Let’s make ‘Ireland’s Call’ our anthem...
IT was pure magic, that is the only way I can describe the weekend’s wonderful spectacle of rugby.
Ireland took on England at their own home ground and beat them, to secure the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam.
Our warriors in green, heroes all, played out of their skins to bring huge pride to our country. It was a combined united Irish team, made up of members from north and south of the border, who brought home the trophies.
Before the match started they played two anthems: God Save The Queen and Ireland’s Call.
I think it is time we recognised Ireland’s Call as our National Anthem. Amhrán na bhFiann has served us well, but we are now in the 21st century and badly need to update our national anthem.
We are a comparatively young country with a young highlyeducated population. Ireland’s Call represents the whole population of Ireland, and not just us in the south, and is recognised internationally as the Irish anthem, so it is time for change.
Thank you and well done to the men in green, Joe Schmidt, and the backroom staff, you have done us proud today.
JOHN FAIR, Co. Mayo. ...CAPTAIN Rory Best and the Grand Slam champions represent all that is great about our island.
ROBERT SULLIVAN, Co. Cork.
OAPs need a champion
WE contributory OAPs need some person with clout, l i ke Mary McAleese, to raise the dust on our behalf.
Back in 2012, one of the most despicable official decisions ever concocted by an Irish government was enforced when legislation was enacted to deprive workers, mostly women, from availing of their full earned pensioned on reaching their retirement.
Every layer of the Oireachtas, from Seanad to Dáil, and even the Áras, was involved in imposing this through enacting the Laboursponsored Bill. This retrospective Act possessed tentacles that reached back to the day when each affected (now) pensioner paid their f i rst work stamp, thereby agreeing their future pension contract with the State.
Now this unilateral and discriminatory 2012 Act is being availed of by Government to renege on the long- standing binding Worker/ State agreement. Granted there is some belated move afoot to revisit the 2012 Act, but this is without any reference to back money for our pension losses to date.
This Act is a clear and bitter form of misogyny as it mostly discriminates against women.
Is there anyone out there, with the calibre of Mary McAleese, who is prepared to take on this cause now – before nature solves the problem for the State? DENIS O’HIGGINS,
Co. Monaghan.
Left’s ‘pettiness’
IT was interesting to watch leftist politicians and sections of the media focus on Leo Varadkar’s Doonbeg remarks during the week. This is nothing but pettiness. The bigger picture of Ireland’s relationship with the US, and how we can work together, is lost on these fault-finders.
DAVE SHAW, Terenure, Dublin 6. ...HE just couldn’t help himself. Mr Varadkar goes to Washington and out of all the stories he could have told, he picks the one he thinks makes himself look great.
The immaturity and lack of substance exposed by his completely tone deaf and tacky, tacky tale devalues our country and the office he holds. DESMOND FITZGERALD,
London. ...IT is crisis after crisis in this country and all the TDs can do is leave the country on a jolly. St Patrick’s Day is used by Ministers as an excuse to go abroad. They say they are representing Ireland and trying to get trade agreements, etc, with other countries, but every year they return with nothing to show for the trips.
While Leo Varadkar and Co are off enjoying themselves, the trolley crisis is getting worse. Pensioners waiting for a bed over 48 hours... a girl left on a trolley with a burst appendix... It will go on and on as this Government does not care what happens to the pub- lic as long as they can fly out on jollies.
DAVID BURKE, Co. Wexford
Boycott World Cup
GIVEN the recent nerve gas attacks by Russia, why would any country play there during the World Cup? Countries should boycott the games and show their disdain for the use of chemical weapons and the murder of people by the Russian government.
DAVID KEOGH, by email
Alarming weather
HAVING had to endure two periods of Arctic conditions in this socalled ‘spring’ month of March, I look forward to later in the year, when the climate change alarmists inform everyone that ‘2018 was the warmest year on record’.
TOM BALDWIN, Co. Cork. ...THE recent snow has provided most of us with a reminder of our youth, and brought us all together during the Sliced Pan- demic. Which is all very nice.
However, we’ve had two highly unusual weather events in the past six months – Storm Ophelia and the Beast.
Do we need more proof that our climate has changed?
DARAGH REDMOND, Dublin.