Dáil protests: Use of mock gallows investigated as potential criminal offence
The erection of a mock gallows at a far-right protest outside Leinster House on Wednesday is being investigated as a potential criminal offence.
The gallows was covered with images of political figures including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald.
A figure in a suit with bundles of cash in its pockets and photos of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman were hung from the noose.
Top News Stories
- Some of Temple Street consultant’s colleagues knew surgeon used spring implants in children: Colleagues of the consultant whose work at Temple Street children’s hospital has been linked to serious surgical incidents were aware they were using spring implants, it has emerged.
- RTÉ pay controversy: Ryan Tubridy’s agent Noel Kelly insisted contract be ‘paid in full’ when cuts proposed in 2019: Ryan Tubridy’s agent Noel Kelly said that his client’s contract had to be “paid in full” when the prospect of a fee cut was first raised in 2019, new documents show
- The day Veronica Guerin played soccer for Ireland against England: Dalymount Park, 1981: A 5-0 defeat by England at Dalymount Park back in May 1981 made it a day to forget for the Republic of Ireland’s women’s team. For a 22-year-old Dubliner who came on to make her senior international debut that day, though, it was one she would never forget.
- Booker Prize 2023: Irish authors Paul Murray and Paul Lynch make shortlist: Two Irish novels that address the burning issues of the climate emergency and the increasing threat to our democratic values have made this year’s Booker Prize shortlist.
- UN summit: Some progress on global ‘loss and damage’ climate fund – Eamon Ryan: There has been “some progress” in setting the terms for a global “loss and damage” fund to support climate vulnerable countries following meetings on the fringes of this week’s UN general assembly and climate action summit in New York, Minister for Climate Eamon Ryan has said.
- Ireland’s weather today: Sunshine and showers in the morning, and largely dry in the afternoon. Highs of 12-15 degrees in moderate winds.
- Happening today: Culture Night, Sinn Féin will publish the party’s alternative health budget, the Taoiseach will deliver a speech to the UN in New York at 9pm Irish time.
News from around the World
- ‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war:’ – Zelenskiy appeals for US support: Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to US politicians on Thursday for continued support in the war with Russia amid Republican scepticism over whether Congress should approve a new round of aid for his country.
- Sunak takes huge political and environmental gamble by rolling back green measures: Britain’s Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak has torn up his government’s strategy for meeting climate targets by rolling back a slew of pro-green measures such as bans on new petrol and diesel cars and new gas boilers.
- EU health authorities urge new Covid-19 vaccination for vulnerable: All people over 60, all those with weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions, and pregnant women should get a new vaccination against Covid-19 this autumn, European Union health authorities have recommended.
The best from Opinion
- Spinal surgeries scandal a painful reminder of how Ireland continues to fail its young: Ireland is a land rich with children’s fairy tales. There once was even a president of the country whose wife, Sinéad Bean de Valera, wrote books of magical Celtic fables. The adventures of Oisín in Tír na nÓg and Fionn Mac Cumhaill with his salmon of knowledge wove a comfort blanket that our forebears wrapped around themselves, writes Justine McCarthy.
The Big Read
- Who are the Oireachtas protesters and what were they protesting against?: The protest, dubbed Call to the Dáil by its organisers, was heavily promoted on far-right social media channels and was chiefly aimed at protesting against Helen McEntee’s stalled hate speech Bill. Based on the speeches and placards on display, writes Conor Gallagher, it morphed into a protest against a wide variety of issues including, but not limited to, asylum seekers and refugees; trans rights; sex education in schools; the World Economic Forum; vaccines, including Covid-19 vaccines; globalisation; and support for Ukraine.
Culture and Life & Style highlights
- Culture Night 2023: A guide of 26 events to see and do today: Get your party shoes or your walking boots on: Culture Night is tonight, September 22nd. The 18th edition of this diverse celebration of culture, pulled together by the Arts Council in partnership with local authorities, cultural and community organisations across Ireland, offers a whopping 1,700-plus events in villages, towns and cities. And all events are free.
- Who would be a ‘Trinity W**ker’? World’s oldest debating society teases out contentious motion: Is “w**ker” a word that comes to your mind when you think of a student of Trinity College Dublin? On Wednesday evening, this was the tongue-in-cheek topic of debate at Trinity’s Hist – or Historical Society, to give it the formal name. It was a big week for the 253-year-old Hist, which, on Monday, was formally recognised by the Guinness World Records as being the world’s oldest college society.
Today’s Business
- McGrath defends budget plan against criticism from Central Bank and Ifac: Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has defended his budget strategy against criticism from the Central Bank and the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (Ifac), insisting he was getting the “balance right” between spending and saving the current tax windfall.
- Press Up: Industry undercurrents buffet the restaurant-bar-hotel leviathan: Like a mythological creature rising out of a murky sea, Press Up group has come to dominate the horizon and landscape of Dublin’s bar, restaurant and hotel trade in the decade since Ireland’s economic collapse, becoming, in quick fashion, one of the biggest players on the scene, writes Ian Curran.
Top Sports news
- Rugby World Cup: Settled Ireland at peace before big South Africa battle: Whatever degree of performance anxiety may have affected the Ireland team in Japan four years ago, there has been little visible sign of nerves this week in the Irish camp. The closer Saturday’s mighty World Cup Pool B collision with South Africa looms into view, the more Andy Farrell, Johnny Sexton et al exude an almost Zen-like calm.
- Valid questions remain over Comer case but anti-doping systems worked on the ground: If Irish racing’s regulator was a boxer the towel might reasonably have been thrown in long ago as it has been a reputational punchbag for much of the last decade. So, for a change, credit where it’s due to the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s (IHRB) prosecution of what ranks as the industry’s most extensive ever drugs scandal.
Letters to the Editor
Sir, – The protests at Leinster House are a reflection of an increasing level of violent behaviour that has gradually been allowed to take hold in our society. In recent years, we have become familiar with violent incidents on the streets of our towns and cities, assaults on gardaí, increasing violence against women, assaults on hospital staff, anti-social behaviour on our transport systems, etc. On occasions, these problems are viewed in isolation from each other but they are all part of a gradual drift towards an increasingly violent society.
READ MORE
Ballroom Blitz review: Adam Clayton’s celebration of Irish showbands hints at the burden of being in U2
Our Little Secret: Awkward! Lindsay Lohan’s Christmas flick may as well be AI generated
Edwardian three-bed with potential to extend in Sandymount for €1.295m
‘My wife, who I love and adore, has emotionally abandoned our relationship’
Now that this behaviour has reached the gates of Leinster House, perhaps it is time to reflect on how we have managed this problem up to now. How effective, for instance, is the “de-escalation approach” which the gardaí employ in the management of public order incidents? Perhaps excessive tolerance and light-touch law enforcement have contributed to the present situation. One thing is certain: a comprehensive review of existing policy is essential if we are to effectively deal with the level of violence that exists in our society today. – Yours, etc,
EAMON O’FLYNN, Dublin 4
Video & Podcast Highlights
- In The News podcast: Crisis on Lampedusa and the controversial EU migrant deal with Tunisia
Review of the day
- Natural but nervous Maura Derrane struggles to lift RTÉ's misfiring 9am slot: It’s hard to believe, given that she has been a fixture in Irish broadcasting for more than two decades, that Maura Derrane had never worked in radio until less than a fortnight ago. And yet, listening to her stint as the latest presenter of The Nine O’Clock Show (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays), it becomes easier to credit.
Why not try one of our Crosswords & Puzzles?
Like this?
Get the best content direct to your inbox by signing up to one of our newsletters