theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Gerry Moriarty: Hume’s pragmatic idealism shone out from the core of his being

On one of many trips to Derry in the lead-up to the Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998 , my assignment was to get the low-down from John Hume on the state of the peace process .
Hume , like DUP leader Ian Paisley then , could have his moods , but he was in good form that day .
So , we went to the pub , and we had a long chat .
Then we went to a local restaurant where Hume introduced me to his favourite Alsatian wine , Gewürztraminer , an aromatic white that takes getting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long chat .
I drove carefully back to Belfast the next day as wise as I left it .
Hume notoriously barely told his SDLP party what was unfolding at key periods of the peace process so he wasn ’ t going to confide in The Irish Times at a sensitive stage of negotiations .
But if I didn ’ t come away with a story , I came back with insights into what motivated Hume .
Over those few hours he opened up about his young life in the Bogside , about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time , of the discrimination , the appalling housing conditions .
What was clear from that encounter was the absolute idealism at the core of Hume ’ s being .
It was shaped in his youth , forged in the seminary and university in Maynooth , and expressed in his civic and political life for the good of the people of these two islands .
But it was a pragmatic and realistic idealism .
Hume had great entrepreneurial aptitude and flair and could have been a fabulously wealthy man .
But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Instead , his mission in life was to get people to help themselves , not to be caught in the tired old rhetoric of embittered nationalism ; to challenge discrimination ; to campaign for civil rights but also to be persuaders of unionism and to break free through education .
He was a practical can-do man .
As he recalled in that conversation , he saw that local people were being bled dry by money-lenders and that the banks wouldn ’ t lend to the poor , so he formed a credit union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so he started a smoked salmon processing business .
He worked to provide housing .
He campaigned for a university in Derry .
Over those few enjoyable hours of conversation , you understood how the future statesman , politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was formed .
It all went back to Derry and its people and expanded into a humane and generous view of Ireland and its people , and the world .
Even in his mid-20s in the early 1960s and before the civil rights movement kicked off , he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That is identifiable in articles he wrote for The Irish Times in 1964 where he outlined why unity only should happen through consent and , in an echo of James Connolly decades earlier , why it was that people had primacy over territory .
That was Hume , like Shakespeare , full of old clichés , but clichés he coined and then repeated beyond the point of tedium .
But it didn ’ t undermine their truth : you can ’ t eat a flag ; it is better to spill sweat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was people who were divided , not the land ; why not an agreed Ireland ; who is afraid of peace ?
And he was astonishingly creative .
He helped put coherence and shape to adopted concepts such as the principle of consent , respecting diversity , putting people over land , the three sets of relationships on these islands , showing that the IRA ’ s fight wasn ’ t against the British but against unionists who republicans said were fellow Irish people , and national self-determination expressed through two island-wide referendums @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1998 Belfast Agreement .
Even as a young history teacher in Derry , and married to the marvellously wise , warm and influential Pat , he had the answers .
But in the face of unionist and violent republican obduracy , it took years of soul- and energy-destroying toil and frustration to gradually see those answers put into practice .
He was an uncommon politician .
When the hope of the 1974 Sunningdale powersharing administration was destroyed through unionist , loyalist and IRA opposition and violence , and through a feeble British government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
After every subsequent crisis and failure – and there was a litany of them – he picked himself up and started all over again .
He had no time for the small-mindedness of Stormont or for the Punch and Judy politics of Westminster .
A Francophile and European , he did significant business in Brussels and Strasbourg , and also in the US .
Washington and the European Union were where work could be done , where the pettiness of Belfast and purblindness of London could be circumvented .
He made powerful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief Jacques Delors , Ted Kennedy , Tip O ’ Neill , the Clintons , senior Irish diplomats , rallied to his cause when he needed them .
There is a generation in Ireland who only remembers the later dark , brooding Hume but for people of the 1960s and 1970s he was a captivating and inspiring figure .
There are people who will remember the hope and headiness of the civil rights movement , and Hume at its centre .
They will recall the radio and TV debates of that period where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicians sent out to defend a rotten system of government .
In equal measure , he put it up to the Provisional IRA and its representatives .
His eloquence and calm strength in disputation gave Northern nationalists a sense of pride and self-esteem and there were some unionists who could never tolerate him or forgive him for that .
He was head and shoulders above all politicians on this island .
As one little example I remember when the three Northern MEPs gathered in the King ’ s Hall in Belfast to address @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The UUP ’ s Jim Nicholson decried the problems facing the farmers ; John Hume next up to speak said , “ We ’ ve got a problem , this is how we are going to resolve it ” ; Ian Paisley repeated what John Hume said .
And it wasn ’ t all heavy politics .
The best fun always was at the SDLP annual conferences , which invariably reached conclusion deep into the wee hours with Hume singing The Town I Loved So Well or We Shall Overcome .
Where his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 10 years between 1988 and 1998 .
These were the years of his greatest achievement but also the years when he was a tormented , possessed , obsessive individual , when he seemed to inwardly howl at the unnecessary loss of life and the failure of others to see the reason and logic behind the answers he had fashioned all those years ago .
When word of the secret Hume-Adams talks came out in 1993 , he was assailed from many quarters .
But if unionists and elements of the Dublin media and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most people on this island did .
That was brought home poignantly and powerfully at the time in 1993 when the IRA killed 10 people on the Shankill , including bomber Thomas Begley , and when the UDA responded by killing eight people at Greysteel in Co Derry .
Hume was under fierce pressure to jettison Gerry Adams , which also would have meant abandoning the chance of an IRA ceasefire that came in August the following year .
At the Greysteel funerals , a young woman made a point of breaking from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Was she going to remonstrate with him , observers wondered ?
But no , she took his hand and said , “ Mr Hume , our family want you to know that last night , when we were gathered around our daddy ’ s coffin , we prayed for you to succeed in your work for peace.
” Hume almost broke down , but that encounter also must have given him hope .
People began to see he did have the answers .
So , he pressed on and while many others deserve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the peace process Hume was the agitator , philosopher and visionary who found , charted and drove the road to resolution .

On one of many trips to Derry in the lead-up to the Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998, my assignment was to get the low-down from John Hume on the state of the peace process. Hume, like DUP leader Ian Paisley then, could have his moods, but he was in good form that day. So, we went to the pub, and we had a long chat. Then we went to a local restaurant where Hume introduced me to his favourite Alsatian wine, Gewürztraminer, an aromatic white that takes getting used to. And we had another long chat.
I drove carefully back to Belfast the next day as wise as I left it. Hume notoriously barely told his SDLP party what was unfolding at key periods of the peace process so he wasn’t going to confide in The Irish Times at a sensitive stage of negotiations.
But if I didn’t come away with a story, I came back with insights into what motivated Hume. Over those few hours he opened up about his young life in the Bogside, about the grinding poverty in working-class Derry at the time, of the discrimination, the appalling housing conditions.
What was clear from that encounter was the absolute idealism at the core of Hume’s being. It was shaped in his youth, forged in the seminary and university in Maynooth, and expressed in his civic and political life for the good of the people of these two islands.
READ MORE
You can't eat a flag; it is better to spill sweat than blood; in Northern Ireland it was people who were divided, not the land
But it was a pragmatic and realistic idealism. Hume had great entrepreneurial aptitude and flair and could have been a fabulously wealthy man. But he had no interest in personal fortune. Instead, his mission in life was to get people to help themselves, not to be caught in the tired old rhetoric of embittered nationalism; to challenge discrimination; to campaign for civil rights but also to be persuaders of unionism and to break free through education.
Practical, can-do man
He was a practical can-do man. As he recalled in that conversation, he saw that local people were being bled dry by money-lenders and that the banks wouldn’t lend to the poor, so he formed a credit union. He saw the need for jobs so he started a smoked salmon processing business. He worked to provide housing. He campaigned for a university in Derry.
Over those few enjoyable hours of conversation, you understood how the future statesman, politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate was formed. It all went back to Derry and its people and expanded into a humane and generous view of Ireland and its people, and the world.
Even in his mid-20s in the early 1960s and before the civil rights movement kicked off, he was putting structure to his single transferable speech. That is identifiable in articles he wrote for The Irish Times in 1964 where he outlined why unity only should happen through consent and, in an echo of James Connolly decades earlier, why it was that people had primacy over territory.
That was Hume, like Shakespeare, full of old clichés, but clichés he coined and then repeated beyond the point of tedium. But it didn’t undermine their truth: you can’t eat a flag; it is better to spill sweat than blood; in Northern Ireland it was people who were divided, not the land; why not an agreed Ireland; who is afraid of peace?
And he was astonishingly creative. He helped put coherence and shape to adopted concepts such as the principle of consent, respecting diversity, putting people over land, the three sets of relationships on these islands, showing that the IRA’s fight wasn’t against the British but against unionists who republicans said were fellow Irish people, and national self-determination expressed through two island-wide referendums as happened with the endorsement of the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
Even as a young history teacher in Derry, and married to the marvellously wise, warm and influential Pat, he had the answers. But in the face of unionist and violent republican obduracy, it took years of soul- and energy-destroying toil and frustration to gradually see those answers put into practice.
His eloquence and calm strength in disputation gave Northern nationalists a sense of pride and self-esteem
He was an uncommon politician. When the hope of the 1974 Sunningdale powersharing administration was destroyed through unionist, loyalist and IRA opposition and violence, and through a feeble British government, he didn’t give up. After every subsequent crisis and failure – and there was a litany of them – he picked himself up and started all over again.
SDLP leader John Hume celebrates with his wife Pat after winning a seat in Foyle, at the Guildhall, Derry. File photograph: Brian Little/PA
He had no time for the small-mindedness of Stormont or for the Punch and Judy politics of Westminster. A Francophile and European, he did significant business in Brussels and Strasbourg, and also in the US. Washington and the European Union were where work could be done, where the pettiness of Belfast and purblindness of London could be circumvented. He made powerful friends and the likes of European Commission chief Jacques Delors, Ted Kennedy, Tip O’Neill, the Clintons, senior Irish diplomats, rallied to his cause when he needed them.
There is a generation in Ireland who only remembers the later dark, brooding Hume but for people of the 1960s and 1970s he was a captivating and inspiring figure. There are people who will remember the hope and headiness of the civil rights movement, and Hume at its centre. They will recall the radio and TV debates of that period where Hume made mince meat of hapless unionist politicians sent out to defend a rotten system of government. In equal measure, he put it up to the Provisional IRA and its representatives.
Calm strength
His eloquence and calm strength in disputation gave Northern nationalists a sense of pride and self-esteem and there were some unionists who could never tolerate him or forgive him for that. He was head and shoulders above all politicians on this island.
When word of the secret Hume-Adams talks came out in 1993, he was assailed from many quarters
As one little example I remember when the three Northern MEPs gathered in the King's Hall in Belfast to address farmers about some particular agriculture crisis. The UUP's Jim Nicholson decried the problems facing the farmers; John Hume next up to speak said, "We've got a problem, this is how we are going to resolve it"; Ian Paisley repeated what John Hume said.
And it wasn’t all heavy politics. The best fun always was at the SDLP annual conferences, which invariably reached conclusion deep into the wee hours with Hume singing The Town I Loved So Well or We Shall Overcome.
Where his career inexorably was leading was to the 10 years between 1988 and 1998. These were the years of his greatest achievement but also the years when he was a tormented, possessed, obsessive individual, when he seemed to inwardly howl at the unnecessary loss of life and the failure of others to see the reason and logic behind the answers he had fashioned all those years ago.
When word of the secret Hume-Adams talks came out in 1993, he was assailed from many quarters. But if unionists and elements of the Dublin media and commentariat didn’t trust Hume, most people on this island did. That was brought home poignantly and powerfully at the time in 1993 when the IRA killed 10 people on the Shankill, including bomber Thomas Begley, and when the UDA responded by killing eight people at Greysteel in Co Derry.
Hume was under fierce pressure to jettison Gerry Adams, which also would have meant abandoning the chance of an IRA ceasefire that came in August the following year. At the Greysteel funerals, a young woman made a point of breaking from the crowd and talking to Hume. Was she going to remonstrate with him, observers wondered? But no, she took his hand and said, “Mr Hume, our family want you to know that last night, when we were gathered around our daddy’s coffin, we prayed for you to succeed in your work for peace.”
Hume almost broke down, but that encounter also must have given him hope. People began to see he did have the answers. So, he pressed on and while many others deserve praise and credit for their commitment to the peace process Hume was the agitator, philosopher and visionary who found, charted and drove the road to resolution.


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Charities to be able to apply for €6m raised in RTÉ Does Comic Relief

Applications open from Tuesday for charities to apply for almost €6 million in funding raised in the RTÉ Does Comic Relief telethon .
Charities working with vulnerable older people , people with disabilities and those medically at risk of Covid-19 are set to benefit .
The Community Foundation of Ireland will disperse the funds and chief executive Denise Charlton said the money would go to “ not-for-profit organisations of all sizes which are meeting the challenges caused by Covid on the ground ” .
She said : “ RTÉ Does Comic Relief was not only a unique night on Irish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a country as one to support people hardest hit by the impact of the pandemic .
“ We have seen extraordinary generosity from 1.4 million viewers , corporate supporters as well as significant matching support from Government.
” Funding will be provided under two strands .
Under the Demand for Digital scheme , groups can seek funding to invest in software and hardware “ to improve their ability to continue to work while keeping their staff , volunteers and people they support safe ” .
A separate Adapt and Respond strand “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure their work remains effective and continues to deliver for those who need support ” , Ms Charlton said .
She added that the funding mechanisms recognised “ the way not-for-profits have had to adapt and change their work under HSE restrictions and guidelines ” .
“ Groups expected to benefit will include those working with older people , people medically at risk of Covid-19 , people with disabilities and those in unsuitable accommodation.
” Comedian Deirdre O ’ Kane , a member of the Comic Relief in Ireland steering group , said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project and brings us closer again to delivering help to where it ’ s needed – with those most impacted by the pandemic in Ireland ” .
The Community Foundation of Ireland will also host an information webinar on Tuesday at 11am and a recording will be accessible online to inform applicants throughout the process .
Full details of the strands as well as other information and support is being placed on communityfoundation.ie .

Comedian Deirdre O’Kane, a member of the Comic Relief in Ireland steering group, said it was a ‘key step for the project and brings us closer again to delivering help to where it’s needed’.
Applications open from Tuesday for charities to apply for almost €6 million in funding raised in the RTÉ Does Comic Relief telethon.
Charities working with vulnerable older people, people with disabilities and those medically at risk of Covid-19 are set to benefit.
The Community Foundation of Ireland will disperse the funds and chief executive Denise Charlton said the money would go to "not-for-profit organisations of all sizes which are meeting the challenges caused by Covid on the ground".
She said: “RTÉ Does Comic Relief was not only a unique night on Irish broadcasting, it also brought us together as a country as one to support people hardest hit by the impact of the pandemic.
READ MORE
“We have seen extraordinary generosity from 1.4 million viewers, corporate supporters as well as significant matching support from Government.”
Two strands of funding
Funding will be provided under two strands. Under the Demand for Digital scheme, groups can seek funding to invest in software and hardware “to improve their ability to continue to work while keeping their staff, volunteers and people they support safe”.
A separate Adapt and Respond strand “will allow groups to seek funding to ensure their work remains effective and continues to deliver for those who need support”, Ms Charlton said.
She added that the funding mechanisms recognised “the way not-for-profits have had to adapt and change their work under HSE restrictions and guidelines”.
“Groups expected to benefit will include those working with older people, people medically at risk of Covid-19, people with disabilities and those in unsuitable accommodation.”
Comedian Deirdre O’Kane, a member of the Comic Relief in Ireland steering group, said it was a “key step for the project and brings us closer again to delivering help to where it’s needed – with those most impacted by the pandemic in Ireland”.
The Community Foundation of Ireland will also host an information webinar on Tuesday at 11am and a recording will be accessible online to inform applicants throughout the process.
Full details of the strands as well as other information and support is being placed on communityfoundation.ie.


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Five Covid-19 clusters found among Irish fruit and vegetable growers

Five clusters or outbreaks of Covid-19 have been identified among Irish fruit and vegetable producers who have been battling to secure sufficient labour for the ongoing 2020 harvest .
In a statement , the Department of Health confirmed the outbreaks “ among workers in the fruit and vegetable producer operations ” based on data contained on the national infectious disease surveillance system ( Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting , or CIDR ) .
The size of the outbreaks , their location and how many people have been infected is not known , although clusters are generally defined as being two or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ April , Keelings strawberry farm in north Co Dublin provoked controversy after chartering a flight to bring in Bulgarian pickers , just as the country was facing into a period of severe pandemic restrictions .
There is no suggestion of any infections at its operations ( the company did not comment when contacted ) , but that early rush of public concern around the arrival of people from abroad placed a great deal of pressure on agricultural producers entirely reliant on migrant labour .
Since then it is understood other producers have continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on commercial flights , while the employment of local students and reliance on a government scheme to source workers also helped to plug the gap .
A well-placed agricultural source , speaking on condition of anonymity , said producers had continued to source foreign labour , but had complied with public health guidelines .
Those arriving have registered their place of residence with medical authorities and have self-isolated for two weeks upon arrival , the source said .
“ It would be completely shooting yourself in the foot if you got an outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a failure to follow the guidelines ] .
” The identified clusters have not been linked to migrant workers .
To date , the fruit and vegetable harvest has just about functioned as normal through a combination of labour sources .
The Irish Farmers Association ( IFA ) said many horticultural producers have hired more local students .
“ While this has helped with getting produce harvested , it has led to increased costs due to loss of efficiencies , as these workers lack experience , ” it said .
The expertise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ As a result , labour costs and other extra costs associated with Covid-19 have increased production costs by at least 15 per cent on farms this season.
” Faced with labour shortages and the resultant pressure on the harvesting of crops , the Government established a programme to match producers with people living in Ireland in need of work but who would not ordinarily look to farms .
Run through Teagasc , the agriculture and food development authority , and with the support of the IFA , the national Help2Harvest recruitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of temporary workers for the horticulture sector from the Live Register within Ireland ” .
Data released to The Irish Times by the Department of Social Protection up to the beginning of July showed 952 people had expressed an interest in working on farms .
“ The Department referred 716 unique candidates to producers/employers since the campaign commenced .
Some job-seeking candidates were referred to multiple employers – in total almost 2,900 referrals of interested candidates were made to producers , ” it said .
Since it began , 42 employers – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sector – took part , primarily based on the east coast .
The data showed 16 employers remained “ actively recruiting ” with an estimated 246 vacancies .
However , despite the prompt response to a potentially catastrophic labour shortage , problems have remained .
The Department said it was “ aware that many locations are quite inaccessible to public transport , and while some jobseekers were interested , they didn ’ t have their own transport to get to some of the locations ” .
The next phase of the scheme will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue into September .

A well-placed agricultural source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said producers had continued to source foreign labour, but had complied with public health guidelines. File photograph: Getty
Five clusters or outbreaks of Covid-19 have been identified among Irish fruit and vegetable producers who have been battling to secure sufficient labour for the ongoing 2020 harvest.
In a statement, the Department of Health confirmed the outbreaks “among workers in the fruit and vegetable producer operations” based on data contained on the national infectious disease surveillance system (Computerised Infectious Disease Reporting, or CIDR).
The size of the outbreaks, their location and how many people have been infected is not known, although clusters are generally defined as being two or more people in one place.
Last April, Keelings strawberry farm in north Co Dublin provoked controversy after chartering a flight to bring in Bulgarian pickers, just as the country was facing into a period of severe pandemic restrictions.
READ MORE
There is no suggestion of any infections at its operations (the company did not comment when contacted), but that early rush of public concern around the arrival of people from abroad placed a great deal of pressure on agricultural producers entirely reliant on migrant labour.
Since then it is understood other producers have continued to hire workers who travelled to Ireland on commercial flights, while the employment of local students and reliance on a government scheme to source workers also helped to plug the gap.
Foreign labour
A well-placed agricultural source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said producers had continued to source foreign labour, but had complied with public health guidelines. Those arriving have registered their place of residence with medical authorities and have self-isolated for two weeks upon arrival, the source said.
“It would be completely shooting yourself in the foot if you got an outbreak and had to shut down [because of a failure to follow the guidelines].” The identified clusters have not been linked to migrant workers.
To date, the fruit and vegetable harvest has just about functioned as normal through a combination of labour sources.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) said many horticultural producers have hired more local students.
“While this has helped with getting produce harvested, it has led to increased costs due to loss of efficiencies, as these workers lack experience,” it said. The expertise of migrant workers has been well documented.
“As a result, labour costs and other extra costs associated with Covid-19 have increased production costs by at least 15 per cent on farms this season.”
Faced with labour shortages and the resultant pressure on the harvesting of crops, the Government established a programme to match producers with people living in Ireland in need of work but who would not ordinarily look to farms.
Run through Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, and with the support of the IFA, the national Help2Harvest recruitment campaign set about targeting “a large number of temporary workers for the horticulture sector from the Live Register within Ireland”.
Data released to The Irish Times by the Department of Social Protection up to the beginning of July showed 952 people had expressed an interest in working on farms.
“The Department referred 716 unique candidates to producers/employers since the campaign commenced. Some job-seeking candidates were referred to multiple employers – in total almost 2,900 referrals of interested candidates were made to producers,” it said.
‘Actively recruiting’
Since it began, 42 employers – mainly producers in the fruit and mushrooms sector – took part, primarily based on the east coast. The data showed 16 employers remained “actively recruiting” with an estimated 246 vacancies.
However, despite the prompt response to a potentially catastrophic labour shortage, problems have remained.
The Department said it was “aware that many locations are quite inaccessible to public transport, and while some jobseekers were interested, they didn’t have their own transport to get to some of the locations”.
The next phase of the scheme will focus on the vegetable sector and will continue into September.


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Social worker overcomes poverty to graduate with master’s degree

A Kerry man who was taken into care when he was seven , left school almost illiterate when he was aged 14 , became a father at 15 and spent several years homeless , has just graduated with a Master ’ s Degree in Social Work .
Thomas O ’ Driscoll ( 28 ) , from Cahersiveen , describes his graduation from University College Cork last month as “ sweet ” , paying tribute to the “ critical ” commitment of one social worker , his mother ’ s love and the support of youth workers .
His early childhood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I remember so many nights lying in bed scared , especially when [ ] used to come home from the pub which was nearly nightly sometimes .
[ ] abused my mother so violently and used to beat us all a lot .
“ I was hungry a lot as a young child , went without meals , ” he recalls .
“ Going without even the most basic was constant .
One of my siblings used to hide food , normally bread , and at night would come into my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The violence , from an adult in the house , was constant , he says .
“ I remember one night very late and my mother was screaming .
I knew what would happen to me if I came out of my room .
.
.
but I had to and when I did I saw [ ] on top of my mother punching her and ripping her clothes off .
My siblings came down and we all tried to stop it but [ ] just hit us all and dragged my mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four at that time.
” His two sisters were removed to live with other family when he was removed into residential care in Tralee , 65km from the family home , with his brother then eight years old .
“ My mother found it difficult to cope with us , but she absolutely loved us .
When she had access time with us she paid for a B & B in the town out of her social welfare so she could tuck us into bed .
It ’ s something I have always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did love us.
” He had one “ fantastic ” social worker , from aged five until he was 18 .
“ I think my social worker truly tried her very best .
She was really caring , and I know that was critical .
I wouldn ’ t be where I am now had I not had that.
” At primary school , however , he had undiagnosed dyslexia and was in a resource class much of the time where , he says , he was left to sit behind a shelving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
“ That set up my negative view of education .
By the time I went into secondary school I was trying to deflect attention away from how I was really feeling .
I started misbehaving , missing school .
“ I never felt anyone in secondary school cared in the slightest about what was going on with me .
No one ever gave me the space to talk about why I was acting out .
Teachers passed remarks : ‘ You ’ ll do nothing with your life.
’ For a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer after 1st year he got his girlfriend – also 14 – pregnant .
The birth of his daughter , he says , was “ the start of me thinking I could change things .
.
.
I wanted to be a good dad .
“ One of the key things my mother taught me was that she absolutely loved me and always tried her best .
I wanted to transfer that to my daughter , to do my best for her.
” He had already left school but got work on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while living at his girlfriend ’ s family home , with her and their daughter .
He attended literacy classes for early school leavers which he “ really enjoyed , maybe because there was not the same pressures as in school ” .
He heard about Youthreach , applied , “ and that ’ s where life started to change ” .
Co-ordinator Margaret Culloty “ absolutely believed in me ” he says .
“ It was such a nice atmosphere .
We ’ d all have breakfast together in the morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ key worker all the way through ; there was circle time and from the first day I walked in I always felt listened to and valued as a person .
It was the holistic education I really needed.
” He passed his Leaving Cert Applied , progressed to a Post-Leaving Certificate course and there he was encouraged to apply to the Tralee Institute of Technology , from where he graduated in 2014 .
He was drawn to social work , but needed support if he was to complete a Masters .
Aged 22 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” but he approached Tusla .
“ They were my corporate parents .
I made a case to them about supporting me to do the Masters .
They did .
They supported me .
Without that I don ’ t think I could have done it.
” He felt “ really proud ” on receiving his Masters by post , at home in Castlegregory , Co Kerry , in June .
“ It is not something I could have envisaged for my future , when I was that child , feeling worthless , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could get it was to behave badly .
There is a danger at that age , you can be almost self-fulfilling in your thoughts , if you believe them and everyone around you does too .
“ Looking back , for me it confirms that people with care experience , if given the correct support , they can unlock their potential and achieve .
It is critical , how the education system , the care system , respond to children like I was .
“ I am grateful I had champions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made a critical difference.
” The schools referenced by Mr O ’ Driscoll could not be contacted by The Irish Times .
Tusla could not comment on an individual case , but extended its congratulations to him .
“ Tusla is committed to maintaining support for care leavers to adequately prepare for leaving care and to ensure consistency of support for these young people/young adults in aftercare , ” added a spokeswoman .

A Kerry man who was taken into care when he was seven, left school almost illiterate when he was aged 14, became a father at 15 and spent several years homeless, has just graduated with a Master’s Degree in Social Work.
Thomas O’Driscoll (28), from Cahersiveen, describes his graduation from University College Cork last month as “sweet”, paying tribute to the “critical” commitment of one social worker, his mother’s love and the support of youth workers.
His early childhood was marked by violence and abject poverty. “I remember so many nights lying in bed scared, especially when [] used to come home from the pub which was nearly nightly sometimes. [] abused my mother so violently and used to beat us all a lot.
“I was hungry a lot as a young child, went without meals,” he recalls. “Going without even the most basic was constant. One of my siblings used to hide food, normally bread, and at night would come into my room and we would share it.”
READ MORE
The violence, from an adult in the house, was constant, he says.
“I remember one night very late and my mother was screaming. I knew what would happen to me if I came out of my room . . . but I had to and when I did I saw []on top of my mother punching her and ripping her clothes off. My siblings came down and we all tried to stop it but []just hit us all and dragged my mother out the back door. I was four at that time.”
His two sisters were removed to live with other family when he was removed into residential care in Tralee, 65km from the family home, with his brother then eight years old.
“My mother found it difficult to cope with us, but she absolutely loved us. When she had access time with us she paid for a B&B in the town out of her social welfare so she could tuck us into bed. It’s something I have always held on to, how much she did love us.”
He had one “fantastic” social worker, from aged five until he was 18. “I think my social worker truly tried her very best. She was really caring, and I know that was critical. I wouldn’t be where I am now had I not had that.”
At primary school, however, he had undiagnosed dyslexia and was in a resource class much of the time where, he says, he was left to sit behind a shelving unit “just staring at the wall”.
“That set up my negative view of education. By the time I went into secondary school I was trying to deflect attention away from how I was really feeling. I started misbehaving, missing school.
“I never felt anyone in secondary school cared in the slightest about what was going on with me. No one ever gave me the space to talk about why I was acting out. Teachers passed remarks: ‘You’ll do nothing with your life.’ For a long time I believed that.”
The summer after 1st year he got his girlfriend – also 14 – pregnant. The birth of his daughter, he says, was “the start of me thinking I could change things . . . I wanted to be a good dad.
“One of the key things my mother taught me was that she absolutely loved me and always tried her best. I wanted to transfer that to my daughter, to do my best for her.”
He had already left school but got work on a turf-delivery round and as a carpark attendant, while living at his girlfriend’s family home, with her and their daughter.
He attended literacy classes for early school leavers which he “really enjoyed, maybe because there was not the same pressures as in school”. He heard about Youthreach, applied, “and that’s where life started to change”.
Co-ordinator Margaret Culloty “absolutely believed in me” he says. “It was such a nice atmosphere. We’d all have breakfast together in the morning. I had one-to-one contact with a key worker all the way through; there was circle time and from the first day I walked in I always felt listened to and valued as a person. It was the holistic education I really needed.”
He passed his Leaving Cert Applied, progressed to a Post-Leaving Certificate course and there he was encouraged to apply to the Tralee Institute of Technology, from where he graduated in 2014.
‘Really proud’
He was drawn to social work, but needed support if he was to complete a Masters. Aged 22 he was no longer “in care” but he approached Tusla. “They were my corporate parents. I made a case to them about supporting me to do the Masters. They did. They supported me. Without that I don’t think I could have done it.”
He felt “really proud” on receiving his Masters by post, at home in Castlegregory, Co Kerry, in June.
“It is not something I could have envisaged for my future, when I was that child, feeling worthless, craving attention and feeling the only way I could get it was to behave badly. There is a danger at that age, you can be almost self-fulfilling in your thoughts, if you believe them and everyone around you does too.
“Looking back, for me it confirms that people with care experience, if given the correct support, they can unlock their potential and achieve. It is critical, how the education system, the care system, respond to children like I was.
“I am grateful I had champions, opportunities and the support of people that made a critical difference.”
The schools referenced by Mr O’Driscoll could not be contacted by The Irish Times. Tusla could not comment on an individual case, but extended its congratulations to him.
“Tusla is committed to maintaining support for care leavers to adequately prepare for leaving care and to ensure consistency of support for these young people/young adults in aftercare,” added a spokeswoman.


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Tributes to John Hume flood in from Irish and international politicians

The national and international standing of Nobel Laureate John Hume has been reflected in the flood of tributes paid to him for his work in achieving an end to the bloody violence of the Troubles .
He was lauded as the intellectual and visionary architect of the peace process , the politician who took the great risk of entering talks with Gerry Adams and persuading the IRA to lay down its arms , and the man who saw his tenacity and courage culminate in the powersharing Belfast Agreement of 1998 .
Mr Hume , who was 83 , died on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following a long period of illness .
He is survived by his wife , Pat , and children , Terese , Áine , Aidan , John and Mo , his brothers and sisters and grandchildren .
Throughout Monday tributes poured in from current and former Irish and British and other leaders such as Taoiseach Micheál Martin , Bertie Ahern , Tony Blair , Boris Johnson , former US president Bill Clinton , President Michael D Higgins and former president Mary McAleese .
Ms McAleese likened Mr Hume to Daniel O ’ Connell – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the late Seamus Mallon , his friend and occasional adversary within the SDLP , who also placed him in the rank of another great constitutional nationalist , Charles Stuart Parnell .
Mr Hume was remembered for his role in bringing employment to Derry in the 1960s ; for starting up the credit union in the city ; for pushing forward the civil rights demands for equal standing for Catholics in a unionist-dominant discriminatory society ; for his work as an Assembly member , MP and MEP ; and for bringing the influence and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quest for peace .
His chosen weapon , said Mr Clinton , was “ an unshakeable commitment to non-violence , persistence , kindness and love ” .
The current SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr Hume gave birth to a new political creed on the island that “ taught us that it is far better to live for Ireland than to die for Ireland ” .
He said Mr Hume “ achieved the rarest of things in a political career – he became a living statesman ” .
And Mr Eastwood added , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains the only person to have received the Gandhi Peace Prize , the Martin Luther King Award and , of course , the Nobel Peace Prize .
In truth , though , and true to his character , the greatest reward for John was not personal recognition – it was instead found in the end to the violence and death which had taken ownership of our streets for far too long.
” It is believed that Covid-19 was not a factor in his death .
Such was the national and international love and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circumstances his funeral would be expected to be one of the largest seen on the island for generations .
But due to coronavirus and on the insistence of the family , it will be a more restricted funeral .
His remains will be taken to St Eugene ’ s Cathedral in Derry on Tuesday evening at 5pm while his funeral Mass will be 11.30am on Wednesday morning .
The Hume family said on Monday that “ John ’ s funeral will be arranged according to the current government regulations with very strict rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ We realise this will mean that many will be unable to join us and we will arrange a memorial service and a celebration of his life in due course .
Above all , we know that John would have prioritised public health , and the safety and health of our communities.
” The family added , “ It seems particularly apt for these strange and fearful days to remember the phrase that gave hope to John and so many of us through dark times : we shall overcome .
”

The national and international standing of Nobel Laureate John Hume has been reflected in the flood of tributes paid to him for his work in achieving an end to the bloody violence of the Troubles.
He was lauded as the intellectual and visionary architect of the peace process, the politician who took the great risk of entering talks with Gerry Adams and persuading the IRA to lay down its arms, and the man who saw his tenacity and courage culminate in the powersharing Belfast Agreement of 1998.
Mr Hume, who was 83, died on Monday morning in a Derry nursing home following a long period of illness. He is survived by his wife, Pat, and children, Terese, Áine, Aidan, John and Mo, his brothers and sisters and grandchildren.
Throughout Monday tributes poured in from current and former Irish and British and other leaders such as Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair, Boris Johnson, former US president Bill Clinton, President Michael D Higgins and former president Mary McAleese.
READ MORE
Ms McAleese likened Mr Hume to Daniel O'Connell – a comparison that also was made by the late Seamus Mallon, his friend and occasional adversary within the SDLP, who also placed him in the rank of another great constitutional nationalist, Charles Stuart Parnell.
Mr Hume was remembered for his role in bringing employment to Derry in the 1960s; for starting up the credit union in the city; for pushing forward the civil rights demands for equal standing for Catholics in a unionist-dominant discriminatory society; for his work as an Assembly member, MP and MEP; and for bringing the influence and power of the United States behind his quest for peace.
His chosen weapon, said Mr Clinton, was “an unshakeable commitment to non-violence, persistence, kindness and love”.
The current SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mr Hume gave birth to a new political creed on the island that "taught us that it is far better to live for Ireland than to die for Ireland".
Leader of the SDLP Colum Eastwood, speaking outside the Guildhall in Derry city, reflects on the death of his friend and former leader John Hume. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire
He said Mr Hume “achieved the rarest of things in a political career – he became a living statesman”.
And Mr Eastwood added, "It is telling that John Hume remains the only person to have received the Gandhi Peace Prize, the Martin Luther King Award and, of course, the Nobel Peace Prize. In truth, though, and true to his character, the greatest reward for John was not personal recognition – it was instead found in the end to the violence and death which had taken ownership of our streets for far too long."
Restricted funeral
It is believed that Covid-19 was not a factor in his death. Such was the national and international love and respect for Mr Hume that in normal circumstances his funeral would be expected to be one of the largest seen on the island for generations.
But due to coronavirus and on the insistence of the family, it will be a more restricted funeral. His remains will be taken to St Eugene’s Cathedral in Derry on Tuesday evening at 5pm while his funeral Mass will be 11.30am on Wednesday morning.
The Hume family said on Monday that “John’s funeral will be arranged according to the current government regulations with very strict rules on numbers”.
They said, “We realise this will mean that many will be unable to join us and we will arrange a memorial service and a celebration of his life in due course. Above all, we know that John would have prioritised public health, and the safety and health of our communities.”
The family added, “It seems particularly apt for these strange and fearful days to remember the phrase that gave hope to John and so many of us through dark times: we shall overcome.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Cholesterol-lowering drugs may not have much benefit, review finds

Millions of people worldwide who take cholesterol-lowering drugs daily to ward off heart disease may not be benefiting as much as they think .
Doubt has been cast on the effectiveness of the medication after a warning by analysts that decades of research have failed to show consistent benefit in targeting so-called “ bad ” cholesterol .
A substantial body of evidence has been gathered on lowering LDL cholesterol , an established part of preventive treatment .
But researchers at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine say the evidence has never been properly validated .
And analysis they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largely ignored simply because it doesn ’ t fit the prevailing paradigm ” .
Scientists at the Division of Cardiology in the Albuquerque-based university reviewed all published clinical trials – 35 in total – that compared three types of cholesterol-lowing drugs with a placebo for a period of at least a year , in at-risk patients .
The analysis , published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine , showed over three-quarters of the trials reported no positive impact on risk of death .
And nearly half reported no positive impact on risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calculated the number of people who would need to be treated in order to prevent one “ event ” , such as a heart attack , stroke or death , and the reduction in absolute risk in studies reporting significantly positive results .
“ Considering that dozens of randomised controlled trials of LDL cholesterol reduction have failed to demonstrate a consistent benefit , we should question the validity of this theory.
” The researchers concluded : “ In most fields of science , the existence of contradictory evidence usually leads to a paradigm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question , but in this case the contradictory evidence has been largely ignored , simply because it doesn ’ t fit the prevailing paradigm.
” Some 13 of the clinical trials met the LDL cholesterol-reduction target , but only one reported a positive impact on risk of death while five reported a reduction in the risk of “ events ” .
Among the 22 trials that did not meet the LDL-lowering target , four reported a positive impact on risk of death while 14 reported a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 35 trials were either not designed for the analysis they conducted or of the necessary size .
But they said cholesterol-reduction targets “ should prevent cardiovascular events in patients at highest risk while avoiding unnecessary treatment in low-risk individuals .
Unfortunately , the risk-guided model performs poorly in achieving these goals .
”

Scientists reviewed all published clinical trials that compared three types of cholesterol-lowering drugs with a placebo for a period of at least a year, in at-risk patients. File photograph: Getty
Millions of people worldwide who take cholesterol-lowering drugs daily to ward off heart disease may not be benefiting as much as they think.
Doubt has been cast on the effectiveness of the medication after a warning by analysts that decades of research have failed to show consistent benefit in targeting so-called “bad” cholesterol.
A substantial body of evidence has been gathered on lowering LDL cholesterol, an established part of preventive treatment. But researchers at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine say the evidence has never been properly validated. And analysis they conducted found that contradictory evidence was “largely ignored simply because it doesn’t fit the prevailing paradigm”.
Scientists at the Division of Cardiology in the Albuquerque-based university reviewed all published clinical trials – 35 in total – that compared three types of cholesterol-lowing drugs with a placebo for a period of at least a year, in at-risk patients.
READ MORE
The analysis, published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, showed over three-quarters of the trials reported no positive impact on risk of death.
And nearly half reported no positive impact on risk of future cardiovascular disease.
The researchers calculated the number of people who would need to be treated in order to prevent one “event”, such as a heart attack, stroke or death, and the reduction in absolute risk in studies reporting significantly positive results.
“Considering that dozens of randomised controlled trials of LDL cholesterol reduction have failed to demonstrate a consistent benefit, we should question the validity of this theory.”
The researchers concluded: “In most fields of science, the existence of contradictory evidence usually leads to a paradigm shift or modification of the theory in question, but in this case the contradictory evidence has been largely ignored, simply because it doesn’t fit the prevailing paradigm.”
Cholesterol-reduction targets
Some 13 of the clinical trials met the LDL cholesterol-reduction target, but only one reported a positive impact on risk of death while five reported a reduction in the risk of “events”.
Among the 22 trials that did not meet the LDL-lowering target, four reported a positive impact on risk of death while 14 reported a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events.
The researchers acknowledged that some of the 35 trials were either not designed for the analysis they conducted or of the necessary size.
But they said cholesterol-reduction targets “should prevent cardiovascular events in patients at highest risk while avoiding unnecessary treatment in low-risk individuals. Unfortunately, the risk-guided model performs poorly in achieving these goals.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Do not feed social media trolls, road safety board told

Treat social media trolls and “ negative commenters ” the same way you would an “ angry mob ” , the Road Safety Authority told its board members .
In guidelines drawn up on how to deal with negative social media commentary board members were told to avoid becoming involved in lengthy online spats .
“ You don ’ t have to reply to everything .
If the comment is clearly an attack or an effort to pick a fight , let it go , ” state the guidelines .
“ Act as if you are responding to an angry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the end goal , ” the guidance said .
The guidelines were circulated to the road safety organisation ’ s board last September and released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act .
Internet trolls , a name given to those who ( often anonymously ) post inflammatory or aggressive comments on social media , should not be responded to negatively , noted the guidelines .
If board members found themselves at the centre of a social media pile-on or “ under attack by trolls ” , they were advised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The guidelines said persistently problematic accounts should be muted rather than blocked , and would then no longer appear on their social media feed .
“ Eventually they will move onto the next perceived issue and they will not have the satisfaction of you blocking them – something that they will happily screenshot and tweet to their followers , ” stated the document .
The authority ’ s board was advised to take screenshots of individuals posting “ negative or controversial comments ” , to keep a record of the post in case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ serious matter ” .
Advice to keep it cool Board members were advised to “ keep it cool ” and bear in mind a troll or offended customer was often “ trying to get an emotional reaction ” , the document stated .
The guidelines advised against deleting posts on Twitter if they attracted controversy .
“ If you do delete a tweet it will almost certainly have been screen grabbed by someone on the internet .
It will only aggravate the commenter , or move the conversation elsewhere , ” states the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internet is an illusion anyway , and will bring into question your integrity to not only the complainer , but all your followers , ” it said .
“ Once the mob have moved on to the next issue , consider were there any individuals who might be worth engaging with offline , in a calmer setting , ” who could be contacted by phone or email , the guidelines noted .

‘Once the mob have moved on to the next issue, consider were there any individuals who might be worth engaging with offline, in a calmer setting.’
Treat social media trolls and "negative commenters" the same way you would an "angry mob", the Road Safety Authority told its board members.
In guidelines drawn up on how to deal with negative social media commentary board members were told to avoid becoming involved in lengthy online spats.
“You don’t have to reply to everything. If the comment is clearly an attack or an effort to pick a fight, let it go,” state the guidelines.
“Act as if you are responding to an angry mob: being right might not be the end goal,” the guidance said.
READ MORE
The guidelines were circulated to the road safety organisation’s board last September and released to The Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act.
Internet trolls, a name given to those who (often anonymously) post inflammatory or aggressive comments on social media, should not be responded to negatively, noted the guidelines.
If board members found themselves at the centre of a social media pile-on or “under attack by trolls”, they were advised to log offline for several hours. The guidelines said persistently problematic accounts should be muted rather than blocked, and would then no longer appear on their social media feed.
“Eventually they will move onto the next perceived issue and they will not have the satisfaction of you blocking them – something that they will happily screenshot and tweet to their followers,” stated the document.
The authority’s board was advised to take screenshots of individuals posting “negative or controversial comments”, to keep a record of the post in case the issue “escalates to a more serious matter”.
Advice to keep it cool
Board members were advised to “keep it cool” and bear in mind a troll or offended customer was often “trying to get an emotional reaction”, the document stated.
The guidelines advised against deleting posts on Twitter if they attracted controversy. "If you do delete a tweet it will almost certainly have been screen grabbed by someone on the internet. It will only aggravate the commenter, or move the conversation elsewhere," states the guidelines.
“Deleting things on the internet is an illusion anyway, and will bring into question your integrity to not only the complainer, but all your followers,” it said.
“Once the mob have moved on to the next issue, consider were there any individuals who might be worth engaging with offline, in a calmer setting,” who could be contacted by phone or email, the guidelines noted.


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Covid-19: ‘Green list’ may shorten as Cabinet looks to tighten travel restrictions

The Cabinet will on Tuesday consider proposals to reduce the number of countries to which people are permitted to travel without having to restrict their movements upon their return .
Ministers will discuss proposals to shorten the travel “ green list ” alongside other measures to tighten restrictions on those arriving into Ireland from Covid-19 hotspots .
It is understood that Malta and Cyprus may be removed from the green list .
Senior Cabinet figures have also warned they are “ not optimistic ” about pubs reopening next week .
The Cabinet will discuss recommendations on the roadmap to reopening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as well as proposals to tighten up travel restrictions .
It is understood the option of departure Covid tests will form part of the discussion whereby a passenger would have to take a test before they arrive in Ireland .
Government sources said that while the focus remained on ensuring that schools could reopen at the end of the month , it was unlikely there would be any major change in international travel policy until September when the schools return .
“ We need to be realistic about international travel .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and people seeing their partners and loved ones for a year or years , ” a source said ahead of the Cabinet meeting .
The Government is likely instead to look at ways to reduce risk when it comes to travel within Europe with tighter restrictions when it comes to travel to and from hotspots .
The Department of Transport was asked by the Cabinet a fortnight ago to investigate the efficacy and potential of a system which would see passengers having to undergo Covid tests prior to their departure for Ireland @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken within 24-72 hours prior to travel and proof of a negative test result would be presented to Irish immigration officials on arrival .
Under such a system , the cost of the test would be borne by the traveller rather than the State .
It was also envisaged that , under such a process , intending passengers who were found to be positive for Covid-19 would not undertake their planned journey .
This would avoid the necessity to test all other passengers in the event of one traveller being found to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made .
Meanwhile , as Ministers prepare to consider the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in Ireland , doctors have warned of a “ gaping hole ” over funding at the heart of the new Health Service Executive plan to recommence health services which was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic several months ago .
The Irish Hospital Consultants ’ Association ( IHCA ) said on Monday it had raised concerns with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly at a meeting in recent days over the HSE plan for a safe return to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department of Health said in response : “ The HSE receives significant funding from the State , and additional funding has been provided to the HSE this year to support its response to the Covid-19 crisis .
Funding for the HSE will be kept under review as the provision of non-Covid services resumes.
” Meanwhile , the latest figures show there have been no further deaths related to Covid-19 in the State but 46 new cases are confirmed .
This means the death toll from the virus remains at 1,763 while the total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 26,208 .
The five-day average is 53.4 , a figure boosted by the 85 cases reported on Thursday .

The Department of Transport was asked by the Cabinet a fortnight ago to investigate a system which would see passengers having to undergo Covid tests prior to their departure for Ireland. Photograph: Colin Keegan
The Cabinet will on Tuesday consider proposals to reduce the number of countries to which people are permitted to travel without having to restrict their movements upon their return. Ministers will discuss proposals to shorten the travel “green list” alongside other measures to tighten restrictions on those arriving into Ireland from Covid-19 hotspots.
It is understood that Malta and Cyprus may be removed from the green list.
Senior Cabinet figures have also warned they are “not optimistic” about pubs reopening next week.
The Cabinet will discuss recommendations on the roadmap to reopening from the National Public Health Emergency Team as well as proposals to tighten up travel restrictions.
READ MORE
It is understood the option of departure Covid tests will form part of the discussion whereby a passenger would have to take a test before they arrive in Ireland.
Government sources said that while the focus remained on ensuring that schools could reopen at the end of the month, it was unlikely there would be any major change in international travel policy until September when the schools return.
Hotspot traffic
“We need to be realistic about international travel. You can’t cut off business, travel, and people seeing their partners and loved ones for a year or years,” a source said ahead of the Cabinet meeting.
The Government is likely instead to look at ways to reduce risk when it comes to travel within Europe with tighter restrictions when it comes to travel to and from hotspots.
The Department of Transport was asked by the Cabinet a fortnight ago to investigate the efficacy and potential of a system which would see passengers having to undergo Covid tests prior to their departure for Ireland.
It was envisaged the test would be taken within 24-72 hours prior to travel and proof of a negative test result would be presented to Irish immigration officials on arrival.
Under such a system, the cost of the test would be borne by the traveller rather than the State.
It was also envisaged that, under such a process, intending passengers who were found to be positive for Covid-19 would not undertake their planned journey. This would avoid the necessity to test all other passengers in the event of one traveller being found to be Covid-19 positive after the journey was made.
HSE funding
Meanwhile, as Ministers prepare to consider the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in Ireland, doctors have warned of a “gaping hole” over funding at the heart of the new Health Service Executive plan to recommence health services which was shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic several months ago.
The Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association (IHCA) said on Monday it had raised concerns with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly at a meeting in recent days over the HSE plan for a safe return to services published in late July.
The Department of Health said in response: “The HSE receives significant funding from the State, and additional funding has been provided to the HSE this year to support its response to the Covid-19 crisis. Funding for the HSE will be kept under review as the provision of non-Covid services resumes.”
Meanwhile, the latest figures show there have been no further deaths related to Covid-19 in the State but 46 new cases are confirmed.
This means the death toll from the virus remains at 1,763 while the total number of cases in the State rises to 26,208.
The five-day average is 53.4, a figure boosted by the 85 cases reported on Thursday.


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--‘Somalis are the Irish of Africa’: Irish man helps rebuild Somalia’s rule of law

When Irish Coast Guard director Chris Reynolds goes about his business , he is at all times accompanied by at least two armoured vehicles and a small platoon of armed bodyguards .
These are not the typical transport arrangements for Coast Guard officials .
But Reynolds ’ current role is anything but typical .
Since September 2019 , the Dublin man has served as Head of Mission for EUCap , the EU ’ s mission to rebuild the rule of law in Somalia , with particular focus on building up a maritime policing capacity .
“ The risk here is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , very seriously , ” said Reynolds , speaking from EUCap ’ s compound in the “ Green Zone ” – Mogadishu International Airport .
The compound is protected by a line of Somali troops , a line of African Union troops and internally by a private security company .
Even then , it is still regularly attacked with mortars by al-Shabaab , a terrorist group allied to al-Qaeda .
“ When we go outside , we go as a convoy .
We use local security at front and behind and we have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own armoured people inside .
They could take a couple of rounds but a big explosion would be different .
We don ’ t get out of the vehicles until inside another compound.
” Reynolds , who was awarded the EU ’ s military support medal earlier this month , laughs when asked whether his family joined him in Mogadishu after he was seconded from the Irish Coast Guard.
“ Oh God no .
You couldn ’ t bring your family.
” The Terenure man is one of five Irish people on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an EU civilian capacity-building operation .
Being Irish has its advantages in building relationships in the war-torn country.
“ It can open a lot of doors and make people relaxed .
Ireland has a special place when it comes to working in places like Africa .
“ The Somalis are the Irish of Africa , ” he continues , recalling a quote from the 19th-century explorer Richard Burton .
“ Surrounded by beautiful waters , a history of famine , a history of migration .
And we always have trouble with our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer in the Irish Naval Service has also helped and he would welcome more Defence Forces members on his 111-strong team .
“ It would be fantastic to get a Navy guy here .
The Irish Navy is absolutely ideally suited .
They do a lot of Coast Guard functions like fisheries protection , drug interdiction , security and safety .
And they are extremely well trained .
“ I recognise they have recruiting problems at the moment but maybe with Simon Coveney as Minister for Defence as well as Foreign Affairs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think of Somalia , if they think of it at all , it is most likely piracy that comes to mind .
Indeed , the main aim of EUCap ’ s predecessor mission Nestor was the suppression of the piracy which has plagued the horn of Africa in recent decades .
Today , according to Reynolds , “ piracy is well suppressed ” .
This was achieved by giving Somalis reasons not to tolerate it .
This includes building up ports , the fishing industry and the rule of law.
“ You don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ politicians , ” he says .
Much of this is mundane-sounding work , like helping to pass maritime legislation and establish maritime courts .
Reynolds says his most difficult task is the establishment of a “ blue water ” coast guard to patrol Somalia ’ s resource-rich waters .
Other jobs include setting up a “ brown water ” policing capability to protect the ports , and the establishment of a military-style police force to aid in the fight against al-Shabaab .
Measures such as these will allow Somalia to “ regain its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost three decades of civil war , he says .
Rather than piracy , the biggest obstacle to progress currently is al-Shabaab .
“ Mogadishu is still very , very dangerous .
There are a lot of close-quarters assassinations .
We had a vehicle-borne IED just the other day , ” he says .
The other , related , issue is that of corruption , which Reynolds says is a “ way of life ” in Somalia.
“ In many ways you can ’ t blame the Somalis .
It was the way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the route of all corruption .
It ’ s endemic.
” The historic lack of a strong central government can also frustrate reform efforts.
“ You think you have a grasp on what ’ s going on , you think you ’ re moving forward , then all the pieces change .
The guy you ’ re dealing with is swapped to another job and suddenly no one is responding to our phone calls.
” Nevertheless , he is cautiously hopeful about the future .
Reynolds has been in Somalia in various positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a positive trend but you have to be here for four years to see the positive trend .
If you ’ re here for six or eight months you can ’ t see it.
” Although the country is still extremely dangerous , violence has decreased and economic life has started to return to the streets of the capital , he says .
Reynolds ’ s term is up at the end of the year .
He says if his mandate is renewed he will have to consult with his family and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I think if it was offered I would be very open to seeing this out .
I think we ’ re making a difference .
”

Irish Coast Guard director and head of mission for EUCap in Somalia Chris Reynolds (right) speaking with officials in Mogadishu earlier this year ahead of the Covid-19 outbreak.
When Irish Coast Guard director Chris Reynolds goes about his business, he is at all times accompanied by at least two armoured vehicles and a small platoon of armed bodyguards.
These are not the typical transport arrangements for Coast Guard officials. But Reynolds’ current role is anything but typical.
Since September 2019, the Dublin man has served as Head of Mission for EUCap, the EU's mission to rebuild the rule of law in Somalia, with particular focus on building up a maritime policing capacity.
"The risk here is so high. We take it very, very seriously," said Reynolds, speaking from EUCap's compound in the "Green Zone" – Mogadishu International Airport.
READ MORE
The compound is protected by a line of Somali troops, a line of African Union troops and internally by a private security company. Even then, it is still regularly attacked with mortars by al-Shabaab, a terrorist group allied to al-Qaeda.
“When we go outside, we go as a convoy. We use local security at front and behind and we have at least two armoured vehicles with our own armoured people inside. They could take a couple of rounds but a big explosion would be different. We don’t get out of the vehicles until inside another compound.”
Reynolds, who was awarded the EU’s military support medal earlier this month, laughs when asked whether his family joined him in Mogadishu after he was seconded from the Irish Coast Guard.“Oh God no. You couldn’t bring your family.”
The Terenure man is one of five Irish people on the EUCap mission and the first Irish head of an EU civilian capacity-building operation.
Irish Coast Guard director and head of mission for EUCap in Somalia, Chris Reynolds (left), at a meeting in Mogadishu earlier this year.
Being Irish has its advantages in building relationships in the war-torn country."It can open a lot of doors and make people relaxed. Ireland has a special place when it comes to working in places like Africa.
‘Trouble with our neighbours’
"The Somalis are the Irish of Africa," he continues, recalling a quote from the 19th-century explorer Richard Burton. "Surrounded by beautiful waters, a history of famine, a history of migration. And we always have trouble with our neighbours."
His past experience as an officer in the Irish Naval Service has also helped and he would welcome more Defence Forces members on his 111-strong team.
"It would be fantastic to get a Navy guy here. The Irish Navy is absolutely ideally suited. They do a lot of Coast Guard functions like fisheries protection, drug interdiction, security and safety. And they are extremely well trained.
"I recognise they have recruiting problems at the moment but maybe with Simon Coveney as Minister for Defence as well as Foreign Affairs, you never know."
When Irish people think of Somalia, if they think of it at all, it is most likely piracy that comes to mind. Indeed, the main aim of EUCap’s predecessor mission Nestor was the suppression of the piracy which has plagued the horn of Africa in recent decades.
Today, according to Reynolds,“piracy is well suppressed”. This was achieved by giving Somalis reasons not to tolerate it. This includes building up ports, the fishing industry and the rule of law.“You don’t chase pirates, you chase politicians,” he says.
Much of this is mundane-sounding work, like helping to pass maritime legislation and establish maritime courts.
Chris Reynolds (centre) at a meeting in Mogadishu with various officials in January of this year.
Reynolds says his most difficult task is the establishment of a“blue water” coast guard to patrol Somalia’s resource-rich waters. Other jobs include setting up a“brown water” policing capability to protect the ports, and the establishment of a military-style police force to aid in the fight against al-Shabaab.
Measures such as these will allow Somalia to“regain its place as a sovereign nation” after almost three decades of civil war, he says.
Rather than piracy, the biggest obstacle to progress currently is al-Shabaab.
Close-quarters assassinations
“Mogadishu is still very, very dangerous. There are a lot of close-quarters assassinations. We had a vehicle-borne IED just the other day,” he says.
The other, related, issue is that of corruption, which Reynolds says is a“way of life” in Somalia.“In many ways you can’t blame the Somalis. It was the way they survived. And al-Shabaab are at the route of all corruption. It’s endemic.”
The historic lack of a strong central government can also frustrate reform efforts.“You think you have a grasp on what’s going on, you think you’re moving forward, then all the pieces change. The guy you’re dealing with is swapped to another job and suddenly no one is responding to our phone calls.”
Nevertheless, he is cautiously hopeful about the future. Reynolds has been in Somalia in various positions for four years now.“It is a positive trend but you have to be here for four years to see the positive trend. If you’re here for six or eight months you can’t see it.”
Although the country is still extremely dangerous, violence has decreased and economic life has started to return to the streets of the capital, he says.
Reynolds's term is up at the end of the year. He says if his mandate is renewed he will have to consult with his family and the Irish Government before deciding to stay on."I think if it was offered I would be very open to seeing this out. I think we're making a difference."


theirishtimes--2020-08-04--Special needs children will get back-to-school support, Madigan pledges

Thousands of pupils with special needs will require additional supports to help them readjust when schools reopen at the end of this month .
Minister of State for Special Education Josepha Madigan said the 17,000 pupils in special schools or classes had been impacted greatly by being out of the routine of school and would be provided with extra help during the transition back to school .
She said work was under way to support children with complex needs and at very high risk to ensure that they could continue to make progress , though they may not be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way as other pupils .
“ If a parent doesn ’ t want to send their child back to school due to an underlying condition , then there is home tuition available .
The same applies to special needs children who don ’ t have a school place .
It ’ s about 20 hours for a child over three year of age , ” she said .
She said the Government ’ s €375 million plan to reopen schools included additional funds for special schools and classes , including measures to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were fully covered .
There will also be funding for enhanced cleaning and additional support staff in special schools .
Ms Madigan also said all schools should be obliged to provide special classes for children with learning disabilities where there was demand for such supports .
Campaign groups say many young people with conditions such as autism do not have appropriate school places in the coming academic year .
They say the problem is acute in parts of Dublin , Cork and other mostly urban areas .
Ms Madigan said it was not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to refuse to set up these classes despite demand from parents .
“ If there is a reticence on the part of schools , that has to change , ” she said .
“ I wouldn ’ t like to comment on the personal views of any schools [ for refusing such classes ] but it ’ s not something we can tolerate , it ’ s not something I ’ m going to tolerate .
.
.
It starts from the top down .
If we want to teach the next generation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference , then it has to start in schools , in my view .
“ Looking at it from a school ’ s perspective , I can appreciate that there may be changes they need to make , and the department will work with them and I will work with them so we can find a way forward .
It ’ s about communication , engagement and collaboration .
That ’ s the way forward .
I think the majority of people will understand that , ” she said .
“ Having spoken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a really difficult road for them and it shouldn ’ t have to be like that .
I want to make Ireland a world-class country for special needs pupils and for their journey through life which starts at school.
” Ms Madigan said all new schools should automatically be required to provide special classes .
In addition , she said the only grounds for not having a special class in existing schools where there was demand would be in “ exceptional circumstances ” .
Ms Madigan she wants to “ eradicate ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for children with special needs .
“ I want to ensure that there is no child that doesn ’ t get a school place , and that is something I want to eradicate completely and I intend to set out a roadmap on how I plan to deliver on that soon .
These families face struggles on a daily basis and are constantly fighting to get something that is within their right .
”

Minister of State for Special Education Josepha Madigan: the Government’s €375 million plan to reopen schools includes measures to ensure special needs assistant absences are fully covered. Photograph: Crispin Rodwell
Thousands of pupils with special needs will require additional supports to help them readjust when schools reopen at the end of this month.
Minister of State for Special Education Josepha Madigan said the 17,000 pupils in special schools or classes had been impacted greatly by being out of the routine of school and would be provided with extra help during the transition back to school.
She said work was under way to support children with complex needs and at very high risk to ensure that they could continue to make progress, though they may not be able to return to school in the same way as other pupils.
“If a parent doesn’t want to send their child back to school due to an underlying condition, then there is home tuition available. The same applies to special needs children who don’t have a school place. It’s about 20 hours for a child over three year of age,” she said.
READ MORE
She said the Government’s €375 million plan to reopen schools included additional funds for special schools and classes, including measures to ensure special needs assistant (SNA) absences were fully covered.
There will also be funding for enhanced cleaning and additional support staff in special schools.
Learning disabilities
Ms Madigan also said all schools should be obliged to provide special classes for children with learning disabilities where there was demand for such supports.
Campaign groups say many young people with conditions such as autism do not have appropriate school places in the coming academic year. They say the problem is acute in parts of Dublin, Cork and other mostly urban areas.
Ms Madigan said it was not “tolerable” that some schools continued to refuse to set up these classes despite demand from parents.
“If there is a reticence on the part of schools, that has to change,” she said.
“I wouldn’t like to comment on the personal views of any schools [for refusing such classes] but it’s not something we can tolerate, it’s not something I’m going to tolerate . . . It starts from the top down. If we want to teach the next generation the real values of inclusivity and valuing difference, then it has to start in schools, in my view.
‘Engagement and collaboration’
“Looking at it from a school’s perspective, I can appreciate that there may be changes they need to make, and the department will work with them and I will work with them so we can find a way forward. It’s about communication, engagement and collaboration. That’s the way forward. I think the majority of people will understand that,” she said.
“Having spoken to many parents, it’s a really difficult road for them and it shouldn’t have to be like that. I want to make Ireland a world-class country for special needs pupils and for their journey through life which starts at school.”
Ms Madigan said all new schools should automatically be required to provide special classes.
In addition, she said the only grounds for not having a special class in existing schools where there was demand would be in “exceptional circumstances”.
Ms Madigan she wants to “eradicate” the problem of not having enough school places for children with special needs.
“I want to ensure that there is no child that doesn’t get a school place, and that is something I want to eradicate completely and I intend to set out a roadmap on how I plan to deliver on that soon. These families face struggles on a daily basis and are constantly fighting to get something that is within their right.”


theirishtimes--2020-08-03--David Trimble: After the big dinner in Oslo, somebody said why don’t we party together?

David Trimble says while he and John Hume campaigned to ensure the Belfast Agreement struck on Good Friday 1998 would be carried in the referendum held in May that year , up to then they had never socialised together .
Bono famously had them jointly on stage at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast urging the Northern Ireland public to support the deal – which they did by 71 per cent .
But even then , there was no need for the then leaders of nationalism and unionism to get personally close because , as Trimble recalls , the U2 frontman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you speak , I will do the speaking ” .
Seven months later in December , after Hume and Trimble received their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo , they finally decided they should engage in some socialising .
Their respective and more laid back wives Pat and Daphne , and their children , were important in that nationalist-unionist detente .
“ After the big dinner was over , somebody said ‘ why don ’ t we party together ?
’ It was an extremely good idea and throughout the couple of nights in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to know each other , of relaxing in each other ’ s company , ” Trimble recalls .
“ It foreshadowed what happened when we started to put the institutions together.
” John Hume ’ s place in modern British-Irish history will be viewed as “ very substantial ” , says Trimble .
“ There is no doubt of that , ” he adds .
Trimble is sure Hume will be judged as one of the key architects of the peace process .
But the former Northern Ireland first minister acknowledges that for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was slow to accept his bona fides .
Trimble believes that Hume had a “ jaundiced ” view of unionism right from the start of his political career , which might account for how quite a number of unionists will grant him a major role in achieving peace and political stability while also holding back in being fully generous in their plaudits .
“ Part of the problem of John ’ s view of unionism is that based on the fact of his coming from the west bank of the Foyle , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unionists , ” he says .
Neither did Trimble appreciate the analogy Hume sometimes used to explain the unionist siege mentality .
“ John Hume kept saying unionists were similar to Afrikaners , which was a weird view .
The only similarity is that the Afrikaners were Dutch Calvinists , ” he says .
That unionist distrust of Hume transformed into open hostility and even loyalist attacks on some SDLP members when in 1993 secret talks between Hume and the Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams were discovered .
Unionists at the time condemned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous “ pan-nationalist front ” , notwithstanding Hume ’ s assertion that he was trying to achieve peace – “ and who is afraid of peace ?
” to use one of his oft-repeated refrains of that time .
Trimble accepts what Hume forged with Adams provided the basis for the Downing Street declaration struck between the then taoiseach Albert Reynolds and British prime minister John Major in December 1993 .
Two key principles of that deal respectively appealing to unionists and nationalists were that Irish unity only could be achieved through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Northern Ireland , and that the British government had no “ selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland ” .
“ Yes , John had created the conditions for the Downing Street declaration but he was in danger of himself being used by Adams , whose position at that time would not have envisaged accepting the principle of consent and allowing unionists to have a major role in what was going to happen , ” says Trimble .
But still he acknowledges that Hume was pivotal in getting Adams and republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I can ’ t put my finger on when John started to produce what was called his single transferable speech .
The positive thing about that speech was his getting Irish nationalists to move away from thinking about the land , to saying that the problem isn ’ t that the land is divided , the problem is that the people are divided .
And if you want to cure things then you have got to address that , you have got to have an agreement between the people.
” “ Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notion of consent .
You can ’ t have an agreement where you batter people over the heads with it and say , you got to do this , you got to do that .
It ’ s a basic concept of self-determination that the land does not determine the identity of the people , that the people determine the identity of the land .
It ’ s a trite little phrase but it involves a huge shift.
” He accepts that Hume was central in achieving that shift .
Trimble adds that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea of “ false consciousness ” to unionists – “ that unionists have this false notion that they are not Irish ” – and again through the consent principle and through enshrining it in the Belfast Agreement Hume helped debunk this argument .
Trimble , though , is critical of Hume for , he believes , allowing Sinn Féin usurp the SDLP as the dominant nationalist party .
He says the party “ should have been a bit more robust in reminding Sinn Féin about who had actually done the positive work in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationalist side , Sinn Féin did not do any lifting at all .
They found ways of shifting the burden onto other people .
Their ‘ me , me , me ’ attitude caused difficulties.
” Hume had the major challenge of getting the IRA and Sinn Féin and the powersharing elements of unionism to sign up to the Belfast Agreement but when the deal was done , the heavy burden fell on Trimble to keep most of unionism on board .
Trimble , reflecting on very bruising battles , is sure he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off a major feat , first of all in striking the Belfast Agreement and thereafter under fierce pressure – and notwithstanding a number of crises and suspensions – maintaining its architecture and principles to this day .
Those nights when Hume and Trimble and their families finally got to know one another on a personal , human , social level was not unimportant in that achievement , Trimble is sure .
“ The leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party and SDLP did what a lot of people thought was impossible : we managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create the institutions , to get them up and running and show they could be used , ” he says .
“ There was a large section of the community , particularly among the unionist electorate who were deeply sceptical about it , and who thought that it would not work .
But people came grudgingly around to saying that , ‘ Yes , this is it , this is the only show in town ’ .
It is still there and it is still there basically as we designed it.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John Hume jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for their peace efforts that led to the Belfast Agreement .
David Trimble was first minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002

David Trimble says while he and John Hume campaigned to ensure the Belfast Agreement struck on Good Friday 1998 would be carried in the referendum held in May that year, up to then they had never socialised together.
Bono famously had them jointly on stage at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast urging the Northern Ireland public to support the deal – which they did by 71 per cent. But even then, there was no need for the then leaders of nationalism and unionism to get personally close because, as Trimble recalls, the U2 frontman issued a diktat, "Neither of you speak, I will do the speaking".
Trimble reckons that was a good idea.
Seven months later in December, after Hume and Trimble received their Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, they finally decided they should engage in some socialising.
READ MORE
Their respective and more laid back wives Pat and Daphne, and their children, were important in that nationalist-unionist detente.
“After the big dinner was over, somebody said ‘why don’t we party together?’ It was an extremely good idea and throughout the couple of nights in Oslo there was a lot of getting to know each other, of relaxing in each other’s company,” Trimble recalls. “It foreshadowed what happened when we started to put the institutions together.”
David Trimble and John Hume with their Alfred Nobel medals at the Grand Hotel after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 1998. File photograph: Matt Kavanagh.
John Hume’s place in modern British-Irish history will be viewed as “very substantial”, says Trimble. “There is no doubt of that,” he adds. Trimble is sure Hume will be judged as one of the key architects of the peace process. But the former Northern Ireland first minister acknowledges that for many years unionism in general distrusted Hume and was slow to accept his bona fides.
‘Jaundiced view’
Trimble believes that Hume had a “jaundiced” view of unionism right from the start of his political career, which might account for how quite a number of unionists will grant him a major role in achieving peace and political stability while also holding back in being fully generous in their plaudits.
“Part of the problem of John’s view of unionism is that based on the fact of his coming from the west bank of the Foyle, he probably had very little contact with unionists,” he says.
Neither did Trimble appreciate the analogy Hume sometimes used to explain the unionist siege mentality. "John Hume kept saying unionists were similar to Afrikaners, which was a weird view. The only similarity is that the Afrikaners were Dutch Calvinists," he says.
That unionist distrust of Hume transformed into open hostility and even loyalist attacks on some SDLP members when in 1993 secret talks between Hume and the Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams were discovered.
Unionists at the time condemned this engagement as the emergence of a dangerous “pan-nationalist front”, notwithstanding Hume’s assertion that he was trying to achieve peace – “and who is afraid of peace?” to use one of his oft-repeated refrains of that time.
Trimble accepts what Hume forged with Adams provided the basis for the Downing Street declaration struck between the then taoiseach Albert Reynolds and British prime minister John Major in December 1993.
Two key principles of that deal respectively appealing to unionists and nationalists were that Irish unity only could be achieved through the consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland, and that the British government had no “selfish strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland”.
“Yes, John had created the conditions for the Downing Street declaration but he was in danger of himself being used by Adams, whose position at that time would not have envisaged accepting the principle of consent and allowing unionists to have a major role in what was going to happen,” says Trimble.
But still he acknowledges that Hume was pivotal in getting Adams and republicans over the line. He says: “I can’t put my finger on when John started to produce what was called his single transferable speech. The positive thing about that speech was his getting Irish nationalists to move away from thinking about the land, to saying that the problem isn’t that the land is divided, the problem is that the people are divided. And if you want to cure things then you have got to address that, you have got to have an agreement between the people.”
‘Notion of consent’
“Now, that carries with it implicitly the notion of consent. You can’t have an agreement where you batter people over the heads with it and say, you got to do this, you got to do that. It’s a basic concept of self-determination that the land does not determine the identity of the people, that the people determine the identity of the land. It’s a trite little phrase but it involves a huge shift.”
He accepts that Hume was central in achieving that shift. Trimble adds that previously, many nationalists applied a Marxist idea of “false consciousness” to unionists – “that unionists have this false notion that they are not Irish” – and again through the consent principle and through enshrining it in the Belfast Agreement Hume helped debunk this argument.
Trimble, though, is critical of Hume for, he believes, allowing Sinn Féin usurp the SDLP as the dominant nationalist party. He says the party “should have been a bit more robust in reminding Sinn Féin about who had actually done the positive work in creating the new institutions. On the nationalist side, Sinn Féin did not do any lifting at all. They found ways of shifting the burden onto other people. Their ‘me, me, me’ attitude caused difficulties.”
Hume had the major challenge of getting the IRA and Sinn Féin and the powersharing elements of unionism to sign up to the Belfast Agreement but when the deal was done, the heavy burden fell on Trimble to keep most of unionism on board.
Trimble, reflecting on very bruising battles, is sure he and Hume and their respective parties pulled off a major feat, first of all in striking the Belfast Agreement and thereafter under fierce pressure – and notwithstanding a number of crises and suspensions – maintaining its architecture and principles to this day.
Social level
Those nights when Hume and Trimble and their families finally got to know one another on a personal, human, social level was not unimportant in that achievement, Trimble is sure.
“The leadership of the Ulster Unionist Party and SDLP did what a lot of people thought was impossible: we managed to put together a relationship good enough to create the institutions, to get them up and running and show they could be used,” he says.
“There was a large section of the community, particularly among the unionist electorate who were deeply sceptical about it, and who thought that it would not work. But people came grudgingly around to saying that, ‘Yes, this is it, this is the only show in town’. It is still there and it is still there basically as we designed it.”
Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble and John Hume jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1998 for their peace efforts that led to the Belfast Agreement. David Trimble was first minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002