson said the 32-year-old princess was a “troubled young woman”.

Speaking at Trinity College Dublin, she defended her decision to get involved saying she “went to help a friend”. Asked if she regretted visiting the princess, Mrs Robinson replied: “No, because I went to help a friend.

“She is the only member of the royal family that I met, or that I know, and we’re friends.”

Mrs Robinson added that she had spoken out before about human rights violations and she would do so again.

“I have spoken out before on human rights in the UAE. I haven’t changed my spots. I will speak out again where appropriate. Nothing has changed,” she said.

Since the meeting, Mrs Robinson said she had reported to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights, Michelle Bachelet, about the matter and that she had appealed to her to follow up on the case.

“I gave a written report just after I went and then I saw her in mid January when I went to Geneva for a meeting on sustainable development goals and human rights,” Mrs Robinson said. “I gave her a full account and I asked that her office would follow up on it.

That’s what should happen in so far as possible.”

Mrs Robinson said previously that she was dismayed by the commentary on her visit and that she had been invited by the family.

Authorities in the UAE released pictures of the December 15 meeting.

The release of the photos came months after Ms Latifa’s friends and supporters said she had disappeared from a boat off the coast of India, which was stormed by UAE commandoes, after she fled the country. Ms Latifa had alleged in a video that she had been imprisoned off and on for several years and she had been abused.

Meanwhile, Mrs Robinson has lent her support to a bid to create and develop sustainable development goals in Ireland. A holistic approach was needed to combat climate change, she said.

“I would like to see the sustainable development goals begin to be part of

Trinity College Students Union president Shane De Rís and environmental officer Pola Radomska (far right), with former president Mary Robinson and Senator Davis Norris at the launch of TCD’s Green Week. Picture: PA the curriculum here in Trinity and in the curriculum in schools so that we begin to make this part of our life in a lived way that really makes a difference.”

She made the comments at the launch of Trinity College Dublin’s Green Week. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals include ending poverty, ending hunger, achieving gender equality, taking urgent action on

climate change and ensuring responsible consumption. Mrs Robinson said the goals were “very relevant to our world”.

She said scientists had learned last year that there was a significant difference between the effects of 1.5 degrees of warming and 2 degrees of warming. “The big difference is that between 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees

IRISH PLAN TO DELIVER 47,000 GRADUATES WITH HIGH LEVEL ICT SKILLS BY 2022

Ireland sets ICT priorities Rebecca Black

IRELAND plans to equip more than 47,000 graduates with high-level ICT skills by 2022 as the country seeks to build its international reputation in the sector.

Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys announced the target as they launched Technology Skills 2022: Ireland’s Third ICT Skills Action Plan.

The plan sets out priority actions to meet Ireland’s need for graduates skilled in computing and electronic and electrical engineering to support and drive economic performance over the coming years. It is based on research conducted by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN).

Measures to achieve the target in-

cludes increasing the number of graduates from mainstream computing and electrical and electronic engineering courses in higher education from 4,220 to 4,830 by 2022.

Other measures include expanding the numbers of relevant Skillnet Ireland programmes that are aligned with the NFQ by more than 1,000 by 2022 and providing new options to embed high-level ICT apprenticeships within the education and training sector to attract more than 1,000 new entrants per year by 2020.

There will also be a high-level ICT reskilling pathway to provide opportunities for up to 2,750 people from diverse backgrounds between 2019 and 2022. Programmes will target areas of high demand and high potential growth, including artificial intelligence, robotics, animation, gaming,

blockchain, the internet of things, 3D printing, augmented and virtual reality, and cybersecurity/next generation security.

Launching the action plan at Pramerica in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, Mr McHugh said high-level ICT graduates are vital to Ireland’s economic performance.

“Our ability to produce, attract and retain graduates with high-level ICT skills is vital to our future economic performance,” he said.

“Technology Skills 2022 sets out a programme for co-operation between the education and training sector and industry, which will ensure that we have the skill sets in place to drive development both within the technology sector and, given the fundamental nature of technology, across the wider economy.

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“The education and training sector has responded strongly to demand for high-level ICT skills, with a 70 per cent increase in the numbers of graduates with degree-level qualifications over the past six years.

“This plan will suppor t targeted funding to help the sector, once again, deliver on Ireland’s skills needs, with a target of up to 12,500 graduates per annum by 2022.”

“This plan, which is an excellent example of collaboration between Government and industr y, will be crucial to maintaining and advancing the competitiveness and confidence in Irish-based enterprise both domestically and in global markets in the years ahead,” said Ms Humphreys, who is visiting Australia as the government’s representative for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

things happen: coral reefs disappear, the Arctic ice melts and the permafrost seriously melts. The scientists are telling us unequivocally that we have to stay at or below 1.5 degrees and if we happen to go above 1.5 degrees we have to suck that carbon out of the atmosphere to have a liveable world,” she said. “So we have to live sustainably.”

Irish jobs roadshow bound for Australia BOSTON Scientific has teamed up with Hero Recruitment in a bid to find technical engineers in Australia to fill a range of vacancies in Ireland. The Great Comeback Roadshow team will visit Sydney and Melbourne in coming weeks. Boston Scientific, a manufacturer of medical devices, has vacnacies in manufacturing/process equipment engineering; quality engineering; electronic/test engineering; design assurance; IT; supply chain; R&D and HR, and is seeking project managers and technicians at its three sites in Galway, Clonmel and Cork.

The company says it is offering exceptional relocation packages and highly competitive salaries.

Interested candidates can register their interest and search the jobs database by visiting www.greatcomeback.ie.

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

ireland FORMER TAOISEACH SOUNDS BREXIT ALARM

Brexit a threat to hard-won peace, claims Ahern Andrew Woodcock

The Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has a long and proud connection with Ireland and the Irish community.

Many of our members working in the construction industry are proud of their Irish heritage. It’s an honour to be part of the 2019 St Patrick day parade. Many BLF & CFMEU members fought to save the rocks from destruction in the 1970s and 1980s through the green bans campaigns. What a fitting tribute to take part in this historic event at this special place.

CFMEU members who want to join us please rsvp lturnbull@cfmeu.org

BREXIT has raised tensions on the island of Ireland and complicated progress towards a lasting peace, one of the authors of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) has said.

The former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern says said people are worried that a no-deal UK withdrawal from the EU could be the start of a slippery slope towards a hard border with checkpoints and troops.

Mr Ahern said the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the EU was the reason why the Northern Irish institutions created by the GFA remain suspended after more than two years.

He said the Irish Government would not give up on the controversial backstop arrangements in British Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, because they were viewed as “the only way of ensuring with certainty that we have a soft border”.

Mr Ahern, who ser ved as Taoiseach between 1997 and 2008, was addressing the House of Commons’ Leaving the EU Committee. He poured cold water on any suggestion that Dublin would accept Mrs May’s proposals for the backstop to be time-limited or replaced with technological

Bertie Ahern at the House Of Commons last week.

solutions. While the technology to avoid border checkpoints may be developed “in the dim and distant future”, it is not currently available, he said.

Further, checks at a distance from the border would not be seen by Ireland as compliant with the Good Friday Agreement.

“There is no possibility of the Irish Government or the Irish people saying the backstop could be time-limited. There is no hope of that, I’m afraid.

“I don’t see the EU changing on the withdrawal agreement.

I don’t see them changing on the backstop. I don’t think the Irish Government are going to change on that.”

Mr Ahern said continued membership of the EU for both Britain and Ireland was taken as an absolute given when he

was negotiating the Good Friday Agreement with the then British prime minister Tony Blair and was a key element of the 1998 pact.

“Most people remember the border and remember sitting in long queues,” Mr Ahern said.

“They fear that any infrastructure at the border equals trouble, disagr eement, ar my, soldiers, police. Some of it might be exaggerated but there is that fear of the slippery slope.

It is something that really worries people.”

Brexit had “raised tensions again”, he said.

“It’s my view that if it wasn’t for Brexit, the institutions in Northern Ireland would have been up and running a year ago. Brexit has stopped that.”

He denounced as irresponsible suggestions that Brexit should lead to an early poll on Irish reunification but added: “The open and invisible border we have today is an achievement of the [peace] process and of our shared membership of the EU. No one wants to see a hardening of that border and anyone familiar with life in Northern Ireland and the border counties would see the prospect of any infrastructure checks or controls ... with enormous concern. In my view, they would be right.”

CONCERNS RAISED ABOUT MOVEMENT OF STUDENTS

Irish universities may be forced to absorb 14,000 extra students Michelle Devane

CONCERNS have been raised about the ability of Irish universities to deal with a potential influx of thousands of students after Brexit.

An Oireachtas committee has heard that if the movement of students was limited after the UK leaves the EU, it could leave colleges and universities in the Republic struggling to absorb some 14,000 students from the Republic who are studing in Northern Ireland and the UK. The chairwoman of the committee, Fianna Fail TD Fiona O’Loughlin, questioned how universities would be able to cope with a potential flood of students post-Brexit.

It would “be very, very concerning when we see our thirdlevel institutions creaking at the seams”, she said.

In 2016, some 12,000 Republic of Ireland students studied in the UK, while 2,000 studied in Northern Ireland.

“If we had to absorb them into our system I’d have

concerns about the capacity we have and also about the shor tage of student accommodation,” Ms O’Loughlin said.

In response, the Minister of State with special responsibility for Higher Education, Mar y Mitchell O’Connor, said a student accommodation strategy was in place and that it was reaching its targets.

“We launched an action plan and those targets are being met,” Ms Mitchell O’Connor said.

Education Minister Joe McHugh told committee members that he was working hard to minimise any potential disruption to the movement of people post-Brexit, and that he also wanted to build on the contribution education had made with r egar d to the mobility of people through the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr McHugh and Ms Mitchell O’Connor were before the committee answering questions about what could happen to students in the event of the UK

crashing out of the EU on March 29.

Earlier this year, Mr McHugh announced that Brexit would not affect grants for Republic of Ireland students in the UK or for UK students in the Republic who start courses within the next academic year.

The latest statistics showed 2,195 students from the Republic of Ir eland wer e studying in Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the 2015-2016 academic year.

In contrast, there were 1,200 students from Northern Ireland studying in the Republic.

In the 2017-2018 academic year, more than 10,000 Republic of Ireland students were studying in UK colleges and universities, while 2,426 students from the UK were studying in the Republic.

Mr McHugh said his goal had always been to protect the valuable and rich co-operation that takes between education institutions on a north-south and east-west basis.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

brexit :: ireland DARK DAYS OF ANGLO-IRISH RELATIONSHIP ‘BEHIND US’

President Michael D Higgins (centre right) at the memorial to the victims of the Birmingham bombings, on the first day of an official visit to Birmingham. Picture: Aaron Chown

Higgins hails ‘deep friendship’ on UK trip Lizzie Roberts BUILDING on the deep friendships that have grown between Britain and Ireland will be more important than ever after Brexit, President Michael D Higgins has said.

The president said he had been saddened by the British peoples’ decision to leave the European Union, but he was sure that the “dark days” of the UK and Ireland’s relationship were “behind us”.

Speaking on the first day of a threeday visit to England, Mr Higgins said: “We have been sharing so much, much

more than use of the English language in meetings of the Union. I wish to reiterate that however the challenge of Brexit is resolved it will be more important than ever in the years ahead to sustain and build upon the deep friendships which have grown between Britain and Ireland.We will still continue to live in the shadow of each other.”

Speaking about a memorial to the 21 people who lost their lives in the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, Mr Higgins said: “I wanted to offer the respect of memory and sympathy to all of the innocent victims and their families and I do so as the President of Ireland.

I want to thank the committee of the Birmingham Irish Association who put in place this respectful memorial to their loss. These dark days are now behind us. The relationship between Ireland and the UK is now one of co-operation, strength and friendship.”

The memorial near Birmingham’s New Street station features three metal trees, designed by artist Anuradha Patel, with the names of the victims written on the leaves. It was unveiled last November after a project involving the Justice4the21 campaign group, together with Network Rail and the Birmingham Irish Association.

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DÁIL REVEALS CONTINGENCY MEASURES

‘No deal’ a lose, lose, lose result A NO-DEAL Brexit would be a lose, lose, lose for the UK, Ireland and Europe, the Tánaiste warned as he outlined emergency plans.

The Government published a wide range of worst case contingency laws last week that will be enacted if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal.

The Omnibus Bill, which will be fast-tracked through the Oireachtas in Dublin, is designed to support businesses and jobs affected by a no-deal exit and ensure continuity of access to essential services and products across the Irish border.

The huge suite of proposed legislation, which will only become law if the UK leaves on March 29 without a deal, was published as the EU Commission confirmed it was relaxing cer tain state aid regulations, apparently in preparation for Brexit, a move that will give the Irish government more latitude to offer support to farms and other affected businesses.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney, who unveiled the legislative package at Government Buildings in Dublin, said he hoped the Bill would never need to be enacted.

“My only desire is to see this legislation sit on the shelf,” he said. But he warned a no-deal Brexit would cause widespread damage.

“Let me be very clear in saying a disorderly Brexit will be a lose, lose, lose; for the UK, for the EU and for Ireland,” Mr Coveney said.

“We cannot offset all of the damage it will do, but we are doing everything we can through legislation, through preparation, through investment, through information and through support of the multiple sectors and the

multiple numbers of people that will be impacted potentially by that worst-case scenario.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, said: “Our focus remains on the UK ratifying the Withdrawal Agreement, which was concluded following intensive negotiations between the UK and the EU. “However, for the last two years we have also been preparing for the possibility that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement.

“We are doing all we can to avoid a no-deal scenario but we need to be ready in case it does happen.

“This special law enables us to mitigate against some of the worst effects of no deal by protecting citizens’ rights, security, and facilitating extra supports for vulnerable businesses and employers.”

The Government’s Omnibus Bill, known as the Miscellaneous Provisions (Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 29 March 2019) Bill, is made up of 15 parts and was prepared by nine ministers.

The proposed laws cover a wide range of areas and focuses on protecting Irish citizens’ rights, supporting businesses and jobs, healthcare, transport, education and energy.

The opposition leader, Fianna Fáil’s Micheal Martin, said the government was not adequately prepared for a nodeal Brexit, despite its 70-page Brexit contingency legislation.

“I don’t think we’re adequately prepared for a no-deal Brexi.

“The Government perhaps thought they would have a deal earlier,” Mr Martin said.

Sinn Féin’s Brexit spokesman David Cullinane said the Bill showed the “sorry state” of Brexit.

ACTOR’S BREXIT JIBE

A lot of British people will move to Ireland: O’Dowd Keiran Southern

CHRIS O’Dowd has predicted that a lot of British people will be looking for Irish passports after Brexit.

The Irish comedian and actor, 39, who is best known for starring in Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd, said Britons will travel to Ireland “with their tails between their legs” when the UK leaves the European Union.

The date for the departure is March 29. Speaking at the Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles, where he was among the honourees, O’Dowd said: “I think we’re going to have a lot more British people in the country, coming with their tails between their legs looking for passports. What a mess you have made of it.”

O’Dowd, 39, shot to fame after appearing in Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd, which first aired in 2006. He has since appeared in a string of Hollywood films, in comedies such as Bridesmaids and dramas including Molly’s Game. His next project is the sitcom State Of The Union, alongside Rosamund Pike.

Actor Chris O’Dowd

O’Dowd said he enjoys switching between comedy and drama but hinted he was looking for ward to more lighthearted roles.

“I’ve never thought about it like that in terms of type of actor, you’re just an actor. For a long time comedy jobs were the ones that I got, that was why I was a comedy actor. I ended up doing a bit more drama. I love comedy, making people laugh is the most glorious thing in the world. If anything, I want to do a bit more of that.”

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

ireland IRISH WOMEN ‘STILL BEING FORCED ABROAD FOR ABORTIONS’ DESPITE NEW LAWS

Dáil told of worrying cases Michelle Devane

SOME pregnant women with foetal abnormalities are still having to access abortion services abroad, the Dáil has heard.

Solidarity-People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger said a young woman was refused a termination in recent weeks after receiving a severe foetal diagnosis.

Ms Coppinger said women were still facing difficulties accessing services despite the outcome of the abortion referendum last year.

“There’s worrying signs that the very women whose stories resonated through the country are still being forced abroad,” Ms Coppinger said.

“A number of women have contacted my office and three of them have had to go to England for terminations for medical reasons.”

She said in the latest case she had been contacted by a woman, whom she called Mar y, who had been refused an abortion, despite a possible diagnosis of Edwards Syndrome, because she was more than 12 weeks’

pregnant. Ms Coppinger said the complications were discovered when the woman had a scan at Portiuncula Hospital in Co Galway.

“She was told there was only a 15 per cent chance of delivery and the baby might live an hour or so but the doctor then said, for whatever reason, they could not do anything because it was over 12 weeks,” she said.

She added that Mary was handed the names of three hospitals in England and that Mary had told her she had been treated “like a leper”.

The woman travelled to England with her husband for a termination.

“All the women who’ve contacted (me) have individual situations but they all have something in common.

They voted last May never knowing they were going to face this situation and all of them thinking that if they did they would be cared for.”

Ms Coppinger questioned Leo Varadkar about the distinction between fatal and severe abnormalities. The Taoiseach said the distinction was discussed at length in the Oireachtas and it was decided that

Ruth Coppinger in the Dáil

disability alone would not be grounds for a termination but that fatal abnormalities would be.

“A severe abnormality is very often a disability and that is a decision that we made as a House that we would make that distinction and that disability would not be a ground for terminations after 12 weeks,” he said.

Mr Varadkar added that there were now 274 GPs across the country who had signed up to provide terminations in early pregnancy and 10 maternity

hospitals providing services. He said between 10 and 14 women ended their pregnancies each day.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Health has said the need for access zones outside health centres that provide abortion care is a priority. This follows disclosures that American anti-abortion groups are planning activities in Ireland. An undercover report for The Times (Ireland Edition) found an American anti-abortion group was training protesters to approach women seeking terminations, as well as urging activists to phone doctors pretending to seek an abortion to find out which health centres were performing the procedures.

Minister for Health Simon Harris said women must be protected.

“The idea that anybody, but particularly outside groups would be trying to undermine our democratic decision and effectively harass and intimidate Irishwomen is something that is quite despicable and shows why we need to get on doing what I intend to do regarding safe access zones, that ... is a priority for me,” he said.

NOISY PROTESTS OVER DUBLIN AIRPORT EXPANSION PLAN

HEALTH CRISIS

‘Inefficient’ system at breaking point, GPs Aoife Moore HUNDREDS of GPs have protested outside the Dáil to tell the government enough is enough on lack of funding and contract negotiations.

Organised by National Association of GPs Ireland (NAGPI), the crowds turned out to protest for a reversal of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (FEMPI) Act 2015 which they say is causing a crisis in the sector. The group say that years of successive cuts in Government funding for general practice have created an inefficient, unstructured health system, which is now collapsing.

The attitude of the government is dishonest and negligent, the president of NAGPI, Maitiu O’Tuathail, said, and that the failure to reverse FEMPI has had a devastating effect on GPs. Dr Dermot Quinlan, a GP in Glenmire in Co Cork said GPs are working 12 hour days to ensure the safety of patients in a system that is in crisis.

“General practice is in crisis. GPs are under severe pressure and we need resources to continue to care for our patients in the community,” he said. “We have a huge problem recruiting young GPs, a lot of them are emigrating. We have a substantial number of GPs retiring, so we’re losing people at every possible stage.”

ANIMAL WELFARE

Christmas gift dogs ‘abandoned’ Michelle Devane

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at the site of Dublin Airport’s new 3.1km runway that will be opened in 2021.

Resident concerns as runway is cleared for take-off Cate McCurry RESIDENTS who live next to the site of Dublin Airport’s new runway have accused the Government of ignoring their concerns about noise levels.

A crowd of protesters gathered at the sod-turning ceremony performed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Transport Shane Ross. The residents criticised legislation that allows Fingal County Council to act as the noise regulator, claiming it is a conflict of interest.

Legislation to establish the independent noise regulator was passed by the Dail recently. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has put forward an application to amend a rule that limits the number of night-time flights to 60.

The Government has said the 3.1km runway will generate €2.2 billion in economic activity by 2043. Construc-

tion will take about two years and it is expected to be opened by 2021.

Sheelagh Morris, who lives in St Margaret’s, a village in the shadow of Dublin Airport, claimed residents’ homes are at risk.

“DAA are now going to have the night-time restrictions overturned which is going to have a massive impact on our homes,” she said.

“Our homes will be deemed worthless, we won’t be able to live here. The noise regulation bill is supposed to protect us. “We are going to be subjected to 80 to 90 decibels of noise in the daytime and the night-time if these conditions are removed.

“DAA are maintaining they must remove those restrictions in order to have their night flights.”

The DAA offered residents a voluntary buyout scheme for 30 per cent above market price. Ms Morris said

the offer was not fit for purpose. “They are saying we are insignificant but we matter. We have been here for three generations.

“We are very concerned and have had no say or control.”

Speaking at the sod-turning ceremony, Mr Varadkar said he was not ignoring residents’ concerns.

“I represent Dublin West constituency and a large part of it is under the flight path and there has been a lot of engagement between the DAA and residents and between residents and politicians,” the Taoiseach said.

“We understand the concerns the residents have in relation to the value of their properties and to noise abatement, so there is a plan in place to purchase homes if people are willing to sell; if they want to relocate.

“For a lot of other homes the DAA will pay for insulation and improvements

so the impact on people is mitigated.”

The transport minister said it was incorrect to say residents had been ignored. “I have met numerous delegations in recent times and those concerns have been taken on board,” Mr Ross said.

“The noise regulator is going to have a balanced approach and that means taking into account, not just the commercial demands, but also the difficulties encountered by residents.”

Dublin Airport is crucial for tourism, business and trade, Mr Varadkar said.

“This new runway is part of the Government’s €116 billion Project Ireland 2040 plan to modernise our infrastructure, remove bottlenecks and enable future growth,” he said.

“Connectivity is one of the principles behind Project Ireland, linking Ireland to the world and all parts of Ireland to each other.”

IRELAND’S Dogs Trust received 370 requests from people looking to rehome dogs after Christmas. Each year, the animal welfare charity sees a large number of people looking to get rid of their dogs after the holidays.

Between December 26 and the end of January, the charity’s Dublin-based centre received what it said was an alarming 317 calls and 53 emails from members of public trying to relinquish their dogs.

The most common reason given was that the dog owners did not have time to look after them any more.

Executive director Suzie Carley said: “It is extremely worrying that we continue to see a large number of dogs and puppies being surrendered or abandoned after Christmas.

“We have just marked the 40th anniversary of the phrase ‘A dog is for life, not just for Christmas’, and sadly this message is still as relevant today as when it was first coined by Dogs Trust all those years ago.”

Ms Carley urged people who are thinking of getting a new dog not to do so coming up to Christmas.

“A dog is a big commitment, so if you are still thinking of getting a dog in the New Year we would ask the public to do careful research on where you are sourcing your dog from, research the breed of dog to suit your lifestyle and try to anticipate any major lifestyle changes,” she added.

A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EW S PAPER

March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

Mal Rogers scans Ireland’s regional media for what’s making news in your county CORK

Man awarded €5k over row about seating at wedding A ROW over seating at a wedding resulted in a civil court award of more than €5,000.

The Irish Examiner reports that the case was heard by Judge Sean O’Donnabhain in Clonakilty. The plaintiff, Myles McSwiney, explained to the judge that he had attended a family wedding with his wife in 2016.

After the meal they sat at a table whereupon he received a tap on the shoulder from the defendant, his sister-in-law Stephanie Desmond.

“She said ‘you are sitting in my seat’,” Mr McSwiney told the court, adding that he responded: “I don’t see your name on it.”

“With that, I got a drink thrown in my face.”

Mr McSwiney claimed that it was a large gin and tonic and said: “I could feel the burning in my eyes.”

The court heard that Mr McSwiney later warned Finbar O’Sullivan: “This isn’t over.”

The plaintiff alleged that Ms Desmond leapt up and grabbed him by the tie and forcibly squeezed his neck.

The court heard that Mr McSwiney had stiffness and pain in his neck. A local doctor said it was possible the reddening of Mr McSwiney’s eyes were caused by an alcoholic drink.

Ms Desmond had launched a counterclaim, claiming she had been kicked under the table and this had caused her to spill the drink, a claim Mr McSwiney denied.

She denied grabbing Mr McSwiney later on the dance floor.

Judge O’Donnabhain said he was satisfied Ms Desmond did assault Mr McSwiney and she had initiated the aggression. He said he also believed Ms Desmond caught Mr McSwiney by the tie but that the injuries were minor.

He ordered Ms Desmond to pay Mr McSwiney €5,450 plus costs.

TYRONE

Sinn Féin advice clinic held in caravan after church hall offer is withdrawn A SINN Féin MLA held an advice clinic in a caravan after a priest withdrew permission to use a Co. Tyrone church hall. The clergyman has said he will probably not allow the party to use the venue in future.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that anti-abortion activists had planned to protest outside Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew’s advice clinic due to their opposition to Sinn Féin’s support for the liberalisation of abortion laws.

Parish priest The Very Rev John Connolly told the Belfast Telegraph that he withdrew permission for Mr Gildernew to use the church hall.

The advice clinic was subsequently held in a small caravan.

Fr Connolly told the Belfast

Telegraph he was surprised by the attention the affair had attracted. “I didn’t want to offend or annoy any parishioners so I thought it best to call it off,” he said.

“It wasn’t because of any other political party’s reaction. I withdrew permission to use the church hall. It was very amicable.”

In a statement Tyrone Pro-Life Network claimed its efforts to prevent Sinn Féin from holding the meeting in the church hall had been a success.

KERRY

Call for end to ‘vulgar and obscene’ headstones “OSTENTATIOUS” and “vulgar” graveyard memorials costing up to €100,000 are a blight on graveyards across Kerry and must be clamped down on, say councillors who have urged Kerry County Council to enforce new graveyard bylaws in a bid to stop such ‘obscene’ monuments from being erected.

The Kerryman said the call was also made by councillor Bobby O’Connell to stop the flying of the national flag over some graves, which he said was a “lack of respect for the flag”, but his comments caused ire with Sinn Féin councillors Damian Quigg and Cllr Toiréasa Ferris. Cllr Quigg said Cllr O’Connell’s comments were “nonsense of the highest calibre”. Flying the Irish flag over a grave is a decision for the National Graves Association and is appropriate for any person who has made a sacrifice for their county, said Cllr Ferris.

Cllr O’Connell said that he was not referring to Republican graves in his comments, saying, “Sinn Féin does not have a monopoly on the Irish flag.”

Cllr Brendan Cronin said that the rules around the size of monuments in graveyards were continuously ignored.

He said “giant monuments” were “totally obscene and disrespectful”.

Kerry County Council’s director of services, Charlie O’Sullivan, said that the new bylaws, discussed at February’s council meeting, gave careful consideration to the whole issue of enforcement and the size of headstones.

LOUTTH

Settlement talks break down with Golden family SETTLEMENT talks between representatives of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe, and the legal team for the family of murdered Garda Tony Golden have broken down, reports the Dundalk Argus.

The officer was shot five times and killed in a murder-suicide attack while on duty at Omeath, Co Louth, just over three years ago.

The assessment of compensation for Garda Golden’s widow, Nicola,

Dr Norah Patten stands beside British astronaut Tim Peake’s Soyuz TMA-19M capsule at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra. The exhibition is viewable from February 20. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA Wire and their three children, Andrew, Lucy and Alex, may now go to a full trial before Mr Justice Michael Twomey, who deals with all Garda compensation cases in the High Court.

Talks had been taking place in a bid to avert that necessity and family trauma of a full assessment hearing.

Gda Golden, who was in uniform and unarmed, had accompanied Siobhan Philips (23) on Sunday, October 11, 2015 to the house she shared with her physically abusive partner, Adrian Crevan Mackin.

On arriving at the house Garda Golden was attacked and murdered

by Mackin, a known dissident republican, in the murder-suicide attack.

Mackin shot the 36-year-old garda in an attack during which he also shot his partner Siobhan four times, including one bullet to her head, before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life.

Ms Philips, who miraculously survived her terrible injuries, is currently living in Newry, Co Down.

The inquest into the death of Garda Golden, which took place in Dundalk in April last year, concluded that he had been unlawfully killed.

Like his colleague Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, murdered two-anda-half years earlier while on armed escort duty near the Border, Garda Golden was given a State funeral and posthumously awarded a Scott medal for bravery.

Det Gda Donohoe’s widow, former Gda Caroline Deloughrey, and their two children, were recently awarded €1.3m compensation against the minister by Judge Michael Twomey.

DERRY

Possible link between Belfast Airport fight and Derry graveyard incident THE PSNI has revealed it is investigating a possible link between a fight in Belfast International Airport and an incident at a graveyard in Co Derry.

The Derry Journal reports that a fight broke out in the departure lounge in Belfast International Airport at the beginning of February. Video footage of the incident was widely shared on social media.

Earlier in the day the PSNI were called to the scene of a potential mass brawl involving up to 200 people in a graveyard near St Mary’s Church, Altinure, Co Derry.

When asked if the PSNI was examining the possibility of a link between the two incidents a spokesperson for the police confirmed that it was a line of inquiry. PSNI Chief Inspector Alan Hutton said the police knew that two rival groups had organised to meet near the graveyard.

A number of items were seized

including two loaded shotguns, a quantity of ammunition, a number of knives and blades, as well as a liquid believed to be acid, he said.

“However, as tensions between the two groups escalated it was necessary for officers to intervene and use minimal force, including the use of their batons, given the number of people involved.”

No arrests were made and there were no reports of any injuries. It is believed both incidents involved members of the Traveller community.

WEXFORD

Wexford streets falling asunder WEXFORD roads are in a lamentable state, according to Cllr George Lawlor, and it’s time for Wexford District Council to stop waiting on utility companies to finish work and to repair streets which are in a scandalous condition.

The Wexford People reports that the Labour councillor said it appeared that a lot of repair works in town are contingent on the completion of contracts by Irish Water, Gas Networks Ireland and other companies.

But in the meantime, “the roads in Wexford town are absolutely falling asunder”’, said Cllr Lawlor.

Borough Engineer Sean Kavanagh said he would have to agree that the work was moving significantly slower than expected and added that the council was due to meet Irish Water to see how the situation could be speeded up.

“Can we start calling the shots and tell them when it should finish rather than the other way around?” asked Cllr Lawlor.

KILDARE

Funeral of priest killed in freak car accident HUGE crowd gathered in Newbridge to pay respects to the late Fr John Cummins, reports the Leinster Leader.

Gardaí say that Father Cummins (52) was likely to have been killed instantly after being struck by his own car.

The Leinster Leader says that is understands the priest suffered catastrophic injuries while attempting to stop the car from rolling down the driveway of his home of the parochial house in Abbeyleix.

Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Denis Nulty, was chief celebrant of Requiem Mass Newbridge native Fr Cummins had served in Abbeyleix for the past 18 months and before that for four years in Naas.

Fr Ger Nash, a long-time friend, said Fr John “was proud of Kildare,

its links with St Brigid and St Conleths and its deep historical roots”.

Commenting on Fr John’s sad departure, Fr Nash said: “We are missing our navigator. We will be less able and less sure but the memory of a great man will sustain us in the dark days ahead.”

CLARE

Four statues stolen from Cork in 2011 found in Co Clare FOUR limestone statues that were stolen from Charleville in Co Cork in 2011 have been recovered by gardaí, reports the Irish Examiner.

Two are statues of eagles mounted which had been mounted on 10ft high pillars and the others are life size busts of William of Orange and Oliver Cromwell.

They were stolen from Milltown Castle in July 2011.

A member of the public found all four statues near a derelict outhouse on lands near Cratloe, Co Clare.

Gardaí the connected the discovery of the property with the theft. They say say the investigation continues.

DOWN

Career-defining award for Portaferry scientist A PORTAFERRY scientist has been awarded more than £855,000 by Cancer Research UK to find new ways to prevent oesophageal cancer and improve survival for the disease.

The Down Recorder reports that Dr Helen Coleman, who is based at Queen’s University Belfast, was granted the prestigious Cancer Research UK Career Establishment Award before World Cancer Day on February 4.

She says that she has been inspired to work in cancer research after several family members were diagnosed.

“Both my parents received cancer diagnoses but thankfully survived,” Dr Coleman said. “I also know about the devastating impact of oesophageal cancer after three members of my husband’s family were diagnosed with the disease.

Over the next six years, Dr Coleman will analyse data from around 23,000 cancer patients.

More than 200 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in Northern Ireland every year and less than one in five will survive for at least five years after diagnosis.

A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EW S PAPER

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Winner all right

Lubomir Michna and Hugo

Beyond parroty A MISSING parrot that was found wandering around Dublin Airport’s runway has been reunited with its relieved owner after the pet recognised a foreign language it was taught. No, really.

Dublin Airport and supermarket Lidl teamed up to help locate the female bird’s rightful owner. However, the appeal resulted in four potential owners of the missing African Grey parrot coming forward.

Dublin Airport and the Kildare Animal Foundation were forced to act as pet detectives in the case.

Lubomir Michna, who is one of those who came forward, is originally from Slovakia and said he had taught Hugo a few words of Slovak. Officials from the airport suggested that Lubomir record an audio clip which could be played for the bird.

Dan Donoher, from Kildare Animal Foundation, said it was clear from the clip that Lubomir was definitely Hugo’s owner.

“When the voice recording was sent to me and I played it for Hugo she reacted instantly and became animated and excited,” he said.

“There was no doubt in my mind that Lubomir was her rightful owner.”

When Lubomir arrived to collect his pet, Hugo was thrilled. Dan added: “As soon as the carrier was opened, Hugo jumped onto Lubomir’s arm and cuddled into his neck. You could see they have a really close bond, it was lovely.”

Hugo had been spotted walking along the eastern end of Dublin Airport’s main runway by airport fire fighter Craig Wade.

“It was immediately obvious that she was a pet,” Wade said. “A live runway wasn’t a safe place for her so, after some difficulty, we coaxed her into a makeshift carrier that we made from a cardboard box and got her safely to our fire station.”

The parrot’s owner said he was “so happy” to get “his baby” back.

Lubomir said Hugo had escaped from his house in Finglas after a door was mistakenly left open.

Lubomir has had Hugo for two years and she goes everywhere with him, even on his shoulder when he goes shopping.

OK, the chances are ridiculously slim but try telling that to the Dublin family who claimed the biggest ever Irish EuroMillions jackpot win last month.

A large family syndicate from The Naul has come forward to claim the €175 million EuroMillions jackpot.

The winning ticket was sold at the local Reilly’s Daybreak newsagents.

A family spokesman said: “This is unbelievable. It will take us some time to get our heads around this win and to organise ourselves.”

The spokesman, who is married to one of the syndicate, added: “We are a very close family. We meet every week and we take holidays together every year. This is a dream come true for us. We don’t want this to change our lives.”

One of the syndicate members said: “I heard on the RTE news that there was a win in Ireland and I caught the last three numbers. I checked the rest of the numbers online. I was numb.

“It took a bit of convincing everybody that we had won.”

She said she put the winning ticket in an Argos catalogue and put it under her mattress overnight for safekeeping. “I didn’t sleep a wink all night,” she said.

This is the 14th Irish EuroMillions win since the game began in 2004.

Clues across 1. Celt loses electron to become woman (3) 3. Sliding calculator? (5) 6. The loud brook has a fancy edge (5) 9. A long time in Ballinisterard (3) 10. An island well isolated here, important to immigrants (5) 11. To Sam — you’ll be mistaken for an Irishman (5) 12. Language from his glen is not straightforward (7)(7) 13. It may add up to a drink for a small child (3) 15. Crumbs: Yikes! Cake remains (6) 16. Near key transposed for Ireland rugby player (6) 17. Shortly desirable man of many French (3) 19. This is a colouring agent, we hear, to expire for! (3) 21. Ate: Time, we here to have finished dining (3) 22. Irish person found in Killmadaragh (4) 23. Hello to Sinn Féin member! (4,3) 25. Refuge for very old couples?(3) 27. A north crag produces an ancient site in Roscommon (11) 28. Appraise organ aloft 4) 29. Mellifont: You can detect a smell if on the right side of this hidden abbey (9) 32. Perceive a Holy area (3) 33. She’s seen in overalls (4) 34. River of outer Torquay (3) 35. $1000 in good South African money, perhaps Irish canal (5)

5. Which Taoiseach killed his brother accidentally?

6. Members of which religious sect founded Bewley’s Cafes?

7. Queen Medbh (or Maeve) — Queen of where?

8. She was born in Co. Clare and her books include The Country Girls.

Who is she?

9. How is St Nessan’s Island better known?

10. Sir Richard Steele founded both of the British publications The Tatler and The Spectator. Which city was he from in Ireland?

”Due to the continuing uncertainty over whether there might be a nodeal Brexit, the Barclays group has determined that it cannot wait any longer to implement the scheme. The design of the scheme has been based upon an assumption that there will be no favourable outcome of the current political negotiations between the UK and the EU as regards passporting or the grant of equivalence status to the UK in respect of financial services.”

Mr Justice Snowden, a British High Court judge, ruling that Barclays Bank could move some of its operations to Ireland because of Brexit.

“The people should be asked, ‘Which union do you want to be part of? The European Union, or the one with Great Britain and Northern Ireland?’” Prime Minster Theresa May, when trying to sell her deal, said that there would be ‘an insatiable demand ‘ for such a poll.”

Chris Hazzard (Sinn Féin).

“I don’t know anyone who was involved in this unfortunate man’s killing or any of the events which led to it. I know it wasn’t me.”

Former president of Sinn Féin Gerry Adams TD. Adams has refuted claims, recently resurfaced, that he ordered the killing of sheep farmer Tom Oliver by the IRA in 991.

Those crazy funsters Led by Donkeys, who previously erected billboards around the UK featuring politicians’ quotes on Brexit, bought some space on the 132-sqm screen in Brussels’ de Brouckere Place to remind a visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May that she once supported Remain.

1. What was the first printed book in Irish?

4. Which Taoiseach has been the tallest?

“Westminster has never served Irish interests – it’s not constituted or designed to do that. Irish interests are defended in Dublin and Belfast and have been – and will be – defended by our partners in the European Union.”

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald, restating her party’s resolve not to take up their Westminster seats.

”It would be good, not just that I retire, but that there would be a different leadership in the church, a younger one, because we are facing very different challenges.”

Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, the Catholic Church’s second most senior prelate in Ireland, speaking on RTÉ.

Crossword

3. Patrick Sarsfield was the first lord of where?

“Gerry [Conlon, one of the Guildford Four wrongly imprisoned] would have been livid. He’d have been in Woking and he’s have shouted from the rooftops that the British judiciary had learned nothing and forgotten nothing.”

Richard O’Rawe, former IRA prisoner turned writer, speaking about the limited remit of the inquest into the Guildford bombings.

“I would of course condemn any aggression, intimidation, harassment or heavy handedness in these situations. But the reality is not that.

What we are talking about is not a protest, but a calm and kindly person available who will talk to someone who is conflicted. If the government is interested in women’s rights, surely she should have a right to hear kindly advice?”

Senator Ronan Mullen, speaking about protests that have been mounted outside Irish facilities offering abortions after abortions becoming legal in Ireland.

Quiz 2. She was born in Dublin, became a US citizen. Her roles include Beth Morgan in How Green was my valley; she was also featured in early Hitchcock films. Who was the actress?

They said it...

Clues down 1. Speech in meadow overwhelmed by smoke blowing back (6) 2. A Dublin man’s little land, an ill lit-up, confused place (8) 3. Bless Amy in the gathering (8) 4. See the noise disappear from the dog (5)(5) 5. Re spice: mix to find culinary instructions (7) 6. Detective work in parental colour reveals Irish based character (6,5) 7. Within material walls you’ll find this entrapped person (6) 8. Composer who stood at an angle, we hear (5) 14. Seafood holding the whole globe mistaken for ER’s toy? 6) 16. Kavanagh’s owner of an ass, concealed by Quaker ropewalker (4) 18. Speech to specific location? (7) 19. Father, acidity indicator, not in French, leads to Greek nymph, or woman (6) 20. A red elm confused for gem or island description (7) 24. Swift uncultivated wretch to search for something (5) 25. Acute, but sometimes obtuse, invading forces? (6) 26. Knee an older complex version of Irish family (6) 29. We encountered each other at New York venue (3) 30. Irish man, northern tree (3) 31. A person of habit (3)

“Irish music has rhythm, soul, melody. It’s proto rock and roll, if you like.”

Seán Cannon, formerly of The Dubliners.

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LAST EDITION’S ANSWERS: Clues across 1. Chris O’Dowd. 6. Crab. 8. Ado. 9. Emu. 10. Gaol. 11. Nora.

13. Father Mathew. 15. Man. 17. Mountain. 18. Open. 19 Bud. 20. Ava. 21. Statute. 22. Prop. 23. Nero. 25. Sinead O’Connor. 29. Hue. 30. Era. 31. Lyre.

32. Ayr. 33. Sweeney.

Clues down 1. Cork. 2. Reed. 3. Sauna. 4. O’Hare. 5. Dalymount. 6. Constitution.

7. Bray Wanderers. 12. Vampire. 14. Turban. 16. Snap. 17. MD. 21. Solomon.

24. Elaine. 25. Seer. 26. Naas. 27. Orly. 28. Nore.

Answers: 1. The Book of Common Prayer; 2. Sara Allgood; 3. He was the first Lord Lucan; 4. Leo Varadkar — at 6ft 4ins, he is two inches taller than Eamon de Valera; 5. Sean Lemass; 6. The Quakers; 7. Connacht; 8. Edna O’Brien; 9. Ireland’s Eye; 10. Dublin.

March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

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review

March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

Tracing literary lines

A BOOK ought to have some reason for being written, something to justify all that effort on the part of the author and the publisher, not to mention the enthusiast who forks out for the privilege of reading it.

Unfortunately, Patrick McCabe’s latest effort does not have anything for the reader to hold on to, any reason to be enthusiastic or to feel that time and money have been profitably spent.

That point is particularly important with a writer like McCabe, who has a well-deserved reputation for outstanding work.

His earlier books, Butcher Boy, Mondo Desperado, Emerald Germs of Ireland, Winterworld and The Holy City have all received positive reviews in these pages. In the context of those books, Heartland is a huge disappointment. Merely applying the term ‘noir’ to it is not enough; even such books have a logic to them.

For one thing, it takes some time to understand where the story is set. We are told it is in Glasson County, presumably fictional.

There are places called Whiterock and Kentuckyland mentioned; the dialogue is strongly rural America, with phrases like ‘two in the head is what the sumbitch deserves.’

So you begin to feel that you are somewhere in Georgia or Alabama.

Then on page 51, Colonel Sanders of KFC is mentioned and he is explained as follows, “you can see him in Dundalk – laughing in the window with his stick and white hat.” So from then on, you can decide that it is after all set in the part of rural Ireland around the border where McCabe sets many of his stories Fast forward – a good idea, in this case – a further 50 or so pages and the dialogue has progressed: “Now come on, boys, for you and me, we got ourselves a whole bunch o’ hosses here as needs tendin’.”

However much you may feel you are back in Georgia again, you have been told that the action is set somewhere in the Irish Midlands.

Do people in Laois or Longford really speak like that? What is the author trying to do?

It is not clear what is happening in the story. At the end, there is a minor massacre, but it is entirely possible that this is merely a metaphor for something else altogether.

The final half dozen pages where some form of explanation might be expected are even more puzzling.

In the end, you are left with the conclusion that Heartland is 300 pages of meandering nonsense.

“McCabe’s latest

effort does not have anything for the reader to hold on to.

”

IN this book, Ireland’s most successful novelist writes about the fathers of three of Ireland’s foremost writers of the past: Oscar Wilde, W B Yeats and James Joyce.

The versions here are taken from the Richard Ellmann Lectures in Modern Literature given by the author at Emory University, Atlanta

BOOKS HEARTLAND

By Patrick McCabe New Island 315 pp £25

CCCCC MAD, BAD, DANGEROUS TO KNOW. The fathers of Wilde, Yeats, and Joyce.

By Colm Tóibín Picador 215 pp $29.99

the two boys and one girl he had with his wife Jane did not affect the respect he had among scholars in Ireland and farther afield.

Tóibín gives a clear description of the libel case taken against Jane Wilde by Mary Travers and draws a parallel between the disservice that Lady Wilde did herself by being too clever in the witness box with the similar effect of Oscar’s answers in his libel action against the Marquess. He points out also a few situations when Oscar, on school holidays from Portora School Enniskillen, helped his father in gathering information for his book on the Corrib.

WB Yeats’s father John is mainly remembered for his lack of success as an artist. He and his wife Susan Pollexfen had six children, two of whom died as infants, but their marriage seemed not to have been a happy one. With a qualification in law, he chose art instead but, according to this book, rarely finished a painting. One contemporary described him as one who “scrapes off every day what he painted the day before.”

He was a great letter writer, and Tóibín deals extensively with his correspondence, especially in the last 15 years of his life after moving to New York. His letters to W B were mostly about art and poetry, but there were also frequent letters to Rosa Butt, daughter of the nationalist MP Isaac Butt.

Their relationship was very close, particularly after Susan Yeats died. Each had promised to burn their letters as soon as they were received, and although he kept his part of the bargain, she kept most of his letters.

While they do no more than

hint at intimacy achieved, they are quite explicit that he wished intimacy.

Compared with William Wilde and John Butler Yeats, the impression we get of John Stanislaus Joyce is of a manipulative, domineering drunkard, the kind of man who today might be cited as the embodiment of a bad husband and father.

Much of what we know about him comes from his second son Stanislaus, while his appearance in the writings of his more famous son James tends to be almost sympathetic.

The book opens with an introduction in which Tóibín walks through the many parts of Dublin which were significant to all three of his characters.

It is a chapter which will be of great interest to those who know Dublin, particularly the areas around Westland Row and Trinity College.

Here is an opportunity to meet the genius-rogue William Wilde, the dreamer-loser John Butler Yeats and the bully-waster John Stanislaus Joyce.

“WB Yeats’s father

CCCCC Frank O’Shea in November 2017. With Wilde, Tóibín describes being locked in the same cell in Reading Gaol once occupied by Oscar and reading the full text of De Profundis for streaming to a screen in the prison chapel where it could be watched by visitors. He analyses how in that long document, Wilde contrasted his family with that of his erstwhile lover Alfred Douglas. In particular, he was able to compare his father with Alfred’s father, the Marquess of Queensbury, and contrast the eminence that came from words and intelligence with the low expectations and achievement that had only inheritance to rely on.

Both of Wilde’s parents were distinguished writers: his mother as an admirer of the Young Ireland movement; his father as a writer on archaeology and epidemiology with work also as antiquarian, folklorist and statistician. That his father had a number of children outside of

was a great letter writer, and Tóibín deals extensively with his correspondence, especially in the last 15 years of his life after moving to New York.

”

THE TOP 10 BOOK CHARTS FROM IRELAND BESTSELLERS 1

When All is Said

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz

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Milkman

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Normal People

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The Woman in the Window

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The Wonky Donkey

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The Importance of Being Aisling

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Heather Morris

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Calm the F**k Down. A No F*cks Given Guide

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Dav Pilkey Ogie O Ceilleachair

March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

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March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

CANBERRA FIXTURE TO HONOUR IRISH CONTRIBUTION TO AFLW

St Patrick’s Day clash to honour Irish Giants FOR many years, the Irish contribution to men’s Australian Football has been celebrated, including hallowed names such as Jim Stynes, Tadgh Kennelly and latterly Zach Tuohy.

In round seven of the NAB AFL Women’s competition in Canberra, the Giants will face the Geelong Cats and it will be the perfect time to acknowledge the early, but highly significant contribution of the club’s Irish players.

The NAB AFL Women’s competition is in its third year of operation. Games are played at suburban venues throughout Australia, where fans come to watch elite athletes take to the field.

In Sydney and Canberra, the Giants players have become used to a different sight from spectators. At most games, you will see a significant selection of county jerseys paying homage to the unique talents of the club’s Irish imports.

This season the competition has four new recruits come from a Gaelic football background, with Sarah Rowe (Collingwood rookie), Ailish Considine (Adelaide rookie), Yvonne Bonner (Giants rookie) and Aisling McCarthy (Western Bulldogs’ senior list), moving from Ireland to play Australian Football.

The Irish influx can be credited in part to the effect that Mayo legend Cora Staunton has had at the Giants last year. Staunton took her first tentative steps in Australian football in 2018, being selected 47th in the NAB AFL Women’s draft.

At 37 and with a storied career in Gaelic football behind her, Staunton faced a significant challenge to adapt to a game that bears certain similarities to Gaelic football, but in other ways is completely alien to her natural instincts as an athlete. Staunton thrived in a

Cora Staunton’s success in AFLW has paved the way for other Irish players to head down under for a crack at the Aussie code. professional environment of the Giants, and impressed teammates and fans with her ability to read a game and attack the football. In her first season the Mayo legend was awarded goal of the season for the club.

After such a successful opening season, there was a clamour for Staunton to return and she signed a contract to begin her second season with the Giants for 2019.

This season, Donegal football Yvonne Bonner joined Staunton, signing

with the club as a rookie. While Staunton continues to set high standards on and off the field for the code, Bonner has been a revelation for AFLW. In only her third game of Australian Football against Carlton Blues, Bonner took eight marks, had 13 disposals and scored what is considered a strong contender for goal of the year.

Her footballing instincts mean she links naturally with Staunton on the field, who also scored against the Blues. Both Irish players also scored

goals against Collingwood last weekend, giving the Giants their first win of the season. They next face Melbourne Demons in Blacktown.

The continued success of the Giants’ small but significant Irish player base has buoyed the club’s supporters and should unlock opportunities for other GAA players.

The last round of the regular season is at Canberra’s Manuka Oval on March 15 and will have extra significance for Staunton and Bonner. Two days before

St Patrick’s Day, the Giants are encouraging the Irish community in the capital to come out in force and support the two Irish players by wearing their county colours or the colours of the Irish flag.

Giants v Geelong Cats AFLW Round Seven Manuka Oval, Canberra Friday 15 March, 7.15pm

EARLIEST KNOWN HURLING WRITTEN RULES DISCOVERED IN GEELONG

Hurling find rewrites GAA history David Hennessy

A SET of hurling rules drawn up in the state of Victoria have been dated to 20 years before the establishment of the GAA, making them the earliest known rules of the code.

The research carried out by Gaelic Games history site GAA Then and Now tells of how a sudden interest in hurling in the Geelong and Ballarat areas in Victoria in 1863 led to the formation of nine hurling clubs and the drawing up of the game’s earliest known set of rules. The Killimor (Co Galway) Rules were believed to be the earliest set of hurling rules known.

However, while the document is somewhat mysterious, the Geelong rules can be dated with names of those involved and the venue known.

John Reaney, Secretary of Geelong Gaels, told the Irish Echo: “It just came out of the blue. We shared it in our whatsapp group and the Irish boys are just amazed as well, couldn’t believe it.

It’s amazing. We knew Geelong won the Victorian championship in 1954 but then hurling fell away so our club fell away for 50 or 60 years. We had no idea of anything pre-war or anything like that. When they gave locations and there was a league going on, wow.

“The GAA was only founded in 1888

A new chapter on the history of hurling has been unearthed.

and they were playing here in the 1860s. It’s just amazing.”

It was on New Year’s Day 1863 that a 20-a-side hurling match, with a prize of £10, was played at James Gleeson’s Yarborough Inn in Germantown, now known as Grovedale.

This was followed by another match, ‘town versus country’, on St Patrick’s Day where the number of players on each team was increased to 25 and the prize this time was bigger also at £20.

This match had so much importance attached to it that the organisers met before St Patrick’s Day to draw up a clear set of rules.

It was at John Loughnan’s Royal Charter Hotel in Yarra Street, Geelong on Thursday March 12, 1863 that proprietor John Loughnan, William Caffrey, Patrick Healy, James Hayes, Patrick O’Dwyer, John Noonan, John McMahon, Herber t Swindells and “Messrs Bur ns, Leonard, Kenny, Shiels and Griffin” met to agree on a set of rules for their match.

These Geelong rules allowed shouldering but picking the ball up off the ground, tripping, striking and playing under the influence of alcohol were not allowed. Any player found guilty of striking was to be “given up at once to the authorities (police) by stewards”.

There was no time limit and the game would go for four hours and end in a draw.

Hurling matches had been played in Victoria even earlier in the 1840s but the St Patrick’s Day game led to the setting up of what may be the first formally structured hurling club before another game on Easter Monday at “Comunn na Feinne grounds”.

Match organiser William Caffrey was recognised as the first Geelong Cosmopolitan Club President. The club boasted more than 100 members from its early days. After the Easter Monday game, there was a meeting to decide a revised set of rules before the next

match. There was still no time limit but a team would win by scoring two goals, play was restricted to the area marked out and there were to be six match of ficials to enforce the rules. Any player found guilty of an infringement was to be dealt with by the club and not by “authorities”.

This game turned into a two-day event with no team able to claim victory after three hours, it was decided that they would return another day to play for four more hours.

These matches were described as practice matches and as Cosmopolitan Club internal affairs but when more hurling clubs started to form, the club held a meeting to talk about challenging a new group of players in Ballarat.

Ballarat would adopt the Cosmopolitan rules and challenge their neighbours, Buninyong.

This 15-a-side contest ended in acrimony when Buninyong retired from the field claiming they had won while Ballarat disputed their goals’ validity.

Other clubs were now forming in Cowie’s Creek, Duck Ponds (now called Lara), Muddy Water Holes (now called Lethbridge) and River Leigh.

However, there are no reports of the Cosmopolitan Club playing any of these teams but another club in Shank Hill, now Gnarwarre, would be their

first external opponents. That game, on Monday October 5,1863, was played in Clarke’s Paddock near Pollocksford with the Geelong team prevailing. The return fixture, the first inter-club hurling match played in Geelong, was fixed for November 2, 1863 with Geelong emerging triumphant once more.

It was towards the end of the year that a new club was set up in Geelong with Thomas Shannan, previously a central Cosmopolitan figure, and his West End Hurling Club quickly challenging Geelong’s first club to a game on St Stephen’s Day. It was thought the Cosmopolitan team were not keen to meet their new neighbours with club President Thomas O’Kane even writing a letter saying the day did not suit many of their players. Regardless of this, many Geelong players had every intention of playing the new West End club and it was the West End team that were surprised and shor t on numbers themselves when a Cosmopolitan team showed up. The game ended in a draw with a return game set for New Year’s Day. Exactly a year after the first hurling game in Germantown, a match between two properly constituted Geelong hurling clubs took place which also ended in a draw.

March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

sports FOOTBALL :: IRISH DISAPPOINTMENT AS RICE OPTS FOR ENGLAND SHIRT

‘This has been an extremely difficult decision’

Declan Rice in action for West Ham. The 20-year-old has declared for England.

WEST Ham midfielder Declan Rice has announced he has decided to submit a written request to FIFA for the transfer of his international registration from the Republic of Ireland to England.

The 20-year-old was born in London but qualified for the Republic of Ireland via paternal grandparents and after playing at youth level went on to make three senior appearances, all in friendly matches. However, after breaking into the West Ham first team and becoming a regular in Manuel Pellegrini’s side this season, Rice has chosen to switch his allegiance to England.

Rice said in a lengthy statement posted on his of ficial T witter account on Wednesday: “This afternoon I telephoned both Mick McCar thy and Gareth Southgate to inform them of my decision

to submit a written request to FIFA for the transfer of my inter national registration from the Republic of Ireland to England. This has been an extremely difficult decision and, in all honesty, not one I ever expected to be making at this stage of my career.

“So much has happened, so quickly, in the past couple of years,” he said.

Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy said: “Declan rang me today and said he has decided to give it a go with England. Good luck to him.”

Rice said he had “discussed the situation with the people who mean the most to me” as well as speaking to former Republic boss Martin O’Neill, McCarthy and England manager Gareth Southgate.

“I am truly grateful for the support I have received in leading to this decision,”

the West Ham player added. “Like so many people around the world, I consider myself to be of mixed nationality. I am a proud Englishman, having been born and raised in London. However, I am just as proud of my family’s Irish heritage and my affinity and connection with the country. I have equal respect and love for both England and Ireland and therefore the national team I choose to represent is not a clear-cut, simple selection,” he said.

“Ultimately, it is a personal decision that I have made with my heart and my head, based on what I believe is best for my future.”

All of Rice’s three senior Ireland appearances came during 2018, including games against France and the USA ahead of the World Cup.

Rice added: “I fully accept that some Irish supporters will be disappointed by my decision, and that ever yone has different opinions in regard to the rules around international representation.

However, I hope that people can understand that I have made this decision with honesty, integrity and the full support of my family.

“My pride at wearing the Irish shirt was always 100 per cent genuine. It was a great honour for myself and my family, and something I will always cherish.”

Rice added the decision had been announced to end speculation as he concentrates on maintaining his development.

“For now, my focus remains entirely on establishing myself as a Premier League player with West Ham United.”

SIX NATIONS RUGBY :: ERRANT IRISH STRUGGLE TO GET PAST FIERY ITALIANS

Irish win but concern grows Nick Purewal

JOE Schmidt has admitted Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray are angry and grumpy with their personal Guinness Six Nations form for Ireland.

Fly-half Sexton kicked a towel in disgust as he left the fray late on in Ireland’s tetchy 26-16 win over Italy in Rome.

Schmidt revealed the 33-yearold was lamenting copping a string of off-the-ball hits, though the Ireland head coach refused to criticise any of the Italian tactics. The taskmaster Kiwi conceded his British and Irish Lions half-backs Sexton and Mur ray are still battling to regain their mojo, as Ireland overturned a 16-12 half-time deficit for an unconvincing bonus-point win.

“I think Johnny was a bit angr y when he came of f because he’d just been hit three times off the ball,” said Schmidt.

“I’m not saying any of it was illegal. They were well-timed challenges, some of them.

“He gets that every week, but he felt a degree of frustration about that. And Conor is frustrated. He’s grumpy and then there’s a real danger that you start trying too hard.

“You then tend to create pressure on yourself and then you don’t play well. You play best when your confidence is good, you have a sense of responsibility and you combine the two to be fluent in what you’re delivering.

“When players don’t get an early touch in the game that’s positive, that accumulates, that frustration. I’m proud of the players that they stayed calm enough to make sure we got the win and the five points.

“We’re still tr ying to get a rhythm for Johnny. And I think Conor’s still trying to find his feet. There’s a bit of a risk for Conor that he tries too hard.

He’s frustrated that he’s not the smooth-running machine that he normally is.

“But I thought he put in some really nice kicks today. On the back of that, I’m hoping that he gets a bit of his confidence back.

I think he’s going to keep building, and France will be another opportunity for him, all

being equal.” Despite the unconvincing display, Ireland claimed the four-tr y bonus point.

Quinn Roux, Jacob Stockdale, Keith Earls and Conor Murray crossed for an Ireland side again struggling for fluency and rhythm. Edoardo Padovani and Luca Morisi bagged tries for Italy to lead 16-12 at half-time, but Ireland edged home to leave the Azzurri still without a Six Nations win under Conor O’Shea’s stewardship.

Bundee Aki suffered a head injur y and Sexton played through a minor leg problem that led to Murray taking over goal-kicking duties.

Schmidt insisted Sexton’s latest war wound, a minor thigh problem, would not hinder the Leinster playmaker for long, even though it stopped him goal-kicking at the Stadio Olimpico.

“Johnny just got a bump when the same guy got him twice in a row,” said Schmidt. “It just looked like he was looking for him, and fair play to him, he got him. So he was a bit sore.

“There’s not really anything we can do to mitigate against any of that. Because Johnny’s got to be the hub where he does play in the game.

“If he drops out of that hub position, I think he did a bit in the England game when it was his first game back in a long time, we suffer as a result.

“When he’s in there he does allow us to get a little bit more organisation, and his decisionmaking is usually spot on.”

Italy boss O’Shea lamented another loss but insisted the Azzurri are building.

“It’s another easy article for lazy people to write about Italy if they criticise heavily,” said O’Shea. “I don’t give a hoot what’s happening to me, I just want to do the right things for Italy. We’re pretty gutted about it but we’ll keep on moving.”

Wales defeat of England at Cardif f means that the Six Nations Championship is still up for grabs.

Ireland next face France in Dublin on Sunday March 10 before a potential Championship decider against Wales in Cardiff on March 16.

GOLF

McIlroy set to miss Irish Open

Tadhg Furlong gets tackled during Ireland’s unconvincing 26-16 win over Italy at the Olympic Stadium in Rome last weekend.

Sean O’Brien signs for London Irish Nick Purewal

SEAN O’Brien hopes he can extend his Ireland career beyond the World Cup despite trading Leinster for London Irish after the autumn’s global battle in Japan.

British and Irish Lions flanker O’Brien admitted he has been driven to tears by his decision to leave Leinster after the 2019 World Cup, to join his first Ireland boss Declan Kidney at the Exiles.

O’Brien knows he risks falling foul of the Irish Rugby Football Union’s policy of only selecting overseas-based players in extreme circumstances.

Johnny Sexton remains Ireland’s sole overseas star to continue to win selection (during his stint with Racing 92) but despite the likes of Francebased Simon Zebo and Donnacha Ryan currently being overlooked, O’Brien is refusing to give up on his Test career.

“If I’m fit and well I think I can add value to this

group: even after I leave Leinster I’d hope to be selected,” said O’Brien. “But that’s so long away and it’s probably a decision that the coaches and whoever is in charge at the time will have to make.

“But there’s always hope there, I think, that regardless of where you are you’re still in with a shout if you’re playing well enough.

“Until the World Cup finishes that is all up in the air. Afterwards I would hope to still be in the mix if possible and if fit, but I haven’t really thought that far ahead yet.”

O’Brien’s impending departure has been partly eased by Robbie Henshaw signing a three-year Ireland and Leinster contract extension. “Robbie has established himself as a leader within this Ireland squad and has delivered consistent world-class performances which have helped to drive the sustained success enjoyed by the national team,” said IRFU performance director David Nucifora.

RORY McIlroy will maintain his European Tour membership this season, despite confirming he will miss the Irish Open to focus on preparing for the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The British Open is returning to the island of Ireland for the first time since 1951 and the 29-yearold is looking to win his first major title since 2014.

“If there is ever a year when I feel I can miss this Irish Open, it’s this year,” McIlroy, who will play the Scottish Open immediately before the Open, told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.

“If I was to play the Irish Open, the Open Championship would be my third event in a row. For me, that’s not the best way to prepare for what could be the biggest event of my life.”

McIlroy had hosted the Irish Open since 2015 and won it at The K Club in 2016, but Paul McGinley will take over hosting duties at Lahinch this year.

McGinley was critical of McIlroy’s suggestion that he might only play two regular European Tour events this season, a decision which would mean losing his membership and the right to be Ryder Cup captain.

However, McIlroy says he will play the minimum number of four events to maintain his membership and believes his critics “don’t see the bigger picture.”

“I wouldn’t miss that [the Ryder Cup] for the world. I’m still going to be a member of the team,” McIlroy added.

McIlroy finished runner up at the World Golf Championship in Mexico last weekend.

A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EW S PAPER

March, 2019 I www.irishecho.com.au

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