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Green ties that bind Different President, same shenanigans SEE PAGE 6

ENDA KENNY OUTLINES PLAN FOR REFERENDUM ON EXTENDING PRESIDENTIAL VOTING RIGHTS

Irish abroad may get vote THE Irish government is to press ahead with a referendum on extending presidential voting rights to citizens living outside the State, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has confirmed.

Mr Kenny outlined plans for a public vote on what was a key recommendation made by members of a constitutional convention four years ago.

If the change to the Constitution is approved, voting rights would be extended to Irish citizens worldwide, perhaps most notably those living in Northern Ireland.

The referendum is unlikely to be held in time to affect next year's presidential election. Any changes would therefore come into operation for the 2025 vote.

The Taoiseach made the announcement at an Irish Famine memorial in Philadelphia during his St Patrick’s Day visit to the United States.

“Today's announcement is a profound recognition of the importance that Ireland attaches to all of our citizens, wherever they may be,” he said.

“It is an opportunity for us to make our country stronger by allowing all of our citizens resident outside the State, including our emigrants, to vote in future presidential elections.

“I am especially pleased to be making this announcement as we prepare for our worldwide celebration of St Patrick’s Day and of all that is Irish.”

The Convention On The Constitution brought together Irish citizens and parliamentarians to debate potential changes to the State's legal framework

and make r ecommendations to government.

The forum previously recommended the introduction of gay marriage, a move that was endorsed in a historic referendum.

Mr Kenny said extending the franchise in presidential elections gave rise to a range of “legal, policy and practical issues”.

He said in order to have an informed public debate, the forthcoming government paper would set out the range of options available to give effect to the convention's recommendation.

Some 3.6 million Irish citizens abr oad, including r esidents of Northern Ireland who have a right to citizenship, could vote in a presidential election if a referendum is passed.

The Departments of Housing and

Foreign Affairs has said in an options paper on the referendum that the potential number of Northern Irish and overseas Irish citizens voting in an election could eclipse the 3.2 million registered to vote within the State.

The paper said they were unlikely to swamp domestic voters, if voting follows international trends. It pointed to elections in the UK, Canada and Australia, where large numbers of expatriates are permitted to cast ballots but only a fraction actually do.

The turnout for the most recent Presidential election in Ireland was only 56.1 per cent.

The Constitutional Convention recommended in 2013 that voting should be extended to the Irish diaspora, bringing Ireland in line with more than 125 countries that allow overseas

citizens the right to vote. Minister for the Diaspora Joe McHugh said the government would consider online voting in a future Irish diaspora vote.

The departmental paper said it was not considering internet voting “at this point”. The paper estimates that a referendum would cost between €15 million and €16 million. The registration of voters would cost €1.6 million to €2.4 million. The digitisation of foreign bir th registration records, required to create a voting register, would cost €1 million.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

news DARA Ó BRIAIN FINDS AN UNEXPECTED AUDIENCE DOWN UNDER ON FIRST TOUR IN 16 YEARS

Accidental solo tour pays off for Wickow funny-man Aoife Grace Moore COMEDIAN Dara Ó Briain’s profile has grown since he last toured Australia 16 years ago.

The Bray funny man is touring the country, filming the BBC show Stargazing Live with Professor Brian Cox and felt it was the natural thing to do some comedy gigs along the way.

“It’s been a while since I was last here so I didn’t know how popular I’d be, to be honest. We’ve sold out Melbourne and the Sydney Opera House, and added extra dates in Perth. I didn’t expect it, so it’s a big bonus.

“Nowadays you can tour all over the world as the stuff you do pops up everywhere; BBC shows get sold all over the world and, obviously, the Irish are everywhere, so that helps.

“I have sell-out gigs out in the Arctic Circle, in Norway and Moscow. Everything you do has a very long tail now with YouTube and the internet.”

It’s all work and no play in Australia for Ó Briain, who travelled Down Under without his family. Not everyone was pleased about this, he says.

“I’ve got a young family now. It’s a long trip and it’s not interesting for them – although my daughter was furious she’s not coming along.

“I’ve never understood that … in Wimbledon, when they cut to the shots of the family in the stands.

“Do they not have anything else to do except attend every game? My wife only comes to my shows to see if I talk about her,” he quipped. Ó Briain, who quit his presenting gig on The Apprentice spin-off You’re Fired two years ago says although we’re in

a turbulent time for politics, he’s not under any illusions about the impact comedy can have.

“I’ve been on [TV panel show] Mock The Week for 16 years making jokes about politics, so it’s always been there. I think what shocks comedians is how little effect it has.

“In Britain most of the jokes about Brexit were as if it would never happen.

Every late night talk show host talked about how Trump would never happen.

It’s the bubble we’re in and we got a real slap in the face about how little we matter,” he concedes.

“Twitter is not a broadcasting network. Everyone had such a shock at the last three elections. The votes have all gone against unified opinion.

“I always say Twitter is the pub. It’s not as large as we think it is, and you’re not going to fill your corner in the pub with people you hate. So, people get a shock when elections don’t go the way they want.”

As the press promotion piled on for the tour, Ó Briain came a croppper with his Irish accent in Australia in an interview with a Sydney Morning Herald reporter.

“I told the journalist I had met Steven Hawking and had brought along my copy of A Brief History of Time and that he signed it with his thumb.

“She misheard me and wrote that he signed it with his tongue! It was so embarrassing. I had to phone up the newspaper and say that, actually, Steven Hawking didn’t lick my book.

“I can’t believe she didn’t question it.

Like, I rubbed the book in his face? A cherished moment of my life ruined by Steven Hawking licking a book.”

STARGAZER: Dara Ó Briain has notched up a sell-out tour of Australia, his first visit here in 16 years.

AUSSIE BEER COMPANY APOLOGISES FOR INSENSITIVE CAMPAIGN

Brewer runs for cover after ‘Famine’ beer idea falls flat

Aoife Grace Moore

AUSTRALIAN brewer Shark Island Brewing Co found itself in hot water during the St Patrick’s Day period because of the name given to its newest ale.

The Famine And The Crown caramel chocolate ale was released in the run-up to March 17 as part of a collaboration with craft brewers Willie The Boatman.

The label promoting the beer depicted a grief stricken mother holding a baby as a prison ship sails out to sea in the background.

The backlash was swift, and the New South Wales company recalled the beer and deleted the promotional posts before making a statement of apology.

Shark Island owner Dion Dickinson told the press, via Facebook, that the inspiration for the title and ar twork came from the lyrics of The Fields of Athenry.

“When we decided to collaborate with Willie the Boatman on a St Patrick’s release we were conscious of not delivering a cliché Irishthemed beer but wished to express something a little more genuine.

“The inspiration for the beer came from the classic Irish song The Fields of Athenry, a song that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

The label for the ill-considered Famine And The Crown beer, which has now been recalled.

“The second verse in particular resonates strongly the strength of the Irish people under extreme adversity and, as an Australian, the mention of Botany Bay has always drawn me to the song.”

“It was never our intention to trivialise this terrible piece of history for the sale of a few kegs, but to acknowledge the resilience of the people.

“The artwork depicts the scene from the song.

There was no disrespect intended and as soon as we

awoke to the legitimately angry, hurt comments, we removed the offending title and artwork.

“Once again we apologise for the obvious offence and insult we have caused and we hope you can forgive the error and understand it was not made with malice.”

It appears the damage has already been done as angry and offended Facebook users flooded the brewery’s page with one-star reviews and angry comments about the lack of respect, and profiteering from human tragedy.

Some of the comments read: “I can’t believe you were planning to capitalise on one of the worst human tragedies in history to promote a beer. The graphic for the labelling is horrendous. You deserve nothing less than the backlash heading your way.”

“Making fun and a fast buck out of the Irish Famine, one of the worst examples of genocide and human suffering in history where more than a million people died. You mob are a bunch of morons.”

“These lacklustre low talent brewers use horrific events from histor y to tr y and capitalise on the suffering of an entire nation to make a few extra bucks from St Paddy’s Day.” “Congratulations on a fantastic display of sheer ignorance and lack of consideration. Famine and the crown beer – Google how many lives were lost before the Irish Famine appears in your profit plan.”

Another wrote: “My tears are abundant!! I cannot believe this comes from a country that so many Irish were sent to, never to see their families again in such hard times.. and died!! You insensitive b******s.”

The Irish Echo comtacted Dion Dickerson and the Shark Island Brewing Company for further comment but they did not to respond.

POLITICS

Varadkar did not want Aussie trip, reports say MINISTER Leo Varadkar objected to being sent to Australia for St Patrick’s Day, arguing for a European location instead, according to reports.

The Social Protection Minister was initially assigned to the Indonesian capital Jakarta and Perth in Western Australia, the Irish Independent reports, but was reassigned to Paris.

“It is understood the minister was concer ned about being sent so far away when Fine Gael is on the verge of a leadership contest,” the Irish Independent reported.

Last month, he cut short an official visit to Colombia with President Michael D Higgins.

Mr Varadkar is considered the frontrunner to replace Enda Kenny as leader of Fine Gael (see report on page 11).

He previously travelled to Australia while Minister for Tourism.

The Irish government was represented by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Patrick O’Donovan (above) in Sydney on the east coast while David Stanton, Minister of State for Justice, picked up Perth and Indonesia.

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

local US-BORN IRISH COMIC TO PLAY MELBOURNE, SYDNEY, PERTH Des Bishop is a regular at Australian comedy festivals.

Turning 40 comic fodder for Bishop Aoife Grace Moore IRELAND’S favourite American, the comedian Des Bishop, hits the Melbourne Comedy Festival this month with shows in the city’s Greek Centre.

Fresh off Ireland’s Dancing with the Stars, Bishop’s new stand-up show Grey Matters tackles turning 40, being the only single friend left and dating in China.

“I’ve been to Australia loads. This is my sixth time doing the Melbourne Comedy Festival so I’m excited about the new show.

“It’s sort of funny observations; I’m not married with kids but I’m surrounded by them. There’s a lot nostalgia and generation gap stuff. I’m looking forward to having a bit of craic with that,” he told the Irish Echo.

Bishop, originally from New York says he loves Australian audiences but has noticed Irish people have other opinions.

“Irish people definitely think Australians don’t have the same humour. I personally find them to be great.

“I do get a lot of Irish at my shows.

It’s hard to gauge [what the Australians think] as there’s such a huge Irish contingent but I don’t find any massive difference.

“Australians do have a sense of humour, you just can’t insult them the first time you meet them. I think Irish people aren’t used to that, and it can be construed as them having no craic.”

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival runs until April 23 and hosts a number of Irish acts including Dara Ó Briain and Jason Byrne.

“There’s loads of comedians around during the festival. I usually make a new friend or two when I’m there but Jason Byrne and I tend to spend the most time together. He’s my festival friend.”

Bishop’s prolific TV shows have almost overshadowed his stand-up, with credits like The Des Bishop Work Expe-

rience, Joy in the Hood, and his recent appearance on RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars. He insists it’s not intentional.

“The TV feeds the comedy, I love performing and I don’t want to be a TV presenter, that’s not the goal.

“The goal is I get well-known enough that people come to see my shows.

“The dancing was great fun; I like dancing anyway. It was interesting to find out what it was like in a real ballroom setting.”

Although he has a number of shows in the pipeline, Bishop says any updates will be announced on his Snapchat: desbuffer.

You can catch Bishop at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival until Sunday April 23. He then travels to Sydney for a run at The Comedy Store, April 27-30.

Finally, he takes part in the Perth Comedy Festival.

DEAD MAN WAS DUAL NATIONAL

Fatal plunge for Irishman in Thailand THAI police say an Irish bor n Australian citizen died after jumping from the fourth floor of Bangkok’s international airport.

The 32-year-old man, who held both Australian and Irish passports, was taken to hospital but died about two hours later.

Police said a review of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s security footage showed the incident took place at 6.25am local time on March 30.

“We checked the CCTV and there was no one else with him. He walked alone from the third floor to the fourth floor,” Police Lieutenant Colonel Kawee Ratana told the ABC. “We believe it was his intention to harm himself, that nobody threatened him.”

Police said they had informed the

relevant embassies and were waiting for an autopsy report.

Immigration records show the man had visited Thailand several times, most recently using his Irish passport, police were reported as saying.

The ABC reported that the Irish consulate was assisting the man’s family. He was named in local media as Alan Paul Grimes.

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Irish tech firm’s aid link to Oz

AN Irish start-up that pioneered the use of blockchain technology to deliver food to Syrian refugees in Lebanon is exploring opportunities to team up with Australia’s foreign aid program.

AID: Tech uses blockchain as a digital ledger to securely and transparently record transactions and prevent fraud.

The organisation partnered with Ireland’s Red Cross in 2015 on a pilot program in Lebanon to provide electronic voucher cards with QR codes to Syrian refugee women to be redeemed for goods at camp shops.

The Red Cross had complete traceability and could watch the transactions in real time from Dublin, chief executive Joseph Thompson said.

“We’re marrying identity with money for people who don’t have access to financial products, documentation or bank accounts,” he said during a recent visit to Canberra. “The shopkeeper has a cheap mobile phone, so when he scans the QR code it brings up a picture of the refugee.”

Mr Thompson co-founded the business after a disappointing experience fundraising for a charity in 2009. The money did not end up going to where it was intended – children needing reconstructive surgery.

He spoke at a European Union-Australia Leadership Forum workshop on digital technology and development in Canberra last week and also had preliminary talks with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s innovation hub.

AFL DUO FLY HOME TO IRELAND TO BE WITH DYING BROTHER

Hanley family mourns after teenager is taken by cancer A PALL of grief has descended on the community of Ballaghaderreen after the death of 16-year-old Tommy Hanley last week.

Tommy had been battling illness for a number of months before passing away peacefully in hospital.

A member of a well-known sporting family, Tommy’s brothers Andy, Pearce and Cian all played underage football for Mayo. Pearce played senior too before embarking on a successful career in Australian Rules in 2008, a path Cian has also followed him on.

Both were afforded leave from their respective clubs – Pearce is with Gold Coast Suns and Cian is with Brisbane Lions – to travel home to be with their brother in his final days.

Tommy had visited his brothers in Australia last summer, with his mother Natalie, and friends.

Family friend John O’Mahony told the Mayo News: “There is huge sympathy in the club and in the area. A young person taken at that stage of their life is very difficult to get to grips with. Our hearts and our prayers go out to the Hanleys.”

“One of the great things about the GAA is how people rally around in the

hour of need and that will happen here,” he added.

News of Tommy’s illness came to light before Christmas when movie star and former wrestler Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson sent a message of support to Tommy, who was a big fan of the star.

“I’m pulling for you man. I appreciate you being a fan. Happy holidays and Mer r y Christmas, Tommy. Stay strong,” Johnson said in a video message.

Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast Suns issued a joint statement expressing their condolences.

“The younger brother of Pearce and Cian passed away in hospital in Dublin on Tuesday evening,” it read.

“The Suns and Lions express their sincerest condolences to the Hanley family at this most difficult of times.”

Both clubs wore black armbands out of respect for Tommy Hanley during last weekend’s games.

No time frame has been placed on the return of the Hanley brothers and the clubs have offered their support to the players. The funeral took place last Friday and Tommy was buried at Kilcolman Cemetery.

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

HEARTBROKEN: Gold Coast Suns star Pearce Hanley, whose brother Tommy died last week of cancer at the age of 16.

Distributed by Gordon & Gotch

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

taoiseach in washington for st patrick’s day DONALD TRUMP VOWS TO STRENGTHEN TIES BETWEEN US AND IRELAND

Shamrock diplomacy wins again David Young

PRESIDENT Tr ump has pledged stronger United States’ co-operation and support for the island of Ireland under his leadership.

Accepting a bowl of shamrock from Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the close of a day when he also vowed to visit Ireland during his presidency, Mr Trump promised the bonds between the US and both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic would be strengthened.

“As America gains renewed strength, Ireland will find us to be an ever faithful partner and an always loyal friend. We will be there for you,” he told Mr Kenny at the White House.

The shamrock presentation in the East Room ended the Taoiseach’s packed programme of St Patrick’s engagements with senior figures in the new administration.

Earlier, Mr Trump told him he was his “new friend” after the pair met in the Oval Office.

Both leaders were also hosted by Speaker Paul Ryan at his traditional St Patrick’s lunch on Capitol Hill.

Speaking at the annual event, Mr Trump said he “loved Ireland and the people of Ireland”.

“The people of Ireland and the people of the United States have stuck

US President Donald Trump accepts a bowl of shamrock from Taioseach Enda Kenny at the White House on St Patrick’s Day.

together through good times and bad times,” he said. “Over many centuries we have built a bond that thrives, inspires and endures and, with us, it’s going to be closer than ever before.

“So, as we celebrate our shared history and our enduring friendship, let us commit ourselves to working together, as we will, to build on that bond to the benefit of our citizens for many more generations to come.”

During the lunch, Mr Kenny made an impassioned plea to the president to help the 50,000 undocumented Irish who live in the United States without legal permission.

The Taoiseach has long campaigned for a legal pathway to be opened to allow the undocumented to obtain legal residency without fear of deportation.

The issue has drawn intense focus on this year’s visit, given the presi-

dent’s hardline stance on immigration.

After the White House meeting, Mr Kenny said he and the president had agreed to work constructively on the issue. He said they also discussed the potential of securing more visa routes for new Irish immigrants wishing to move to the US. At the Speaker’s lunch, the Taoiseach stressed the important role played by Irish people through US history.

“This is what I said to your predecessor on a number of occasions: we would like this to be sorted,” he told the president. “It would remove a burden off so many people that they can stand out in the light and say ‘now I am free to contribute to America, as I know I can’.”

Mr Kenny also hailed those who continue to work for reconciliation in Northern Ireland, mentioning fellow lunch guests Democratic Unionist MP Ian Paisley jnr and Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams.

T ur ning to the president, the Taoiseach said: “We want to protect this peace process and I know you are going to work with us on that.”

The earlier Oval Of fice meeting between Mr Kenny and Mr Trump was the new president’s first face-to-face encounter with a leader of one of the 27 EU states that will remain in the

union post-Brexit. Mr Trump has been a strong critic of the EU, having praised the UK’s decision to leave, and the prospects of securing a bilateral transatlantic trade deal between Europe and the US appear to have receded under the new administration.

Mr Kenny said there was still the potential for negotiating new trade arrangements between the US and EU. “Ireland will always be a friend of America; the European Union will always be a friend of America, and that co-operation between these two most developed economies will be to the mutual benefit of millions of people in Europe and the United States,” the Taoiseach said.

The meeting had the potential to be an awkward one, given that during the election campaign Mr Kenny had accused Mr Trump of using “racist and dangerous” language.

Mr Ryan spoke with pride of his own Irish roots as he addressed his lunch guests.

“Ireland may be a small island but look at all she has given us,” he said.

He said Mr Trump was sure to get a warm reception in Ireland.

“We went from a president who plays a lot of golf to a president who owns a lot of golf courses,” the Speaker said.

“That is about the closest thing you can get to royalty in Ireland.”

KENNY WINS PRAISE FOR RAISING ISSUE OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

Taoiseach Enda Kenny (main picture) at the Irish Memorial in Philadelphia. (Above left, top) New York Mayor Bill Blasio at the St Patrick’s Day Parade. (Left) Michael Bloomberg.

Kenny pushes Trump on illegals and wins praise left and right David Young BUSINESSMAN and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has praised Taoiseach Enda Kenny for urging Donald Trump to help the US’s undocumented immigrants.

During his annual St Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, Mr Kenny pressed Mr Trump to support the 50,000 Irish living illegally in the United States who are seeking a route to secure citizenship.

The discussions drew intense public focus, given the president’s hard-line stance on immigration issues.

Mr Bloomberg hosted Mr Kenny at an Irelandthemed event in his company’s New York offices.

He used the St Patrick’s Day occasion to congratulate the Taoiseach for lobbying on behalf of

the undocumented. “It was great to see him raise the issue of undocumented immigrants when he was at the White House. Thank you for that,” Mr Bloomberg said.

“This is a country that has benefited from immigrants. Without immigrants we wouldn’t have a country and immigrants from Ireland have played a very important part and a number of different waves of Irish immigrants coming here and really contributing to our society.

“They contribute to our cuisine and to our culture, to our economy and to our well-being and happiness, and I think it’s fair to say [that] without the Irish, New York City would not be anything as great as it is today.

“America became a global powerhouse because we welcomed immigrants and to remain a global

powerhouse we really do in this country have to continue to welcome immigrants and give them a chance to play their part in our country’s future.

“And that’s really what celebrating St Patrick’s Day is all about.”

Mr Kenny told the event he hoped progress could be made on the issue with the new US administration.

Gerry Adams has also praised the Taoiseach for the tone of his comments on Capitol Hill.

The Sinn Feéin President said Mr Kenny was “on the button” when he appealed to President Trump to support the undocumented Irish.

The republican, who was a guest at Speaker Paul Ryan’s St Patrick’s lunch along with Mr Kenny and Mr Trump, said the challenge was to turn words into action.

“The Taoiseach’s remarks were on the button,” he said. “We now need to build upon that.

“The St Patrick’s festival here in the US is a great period of celebration of Irishness and it’s very important.”

Mr Adams held meetings with the Friends of Ireland Caucus as well as dicussions with individual congressmen and senators. He said addressing the needs of the undocumented was key.

“We made representations to the folks on Capitol Hill and I intend writing to the president about that,” he said.

“It’s clearly a huge issue, not just for the Irish.

We are from Ireland so our particular interest is in our own folks, but the immigration policy which the president elect promised, we would like to see that tweaked in the upcoming period.”

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

ireland MEDIA

RTÉ to cut staff, sell off land to get back in black

COLOURFUL FAREWELL FOR MURDERED IRISH BACKPACKER DANIELLE MCLAUGHLIN

Adventure trip turns fatal

Ed Carty

RTÉ is to cut up to 300 jobs. Staff at the state broadcaster have been told the redundancies will be voluntary and are expected to be completed over the next two years as it aims to improve its finances.

Nine acres of land at RTÉ’s Montrose headquarters in Dublin 4 is also being sold with a guide price of €75 million.

RTE director general Dee Forbes said the broadcaster has lost €100 million since 2008 and also warned about the drop in income from licence fees and advertising.

“The exact numbers are not yet known. It will be in the region of two to three hundred [jobs],” she told the Today With Sean O’Rourke show on RTÉ Radio.

The National Union of Journalists said it was already concerned about the lay-offs plan.

General secretary Seamus Dooley said the public service ethos of the state broadcaster must be protected and he also noted the changes workers have already gone through.

“The future of public service broadcasting in Ireland will not be secured without an increase in the licence fee and reform of the current outdated and grossly inefficient collection system,” he said. “Any consideration of the future of RTÉ must include a review of current levels of funding. Restructuring without a parallel process of investment in resources is doomed to fail. In this regard there is a need for organisational and political leadership.”

Ms Forbes said the licence fee – at 40 cents a day – is “great value”.

“Any notion that it be doubled is nonsense. What I am focused on is reform of the fee collection system to recover some €40 million per annum that is lost to the entire Irish sector every year through evasion,” she said.

The job cuts will r un alongside changes to R TÉ’s organisational structure over the next 18 months, with new content divisions replacing existing radio, television and digital sections. RTÉ also said the land being put up for sale was underused.

Ms Forbes said commercial and licence fee revenue has fallen from €440 million in 2008 to €330 million and that the broadcaster has maintained services and output on vastly reduced income.

NIGHTMARE: The body of Donegal backpacker Danielle McLaughlin is taken from the morgue in Goa, India following her rape and murder on March 14.

The body of the 28-year-old (inset and below) was repatriated and a funeral was held in her home town of Buncrana last week.

Deborah McAleese

A CARNIVAL of colour celebrated the life of murdered Irish backpacker Danielle McLaughlin as she was laid to rest in her hometown of Buncrana.

At the request of her family and friends, mourners dressed in colourful clothes, many with garlands of flowers in their hair, in tribute to the “vibrant” 28-year-old who was killed in Goa on March 14.

A large crowd gathered for the funeral at St Mary’s Church, Cockhill, in Co Donegal, during which Ms McLaughlin was described as a “beautiful daughter, a cherished granddaughter, a thoughtful sister, a loyal friend, a free spirit, a remarkable classmate, a gentle neighbour; the little girl who became the lovely woman”.

Pupils from her old school in the town formed a guard of honour outside the church as the funeral procession arrived from her family home, followed by her grieving mother Andrea, and her four sisters.

Friends travelled from Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and England to attend the funeral

Fr Francis Bradley, who conducted the requiem Mass, told mourners that the sudden and callous nature of Ms McLaughlin’s death had left all who knew her “speechless”.

He said he prays that amid the young woman’s struggle, “peace and calm came her way too”.

Fr Bradley said Ms McLaughlin made “a huge impression on people’s lives”.

“She was disarmingly kind and forgiving. Her warm nature and open heart drew people into her ever-widening, extensive and international circle of friends.

“A brief glance at the vast array of tender messages for Danielle’s mother Andrea, her family and friends, shows the immense esteem in which she was held. She had a gentle but powerful way about her, for it seems that just one encounter with her was enough to change someone’s life,” the priest added.

“A gifted student in dance and drama, Danielle became a colourful character, like a gem which caught the light and reflected it in all its beauty around her.”

He urged mourners not to allow the

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“malice which cut [her life] short to spoil her memor y or impair her beauty”.

“There have been so many good things which have happened since Danielle took her leave of this world.

“So very many people, many of them here this morning anonymously, have offered their time, their help, their facilities and their talents to comfort the bereaved, to bring solace to broken hearts.

“It is clear that good always overcomes evil,” he added.

Her last Facebook post was read out to mourners.

It said: “Thank you to all my friends and family for making home so special and always looking after me. I am grateful and the luckiest person I know... Off on another adventure.”

Ms McLaughlin was buried beside her grandparents in the church graveyard.

She had been travelling in Goa when she was found dead in a field close to tourist resorts. A post-mortem examination concluded that brain damage and constriction of the neck caused her death in Canacona.

The former Liverpool John Moores University student had been staying in a beach hut in Goa with an Australian female friend. The pair had been celebrating Holi, a Hindu spring festival, in a nearby village.

She left the village late at night and her body was found the next day, unclothed, with injuries to her head and face, police said. A 24-year-old man, whose name has been reported as Vikat Bhagat, appeared in court two weeks ago charged with murder. He will also face rape charges.

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ireland MEDIA TYCOON LOSES BID TO SUE OIREACHTAS OVER BANKING DISCLOSURE

O’Brien’s legal attack on Dáil fails Michael McHugh

Denis O’Brien claimed that two TDs had ‘maliciously’ revealed details under parliamentary privilege.

ONE of Ireland’s richest men has lost a bid to sue the country’s parliament after two elected representatives disclosed details of his banking affairs.

A judge upheld parliamentary freedom of speech and the separation of state powers after telecoms and media tycoon Denis O’Brien took legal action against the entire Oireachtas, the Republic’s legislature, following remarks made under parliamentary privilege in 2015.

The billionaire, who controls a sizeable section of the Irish media, including the Irish Independent and Newstalk radio, said the TDs acted “recklessly and maliciously” in disclosing information using protection afforded to parliamentarians to “usurp” a High Court order barring publication of his financial records.

Ms Justice Una Ní Raifeartaigh said the framers of the Irish constitution

had created a strong set of privileges and immunities for parliamentar y speech and the court did not have a role in policing such utterances.

“The language used to describe those privileges and immunities, in my view, signals the impor tance with which freedom of speech in the Oireachtas, and therefore in the Irish democratic state, was viewed and I have reached the conclusion that none of the issues in the present case are justiciable in the present case.”

Mr O’Brien sought an injunction in 2015 preventing state broadcaster RTÉ from reporting on what he claims are stolen files of his banking records with the state-owned IBRC, formerly rogue lender Anglo Irish Bank.

The Dubliner, who is resident in Malta but whose family reside in Ireland, said two TDs – Independent Catherine Murphy and Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty – knew exactly what they were doing when they later read

details of the file into the public record.

He also referred to death threats made against him and his family around the time of the affair.

The High Cour t judge acknowledged parliamentary speech could be damaging and dangerous to individuals.

“However, my understanding of the Irish constitutional provisions is that the courts simply do not have a role in policing parliamentary utterances except perhaps in some extremely exceptional and limited circumstance, of which the present case is not one.”

The judge said the fact there cannot be immediate recourse to the courts placed a heavier burden on the legislature to ensure that constitutional rights are respected.

She called for a review by a Dáil committee to consider whether, and when, a Dáil deputy may reveal matters that are before the courts and which

are the subject of an injunction protecting their confidentiality.

Ms Justice Ní Raifeartaigh said that should consider the role of the Speaker, the Ceann Comhairle, and how a Dáil committee should deal with such an event. She noted some ambiguity around the procedures concerning such speech.

“Judicial intervention in this area would not constitute the restoration of a constitutional equilibrium disrupted by the parliamentary utterances, but would itself constitute a disruption of the equilibrium established by our constitution.

“If there is to be a signal sent out to prevent future revelations in the Dáil of private information or material the subject of injunctive relief granted by a court to an individual citizen, any such signal must come from the court of public opinion and the Houses of the Oireachtas, but not from the courts of justice.”

FOUR LIVES LOST AS COASTGUARD HELICOPTER CRASHES OFF MAYO COAST

Helicopter hit rocks on island, probe reveals Ed Carty

THE Irish Coast Guard helicopter that crashed into the Atlantic on March 15 struck rocks on an island, investigators have said.

The team in charge of tr ying to determine the cause of the crash said it found wreckage with collision marks.

Ireland’s Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said it believed the tail of Rescue 116 hit rocks on the western end of Blackrock island, about 13km off the Mayo coast.

AAIU chief inspector Jurgen Whyte and investigator-in-charge Paul Farrell said it was too early to be definitive about what had caused the damage on the recovered wreckage, the circumstances of the accident or exactly where it happened.

“However, there appears to be marks on some of the recovered wreckage which are consistent with the tail of the aircraft contacting rocky surfaces on the western end of Blackrock,” they said.

“The investigation has not yet definitively identified the initial point of impact.”

The helicopter crashed while returning to refuel at Blacksod, Co Mayo, after suppor ting a rescue mission 240km out in the Atlantic. There were four crew on board. Two bodies have been recovered as we go to press, those of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick and Captain Mark Duffy. The other two on board were winchman Ciaran Smith and winch Operator Paul Ormsby.

Blackrock is a small rocky island with a working lighthouse.

There was no indication of any dangerous moments before the Sikorsky S92 vanished, with the crew’s final transmission reporting: “Shortly landing at Blacksod.”

The AAIU also said its investigation team was being supported by an official from the US National Transportation Safety Board because of where the Sikorsky is designed and built.

FOUR LIVES LOST: A Coast Guard helicopter, similar to the Sikorsky S92 which crashed on March 15 off the coat of Mayo, killing all four crew on board.

Only two bodies have beeen recovered as we go to press, those of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick (inset, top)and Captain Mark Duffy.

Pilots recalled as heroes who lived generous lives Brian Hutton CAPTAIN Mark Duffy, who died in the Irish Coast Guard helicopter tragedy, was a “charming, handsome and bashful daddy hero”, his funeral heard.

In an emotional service at St Oliver Plunkett Church in Blackrock, Co Louth, a friend read out a heart-breaking tribute by his wife and soul mate Hermione.

“We loved him so much, his quirks, his methodology, his absolute resolve at doing anything right, his professionalism, his dancing, his quietness, his steely reserve, his selflessness, his absolute being was doing everything for us,” she said.

“We – Hermione, Esme and Fionn – adore and love you Mark, our charming, handsome and bashful daddy hero.”

Hermione, daughter Esme and son Fionn led the mourners into a packed congregation that included President Michael D. Higgins, Transport Minister Shane Ross and Sinn Féin leader and local TD Gerry Adams.

Mark Duffy’s funeral Mass in Blackrock, Co Louth. Emerging from the church are Capt Duffy’s wife Hermione and children Esme and Fionn.

In her tribute, Hermione said they had been together 26 years and had done everything together as a team in their own “wee world” by the sea.

“The sea, la mer, an fharraige – it pulled Mark to it,” she said. “Its ebb and flow, its colour, its waves, the stillness, the calm, the rage, the reflecting sun on the water, the low tide, the high tide. It was part of our lives.”

The pilot had loved aviation, and

particularly helicopters, since he was a child, the funeral heard. His two great loves were his family and his job.

“Mark, on coming home from a 24-hour shift, would come in and say: ‘Oh, Hermione, I love getting home to you and the kids, but I love flying that helicopter’,” she recalled.

Earlier, Captain Duffy’s colleague Dara Fitzpatrick was remembered as a brave hero, an adoring mother and a

champion of the underdog. Mother-ofone Dara Fitzpatrick, 45, was among the four crew members of a Sikorsky S92 that disappeared without warning off Co Mayo, in the west of Ireland, in mid-March.

Fr Andrew O’ Sullivan told a packed St Patrick’s Church, Glencullen, in the Dublin mountains, that few funerals were “as profoundly sad and sorrowful” as that of Ms Fitzpatrick.

“We have lost a talented young woman who, along with her colleagues, lived good and generous lives and did so much in helping others in their time of need.”

“How these extraordinary people put their own lives at risk in order to save others – what bravery. And they truly are heroes,” Fr O’Sullivan said.

“She was kind to her core and a champion of the underdog,” the parish priest told the service.

“The day Dara formally adopted Fionn was one of the happiest days of her life, and that of her family,” the priest told mourners.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

news ST PATRICK’S DAY IN DUBLIN

CONCERN GROWS FOR JAILED IRISHMAN

Halawa urged to end prison hunger strike Ed Carty

Revellers pack Dublin’s streets for the annual St Patrick’s Day parade.

Rain fails to dampen St Patrick’s spirit Brian Hutton HUNDREDS of thousands of people have braved the inclement weather to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, with festivities in cities, towns and villages throughout Ireland.

President Michael D. Higgins joined the crowds that thronged central Dublin for the country’s flagship parade, which got under way around midday just before the blustery weather turned wet.

But the odd shower did not dampen spirits as pageant ensembles and arts groups from the capital and further afield delighted onlookers lining the streets, with a riot of colour and costumes, larger-than-life puppets and dancing performers. The parade snaked its way along the 2.5km route from Parnell Square across the Liffey to St Patrick’s Cathedral over several hours in the afternoon.

More than 100,000 overseas visitors

travelled to enjoy the spectacle. Bands from the Bahamas, France, the United States, Switzerland and Germany were among the energetic soundscape for the carnival.

Irish sailor and Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy was this year’s Grand Marshal.

Other parts of the country were worse hit with poor weather, with some events cancelled because of high winds and driving rain.

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FOREIGN Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has pleaded with jailed Irishman Ibrahim Halawa to come off hunger strike.

Amid reports of his deteriorating condition, the Government warned Egyptian authorities that they have a clear responsibility to ensure the 21-year-old’s welfare while he is held in prison without trial.

Mr Halawa’s trial, along with those of hundreds of others, was adjourned for a 20th time in Cairo as Irish officials seek permission to send in their own doctor to assess the man’s health. He has been detained for more than 1,300 days.

Mr Flanagan said he wanted assurances from Egypt that he was getting adequate medical treatment.

“I am, at the same time, concerned at persistent reports that Ibrahim is on hunger strike,” he said.

“I urge him in the strongest possible terms not to pursue such a course of action, and to protect his health in ever y possible way. I also urge all parties who are in contact with him or who have influence with him to dissuade him from any actions that would be detrimental to his health.”

Mr Halawa (pictured) was impris-

oned after being detained in a mosque in Cairo as the Muslim Brotherhood protested against the removal of elected president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013.

Last month, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told a cross-party delegation of politicians that Halawa will be freed once his trial is over.

Ireland’s ambassador to the region, Damien Cole, and other embassy staff were in court for the latest hearing.

“I am disappointed and frustrated by a further adjournment,” Mr Flanagan said. Amnesty International Ireland said Egypt continues to ignore its obligations under domestic and international law and that technical reviews of video footage from Ramses Square found no evidence against Halawa.

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2023

Unique Ireland would host a tournament ‘like no other’ IRELAND is in a unique position to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Irish Rugby Football Union’s chief executive Philip Browne has said.

Browne was speaking at the end of an intensive two-day visit by the World Rugby Technical Review Group designed to assess the credibility of the tournament’s prospective hosts.

Ireland is one of three nations in the running, alongside France and South Africa, but the only country not to have hosted the event.

“We are confident that Ireland 2023 will be a tournament like no other, with rugby at the heart of it, full of Irish spirit and commercial success,” Browne said.

“In addition, we believe the fact that Ireland has not previously hosted a Rugby World Cup is a positive dimension to our bid.

“It would, if successful, inspire and encourage other r ugby unions throughout the world with aspirations to bid in the future, just as we were inspired by New Zealand’s success in hosting the tournament in 2011.

“Furthermore, Ireland, as a firsttime host, would enhance the true global nature of rugby in the eyes of the international commercial and sporting world and support the ambition of growing the game across the globe.”

Ireland’s hopes of hosting the tournament were boosted last September when Italy withdrew its bid, leaving Ireland as the only first-time option.

Questions have also been raised about the status of the South African

Ireland is one of three possible hosts for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

bid after Durban was stripped of hosting rights to the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

South African sports minister Fikile Mbalula had previously said that rugby would be banned from bidding to host future events but he has since retracted that statement.

Ireland has been rated a 1/3 chance of hosting the 2023 tournament. France and South Africa are both rated a 9/2 chance.

The host for the 2023 World Cup will be announced in November.

If Ireland does host the World Cup, pool matches will be played at a number of GAA grounds, including Celtic Park in Derry, Nowlan Park in Kilkenny, McHale Park in Mayo and Casement ark in Belfast. Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney and Pairc Ui Choimh in Cork would both host quarter finals. Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium would host semi finals.

The final would be played at Croke Park (capacity more than 80,000).

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news TRAVEL SERVICES ‘IN CRISIS’ AFTER WILD-CAT STRIKE CAUSES GRIDLOCK

Dispute at Bus Éireann accelerates into chaos Brian Hutton BUS services in Dublin and railway links countrywide were thrown into chaos last week after a wildcat strike caused rush-hour gridlock and commuter mayhem drew widespread criticism.

Unannounced secondary pickets in support of the ongoing Bus Éireann dispute crippled Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Dart services, catching tens of thousands of commuters on the hop.

Many were left out of pocket by seeking alternative transport while retailers say they lost tens of thousands of euro.

Dermot O’Leary, general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, said the escalation in transport disruption was unofficial and that all Dublin Bus and Irish Rail workers should have been in work as normal.

“The NBRU fully understands the frustrations bring felt by Bus Éireann staff as a result of the imposition of unagreed and unilateral cuts to terms and conditions,” he said.

“However, it should be understood that the only official dispute that the NBRU can prosecute is that which we are conducting presently at Bus Éireann

Éireann.” Transport Minister Shane Ross said the travelling public was rightly very angry at the unexpected pickets.

“The travelling public are, rightly, very angry at having to deal with this sudden, unannounced disruption,” he said.

However, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams said Mr Ross was sitting on his hands as the pay and conditions row at Bus Éireann deepens.

“The crisis at Bus Éireann, and right across our public transport network, has been caused by bad policy and now by the inaction of a minister who has a very clear privatisation agenda,” he said.

About 2,600 Bus Éireann workers walked out last week following a longrunning dispute with management over threatened 30 per cent pay cuts and warnings that the company was being driven into insolvency.

Bus Éireann bosses have warned losses continuing to accelerate at the company, and the perilous situation which has been exacerbated by strike action to date, threaten to collapse the company this year.

A Dublin Bus inspector outside Heuston Station in Dublin, as commuters faced travel disruption across Ireland after the Bus Éireann strike spread to other transport services. Picture: Niall Carson

CHARISMATIC CLERIC’S LOVE SCANDAL‘PROFOUNDLY UPSET CHURCH’, FUNERAL MASS TOLD

Errant Bishop, Eamon Casey, dies Brian Hutton

IT’S COMPLICATED: The funeral Mass of former bishop Eamon Casey, who died last month at the age of 89.

(Below, left to right) Casey in his prime, Annie Murphy, with whom he fathered a child, Peter (right) now aged 42.

FORMER Bishop Eamon Casey, who secretly fathered a son during a love affair with an American woman, profoundly upset the Catholic Church and “people in general”, his funeral Mass has been told.

Bishop of Achonry Brendan Kelly told mourners in Galway’s Cathedral of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven and Saint Nicholas that Bishop Casey “did much good” during his life and ministry.

Highlighting his celebrated work for Irish emigrants in the UK and for the humanitarian organisation Trócaire, he said Bishop Casey was “a defender of the rights of people who wer e oppressed and poor”,.

Bishop Kelly recalled Eamon Casey’s courage in attending to dozens of stricken people when soldiers opened fire at the funeral of his murdered friend Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador in 1980, during which 50 mourners died.

“There are those of us who remember, with gratitude, his kindness and encouragement when personally we most needed it,” he said.

“Then 25 years ago, the emergence into the light of other hidden realities in his life, beginning with the fact that he had a son, Peter, were profoundly upsetting for the Church and for people in general,” the bishop added.

“This is neither the time nor the place to go over the details, which in any case are very well known, not only in Ireland, but all over the world.

“Yes, we are all sinners, but irresponsibility, infidelity and sin are particularly shocking in the lives of those who preach the Gospel.”

Bishop Casey’s son, Peter Murphy, 42, who joined other relatives in a glowing tribute to his late father, was not present at the funeral.

Church officials said Bishop Caey’s sister, Ita Furlong, could not attend because of illness, while his priest brother, Father Micheal, who lives in Perth, Australia, did not make the trip.

Archbishop Eamon Mar tin, the

leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, and Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam, in Galway, were unable to attend because of previous commitments to ministering Confirmation, the Mass was told.

A number of Bishop Casey’s sistersin-law, nieces and nephews led the mourners. Irish President Michael D. Higgins was chief among the civic dignitaries to attend.

Bishop Casey died, aged 89, in a nursing home in the west of Ireland on Monday following a long illness.

He gained worldwide notoriety in 1992 after it was revealed that he had a child with American divorcee Annie Murphy and had paid thousands to her for Peter’s upkeep in the US. Refer ring to the scandal in his homily, Bishop Kelly said his former fellow bishop had “expressed his sorrow many times, apologised and asked for forgiveness”.

“But people had been hur t and wounded ... wounds that do not always heal easily or quickly,” he told the funeral service.

“We remember these people too today. We acknowledge their suffering.

We pray for continued healing and peace for them.”

After the Mass, Bishop Casey was interred in the Cathedral crypt.

In a statement hours after his death earlier this week, son Peter, brother Father Micheal and sister Ita said Bishop Casey was a great source of love and support.

Ordained a priest in 1951, he was appointed Bishop of Kerr y in 1969 before taking on the larger and more high-profile diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh in 1976.

A few years earlier, Ms Murphy and the cleric had an affair when she went to stay with him in Ireland after her marriage in the US broke down.

The relationship and the birth of Peter in 1974 remained a secret for 18 years and emerged along with revelations that the bishop had been making undisclosed payments to the US for a number of years.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

ireland NORTHERN IRELAND, BREXIT TAKE PRECEDENCE: KENNY

Taoiseach looks to delay exit strategy David Young

THE Taoiseach has indicated he will not announce any retirement plans until political uncertainty in Northern Ireland is addressed and the EU’s negotiating stance on Brexit is agreed.

Enda Kenny said those immediate priorities would take precedence over everything else.

Mr Kenny, who has been Taoiseach since 2011, had been under pressure to set a timetable for his departure following criticism of his handling of a number of recent political controversies in Ireland. After taking part in the St Patrick’s Day parade in New York, he made clear that dealing with his own future would take a back seat to pressing concerns at Stormont and within the European Union.

“What I did say to my own party was I would deal with this matter effectively and conclusively, and that is my intention, but I think these are priorities that take precedence over everything else,” he said. “You can’t have a situation where you have no leadership in Northern Ireland and where we have to define, from a European Union point of view, where Ireland would be; what the agreed terms of reference for the [Brexit]) negotiations are.”

“Do you not think it is appropriate that the immediate priority is to have an executive functioning in Northern Ireland?” Mr Kenny asked Irish media in New York.

“Do you not think it appropriate that,

RACE TO THE TOP: Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney remain the frontrunners to replace Enda Kenny as leader of Fine Gael.

after all the work we have put together, that we get an agreed negotiating stance for the European Union?

“It’s going to affect everybody in our countr y. These are two immediate priorities.”

A draft speech that included a clear reference to Mr Kenny’s intention to step down as Taoiseach was hastily edited during the US visit.

A government spokesman said the original version had not been approved

by Mr Kenny.

The speech was issued to media before Mr Kenny’s remarks at a gala Irish American dinner in Washington.

The draft speech included a line that his attendance would be his last as Taoiseach. An amended version was issued a short time later, with that line removed.

Leo Varadkar, who is tipped to succeed Mr Kenny as Fine Gael leader, has said the Taoiseach’s “successful”

2003 1988

2018 30th

trip to the United States should not be marred by talk of the upcoming Fine Gael leadership contest.

“The Taoiseach’s visit to the US was very successful,” Leo Varadkar told the Sunday Independent.

“He cemented the American-Irish friendship but also spoke truth to Tr ump on immigration and how migrants make America great.

“I think his diplomatic success should be recognised and not marred by talk of the leadership contest,” Mr Varadkar added.

Nevertheless, Mr Kenny’s ambivalence has raised the hackles of some Fine Gael backbenchers.

One Fine Gaeler expressed irritation at Mr Kenny’s remarks, saying: “His depar ture could be delayed forever if he’s to pick random new subjects continually in the future.”

Another said: “Nobody wants a motion of no-confidence” .

ST PATRICK HAD A ‘SHEELAH’

Celebrations urged for St Patrick’s forgotten wife Brian Hutton

AN academic has called for St Patrick’s Day festivities to be extended, to celebrate the patron saint’s long-forgotten wife Sheelah.

Shane Lehane, of University College Cork, said Ireland’s premier national saint had an “other half” who for centuries used to be commemorated by “merry devotees” on March 18.

The folklorist came across Mrs St Patrick while scouring Irish newspapers from before the Great Famine, which contained intriguing references to Sheelah’s Day. “So I wondered where this came from,” he said.

“I came across numerous references that Sheelah was thought to be Patrick’s wife. She was his other half.”

“St Sheelah’s Day was news to me,” he added. “I thought it was amazing, as all memory of her seems to have died out here.”

The historian and lecturer at the university’s Department of Folklore uncovered further evidence in old texts which showed Ireland’s national day of celebration traditionally spilled over into the next day.

An excerpt from John Carr’s 1806 travelogue The Stranger in Ireland records “very tipsy” St Patrick’s Day revellers around the countr y who “continue drunk the greater part of the next day” all in honour of “Sheelagh, St Patrick’s wife”.

Mr Lehane said the forgotten date on the old Irish calendar should be revived.

“What I think is very interesting is that people in Ireland in the past had no problem whatsoever accepting that

Sheelah’s Day, March 18, is believed to be named in honour of St Patrick’s little-known wife.

Patrick had a wife,” he said. “The church was very strong, and during the period of Lent from Ash Wednesday right through to Easter Sunday you had major prohibitions.

“However, folk tradition was such that Patrick afforded a special dispensation and Irish people were allowed to celebrate Patrick’s Day, which always fell in the middle of Lent.

“It seems to have been extended to the 18th of March and was a continuation of celebrations.

“They continued to drink on Sheelah’s day and there is a sense that the women were more involved in the celebrations on the 18th. So there is a feminist angle in there.”

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northern ireland DERRY CITY CAPTAIN RYAN MCBRIDE FOUND DEAD AT HOME

Derry mourns ‘Trojan warrior’ Ryan Michael McHugh DERRY City football captain Ryan McBride was a Trojan warrior, his manager has said.

He wore the club’s jersey with great pride and the game will not be the same without him, Kenny Shiels added.

The “fearless” defender was found dead at home on March 19, aged 27.

The cause of death is unknown.

President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins was among hundreds who attended Requiem Mass at St Columba’s Long Tower Catholic Church in Derry, hours before former Stormont deputy first minster Martin McGuinness’s funeral in the same church.

Mr Shiels read an emotional tribute poem: “Our Trojan warrior, you have run your last race; In your absence we will never forget; The one and the only – our top Candystripe.”

Crowds who had spilled out into the churchyard and the road beyond applauded. The team colours of red, white and black were ubiquitous.

Team-mates walked alongside the hearse as it approached from the Brandywell area, where McBride lived in the shadow of his home ground.

Later they pinned the jersey on to it and followed the coffin on its last journey to the cemetery.

Flowers in the hearse said “Captain” and depicted his number 5 jersey.

The Pride of Northside supporters’ club carried a banner with a photograph of him in full flight.

A woman clutched a corner of the flag and dabbed her tears with a handkerchief.

The crowds poured into the area decked out in red, white and black scarves and wool hats.

Mr Shiels added: “Our Brandywell Boy, you wore stripes with great pride; You made it so happy to be by your side; In your absence we still feel you here, the big number 5, so vivid and so clear. “ He said the team loved him with all their hearts.

“A giant so gentle, now we are apart; In your absence we will still play the game, but in your absence it won’t be the same.”

Fr Aidan Mullan said McBride was an athlete in his prime who had thrilled supporters over the last seven years since he began playing for the club.

He told the mourners: “Ryan would

WOODLAND SITE CLOSE TO DOWNPATRICK

Green burial site opposed over ‘pagan element’ fears Deborah McAleese

A Derry City shirt is pinned to a fence near the home of former captain Ryan McBride (inset) who has died at the age of 27. put his head where other players would not put their boot.”

He was an inspirational leader in the dressing room and on the field, with quick reflexes and a competitive spirit, the priest added, and was pivotal to Derry’s perfect start to the season.

McBride was a firm favourite with fans thanks in part to his committed defending. He played more than 100 league matches for Derry.

His last match was a 4-0 triumph over Drogheda United in the League of Ireland Premier Division.

Tributes were paid at last week’s internationals involving the Republic and Northern Ireland.

This is the latest tragedy to strike Derry City FC in just over a year.

Former striker Mark Farren died, aged 33, in February last year. Derry’s record goalscorer was beng treated for an aggressive brain tumour.

A year ago, another Derry player, Josh Daniels, lost his mother, sister, brother-in-law and nephews in the Buncrana pier tragedy. A car slid off the pier and entered Lough Swilly.

The Candystripes have been playing in Republic of Ireland competitions for three decades. They withdrew from Northern Ireland’s Irish League in 1972 after fellow clubs voted against a proposal for Derry City to return to play

home games at the Brandywell ground.

Security concerns the year before had led them to playing home matches in Coleraine along the North Coast.

Derry City became the first to win the League of Ireland’s league and cup treble in 1989.

Hugh Curran from the Brandywell supporters’ club said: “The word legend is bandied about an awful lot but Ryan is a Derry City legend.

“He is an absolute giant of a man, an absolute giant of a player, and an absolute giant of a leader on and off the pitch.”

Mr Curran has followed Derry City since the 1960s.

“Ryan will be very sorely missed by all connected to Derry City.

“He was the captain but above all of that if you ask any of our younger players and any of the young guys about Derry City they just look up to Ryan.

“Ryan was just naturally a leader, on the pitch.”

Mr Curran added: “Off the pitch he was a very shy and quiet family man but put the red and white shirt on him and he turned into an absolute lion.”

Derry City manager Kenny Shiels said the players loved Ryan and he was the perfect example to any young player coming through.

“Ryan never gave 99%.”

CRITICS of plans for Nor ther n Ireland’s first green burial site have raised fears about pagan elements of the scheme.

The proposed woodland site is close to the spot widely believed to be the resting place of St Patrick in Downpatrick, Co Down.

It is also close to a hill, known as Slieve Patrick, where a large statue of the patron saint overlooks the place where he is believed to have landed on his return to Ireland to convert the Irish to Christianity.

A group called Down to Earth has developed the proposal at Lough Money, but has been met with opposition from many residents.

Concerns have been raised about “pagan elements”, potential contamination of the lough and upkeep of the site.

However, the group has insisted the plan is about reducing carbon footprint and getting back to nature.

Within the woodland graveyard there would be no headstones and ordinary coffins would not be allowed.

Instead, thousands of trees and wildflowers would be planted to create a memorial nature reser ve. People wishing to be buried there would use cardboard or wicker coffins and no embalming fluid would be permitted.

GPS technology would be used to ensure that people who want to be buried with family members can identify grave locations. It is estimated 750 burials could be accommodated in the first phase with more later.

Down to Ear th member Ciara Campbell-Crawford insisted there was nothing pagan about the scheme.

“I think people are afraid of the unknown. Some people are afraid to move away from the traditional church setting. All we are trying to do is bring it back to nature.

“Many of us in the group are from dif ferent backgrounds. Some have faith, some don’t. We welcome people of faith into the burial ground. There will be an area that can be consecrated for people that need that,” she said.

“People are coming to us all the time saying this is something they want to get on board with,” Ms CampbellCrawford added.

Ciara Campbell-Crawford wants to establish a green burial site at Lough Money in Co Down

“For a lot of people now, they want an alternative, something that has less of a carbon footprint when it comes to their burial.

“It is just a calm and peaceful place where people can be buried around nature.”

The group is carrying out a number of public consultations before submitting an application to planners.

If the group receives planning permission it hopes its facility will be the first of many green burial sites across Northern Ireland.

“People want an alternative and we want to provide that alternative,” Ms Campbell Crawford said.

“I don’t want to add to the carbon footprint in my death. I spend my life trying to reduce my waste, to recycle.

To add to my carbon footprint in my death doesn’t sit well with me,” she added.

“I want something that my family doesn’t have to maintain, it is somewhere that is peaceful, back to nature, somewhere that is beautiful.”

However, SDLP MLA for the area Colin McGrath said local people have raised a number of concerns about the plan.

“As it is not a traditional burial plot and is not Christian in a sense, there are real fears that there is some pagan element to it. Some are worried that there could be contamination issues as the site is on a hill which slopes down into a lough.”

BROKENSHIRE: PARTIES HAVE ‘FEW SHORT WEEKS’ TO STRIKE STORMONT DEAL

Another poll looms as talks stall David Young, Brian Hutton and Michael McHugh

PARTIES in Northern Ireland have a short few weeks to strike a deal to save powersharing at Stormont, Secretary of State James Brokenshire has said.

With a deadline for forming a new ruling executive following this month’s snap election having elapsed without agreement, the UK government now either has to call yet another poll or potentially reintroduce direct rule from Westminster.

Mr Brokenshire indicated he will delay taking action to allow the region’s political leaders some more time to resolve their differences.

Without an executive or agreed budget for the upcoming financial year, control of Stormont’s finances will be handed to a senior civil servant, albeit subject to tight spending constraints.

Mr Brokenshire said that was “not sustainable”, making clear the final

Stormont is all locked up unless parties can form a new administration.

window for negotiations would not be allowed to drift.

“I think there are a short few weeks in order to resolve matters,” he said.

The Democratic Unionist/Sinn Féin administration collapsed in Januar y amid a bitter row over a botched green energy scheme. The subsequent snap

election campaign laid bare a range of other contentious issues dividing the parties.

The Secretary of State rejected criticism of the Government’s handling of the talks to form a new executive and defended the fact the Prime Minister, Theresa May, did not participate in the

process. He said the Government had played a “positive and active” role.

He declined to be drawn on calls for an independent mediator to be appointed to inject fresh impetus to negotiations that some politicians have described as a “shambles” to date.

Under cur rent legislation, the Government is required to call another snap election if a deadline for forming an executive passes.

However, there is some room for manoeuvre, as there is no obligation to set a poll date immediately, rather within a “reasonable period”.

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said the context of Brexit made it all the more imperative that a new executive was formed as soon as possible.

“The absence of agreement on the establishment of an executive is deeply regrettable,” he said.

“However, it is particularly concerning that a vacuum in devolved govern-

ment in Northern Ireland should now be occurring just as the island of Ireland faces up to the many serious challenges represented by the UK exit from the EU. “In these circumstances, all concerned must redouble efforts to achieve the re-establishment of powersharing gover nment in Nor ther n Ireland, which is so plainly in the interests of all its citizens.”

Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionists have blamed each other for the breakdown of the talks.

Sinn Féin announced it would not be nominating a deputy first minister in the Assembly before the deadline.

Without both first and deputy first ministers, it is impossible to form an executive.

A voting surge by Sinn Féin in the snap Assembly election earlier this month resulted in the par ty come within one seat of becoming the biggest party at Stormont behind the DUP.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

brexit :: news BRITISH PM SAYS HER GOVERNMENT ‘WILL NEVER BE NEUTRAL’ ON FUTURE OF NORTHERN IRELAND

May resistant to talk of border poll Kate Ferguson and Michael McHugh

THERESA May has said her Government “will never be neutral” on the future of Northern Ireland as talk of a united Ireland referendum grows.

The British Prime Minister said she believes “fundamentally” in the strength of the United Kingdom.

Her comments come as Sinn Féin has called for a border poll following the Brexit vote.

Danny Kinahan, UUP MP for South Antrim, pressed the Prime Minister in Question T ime to campaign for Northern Ireland to remain part of the union in the event of a vote.

“Could I ask the Prime Minister to confirm that in the extremely improbable event that a border poll should take place regarding the future of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom during her premiership, that the Government will fully support any

official remain campaign? Just as the Government has done both in regard of the EU and indeed Scotland,” Mr Kinehan asked.

Mrs May replied: “We are of course, within that, fully committed to ensuring that the unique interests of Northern Ireland are protected and advanced as we establish our negotiating position, and our position has always been clear that we strongly support the Belfast Agreement, including the principle of consent that Northern Ireland’s constitutional position is a matter for the people of Nor ther n Ir eland to determine.

“But ... we have a preference that Northern Ireland should remain part of the United Kingdom, and we will never be neutral in expressing our support for that. And that’s because I believe fundamentally in the strength of our union,” she added.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Secretary of

IRELAND TO REMAIN – TAOISEACH

We will not follow Britain out of the EU, says Kenny David Young

IRELAND will not be following the UK out of the European Union, Enda Kenny has insisted.

The Taoiseach also said he was more confident about the EU’s future after the centre ground’s victor y in the Dutch election.

Mr Kenny told an event in New York that the cor nerstone of much of Ireland’s social progress in the last generation was because of its membership of the European Union.

“To continue to succeed as an open economy and welcoming society, we must and we will remain at the very heart of Europe,” he said.

In terms of Brexit, he said: “It is not a trigger for Ireland to follow suit and leave the European Union with the United Kingdom. We will not do so.”

Asked if he was more confident about the EU after the Dutch result, he said: “I am. At the [European Council] meeting in Valetta in Malta, which holds the presidency at the moment, there was a genuinely renewed focus from leaders to say ‘Well, we better deal with this politically and begin to listen to people and begin to act in the interest of people and not have a situation where either the European Union or the government involved are removed from the people’.

“I think there is a mood at the European Council level to focus really to having outcomes to political decisions that will impact on our people.”

Meanwhile, evidence of the eco-

nomic impact of Brexit south of the border continues to emerge.

Brexit could put an extra 10 cents on the price of a loaf in Ireland, the milling industry has warned.

Eighty per cent of the flour used in the Republic for baked goods and other products comes from the UK, and may face an inflation-busting tariff if a deal is not struck.

If Irish producers switched suppliers to those operating within the EU to avoid trade barriers, then jobs would be lost in the UK, according to the National Association of British and Irish Millers.

“If tariffs were to be introduced, the rate the EU normally charges … would add eight to 10 cents to a loaf of bread in the Republic,” its director, Alex Waugh, said. “It is pretty inflationary, assuming the flour continues to come from the same source as now.

“Once you introduce a tariff everything changes, so the likelihood is that the flour currently coming from the UK would come from somewhere else in the EU where there would not be a tariff.”

He said the result would be jobs lost in the UK. Flour is sent from the UK to Ireland to be refined into anything from bread and cakes to coating for chicken nuggets and battered fish.

It is often exported back to the UK as part of finished goods.

Over the last 20 years the UK has become the main supplier of milled flour to the Republic.

HALT, WHO GOES THERE?: Protestors mock up a post-Brexit border outside Stormont Castle as Britain’s exit from the bloc is formalised.

State for Nor thern Ireland James Brokenshire has said that Northern Ireland should get the best deal possible “within the UK but outside the EU” following Brexit.

Mr Brokenshire said an ambitious free-trade agreement with European neighbours should reflect the unique circumstances on the island where keeping the border with the Republic open is a key concern.

Sinn Féin has said the campaign for Northern Ireland, the only part of the UK with a land frontier with an EU state, to enjoy special designated status within the EU is gaining momentum.

The Nor thern Ireland Secretar y said: “We recognise those unique factors and circumstances which are clear and reflected in the Article 50 letter.

“What we want is the optimum deal for Northern Ireland within the UK but outside the EU. “That is our focus; that is what we

will be working with our European partners to achieve and I think that we can do that.”

Businesses have expressed concern at the prospect of restrictions on movement across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Mr Brokenshire said there was a commitment to an ambitious free-trade agreement, barrier-free and tariff-free, as well as preservation of the existing Common Travel Area (CTA) allowing freedom of movement between the UK and Ireland.

“I am confident that we can secure that. It is with that positive approach that we take into the negotiations, respectful of the values of our European partners, which we share. We should see this as that opportunity to set a new relationship but a positive relationship, a mature relationship, one that recognises the importance of our relationship with the Republic of Ireland.”

‘SHARED VALUES’: James Brokenshire, Britain’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

BREXIT ‘COULD WIPE US OUT’, BORDER COUNTIES FEAR

SOFT BORDER: The border between the Republic of Ireland and Northenrn Ireland could look very different after Brexit is complete as it will be the only land boundary between the UK and the EU.

Border counties fear Brexit carnage Brian Hutton BREXIT could “wipe out” towns and villages along the Irish border, a parliamentary committee has heard.

Niamh Smyth, a TD for Cavan and Monaghan, counties on the southern side, said unrestricted cross-border trade was critical to the recently improved fortunes of the once badydeprived region.

Pointing out the reliance on the dominant agri-food industry in particular, she said many dairies and food businesses operated as if no border existed.

“As we know, various stages of production happen on both sides of the border. THere are gallons and gallons of milk going from one side to the other, and as it stands at the moment you wouldn’t even know you are crossing the border,” she said.

“If that were to change, to become a very visible, tangible, hard border, who knows what that would mean for these industries... it could wipe out

a constituency, it could wipe out the whole border region.”

Ms Smyth told Dublin’s Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Committee that it was “soul destroying” to contemplate the border region returning to the dark days of the Troubles-era checkpoints.

“We have come so far, it is unrecognisable going back to when I was a child,” she told the committee, investigating the impact of Brexit on the region. “Nobody lived in these towns, never mind worked in them, because there was no purpose to them. There was nothing to keep us there.

“They really are only getting on their feet. There is still a long way to go in certain towns and villages, and this could just wipe us out.”

“There has to be a special case made for the border,” Ms Smyth said.

JJ O’Hara, a tourism official from the Republic who is in the Border Communities Against Brexit organisation, told the committee the reality was that a

renewed hard border will “bring trouble”.

Any new UK-EU frontier border should be “in the Irish Sea and not in Ireland”, he said.

“The reality is that we are a very small island, and to be cut in two is not an option,” Mr O’Hara added.

John Sheridan, a farmer in Northern Ireland who is also part of Border Communities Against Brexit, warned against Brexit negotiations being allowed to “ruin” Ireland.

“I really believe, and I have lived on the border all my life and spent probably as much time in the south as I lived in the north, it would be a shame to let Brexit ruin this country,” he said.

Ireland’s Small Firms Association has told businesses to “prepare for the worst”. Its chairwoman, Sue O’Neill, said: “Issues affecting the border with Northern Ireland and businesses who operate close to the border must be given the attention and sensitivity that they deserve.”

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AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

martin mcguinness r.i.p.

GERRY ADAMS DELIVERS GRAVESIDE TRIBUTE TO HIS FRIEND AND COMRADE OF 45 YEARS

‘Not a terrorist ... a negotiator, a peacemaker, a healer’ David Young

GERRY Adams used his graveside oration to challenge those who describe his long-time friend Martin McGuinness as a terrorist.

“Martin cannot answer them back, so let me answer for him,” he said.

“Martin McGuinness was not a terrorist. Martin McGuinness was a freedom fighter. He was also a political prisoner, a negotiator, a peacemaker, a healer.”

The Sinn Fein leader also insisted it was not the case that Mr McGuinness had some sort of “road to Damascus conversion” and joined the political establishment.

He said throughout all he did during The Troubles and subsequent peace process he was guided and stayed true to his “republican principles”.

“There was not a bad Martin McGuinness or a good Martin McGuinness,” said Mr Adams. “There was simply a man, like every other decent man or woman, doing his best. Martin believed in freedom and equality.

“He resisted by armed actions those who withheld these rights, and then he helped shape conditions in which it was possible to advocate for these entitlements by unarmed strategies.

“Throughout it all Martin remained committed to the same ideals that led to his becoming a republican activist in the first instance, the pursuit of Irish unification, freedom, equality and respect for all.”

“Our political objectives, and our republican principles and ideals did not change,” he added.

“On the contrary these guided us through every twist and turn of the peace process.

“Thanks to Martin we now live in a very different Ireland, which has been changed utterly.

“We live in a society in transition.

The future now can be decided by us. It should never be decided for us. Without Martin there could not have been the type of peace process we’ve had.

“Much of the change we now take for granted, could not have been achieved.

“In my view the key is in never giving up. That was Martin’s mantra also.”

‘JUST A MAN, DOING HIS BEST’: Martin McGuinness (above) with wife Bernie and his sons Fiachra and Emmet; (below right) meeting the Queen in 2012 and (below left) with Gerry Adams at an IRA funeral in 1987. Pictures: PA

MCGUINNESS MADE UNLIKELY JOURNEY FROM GUNMAN TO PEACEMAKER

From most wanted to much admired Deborah McAleese

ONCE described as “Britain’s number one terrorist”, Martin McGuinness left his past behind to become one of the major players in Northern Ireland’s peace process.

His unlikely journey took him from being second-in-command of the Provisional IRA in Derry on Bloody Sunday to Deputy First Minister (DFM) at Stormont.

Mr McGuinness always acknowledged his IRA past.

In 1972, at the age of 21, he was second-in-command of the IRA in Derry, a position he held at the time of Bloody Sunday, when 14 civil rights protesters were killed in the city by soldiers with the 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment The following year he was convicted by the Republic of Ireland’s Special Criminal Court after being arrested near a car containing explosives and ammunition.

McGuinness once told how his parents were horrified when a local priest arrived at their door to say their son had been searching for parts to make “destructive devices”.

He is parents were very religious people and their primary concern was always his safety.

After his release from jail, and another conviction in the Republic for IRA membership, he became increasingly prominent in Sinn Féin, eventually becoming its best known face after Gerry Adams.

During the Troubles, McGuinness had read numerous academic dissertations which all concluded that the British Army could not militarily beat the IRA. But he claimed he believed the IRA could not defeat the British and became motivated to convince people change could only happen through politics.

He was in indirect contact with British intelligence during the hunger strikes in the early 1980s, and again in the early 1990s.

In 1982, he was elected to the Nor ther n Ir eland Assembly at Stormont representing his home city of Derry. He was the second candidate elected after John Hume.

He eventually became Sinn Féin’s chief negotiator in the talks that led to the Good Friday Agreement which ended violence, secured IRA arms

decommissioning in 2005 and shared government with former enemies.

In 2012, after his historic handshake with the Queen, Mr McGuinness said he “genuinely regretted” every life lost during the Troubles.

In a speech at Westminster he said: “Every single violent act was evidence of a failure of politics and a failure of British policy in Ireland.

“I genuinely regret every single life that was lost during that conflict and today I want every family who lost a loved one to know that your pain is not being ignored and I am willing to work with others to finding a way to deal with our past so that we can complete our journey to true reconciliation.”

This view was borne out after his death by a man whose wife was one of 10 people killed by an IRA bomb in October 1993.

Alan McBride’s wife Sharon died when the bomb went off in her father’s fish shop in the heart of the loyalist Shankill Road in Belfast.

Mr McBride, who is now employed

by Wave, one of the main charities in Northern Ireland helping Troubles victims and working on peace and reconciliation, has paid tribute to the

former IRA commander for his role in bringing peace to the region.

“I do believe that Martin McGuinness himself was a very genuine person.

I do believe he was genuinely committed to the peace process. I do believe that he genuinely regretted all the deaths that happened. I do think he would regret the loss of life. That is what I choose to believe,” he said.

“I think Martin McGuinness made a huge contribution to the peace process.”

Mr McBride said there are many who will be unable to forgive Mr McGuinness for his IRA past, but added that he believes society, including many unionists, owe the former deputy first minister “a debt of gratitude” for leaving “this place in a better condition”.

“When my wife was murdered in 1993, I had a very personal campaign against Sinn Féin because for me they were the ver y public face of the Shankill bomb. I remember taking placards and standing outside Sinn Féin offices.

“I remember following Mar tin McGuinness and Gerr y Adams to Washington, to Boston and New York,

and I would have been there with my placards,” said Mr McBride.

“But one thing I learnt along the road is [that] it is probably better to sit around a table to discuss issues with your enemies than it is to shout abuse at them from across the side street. I had those opportunities with meeting Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams and having conversations and dialogues.”

Mr McBride said despite Mr McGuinness’s past, he grew to admire him. “One thing about Mar tin McGuinness, when you have been in his company, he is a hard guy not to like. He was a very warm, affable individual. I certainly did grow to have a certain amount of admiration for him.

“I know that is not something that would be shared across the province.

For some he was the devil incarnate. I am fortunate enough to be able to step to the side in all that in spite of my own hurt and my own pain,” he said.

“Had Martin McGuinness stayed involved with the IRA then of course my views on (him) would be very different today. But thank God, he chose a different path, and I think society is better for it,” Mr McBride added.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

martin mcguinness r.i.p.

THOUSANDS GATHER TO FAREWELL SINN FÉIN LEADER

McGuinness ‘back home in Derry’ Deborah McAleese

IN the words of Republican hero Bobby Sands, it ended for Martin McGuinness where it all began, Back Home In Derry.

The 66-year-old died on March 21 after a short illness.

For a man who underwent the ultimate voyage of transformation, his final journey was a slow walk on a fresh spring day through the streets of his beloved city.

World leaders, as well as ordinary men and women, came out to mourn one of the most divisive figures in Irish political history.

A piper and flautist played as the former Stormont deputy first minister left his home for the last time at 1.20pm. His coffin was gently set down on the street outside his house and a Tricolour flag placed over it by members of Sinn Féin.

Family members then lifted him and began their slow walk through the city to the church, led by two pipers.

Several main roads were closed as tens of thousands of people crowded on to the streets to

pay their respects to the Derr y man. As the funeral procession made its way through the Bogside the coffin was handed to members of Sinn Féin leadership, including Gerry Adams and Michelle O’Neill.

They carried it towards Free Derry corner, along the route taken by civil rights marchers on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

The procession passed by many murals of the city’s troubled past and made its way up a steep hill to St Columba’s church, Long Tower, for requiem Mass. A picture of an armed gunman with the slogan IRA hung on a post along the roadside. As the procession arrived applause echoed along the streets.

A hush then fell over the crowd as the coffin entered the church where former US president Bill Clinton sat among the 66-year-old’s family, friends, colleagues and former IRA comrades.

A welcoming applause greeted DUP leader Arlene Foster, who just weeks ago had angered many republicans by comparing Sinn Féin to crocodiles.

In a symbolic gesture, Mrs Foster and Michelle O’Neill, who replaced Mr McGuinness

TRIBUTES AND FAMOUS FRIENDS

as leader of Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland, warmly shook hands. So, too, did Gerry Adams and former DUP leader Peter Robinson.

They heard stories during the Mass about Martin McGuinness the husband, who loved his wife Bernie’s dinners of cabbage and bacon; of the devoted father and grandfather; the political leader; the peace-maker.

His violent past was not ignored, with mention also made of Mar tin McGuinness the IRA commander.

When a young McGuinness joined the IRA four decades ago, to have republicans and unionists join together in his death would have been unimaginable.

As the evening sun went down the funeral procession arrived at the city cemetery, situated on a hill overlooking his home town.

The voice of Irish folk singer Christy Moore washed over the cemetery as Martin McGuinness was laid to rest.

And the words of his song, The Time Has Come, marked the end of the remarkable, complex life of a man once known as “the boy who rules free Derry”.

GRIEF: Bernie McGuinness (née Canning) at her husband’s funeral.

FORMER US PRESIDENT LEADS MOURNERS AT FUNERAL

Jane Fonda among those Clinton praises an ‘amazing unfolding’ who admired Derryman Ed Carty

Deborah McAleese

DURING the height of the Northern Ireland Troubles, Martin McGuinness had an unusual supporter -Hollywood star Jane Fonda.

It was 1976 and the Oscar winner paid a surprise visit to the former IRA chief of staf f ’s home in Der r y’s Bogside, a predominantly republican area of the city.

McGuinness once told RTÉ that he returned home from Mass to find the actress sitting in his kitchen with his wife Ber nie, and his eldest child Grainne.

Fonda and her then husband Tom Hayden had been visiting Ireland, and h a d t ra v elled to D er r y to see McGuinness.

The McGuinness family showed the famous couple around the Bogside and then made them dinner.

“They stayed with us all day,” McGuinness revealed.

He said it was clear the star had a real interest in the Troubles.

The pair became friends and several months later Fonda sent a large box of baby clothes on the bir th of McGuinness’s third child.

After her visit Fonda continued campaigning for elements of the Republican cause. In 1981, she lobbied Mar gar et Thatcher to end the Northern Ireland hunger strikes and sent a telegram imploring the prime minister to reclassify all Irish republican inmates as political prisoners.

• Republic of Ireland international James McClean has lauded Martin McGuinness as a hero.

McClean was bor n in Mr McGuinness’ native Derry.

He courted controversy over his refusal to wear a poppy on his shirt when he played for Sunderland in November 2012 but revealed he always had the former deputy first minister’s backing. He posted on social media: “You will be sorely missed Martin, a great leader, a great hero and above all a great man.”

He said he looked up to the former Sinn Féin leader.

“A man that has done so much for Irish people and Irish people’s freedom right to the very end.

“He was also a good friend and

Irish soccer international James McClean described McGuinness as “a great hero”.

someone I had the pleasure of having a good relationship with. A man I met so many times, had the privilege to share many a great conversation with, a man that always texted me before games wishing me luck.

“A man that through the well-documented tough times off the field always let me know how brave I was standing by my beliefs, that I never was alone because I had his support and backing always.”

• Mrs McGuiness said the family was deeply touched by solace and comfor t of fered to them since his death, which had left the family heartbroken.

“I, and our entire family have been touched by the efforts of so many to provide solace and comfor t to us throughout this very difficult period.

“Martin was my husband, a father and a grandfather. He was a republican activist for all of his adult life. He was passionate about his political beliefs but also about his many other interests.

“Despite the frequency with which his political activism took him away from our home and family, he was at heart a proud family man who took great delight in the accomplishments of our children and grandchildren.

“He loved his family. And we love him. Our hearts are broken.”

It is understood that the Queen sent a message of condolence to Mrs McGuinness and her family.

FORMER US president Bill Clinton has said Martin McGuinness’s proudest achievement was boosting funding for disadvantaged Protestant schools.

With typical charisma Mr Clinton delivered a heartfelt eulogy and a passionate plea for others to take up the mantle of peace building.

He recalled being with Mr McGuinness and former SDLP leader John Hume three years ago on the Peace Bridge in Derry when they talked about the money he budgeted for schools in poor Protestant areas.

“He thought those children would be just as crippled by ignorance as Catholic children would,” Mr Clinton said.

“I could tell he was proud as punch with himself. Normally it’s not a good think to be proud of yourself but I think if there’s a secret category of things you can be proud of, taking care of the children of the people you had been at odds with is surely on the list.”

Despite that well-regarded reform Mr McGuinness’ time as education minister was not without controversy as he led the drive to abolish the 11-plus.

Mr Clinton’s speech was interspersed with applause and laughter as he recalled Mr McGuinness’ “marriage” to “Gerry” Adams and compared his own upbringing in Arkansas with Mr McGuinness’ early years as one of seven children in a Bogside house with no indoor toilet.

“That’s a great political story but I’m the last American president that ever lived in a house without an indoor toilet and it’s very much overrated, except for its political value,” Mr Clinton said.

The former US president also bemoaned the bond that grew between Mr McGuinness and Ian Paisley.

“Most of the publicity Martin got as a politician was the very absurd notion that he actually got along with Ian Paisley. I thought it was great that he got a word in edgeways, I never could,” he said.

Mr Clinton had been asked to speak for three minutes at the funeral but delivered more than 10 minutes, both aspirational and inspirational.

He was introduced to Mr McGuinness’ widow Bernie and family before the Mass in St Columba’s Church.

After his warm speech he spoke with them again briefly and placed a hand

Bill Clinton delivered a touching eulogy. “He realised that you could have an Ireland that was free, independent and self-governing and still inclusive.” on Mr McGuinness’ tricolour-draped coffin as he walked by.

Mr Clinton said the Sinn Féin veteran’s life was an “amazing unfolding” and how, after growing up at a time of rage and resentment, he decided to fight discrimination and “by whatever means available to the passionate young, including violence”.

“I was thinking about it - after all the breath he expended cursing the British over the years he worked with two

prime ministers and shook hands with the Queen,” Mr Clinton said.

Mr Clinton praised Mr McGuinness for his ability to compromise, his integrity and listening skills.

“He realised that you could have an Ireland that was free, independent and self-governing and still inclusive. That the dreams of little children were no more or no less legitimate just because of their faith background or their family’s history or the sins of their parents.”

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April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

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

Shock death of Dursey Island cable car operator Paddy Sheehan TRIBUTES have been paid following the sudden death of the man who operated Ireland’s only cable car for over 20 years.

The Irish Examiner reports that Paddy Sheehan, 58, was the public face of the Dursey Island cable car since the early 1990s.

He died suddenly at his Beara home in West Cork on Sunday, just hours after an early morning mercy mission to take a vet to the island.

His first cousin, Martin Sheehan, who farms on Dursey Island, said the community has been devastated by his sudden death. “It’s a terrible blow to his family and to the place.”

Early on Sunday morning, Paddy ferried vet Brian Murphy to the island. He met Mr Murphy at 1.30am and took him by cable car to the island, where the vet performed an emergency C-section on a calving cow. He stayed on the island and took Mr Murphy back to the mainland at 4.30am.

“He would have done things like that on several occasions,” Mr Sheehan artin said.

DERRY

Man banned from every shop, pub, cafe, restaurant and takeaway in the North A JUDGE has banned a man from entering all shops and business premises in Northern Ireland.

The Belfast Telegraph reports that District Judge Barney McElholm said he was imposing the ban on Thomas Stokes (18), from Cornshell Field, Derry, to protect the business community from his criminality.

The defendant appeared in Derry Magistrate’s Court charged with committing 63 offences of possessing and passing counterfeit £50 notes and with theft offences.

A police officer told the court that as part of a large-scale police investigation the defendant’s home was searched, during which officers found 32 counterfeit £50 notes under the defendant’s bed.

The officer said that so far 16 local business people had made complaints to the police about £50 counterfeit notes. He said the value of the items stolen as a result of the passing of the counterfeit notes was, so far, £1,400.

Applying for bail solicitor Oliver Roche said he accepted the defendant faced a large number of charges but he said there was a presumption of innocence and a presumption of bail. He believed all of the counterfeit £50 notes had been seized.

However, the district judge said there was no way of knowing that.

The District Judge released the defendant on his own bail of £1,000 together with a cash surety of £750 and adjourned the case.

Imposing the Northern Ireland wide ban on the defendant the judge said: “By that I mean shops, licenced premises, cafes, restaurants and takeaways. He will have to ‘phone for a takeaway.”

He also ordered that the defendant should be electronically tagged and that he should not be in possession of a bank note of a greater value than £10.

Mr McElholm warned the defendant that if he breached any of his bail conditions he would be remanded in custody.

CORK

Man wielding golf club jailed for four months A Ballincollig man who was caught walking around the Co Cork town wielding a golf club in the middle of the day, after a feud in which his brother was attacked, has been jailed.

The Irish Examiner reports that Ryan Chivers pleaded guilty to producing the golf club as a weapon and was jailed for four months.

Judge Olann Kelleher agreed to backdate the sentence to March 8, the date that Chivers was arrested.

The sentence also covered a shoplifting incident on November 8, 2016, when he stole a jumper and gloves from Penneys in Wilton and then returned to the shop an hour later wearing the jumper and carrying the gloves.

Garda Aidan Barry arrested Chivers at lunchtime on Tuesday, March 7, walking down the street near a school in Ballincollig with a golf club. He said Chivers’ brother was the victim of an unprovoked and violent assault the previous day.

Frank Buttimer, solicitor, represented the accused on free legal aid.

He said Chivers now acknowledged that walking down the street with the golf club in those circumstances was not an intelligent move on his part.

MAYO

New pilgrim loop proposed for Reek LECANVEY residents have come up with an idea that could reduce future wear and tear on Croagh Patrick’s pilgrim path.

The Mayo News reports that the community is proposing that a new loop walk be developed that would incorporate the existing traditional route to the summit for the ascent but use a different existing route for the descent.

At a meeting of the West Mayo Municipal District in Lecanvey Community Centre, the centre’s committee presented the idea to county council executives and elected members, and it was positively received.

Speaking at the meeting, Therese Staunton of Lecanvey Community Centre Committee said that locals wanted to help save the existing pilgrim route, described by Scottish mountaineering expert Bob Aitkins as ‘the worst-damaged pathway in

GREEN AT THE GILLS: Well-known inner Dublin chipper Leo Burdock is illuminated in bright green for the four-day St Patrick’s festival. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire the UK and Ireland’. Concern about the erosion has been intensifying in recent years, and a stakeholders’ group, chaired by Mayo County Council’s head of environment, Martin Keating, has been formed.

This group has been making steady progress in relation to developing a plan for Croagh Patrick in recent months.

ANTRIM

Mole repellent for sale in the North DIY reatailer Homebase is selling mole repellent in the North of Ireland despite the fact the animals do not exist there. The Belfast Telegraph reports that the mole (Talpa europaea) is found throughout Europe but not in Ireland. It is believed the reason why there are no moles in Ireland is because the sea level rose quickly during the Ice Age which meant the animals, like many others, were not able to make it across the sea.

Homebase declined to comment when contacted.

DONEGAL

Donegal fish factory director avoids jail term A DIRECTOR of a Killybegs fish factory has been ordered to pay €20,000 to two local charities to avoid a six-month prison term after he was found guilty of knowingly altering a “flow scale” used to weight the fish they were processing.

The Donegal Democrat reports that Tony Byrne, 49, of Hall Demesne, Mountcharles, as a representative of Norfish Ltd., in Killybegs, pleaded not guilty to knowingly altering a fish weighing “flow scale” on dates unknown between May 1, 2013 and November 28, 2013 and knowingly using the machine between the same days.

The company was also charged with two charges of knowingly altering and using inaccurate scales between the same dates, also at Norfish in Killybegs.

Mr Byrne was found guilty of knowingly altering the machine and not guilty of using it, after a threeday trial at Donegal Circuit Court last week.

The company was found guilty on both charges.

Judge Cormac Quinn said the case was too serious for the Probation Act and that he would impose a six-month prison term on Byrne but

that he would suspend the term if a sum of €20,000 was paid equally between between the local branch of the RNLI and a local hospice.

LOUTH

Archaeologists make discovery at Carlingford castle ARCHAEOLOGICAL work has begun on recently discovered souterrains at the ruins of King John’s Castle in Carlingford.

The Dundalk Democrat reports that staff of the Discovery Programme, which is the centre for archaeology and Innovation in Ireland, are surveying the site in 3D, in conjunction with Office of Public Works’ architect Ana Dolan.

A souterrain is an underground passageway, chamber, or series of chambers, sometimes having a roof of stone slabs, built as part of an ancient settlement or fort, especially in Ireland.

They were most likely used as places of refuge during times of trouble. They may also have been used for storing valuables and perishable food stuffs, with the relatively low temperatures inside the tunnels helping to preserve the latter.

King John’s Castle is the most northerly point of “the Pale”, an area that fell under English rule in the late Middle Ages. Everything beyond that was traditionally “beyond the Pale.

DERRY

sive Transport Ministers on this issue.”

“I and party representatives Maeve McLaughlin and Colly Kelly met the senior management of Translink in the Derry office at Foyle Street bus depot in February 2015 to discuss our request that a bilingual destination signage pilot scheme be established for the Derry area.

“In November just past I wrote to the Minister Chris Hazzard and I outlined our request for a pilot scheme.

“I believe this is doable and is achievable at very little cost.”

WICKLOW

Parking machines vandalised FIVE more parking machines have been vandalised in Wicklow town recently, bringing to 27 the number that have been damaged since the end of January.

Gardaí believe someone with a personal vendetta or grudge, possibly against the local authority, is responsible for the attacks.

White paint was thrown over several parking machines.

Earlier in the year 10 machines had used engine oil poured over them, while a form of silicone was placed on 12 parking meters back in February.

Gardaí believe all the incidents are related and are appealing for witnesses. So far, none have come forward.

LAOIS

Bilingual bus signage proposed for Derry

Valuable signs stolen

SINN Féin Councillor Kevin Campbell has welcomed Translink’s launch of public consultation on piloting the display of bilingual Irish and English destination signage in Derry.

The Derry Journal reports that Translink has said it is reviewing the potential to use bilingual destination screens using both English and Irish language on bus destination screens on Ulsterbus Foyle City Services operating in Derry.

“This initiative is a way to celebrate traditional place names in the city and their meaning while also helping to support local tourism through a unique visitor experience,” a spokesperson for Translink said.

“This is great news,” Councillor Campbell said. “Sinn Féin has been lobbying on this issue for a number of years in Derry and has held a number of meetings with Transport NI and has raised this with succes-

SIGNS stolen in rural Laois could be on their way to collectors in New York and such thefts have become an epidemic, Cllr James Kelly said.

The Laois Nationalist reports that he informed fellow councillors that only the traditional metal signs are being stolen, as the culprits have no interest in the modern plastic variety.

In the latest raids, six signs disappeared from crossroads in three separate locations.

Meanwhile, drivers are constantly getting lost since a sign for Roscrea in Co Tipperary was ripped from a signpost near Camross.

Cllr Kelly told the council meeting that the theft of metal signs has become an epidemic in his area. The problem is not only expensive for the county council, but is also a huge inconvenience for motorists from outside the area.

April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

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Egg-streme idea for Buckfast Easter AN off-licence in Northern Ireland looking to make a fast buck has been flooded with orders for its tonic wine-themed Easter eggs.

D-Bees, in Lurgan, Co Armagh, took more than 2,000 orders within 24 hours of advertising a special Buckfast Easter egg package, according to owner Derek Brennan.

Mr Brennan, who has promoted novel “Bucky” products in the past, said the idea grew out of the shop’s “massively successful” Christmas and Valentine’s hampers.

The package includes a 140g chocolate egg with a miniature 5cl Buckfast bottle as well as a Buckfastbranded pen, lighter and magnet.

Buckfast Tonic Wine has been made by Benedictine monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon for almost 100 years and is particularly popular throughout Ireland.

The quasi-legendary drink has an alcohol content of 15 per cent and the caffeine equivalent of about four coffees per 75cl bottle.

It is frequently linked to violence and anti-social behaviour and in Scotland has nicknames like “wreck the hoose juice” and “commotion lotion”. In 2015, the Scottish Prison Service found 43.4 per cent of inmates had consumed Buckfast before their last offence.

Bank that gag CONGRATULATIONS to the Lansdowne Club on its 30th anniversary St Patrick’s Day lunch which attracted 1,500 revellers.

Plenty of laughs on the day but The Hurler enjoyed the one about the aged Irish pensioner who, burned by the fallout from the crash, goes to see her bank manager.

Arriving at the branch, she’s told “I’m sorry madam, the bank manager has died.”

She leaves, but a week later she returns and asks again to see the bank manager.

“I’m sorry madam,” she’s told, “I believe I told you last week that the bank manager has died.”

She leaves but returns a third time a week later and asks again to see the bank manager.

“Look madam,” the teller says sternly,”I’ve told you before the bank manager is dead. Why do you keep coming back asking for him?”

She replies: “I just like to hear you say it.”

Save your breath IT was revealed at the end of March that almost a million breath tests recorded as being performed by gardaí between 2012 and 2016 never actually took place. As we go to press the ramifications of the missing tests are the subject of intense enquiries.

Well, to lighten the mood, this column is happy to ride to the assistance of all those concerned.

First up is a venerable joke about a driving miscreant being apprehended by a constable. I’m sure Commissioner Nórín O’Sullivan will enjoy it as she sits in the waiting room of the Dáil select committee,

April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

the one appointed to look into these matters. She may even want to retell it to the assembled TDs: A woman was stopped for speeding one night, and the Garda officer, who’d just put in a long shift, wearily approached the car.

“Madam,” he said, “you were doing 55 in a 30-mile speed zone.”

The woman was distressed, but said nothing.

The guard took some pity on her and finally said: “Look, I’ve had a hard day – I don’t really want to be bothered with all the paperwork. Give me a good excuse, one I’ve never heard before, and I’ll let you go.”

The woman thought for a minute and then replied, “Actually it’s easy enough, Officer. My husband ran off with a policewoman – and when I saw your blue light flashing in my mirror I put the boot down because I thought maybe that was her trying to bring the gobsh*te back to me.”

1. Who did Margaret Thatcher call “that man who paints those dreadful pictures”?

Clues across:

Clues down:

1. Real envy, Sir, might lead you to this water carrier (5,6)

2. What links Rio de Janeiro; Monmouthshire; Wicklow; Malverns?

6. & 30 across: Equally important in marriage as in Ireland’s history in 1800! (3,2,5)

3. Where is the island of New Ireland?

8. Prelates span and add diagonally moving chess pieces (11)

1. Erin got a wry Arab confused at sea inlet in Cork (15) 2. Vehicle behind six in Rome heads for parson (5) 3. Hits filmed haphazardly in part of Dublin (and London) (10) 4. Tree or remains of a tree (3) 5. Affirmative rock band (3) 7. Ulster mashed potato plus an electrically-charged molecule constructs a jockey or wonder horse (8) 9. Sweet, famous lane in London (7) 12. Man in Julianstown (3) 14. A throbbing earache could be caused by this hidden excessive consumption (5) 16. Church feature such as, we hear, Skye, Man or Wight (5) 18. A commando landing hides Irish family (5) 20. see 25 across 22. Second person in France, plus half of Greek city combine in ancient Irish clan and territory (5) 24. Confusingly, elf or other spirit can create first name or surname (5) 26. Bar gondoliers to find element (5) 27. Irish giant on a fish we hear (4) 29. Fish in Teelin Bay (3)

5. Who, according to legend (and possibly fact) was the son of Calpurnius and Conchessa?

6. Which Meath person, known as the Poet of the Blackbirds, was killed at Passchendaele in 1917?

7. What is the closest point in Ireland to Britain?

8. Lily Langtry had her first big success in which Irish play in December 1881?

11 & 23 across: A heraldic card, ER, leads to Anglo-Norman nobleman (7,2,5) 13. Mimic in Chapelizod (3) 15. Remove scam from conquistador in ring, upset while in charge of Iberian court that enforced Catholic rule (5,10) 17. Descended by rope, although confusingly it could be a slide (8)

9. Which town is the county seat of Westmeath?

19. Concerts, horse carriages, boats (4)

10. Which Irish actor supported Robin Williams and Sally Field in Mrs Doubtfire?

21. First woman and National Trust in this happening (5) 23. see 11 across 25 across, 20 down: Calcium and nitrogen twice forms a dance (3-3) 28. Shameless head in Ireland? (6) 30. see 6 across 31. Second person separated from futuristic computer by gravity in seaside town (7)

““First and foremost, my thoughts are with the family of Martin McGuinness at this sad time. While I can never condone the path he took in the earlier part of his life, Martin McGuinness ultimately played a defining role in leading the Republican movement away from violence.

In doing so, he made an essential and historic contribution to the extraordinary journey of Northern Ireland from conflict to peace.”

Prime Minister Theresa May, speaking on the death of Deputy First Minster Martin McGuinness.

“Martin McGuinness played an immeasurable role in bringing about peace in Ireland, after years as a key protagonist in the tragedy of the conflict.

Martin played an absolutely crucial role in bringing about the Good Friday Agreement and a peace process which, despite difficulties, remains an example throughout the world of what can be achieved when the will is there.”

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the British Labour Party.

“I grew up watching and hearing about the Martin McGuinness who was a leading member of the IRA engaged in armed struggle. I came to know the Martin McGuinness who set aside that armed struggle in favour of making peace. There will be some who cannot forget the bitter legacy of the war. And for those who lost loved ones in it that is completely understandable. But for those of us able finally to bring about the Northern Ireland peace agreement, we know we could never have done it without Martin’s leadership, courage and quiet insistence that the past should not define the future.”

Former prime minister Tony Blair.

THE Irish Times had the scoop of the year when it reported last week that Dublin was set to get its very own Trump Tower after the sale of Liberty Hall to a company connected to the controversial US president.

“The 16-storey building, owned by the State’s largest trade union Siptu, has been a feature of the Dublin skyline since its completion in 1965 but plans are now under way to convert it into a five-star city centre hotel bearing the name of the American commander in chief,” the newspaper reported.

“In plans seen by The Irish Times, Trump International Holdings wants to renovate the existing structure and build a wider, taller skyscraper that will also feature shops, apartments, office space, underground parking, an open-air putting green on the top floor, a plaza on Eden Quay, and a canopy and signage over the main entrance. An application has been submitted to Dublin City Council and will be open to public consultation in the coming weeks.”

What a story. Liberty Hall to become a Trump tower? Sounds too horrible to be true ... and it is. The story ran on April 1.

Crossword

10. Short man found in Old Testament, as well as song we hear (3)

What a scoop

Quiz 4. Paul Cullen was Ireland’s first what in 1866?

They said it...

“I’m just pleased that the world is a sweeter and cleaner place now … He claimed to be a Roman Catholic. I hope that his beliefs turn out to be true and he’ll be parked in a particularly hot and unpleasant corner of hell for the rest of eternity.”

Former Tory cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, speaking on the death of Deputy First Minster Martin McGuinness.

“We are leaving the European Union, but we are not leaving Europe – and we want to remain committed partners and allies of Ireland and all our friends across the continent. The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have a unique relationship founded on our distinctive geography, history and trade – and above all the deep family ties and bonds of affection that unite us.”

Prime Minister Theresa May, on the day that the letter to the EU president triggering Article 50 was delivered.

“Northern Ireland and the whole of this island needs the Northern parties to agree a Brexit agenda which seeks special status where this is possible and achieves recognition in London and Brussels for the fact that every permanent resident of Northern Ireland will retain the right to full EU citizenship after Brexit is complete.”

Micheál Martin, Fianna Fáil leader

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LAST EDITION’S ANSWERS: Clues across: 1.Orchestra. 5 & 9 across: Algy Moncrieff. 7. Log. 9. see 5 across 10. Adder. 11. Ilk. 12. Ovine. 13. Tyne.

14. Garish. 16. Handling. 19. NRA (National Rifle Association). 22. Muff.

24. Voodoo. 27. Sumer. 29. Canadians. 32. Land Of My Fathers.

Clues down: 1. Oxmantown. 2. Cunningham (Kenny). 3. Slieve.

4. Alfie. 5 & 8 down: Aga Khan Trophy. 6. Gadflies. 8. see 5 down 15. Limavady.

17. Daf. 18. Guv. 20, 21, 23, 25, 28 down: No Country For Old Men. 26. Psalm. 28. see 20 down 30. Aran. 31. Aft.

Answers: ANSWERS: 1. Dublin-born Francis Bacon; 2. Location of Sugar Loaf / Sugarloaf mountains; 3. Papua New Guinea; 4. Cardinal; 5. St Patrick; 6. Francis Ledwidge; 7. Torr Head in Co. Antrim; 8. Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer; 9. Mullingar; 10. Pierce Brosnan.

April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

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TULLAMORE IRISH MUSIC FESTIVAL. 14TH & 15TH APRIL 2017.

Featuring Damien Leith & Peter Byrne & The Celtic Beat

Also appearing The Prannies, Seltic Sirens, Steve Passfield trio

Plus: Art Show, Festival Street Markets, Poets Breakfast.

Free entertainment for the Children

FOR MORE INFORMATION & BOOKINGS Tullamore.org.au/irish-festival/

RM2653181

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review

April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

Wonder of the human condition THE front cover of this book puts the name of the author in large silver capitals over a title that looks as though it was an afterthought written by hand. A reviewer must ignore this and evaluate the book as if it was the work of an unknown first-timer. The verdict is that, despite that aggressive marketing of the man rather than the work, the book is a good one, the kind that would have a reader looking forward to a follow-up.

The story is set in a small village in West Cork where a body has been discovered by some builders preparing a site for housing.

We are introduced to the local inhabitants, mostly the women of the community: three Ross sisters, a local cleaning lady and a married woman with a fondness for wine.

The central character is the local Garda sergeant, an overweight man who spends his days doing routine administration or “setting up checkpoints for speeding and getting people out of the pub.”

The investigation of the mysterious remains reveals that they belong to Tommy Burke, a young man who died some 20 years ago as a result of a blow to the head. The story, however, is less a detective whodunnit than an examination of the stresses and loyalties, the loves and intrigues in a small community. These are treated in a realistic way, even sympathetically.

The sergeant, PJ Collins, is the most interesting character in the story. His physique has meant that he has always been an outsider and has never been in a romantic relationship. The author even admits that he was lucky to get into Templemore Garda training college and just as fortunate to graduate.

But he is a good man and the story finds him taking a more proactive

role in the way his life will unfold.

There must have been a temptation for Norton to play the story for laughs, to show this sleepy, backward village in a bad light. What we get instead is a place that is believable, somewhere whose worst problems are down to the Irish weather rather than to petty local disputes or bolshie inhabitants. He manages to do this while keeping the tone light, with only occasional touches of the mordant wit that has made him a media success.

The action is not always completely believable – the events that resulted in the birth of Tommy Burke, for example – but by that stage the reader has decided that this is more in the style of Agatha Christie than one of the modern crime novels. An enjoyable read and a satisfying debut. I am, however, less than enthusiastic about whether it deserves the many plaudits and awards it has received.

BOOKS Holding

By Graham Norton Hachette 312 pp $32.99

CCC

“The action is not always

The Wonder

By Emma Donoghue Picador 291 pp $29.99

completely believable.

”

EMMA Donoghue’s book Room was a Booker finalist and is now a successful film, written and produced by her. It was loosely based on the notorious Fritzl case in Austria in which a woman was held in captivity for 24 years. Donoghue’s latest book is also inspired by real events from the past, what were known as Fasting Girls who were supposed to be surviving without food for long periods, often to the profit of their families or their locality.

The book imagines one such girl, Anna O’Donnell, living in the boggy Irish Midlands in the years after the Famine. A committee of locals, headed by the doctor and the big landowner hire two nurses to stay with Anna for two weeks to monitor her fasting and to report any intake of food. One of those hired is a

CCCCC Frank O’Shea local Mercy nun, the other is an English nurse named Lib Wright, who has been trained by Florence Nightingale and survived the slaughter of the Crimean War. That the action takes place in 1850s Ireland means that there is a great deal of ignorance, masquerading as superstition and witless piety.

This coexists with much goodwill and solemn honesty; the local priest Mr Thaddeus – Catholic priests were not yet being called Father – has grave reservations about the fasting girl and tries to get her to stop. Into this environment comes Lib Wright, determined to show up the whole thing as a profitable hoax.

The book is an examination of duty and the way that different people see responsibility. Which has priority: employer, church, family, science?

Or does the welfare of the patient, the child in this case, have precedence over all of those? It is easy to answer that question today, but the author carefully shows that it was not always so clearcut. Where there are ample opportunities to turn the story into a church-bashing exercise, she is careful to spread the blame and to show that the problem often arose because people loved the child and were acting out of the best of motives.

One of the secondary characters in the narrative is an Irish Times journalist named William Byrne, sent from Dublin to report the story. He is determined to portray the events as conspiracy. Not surprisingly, he

“An unforgettable

character in an outstanding book.

I don’t expect to read much better this year.

”

and Lib form an uneasy and thorny alliance. “D’you know, I’ve never met a woman – a person – quite as blasphemous as you,” he tells her at one stage.

Although the solution to how Anna is managing to survive without food is not entirely credible, the why of her behaviour hits like a hammer blow, opening again the question of a conflict between love, duty and justice.

Donoghue rarely uses flowery prose and the story is carried mainly in dialogue, but the tension never relaxes and the final resolution of the situation is believable. She draws the reader into the world of post-Famine Ireland, of a people still surprised by their own survival, wanting to believe in a higher goodness.

But the enduring image is the change in the English nurse, her slow transformation from disdainful sceptic to a woman who finds love in the most unlikely places.

An unforgettable character in an outstanding book. I don’t expect to read much better this year.

THE TOP 10 BOOK CHARTS FROM IRELAND BESTSELLERS

ORIGINAL FICTION

HARDBACK NON-FICTION

1

Orange Blossom Days

Patricia Scanlan

1

Orange Blossom Days

Patricia Scanlan

1

Five Forget Mother’s Day

2

Blob

David Walliams

2

The Good Mother

Sinead Moriarty

2

The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift for 2017!

Graham Norton

3

Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook

J P Delaney

4

Mary Berry Everyday

3

The Missing Wife

Sheila O’Flanagan

3

Holding

4

The Good Mother

Sinhead Moriarty

4

The Girl Before

5

Good Old Timmy and Other Stories. Famous Five

6

Island

7

Fast Forward

8

Days Without End

9

Butterfly Beach

10 Holding

Rob Stears Neven Maguire Mary Bery

Enid Blyton

5

Let the Dead Speak

Jane. Casey

5

Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down Haemin Sunim

David Almond

6

The Wedding Promise,

Emma Hannigan

6

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family....

Sophie Kinsella

7

Baby-Led Feeding Cookbook

Cox Blundell

Jojo Moyes

8

Recipes from My Mother

Rachel Allen

Danielle Steel

9

The Secret

Judi Curtin

7

My Not So Perfect Life

Sebastion Barry

8

Paris for One and Other Stories

Jacqueline Wilson

9

Dangerous Games

Graham Norton

MASS MARKET FICTION

10 The Heart’s Invisible Furies

John Boyne

PAPERBACK NON-FICTION

The Missing Wife

Sheila O’Flanagan

1

When Breath Becomes Air

2

Days Without End

Sebastion Barry

2

Gut Feeling

3

Big Little Lies

Liane Moriarty

3

Lean in 15: The Sustain Plan...

4

The Muse

Jessie Burton

4

The Doctor’s Wife is Dead....

5

Lying in Wait

Liz Nugent

5

Lean in 15: The Shift Plan..

6

The Girl on the Train (Film Tie In)

Paula Hawkins

6

Lion: A Long Way Home

7

Girl Unknown

Karen Perry

7

My Life Goals Journal

8

My Name is Lucy Barton

Elizabeth Strout

8

The Hurley Maker’s Son

9

The Exile

James Patterson

9

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Claire Keegan

J D Vance

Rhonda Byrne

10 The Children’s Battle

Paul O’Connell

CHILDREN’S

1

10 The Foster

Bruno Vincent

Paul Kalanithi

1

Blob

Lorraine Maher/Paula Mee

2

Good Old Timmy and Other Stories. Famous Five

Joe Wicks

3

Island

Andrew Tierney

4

Fast Forward

Joe Wicks

5

Butterfly Beach

10 Commit!: Make Your Mind and Body Stronger

David Walliams Enid Blyton David Almond Judi Curtin Jacqueline Wilson

Saroo Brierly

6

Everyone Loves Underpants

Claire Freedman

Andrea Hayes

7

Princess Mirror-Belle and Snow White

Julia Donaldson

Patrick Deely

8

Horrid Henry Funny Fact Files

Francesca Simon

Yuval Noah Harari

9

Peppa Pig: Peppa Loves World Book Day!

Enda McNulty

10 Dead of Night

LadyBird Press Michael Grant

April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

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Traveller beware Hi John,

VISA-BILITY YOUR IMMIGRATION QUESTIONS ANSWERED...

Co Antrim native and registered migration agent John McQuaid provides a uniquely Irish perspective on current visa and migration issues.

Send your immigration questions to John at

visability@irishecho.com.au

This Migration Column is intended to provide general information on migration issues and does not constitute legal or migration advice. While all care is taken, no responsibility is accepted by the Irish Echo or John McQuaid for the accuracy of material in the column.

People seeking advice on migration law should seek advice from a registered migration agent.

I got my permanent residence in June 2012.

Since then I’ve been in and out of Australia for a fair bit of time for work.

I haven’t got my citizenship yet and I have to leave again in May this year for six months.

I have been told my permanent residence will expire while I’m away. Is this true?

Can I lose permanent residence? What can I do?

Thanks for any help Jennifer B

DEAR JENNIFER, When permanent residence is granted it is technically for life but you only receive a travel facility valid for five years.

To maintain permanent resident status you must either meet a residence requirement in Australia, or show that you have close ties to Australia.

To continue travelling in and out of Australia after the initial five-year facility, you must either get a Resident Return Visa (RRV) or apply for citizenship.

Citizenship is usually the preferred option as you can get an Australian passport and then leave and re-enter Australia anytime.

To qualify for Australian Citizenship, you must meet strict residence requirements. Typically this is four years residence with at least one year of that time as a permanent resident; no absences totaling more than 12 months in the four years or three months in the 12 months before you apply.

If you don’t meet these requirements, then the Resident Return Visa (RRV) would be the next best option.

Citizenship applications are taking about seven to eight months to complete and usually require you to be in Australia to do the final citizenship ceremony,

Sydney St Patrick’s Day Organisation Update It is hard to communicate the disappointment that our committee felt when having to cancel the 2017 St Patricks Day Celebrations.

so allow plenty of time to plan the application. Alternatively, you can get a five-year Resident Return Visa if you can show that you have spent at least two of the last five years physically in Australia.

Ensuring that you spend at least two years in Australia out of each five-year period is the best way to maintain your permanent residence in Australia.

If you cannot meet the two of the last five-year residence

“To continue travelling

in and out of Australia after the initial fiveyear facility, you must either get a Resident Return Visa (RRV) or apply for citizenship.

”

requirement, you can look at a 12-month Resident Return Visa.

For the 12-month RRV, you must be able to show substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia.

For example, close family members in Australia, or a job offer, or ownership of a business

in Australia. Evidence that you have established a residence here or enrolled children in school can also count.

People who have been absent from Australia for more than five years need to show compelling reasons for the absence.

This can be very difficult to do and makes for a complex application so consider consulting a registered migration agent to assess your best option: via mia.org.au Examples of compelling reasons for absence are: severe illness or the death of an overseas family member; living overseas with an Australian citizen partner; complex or lengthy medical treatment preventing travel; legal proceedings, such as sale of property, custody, or contractual obligations; natural disasters or political uprising preventing travel; significant personal events, for example waiting up to 12 months for a child to complete their education.

These RRV application are best made before you leave Australia, so allow a few weeks for processing.

The applications can be made form outside Australia but it is much safer to know you have the visa granted before you depart.

The Sydney Rose of Tralee and the Kerry Association present:

Sydney Rose Selection Night 2017

The disappointment was not only for ourselves but for the Irish and Australian Irish Communities and especially all the children who were going to march in our inaugural Children’s Parade.

Indeed a lot of committee members felt the disappointment at home with their own kids.

As you know, March had an unusually high level of rainfall, the wettest year since 1984. In the ten days leading up to St Patricks Day, Sydney had the equivalent of two months of Irish rain. Prince Alfred Park was significantly saturated and this posed a major safety risk.

If the event had gone ahead, significant damage would have been caused to the surface of the park. In fact all council sports grounds, including Redfern Oval two streets away, were closed to all sporting activities due to condition of the grounds and the anticipated rail fall over the week end 18th and 19th March. We didn’t have the option to do a Parade in the CBD due to all the road works and the committee took the decision in 2016 that the CBD was the best location for an all-inclusive St Patricks Day Celebration for all of Sydney.

Our committee would like to thank all our sponsors, the stall holders, City of Sydney, our vendors, all the musicians, our logistics suppliers, our security people, Hamiltons Bar, our volunteers and everybody that was going to be involved for your support, your understanding and above all your commitment to St Patricks Day. I am extremely proud of the effort and hard work that all our committee members put in during the last 18 months. You not only paid off the massive debt but also arranged what was probably going to be the best St Patricks Day celebration that Sydney was ever going to see.

• Aishling Murtagh • JP Higgins • Noreen Breen • Bob Brazil • Karen Murphy • Pam O’Mahony • Brian O’Grady • Katherine McDermott • Robert Brouder • Cathy Brazil • Leanne Higgins • Sarah Mulligan • Christine McSweeney • Lorraine McCann • Shauneen Campbell • Eimear O’ Neill • Mark O’Connor • Sinead Teague • Elaine Ryan • Martin Bond • Siobhan Comer • Fergal McCauley • Mary Doherty • Tina King-Garde • Jamie Tobin • Mick Comerford • Trisha Dixon • John Seymour • Mike Russell Well done to each of you and a massive thank you on behalf of your community. We’ll see you in 2018

Robert Kineavy

Email: RobertK@sydneystpatricksday.com.au

Saturday 27th May, 6:00pm - 1:00am Sofitel Sydney Wentworth, 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney Music by Bacon & Cabbage Tickets - $180 includes dinner, drinks and entertainment for further information or to book contact: Tom O’Keeffe 0411 695 248 or Carol Fahey 0401 086 108 Email: tom.okeeffe@bigpond.com

www.roseoftralee.ie

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April, 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

AUST R ALIA’S IR ISH NE WSPAP E R

sports MAGNUSSON’S FIRST-HALF EFFORT PROVES ENOUGH AS ICELAND EDGE IRELAND

O’Neill’s rookies suffer rare Dublin defeat Damian Spellman

Republic of Ireland’s Shane Long (left) and Iceland’s Birkir Saevarsson in the Aviva Stadium friendly. Picture: Brian Lawless

HORDUR Magnusson’s first-half free-kick was enough to hand Iceland a friendly victory over the Republic of Ireland as Mar tin O’Neill’s understudies learned just how far they have to go.

The Bristol City full-back curled home a 21st-minute free-kick to secure a 1-0 win at the Aviva Stadium on a night when Ireland only found their feet after the break and, even then, did not cr eate enough chances.

O’Neill gave senior debuts to Brentford defender John Egan and Aston V illa midfielder Conor Hourihane from the star t and Preston pair Andy Boyle and Daryl

Horgan as substitutes as he experimented with the depth of a severelydepleted squad.

What he discovered was that, at this point, there are few men who are yet ready to step into the shoes of his big guns, perhaps with the notable exception of midfielder Callum O’Dowda, who once again made an encouraging contribution as a second-half substitute.

While the game was more about blooding new faces, he will have been disappointed to have suffered a first defeat at the Aviva Stadium in three years, albeit one at the hands of a side that, once again, demonstrated the kind of organisation which ser ved it so well at last summer’s Euro 2016 finals.

With skipper Seamus Coleman’s injury still casting a shadow over the Ireland camp, O’Neill was as good as his word as he handed his fringe players a chance to prove themselves on the international stage with only Jeff Hendrick and James McClean retaining their places from the draw with Wales.

“Tonight would be great for some of the players to play, to know what it’s like to step out and play at international level and try to do well in the length of time they’re on the field of play,” O’Neill said after the game.

“Sometimes it is ver y difficult.

There were a couple of lads making their debuts. John Egan, I thought, did fine. Hourihane played for the first time.

“Some of those lads have that experience now. What will happen is that players now will obviously go back and resume club duties.

“From my own viewpoint, I hope they stay clear of serious injury and maybe, by the time June comes around, we might have some of the other players back.

“But who knows? It’s in the lap of the gods.”

Ireland’s only meaningful response was a glancing Kevin Doyle header from a 36th-minute McClean cross which flew well wide in a disappointing first half.

O’Dowda came as close as anyone to finding the net in the 76th-minute when his shot was well blocked by defender Sverrir Ingason.

COLEMAN INJURY OVERSHADOWS REPUBLIC’S DRAW WITH 10-MAN WALES

Horror tackle nobbles captain Damian Spellman

SEAMUS Coleman suffered a hor rific leg fracture as the Republic of Ireland battled out a 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw with 10-man Wales.

The Ireland captain and Everton defender was carried from the pitch at the Aviva Stadium on a stretcher and taken straight to hospital after a challenge which earned Neil Taylor a straight red card.

Gareth Bale, who might himself have been dismissed seconds earlier after catching defender John O’Shea, might have snatched victory for the visitors with an 85th-minute strike which shaved the post, but Chris Coleman’s men had to make do with a point despite having the better of the game for long periods.

In the end, a 0-0 draw meant that the spoils were shared as Ireland maintained their record of not losing a home qualifier since September 2013 and Wales were able to console themselves by extending their run to just one defeat in 17 qualification matches.

Serbia edged ahead of the Republic at the top of Group D on goal difference as a result of their 3-1 win in Georgia, with Wales four points adrift alongside Austria at the halfway stage having won just one of their five games to date.

Republic boss Martin O’Neill, who had seen his squad severely depleted by injury and suspension in the run-up to the game, was dealt a fresh blow minutes before kick-off when James McCarthy, named in the team following his apparent recover y from a hamstring problem, was withdrawn and replaced by David Meyler.

Ominously, however, opposite number Chris Coleman was able to call upon the 11 men who started the famous Euro 2016 quar ter-final victor y over Belgium for the first time since last summer.

Robbed of the creativity usually supplied by the suspended Robbie Brady and the injured Wes Hoolahan, the Republic were prosaic in approach with wide men Jonathan Walters and James McClean – the latter

wearing the number five in memor y of close friend and Der r y City skipper R yan McBride – asked to protect their full-backs.

McClean in particular rattled into tackles, the first of them to welcome Bale to Dublin, in a bid to upset the impressive rhythm with which Wales started.

Where the Republic were all sweat and brawn, Chris Coleman’s men were fluid and fluent with midfield trio Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Ledley moving the ball confidently to feed wing-backs Chris Gunter and Taylor and try to bring front two Bale and Hal Robson-Kanu into play.

But by the time referee Nicola Rizzoli brought an end to the first half, two markedly methods had yielded much the same – largely nothing.

It was Bale who produced the game’s first attempt on target three minutes after the restart, although his free-kick, which had been awarded for McClean’s foul on Allen, was fielded without incident by Dar ren Randolph. However, the keeper was relieved to see a blistering left-foot strike by the same man fly a foot wide of his left post seconds later after he took aim from 25 yards.

But the game changed with 21 minutes remaining when, seconds after Bale had been booked for a late challenge on John O’Shea, Taylor was dismissed for an awful challenge after which Coleman was car ried from the field on a stretcher. Republic boss Martin O’Neill confirmed after the game that Coleman had broken his leg.

McClean came desperately close to winning it for the home side five minutes later when his drilled effort was deflected past the post, but Bale went even closer with a curling effort as time ran down.

“He’s having the season of a lifetime at club level and he’s a big player for us, a great captain and a a great character, so it’s a big, big loss, a big loss to Ever ton, a big loss to us,” Republic boss O’Neill said.

“But he’ll fight back, I hope.

That puts things in perspective, I suppose.”

Irish skipper Seamus Coleman and Wales’ star Gareth Bale in action before Coleman’s suffered a broken leg. Picture: Niall Carson

Long layoff for unlucky Coleman Liam Blackburn

SEAMUS Coleman could be back running in five months and must take encouragement from others who have recovered from broken legs, a spor ts injury specialist says.

The Republic of Ireland captain is beginning his long road to recovery after his fibula and tibia were shattered by a challenge from Wales’ Neil Taylor.

Coleman underwent successful surgery the following morning, though medics have put no time frame on when they expect the 28-year-old Ever ton fullback to return.

Sam Oussedik, an orthopaedic surgeon at HCA UK in London, admits that will depend on a number of factors but based on an average recovery

rate, Coleman could be running again by August.

“The rate of recovery will be determined by a couple of things,” Dr Oussedik said.

“The amount of soft-tissue damage – the muscles, tendons, sinews around the area all need to heal. That is a process that takes four, six, eight weeks for the swelling to come out of the leg. Then the focus is on how rapidly the bone is going to heal.

“Before you can put him through his paces that bone needs to heal quite firmly.

Estimates vary; it depends on the severity of the injury.

“Probably an average break will take somewhere around 15, 16 weeks to heal. Anything up to five months would probably be average. You would need to heal that much before you can

certainly run on it. There are ways people try to speed up that process – pulsed ultrasound, cells injected – but none of them have been really shown to ef fectively speed up that recovery.”

The graphic nature of Coleman’s injury was such that television broadcasters elected not to show a replay of the incident, yet still images of the Irishman’s leg bent at an unnatural angle later circulated on social media.

“If the injury is straightforward, there’s a reasonably proven route back to full action; that’s the key thing psychologically. Knowing there’s ever y chance you will get back to that high level of per formance.

I think that’s the thing to hold on to,” he added.

N. IRELAND

Win over Norway puts North in strong position JAMIE Ward predicts Northern Ireland’s previous qualification experience will pay dividends in the second half of their quest to make the World Cup. Last week’s 2-0 win over Norway at Windsor Park kept Michael O’Neill’s team second in Group C and on course for at least a play-off berth that would determine whether they can reach Russia in 2018.

For a nation that went 30 years without an appearance at a major tournament, the Green and White Army could be travelling to two in three summers thanks to O’Neill’s transformation.

They have already shown they can get over the line when it comes to qualifying, having advanced to Euro 2016, and Ward thinks such prior knowledge will be pivotal for their final five games this time around.

“We are not getting carried away. We have been in this position before with the Euros so we have the experience of dealing with these type of pressurised games,” he said.

“We are just extremely confident going into every game we play in and we are not worrying about what the other teams in the group do.

“We have made a good start. We have 10 points and we just have to focus like we did in the Euros.”

Their ticket to France was booked with a table-topping campaign, though the presence of world champions Germany in their World Cup group means second place, and a likely play-off berth, is realistically the only attainable prize on offer.

The Norwegians consider themselves virtually out of the running already given they now trail the North by seven points, and a win over Azerbaijan in June would shunt O’Neill’s side six points clear. That leaves the Czechs, just two points behind at this stage, as NI’s biggest threat and they still need to visit Belfast, where the Windsor Park tenants are unbeaten since 2013.

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A U S TRA L IA’S IRIS H N EWS PAPER

sports CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER FINAL :: LEINSTER V WASPS

Lethal Leinster shine as Wasps sting fades from page 24 However, the counter-attacking Carbery soon knifed through along with McFadden following a loose Wasps kick, and their lovely interplay on the right released number 8 Conan for a cracking 33rd-minute score.

Sexton converted and also added the extras to Henshaw’s opportunist try which saw Devin Toner rip the ball free from a Wasps maul and Leavy, O’Brien and Sexton combined to send the centre surging over.

The rain made conditions more difficult on the resumption, with Wasps’ execution continuing to let them down.

Sexton split the posts with another penalty in the 48th minute.

Five minutes later, Wade’s blistering pace earned Wasps their first try.

Gopperth converted to reduce the arrears to 15 points and play became increasingly fractured, Leinster pressing twice in the 22 before Elliot Daly’s long kick downfield had Henshaw scampering back to save a potential try.

That score came from Gopperth who produced a classy finish against his former side, evading two tacklers from

the edge of the 22 and converting for good measure. Suddenly, Leinster were only eight points ahead.

A sidestepping run from Ringrose almost produced the ideal response from the Irish province, although Wasps forced a subsequent knock-on and then Wade beat Nacewa to Sexton’s crossfield kick.

In the end, Leinster’s stranglehold of territory and a heavy defensive workload saw Wasps give way seven minutes from time. Toner barged through to a few metres out and produced quick ruck ball for McFadden to slither over. Sexton’s conversion was the final nail in the coffin.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen hailed the influence of 21-year-old fullback Joey Carbery following his side’s impressive triumph.

The versatile Carbery was named man of the match.

“Joey is very, very brave,” Cullen said. “He’s not afraid to try things.

Twenty-one years of age... It has come very quickly for him, but he is definitely a talent.”

Leinster will travel to Clermont for their semi-final,which will take place over the weekend of April 22-23.

Leinster’s Isa Nacewa scores his side’s first try during the European Champions Cup quarter final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTER FINAL :: MUNSTER V TOULOUSE

Nothing Toulouse for Munster in final four MUNSTER director of rugby Rassie Erasmus hailed his side’s Champions Cup quarter-final win as fantastic after the Irish province roared into their 12th semi-final with a stirring 41-16 win over Toulouse.

Munster scored 17 unanswered points, including tries by Dar ren Sweetnam and Andrew Conway in the final eight minutes at Thomond Park to book a last-four date with either Saracens or Glasgow Warriors on April 22-23. Kiwi fly-half Tyler Bleyendaal finished with 21 points off the tee.

They outscored their French opponents by four tries to one – man of the match John Ryan and CJ Stander also touched down – to claim an eighth home quarter-final victory.

Trailing 13-9 at half-time, Toulouse were still ver y much in the contest when Paul Perez’s 54th-minute tr y made it 24-16.

“First of all, to get the win is fantastic,” Erasmus said afterwards. “I think if you look tactically and technically there was a good 40 minutes and then a bad 15 to 20 minutes and finally a good four to five minutes. It wasn’t perfect, but it is a win against a world -class team, so we are fairly happy.

“Within 15 or 20 minutes the penalty count was 5-2 in our favour and then we managed to turn it around I think 5-6 for them. I wouldn’t say a discipline problem on our behalf, I would say an over-eagerness problem, especially at the breakdown. If over-eagerness is a problem, then it is not a bad problem.”

Munster’s runaway triumph was achieved without Ireland star Conor Murray, who was unable to start due to a shoulder injur y, while captain Peter O’Mahony, winger Keith Earls and try scorer Stander were all forced off with injuries during the game.

“I would be lying to you to say I’m

Munster coach Rassie Erasmus has done an amazing job since the death of Anthony Foley.

not nervous when those guys are not on the field. I am nervous, when you have guys with international experience who are world-class players, but in the same breath I must say we have played many games without them when they were on Six Nations duty,” Erasmus added.

“The group that played the last 15 to 20 minutes have been grinding out away wins without those guys. I think the guys are growing into – I wouldn’t say leaders – but growing into handling pressure situations which is great. I am not saying we are mentally where we should be, but we are definitely growing mentally as a team.”

Meanwhile, Toulouse captain Thierry Dusautoir was left to rue the poor start his side made to both halves,

falling 10-0 behind early on and conceding a third try to Stander at the start of the second period.

After his first experience of playing at Thomond Park, Dusautoir said: “It’s an amazing crowd, everyone knows it.

It would have been nicer for me to win here, to finish with a better score.

“It was something very special to be here and to play against the Munster men. I think we started in a pretty bad way in the first half and the second half too. I think that we could have played a better game today.”

Munster star ted and finished strongly to set up the win.

Paul Perez’s controversially awarded try breathed new life into Toulouse’s challenge at 24-16 down, but closing tries by Darren Sweetnam, his first in Europe, and replacement Andrew Conway sent the men in red through in convincing fashion.

Munster were 10 points up in as many minutes, profiting from Francois Cros’ early sin-binning as prop and man-of-the-match John Ryan muscled over for a try.

Jean-Marc Doussain’s third penalty success – from all of 44 metres – brought wind-backed Toulouse to within four points (13-9) at the break.

This was a much tighter contest than the 2014 quarter-final in Limerick – which Munster won 47-23 – but either side of Perez’s converted effort, Rassie Erasmus’ current crop amassed 28 second-half points, including a sharp early score from CJ Stander.

Ever-dependable fly-half T yler Bleyendaal finished with 21 points off the tee, including five penalties, and Sweetnam and Conway gleefully put the result beyond doubt, setting up either a home semi-final against defending champions Saracens, who accounted for Glasgow last weekend.

Live coverage on Bein Sports.

Lions should take four captains to NZ: Jones EDDIE Jones believes the British and Irish Lions should take a leadership group of four captains on the tour of New Zealand.

The England coach (pictured) believes Lions coach Warren Gatland should take one from each of the four national teams for the 10-game tour.

Gatland revealed that there were half a dozen players in contention for the captaincy with England’s Dylan Hartley, Ireland’s Rory Best, Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones and Greig Laidlaw of Scotland among those.

“I would take those four captains and make that the leadership group,” Jones said. “Then after the warm-up games, whoever was the leading player I would make captain for the first Test,” said the Australian.

“You look at the last Lions tour and Sam Warburton captained the first two and Alun Wyn Jones captained the third, so I think you can separate it.

“It would be different but I would reckon you would get a great result, with those four captains running the team for you and making sure they set the standards on and off the field.”

Gatland earlier stated his Lions captain will not be guaranteed a starting place in the Test team.

Wales for ward Sam Warbur ton, England back Owen Far rell and Ireland’s Johnny Sexton have been touted on the grounds that they appear to be two players certain of a firstchoice role in the XV, but Gatland insists his chosen lieutenant is not certain to play.

“I think the captaincy is a great honour, but whoever the captain is going to be there’ll be no guarantee he plays in the Tests,” he told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme on Sunday.

“His form has to be good enough. I think whoever that person is has to rise to that, the message to that person is it’s a great honour to captain the Lions but your form has to be good enough to be selected for the Tests.

“For the other players in that position I’ll be having the same conversa-

tion as well. You say ‘if your form is good enough and you play better than the captain, then there’s every opportunity you can play in the Tests’.”

Gatland is due to name his squad on April 19.

• Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that two French referees and a South African will take charge of the British and Irish Lions’ Tests against world champions New Zealand this summer.

World Rugby confirmed that 36-yearold South African official Jaco Peyper will control the first Test on June 24 in Auckland. Jerome Garces, who refereed England’s Six Nations clash against Ireland in Dublin, has been appointed to the second Test in Wellington seven days later.

And Garces’ countr yman Romain Poite will be man in the middle at Auckland’s Eden Park on July 8.

It will be a second successive Lions Test series appearance for Poite, who controlled the third and deciding 2013 contest against Australia in Sydney. He has refereed more than 50 Tests matches during his career.

Lions tour referee appointments: June 3 – Provincial Union XV (Angus Gardner, Australia); 7 – Blues (Pascal Gauzere, France); 10 – Crusaders (Mathieu Raynal, France); 13 – Highlanders (Angus Gardner); 17 – Maori (Jaco Peyper, South Africa); 20 – Chiefs (Jerome Garces, France); 24 – New Zealand (Jaco Peyper); 27 – Hurricanes (Romain Poite, France); July 1 – New Zealand (Jerome Garces); July 8 – New Zealand (Romain Poite).

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April 2017 I www.irishecho.com.au

sport

Leinster’s Johnny Sexton is tackled by Wasps’ Elliot Daly during the European Champions Cup quarter final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

ALL IRELAND FINAL? Leinster join Munster in Champions Cup semi-finals LEINSTER have joined Munster in the Champions Cup semi-finals after defeating Wasps in Dublin last weekend. Munster accounted for Toulouse at Thomond Park to set up the possibility of an all-Ireland European decider.

Fergus McFadden’s 73rd-minute try took the sting out of Wasps’ second-half comeback as Leinster reached the Champions Cup semi-finals with a 32-17 win at the Aviva Stadium.

Most of the damage was done in a dominant first-half display from the hosts, with Robbie Henshaw’s late breakaway score making it 22-3 and adding to earlier tries by Isa Nacewa and Jack Conan. Joey Carbery’s attacking instincts from full-back earned him the man-of-the-match award, but former Leinster favourite Jimmy Gopperth sparked a revival from the visitors, converting Christian Wade’s try and his own effort on the hour mark.

However, Leinster seized control again in the final quarter and replacement McFadden’s sevenpointer sealed his side’s victor y. Apart from Wasps’ purple patch in the third quarter, they were second best on the day as the home of Irish rugby claimed the scalp of another highly-rated English team, just a fortnight on from the spoiling of England’s expected Grand Slam party.

Leinster were the early aggressors in this meeting of the current PRO12 and Premiership

leaders, and six minutes had elapsed when a 33-metre penalty from Jonathan Sexton punished Joe Launchbury’s side-entry.

After Wasps blew their first two lineout opportunities, with Nathan Hughes being turned over and the heavily-targeted Danny Cipriani passing straight into touch, they survived a Garry Ringrose-led break up the right wing.

However, strong runs from Adam Byrne and Dan Leavy got Leinster straight back into scoring range and Carbery’s skip pass released captain Nacewa for an unconverted 14th-minute try in the left corner.

A barnstorming charge by the industrious Sean O’Brien had Wasps briefly under pressure, before Dan Robson’s clever kick sent Carbery rushing back to cover.

Australian superstar Kurtley Beale provided some much-need inspiration for Wasps when he returned a Carber y kick in superb fashion, breaking over halfway and offloading brilliantly for the supporting Willie le Roux but the South African blundered when losing control of the ball as he dived over the try-line. After that 24thminute let-off, Leinster errors saw them cough up a penalty from an attempted maul and then prop Tadhg Furlong was pinged for a tackle off the ball which Gopperth turned into three points.

Continued page 23

Robbie Henshaw celebrates with his Leinster team-mates after scoring a try against Wasps in the Champions Cup semi-final at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium.