The Irish Times - Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Few will forget intense minute's silence that crossed the ages
KATHY SHERIDAN
Queen pays homage to the memory of those who died in the cause of Irish freedom
THE MOMENT came not in gilded majesty or 10-gun salutes. It came as an Irish military band struck up “God Save the Queen”
and a host of old ghosts, dear and gentle, fierce and austere, hovered around a small, elderly woman, dressed in pretty ivory and sage, standing in homage before a sculpture inspired by the legend of the tragic Children of Lir and Yeats’s Easter 1916 . “All changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born”.
Now on a grey afternoon, in this small city centre oasis announced by the flags of the four provinces and its dedication “to those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom”, the British national anthem was soaring above the clatter of the circling Garda helicopter and the ERU snipers perched on the spire of Findlater’s Church.
Wise heads had ordained that mere words would be superfluous on this day. Present and former taoisigh such as Albert Reynolds, Brian Cowen, Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny were silent observers below, as the British monarch and the Irish President ascended the 22 steps to the sculpture platform, where the Irish Tricolour fluttered at half mast in a light breeze, overseen by a precision-drilled guard of honour.
Two Military Police wreath-bearers offered the wreath to the Queen to lay before the monument; another was placed by President McAleese.
There followed a minute’s silence, one of such depth and intensity that few present are likely to forget it.
Later, cynical old hands confessed to being “surprised” by the depth of their own emotions in those charged moments.
The sounds of dissidence were muted in this honoured place. The only visible sign of protest was a rather graceful flight of black balloons floating off to the side as Capt Joe Freeley began his recital of Liam MacUistin’s poem Rinneadh Aisling Duinn (We Saw a Vision) , symbolising rebirth and resurrection.
In the darkness of despair we saw a vision,
We lit the light of hope, And it was not extinguished.
In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision.
We planted the tree of valour, and it blossomed.
In the winter of bondage we saw a vision.
We melted the snow of lethargy and the river of resurrection flowed from it.
We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. The vision became a reality.
Winter became summer. Bondage became freedom and this we left to you as your inheritance.
O generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision.
A drum-roll accompanied the slow raising of the Tricolour to full mast, followed by a spirited rendering of the Irish National Anthem. Suddenly it was over.
Those present, it seemed, felt able to breathe freely again. As the President and the 85-year-old Queen made their way down the 22 steps, for a millisecond the President seemed instinctively to reach out to assist the older woman but thought better of it.
The Queen managed the steps without faltering and the two chatted easily as they walked past the dignitaries – Bertie giving a slight bow – to make their way back to the cars, one flying the British royal standard.
Next stop Trinity College, where the Union Jack flew overheard.
All is changed, changed utterly.
The Irish Times - Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Twenty arrested as rioters and gardaí clash for almost three hours in city
CONOR LALLY, Crime Correspondent
DISTURBANCES: HUNDREDS OF rioters clashed with gardaí for almost three hours in Dublin city centre yesterday, throwing fireworks, glass bottles and bricks. Riot squad officers responded by charging the crowds.
There were 20 arrests, with some rioters forcibly handcuffed and removed after they resisted. Gardaí are braced for further trouble today.
Yesterday, both Garda helicopters and the Garda fixed-wing surveillance aircraft could be seen in the skies above the city, recording the rioting. At one point, the trouble on Dorset Street in the north inner city spread about 800m north to the junction with Eccles Street and Temple Street, where roads were open to traffic.
A Bus Éireann coach and cars inadvertently driven into the rioting were hit with bricks thrown over them towards gardaí. Businesses quickly pulled their shutters down and closed when they realised the gathering was turning violent.
Armed detectives mingled in the crowd while some of their colleagues photographed the rioters for prosecution at a later date.
Earlier, at 1pm, there was trouble on Henry Street as protesters tried to break through a Garda cordon for a sit-down protest at the Spire on O’Connell Street, past which the Queen’s car later drove. The small crowd was quickly cleared by gardaí.
The main trouble flared at the edge of a warren of streets north of the Garden of Remembrance closed off to secure the site for the Queen’s wreath-laying at 3pm.
A crowd of about 200 gathered from lunchtime at the main crossroads of Dorset Street, Blessington Street and Frederick Street North.
At about 2pm, flags and banners with emblems for the 32 County Sovereignty Committee and Republican Sinn Féin could be seen in the crowd. The first scuffles began as protesters threw fireworks and missiles at the front line of uniformed gardaí securing the closed roads. A Union Jack was also set on fire.
Uniform and riot squad gardaí linked arms to create a line of defence to keep the crowd back.
One protester had brought a box of soft drinks cans and these were thrown at the gardaí, along with fireworks, bricks and glass bottles. Large wheelie bins filled with rubbish from local businesses were set on fire.
By 3pm, when the Queen was due at the Garden of Remembrance 500m away, a large number of fireworks were thrown and the crowd began chanting “IRA”. For about 30 minutes, missiles were thrown almost continuously. Just after 3.30pm, gardaí dressed in full riot gear emerged and the dispersing of the rioters began. The riot squad fanned out to clear the crossroads, effectively splitting the crowd into three, with small sections of protesters being pushed south down Dorset Street and others into Blessington Street.
A large section of the crowd stayed together and were pushed north on to Dorset Street by riot squad officers who used their shields.
Some gardaí used mace spray and riot squad members drew their batons. Gardaí used loud speakers to ask the crowd to disperse, warning them that if they refused they would be arrested under the Public Order Act.
The small crowd corralled into Blessington Street threw missiles at one line of gardaí, at which point the first arrest was made. A man was plucked from the crowd, wrestled to the ground and handcuffed.
Lines of riot squad gardaí then pushed the largest section of protesters further north up Dorset Street. There were intense scuffles as the protesters were pushed back by the full-length Garda perspex shields, and even paramedics on duty donned riot helmets.
Some seven people were plucked from the crowd in quick succession and arrested. Rioters got a supply of red bricks from a nearby building site and broke them into pieces before throwing them at gardaí for long periods.
There were a number of further arrests as the final charge on the rioters by riot squad members on foot and by Garda vehicles took place. At 4.45pm, a large Garda truck was moved in to carry away those arrested. Council workers began clearing the burning rubbish, planks of wood, cans, bottles and bricks that littered Dorset Street and small side roads where some rioting also occurred. A separate protest by the republican socialist group Éirígí on Parnell Street passed off without incident.
A protest against the Queen’s visit organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement passed off without incident yesterday evening. About 100 people took part in the protest, which began at the GPO and ended with the release of black balloons outside the Central Bank. It sought to highlight the role of the Queen as the head of the British armed forces.
Chairman of the movement Richard Boyd-Barrett said the protest was not anti-British, but was to highlight the role of British forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Irish Times - Wednesday, May 18, 2011
GAA president says visit an 'honour'
The head of the GAA Christy Cooney said the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Croke Park was an honour for the organisation and for its thousands of of members.
The visit to the stadium, a site steeped in symbolism for nationalists, was specially requested by the President Mary McAleese during the preparations for the royal visit, as a recognition of the GAA’s special status in Irish society.
Mr Cooney welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip to the stadium saying the visit “would go down in the history of the GAA”.
“We know that in our shared history there have been many tragic events which have inflicted hurt on us all. While acknowledging the significance of the past and honouring all those that have lost their lives, including those that died in this place, the Gaelic Athletic Association has consistently supported and helped advance the peace process in Northern Ireland."
"In particular, we have encouraged the reconciliation and mutual understanding which have so successfully flowed from the Good Friday Agreement and its endorsement in referenda by the people of Ireland, North and South," he said.
Mr Cooney said he was deeply saddened to attend the funeral of PSNI Constable Ronan Kerr and GAA member in Co Tyrone last month but said he was heartened “by the utter and united determination of people and political leaders across the island, and across the whole community, to stand together against violence and hatred”.
“The Gaelic Athletic Association for its part will continue to try and build new relationships and to reach out in particular to members of the Unionist community.”
Mr Cooney presented the Queen with a copy of a limited edition version of The GAA - A People's History which was specially commissioned to celebrate the 125th anniversary in 2009.
Prince Philip was presented with a hurley and a sliotar and was advised that the "only place to use it is on the field!"
Galway Independent
Council to make renewed effort to tackle graffiti
Written by Lorraine O'Hanlon
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Galway City Council is to make a renewed effort in the coming weeks to deal with the “scourge” of graffiti in the city. Acknowledging that reduced staffing and resources have impacted on their ability to remove graffiti from well-known “hotspots”, council officials this week vowed to prioritise the removal of offensive racist and homophobic graffiti.
Speaking at Monday’s city council meeting, Acting Director of Services for Housing and the Environment Kevin Swift said that the local authority continues to work to remove graffiti and uses a special chemical in problem areas that makes the removal of markings easier.
Mr Swift said the council has traditionally tackled graffiti in problem areas during the summer months when additional staff are available, but that this has not been possible for the past two years due to reduced staffing levels.
He said resources would continue to be a problem, but that the council would be prioritising the removal of offensive graffiti, which councillors said was particularly prominent in sections of Knocknacarra.
The council is also currently working with the Probation Service to develop a project that would see offenders on community service orders removing graffiti and cleaning affected sites while under close supervision. The initiative has already been rolled out in Dublin.
Speaking at Monday’s meeting, Deputy Mayor Frank Fahy said that anyone who daubs racist or homophobic graffiti on private homes or public property “deserves a term in prison”, and suggested that covet cameras be rolled out to capture the culprits in hotspots around the city.
Director of Services Ciaran Hayes said that it was not acceptable to deface the city with graffiti and appealed for anyone with information that could be used in legal proceedings to come forward.
Cllr Colette Connolly said the council should adopt a “zero tolerance approach” to racist graffiti, and suggested that those on FAS schemes could help in the removal of such markings. And several councillors also called for increased communication between the council and local residents’ groups.
Meanwhile, Cllr Billy Cameron praised a number of local businesses that had employed artists to paint murals and other artworks on their exterior walls, in a bid to prevent incidents of so-called “tagging”, where obscene language is daubed on walls.
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