Given the lack of protection out to our 200-mile economic zone off the West coast, is it not time to think outside the box with regard to surveillance?
A glance at the Marine Traffic app will show a huge amount of activity in that area at certain times of the year.
We have a fleet of 50m-60m RSW (refrigerated salt water) tank vessels, which are tied to the wall in Killybegs for nearly 10 months of the year due to a lack of quota, Brexit, and reduced fishing opportunities in the North-East Atlantic.
These vessels are amongst the best in the world for their size and purpose. Killybegs is a world leader in pelagic fishing with this class of vessel. They are all-weather vessels, and have very experienced crews and skippers. They have no peers when it comes to knowledge of the West coast.
They have arrays of electronic equipment and, in particular, sonar capability that would be the envy of many a naval fleet.
Is it not time to consider that these vessels could play a role in surveillance of our offshore cables, fisheries, etc?
Naval recruitment is not going to happen this year, next year, or the year after, due to many factors.
This could be a fast-tracked option until such time as we have an efficient naval service capable of protecting our 200-mile zone. The cables will be cut long before we build up a strong naval fleet.
Jerome Lordan
Old Head, Co Cork
Martinâs stellar job
Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin did a stellar job under extraordinarily difficult diplomatic circumstances in the White House recently.
US president Trump is on the rampage â and it is important to note that he has a clear democratic mandate for much of what he is attempting to do. This, too, will pass.
A second-term president has two years at most to run the policy table â and the congressional numbers are tighter than they appear. Many US voters on both sides of the aisle are very unhappy with the plutocratic, unelected primacy of Elon Musk. When a thing cannot go on forever, it doesnât.
For those on the left who wish to hurl on the ditch when it comes to foreign and international trade policy, I would urge them to consider the following modern parable.
Two lads emerge from the jungle into a clearing. A cheetah appears. Red in tooth and claw. Drooling and spoiling for a fight and red meat. One lad opens his rucksack and takes out a new pair of Nike runners. The other lad says: âThey are lovely shoes, but thereâs no way youâll outrun a cheetahâ. âYesâ, says his pal. âBut Iâll outrun YOU.â
The game has changed. It was ever thus. I, for one, am glad we had the good sense in this country to elect MicheĂĄl Martin as Taoiseach. Experience, courtesy, discipline, and restraint. It takes a big man to do the small things as well as he does the big things.
Michael Deasy
Bandon, Co Cork
Voting rights
Regarding Theresa Reidyâs article â Ireland is unusual in not letting citizens abroad have voting rightsâ ( Irish Examiner, March 26).
Irish passport holders should be allowed to vote while living abroad, absolutely. Itâs common practice in other countries. Irish abroad have every right, as most intend to come back home at some stage.
Eddie Hutchinson
Powerscourt, Waterford
Disgrace in the DĂĄil
The carry-on of this Government is disgraceful. The longer they are in office, the more disrespectful and disregardful of their work colleagues and the people of Ireland they are becoming. Have they lost all aspects of common decency since they were elected?
Children are corrected for interrupting others and using a two-finger gesture. Who do they think they are to disrespect the people of Ireland with this intolerable behaviour?
Do TDs believe they are earning their salaries plus expenses for this nonsense? Any person who disrespects the DĂĄil in this manner should be immediately removed and salary stopped.
We have many important issues in this country needing attention: From housing to health and children.
I am disgusted with our Government.
Elizabeth Harrington
Enniskeane, Co Cork
HSE overpayments
I found it jaw-dropping to learn the HSE made salary overpayments of close to âŹ14.7m at the end of 2023.
Itâs utterly risible to now hear that the date of expected repayment in full from some staff for overpayments in excess of âŹ10,000 is 2050.
There are some public bodies whose entire wage bill for the year would be circa âŹ14m, so this is indeed a very high overspend by the HSE. One must remember that the HSE spent âŹ458m on consultants in 2022, which was the year before the period of this audit, so this raises questions about whether public monies are being well spent?
This administration seems to me to be apathetic, disinterested, and incurious about these overpayments and overspends. It doesnât appear to matter to the Government if monies are paid out by the HSE, the OPW, or if State monies are paid out to civil and public servants.
As a taxpayer, I find these HSE overspends as wholly unacceptable. Itâs this type of profligacy that not only forces tax increases but intensifies and escalates cuts in this countyâs vital services. I am left wondering as to who this Government is really looking out for?
John OâBrien
Clonmel, Co Tipperary
PĂĄirc pay potential
In the early 1980s, I attended Siamsa Cois LaoĂ. I have no idea how much this folk and trad festival raised for PĂĄirc UĂ Chaoimh back then, but the admission fee must have helped.
While there is far more festival competition nowadays, perhaps the GAA could consider something similar again?
Pascal Ă Deasmhumhnaigh
Iniscorthaidh, Co Loch gCarman
Albanese visit
I am surprised and disappointed to hear that Francesca Albanese, United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, while on recent visit to Ireland, was not invited to meet with the Taoiseach and/or the TĂĄnaiste.
Ms Albanese has been severely criticised by Israeli government ministers, media, and Zionist supporters for her reporting truthfully on the situation in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.
The people of Ireland have clearly demonstrated sympathy and support for the Palestinian people.
I suggest the Taoiseach and the TĂĄnaiste have let the people of Ireland down by not hosting a meeting with Ms Albanese.
Michael Moriarty
Rochestown, Cork
Dangers of wealth
I recently attended the Albanese lecture, hoping she would hail a breakthrough and get through to our Government. Neither the TĂĄnaiste nor the Taoiseach would even meet her. She spoke inspiringly of course; one of the topics was the disconnect between the powerful and the masses.
There has always been a disconnect between various political leaders and the people. How to spend the resources is underpinned by ideologies with which everyone cannot possibly agree, culture wars have driven us demented long before current upheavals. Sigh.
This last number of years, though, the disconnect is egregious. Leaders are doing the opposite of leading and are cowing to regimes that would kill any/every one of âusâ for land. Or kill us for something seemingly less consequential, such as the right to extract a resource from our land, preferential trade agreements or market access, the licence to the telecom infrastructure.
The list of profitable projects goes on and the rights to these are divvied out from leaders to prospective corporate investors. And that narrow class of people wields a lot of influence, and are backed ostensibly by militaries.
The fact of accumulated wealth like this has literally led to the endangerment of us all by the military industrial complex, and the masses must still be unaware, because they trust one of the supporters of genocide, Keir Starmer, when he makes the call to rearm and dramatically increase "defence" expenditure.
Trish NĂ FhoghlĂș
Sallins
Triple lock removal
Ireland is a democracy, therefore the citizens decide who will represent them in the DĂĄil. The proposal by the Government to remove the triple lock turns this concept on its head.
Successive polls have shown that Irish people want Ireland to remain neutral, to act as a peacemaker, and not to be militarily aligned.
Furthermore, Irish people, in an unprecedented move, were asked to vote twice on the Nice and Lisbon referendums. These treaties were initially rejected, one of the reasons being concerns in relation to the ongoing militarisation of the EU. The treaties were only accepted because of the guarantees in the triple lock.
Our TDs are doing more than a disservice to the electorate if they support the current proposal to remove the triple lock. They are acting in an unacceptable and profoundly undemocratic way.
Elizabeth Cullen
Kilcullen, Co Kildare
