The People’s Letters Page

Dear Editor,

Huge congratulations to the mighty Irish Women’s Football Team who fought against all odds to qualify for the World Cup next year.

In what was a truly dark week in the country, they lit up the whole nation, gave us a reason to celebrate and look forward to cheering them on next year in Australia/New Zealand.

The faux outrage that followed reports of them signing along to a Wolfe Tones song, in the privacy of their dressing room, was both disturbing and depressing to witness.

Some members of the Irish media, political establishment and other assorted talking heads should be ashamed of themselves however with the way they used this wonderful team to score cheap political points.

How they could twist something as innocent and pure as a squad of young athletes caught up in the excitement of an enormous victory into something more sinister is nothing short of shameful.

I would imagine most of the idiots demanding apologies from the Women’s football team have never bothered going out to support the team or have ever been to a match.Up na Mna!

Yours sincerely,

James Carney,

Cabra

 

Dear Editor,

Giving a talk to students in the Criminal Courts of Justice is now more financially rewarding than appearing in the District Court under the criminal legal aid scheme.

School tour fee payable has increased from €40 to €55.

The following rates are currently paid to barristers for District Court defence work – €25.20 for a remand, €50.40 for a plea in mitigation and €67.50 for a full trial hearing.

I am worth nothing more than what I am, but worth a whole lot less in a profession that is valued at such low rates.

Darren Lalor

LLB. Barrister at Law

The Law Library,

Criminal Courts of Justice.

 

Dear Editor

I would be grateful for the opportunity to let readers of Dublin People know that the Fighting Blindness RETINA Public Engagement Day returns as an in-person event for the first time in three years on Saturday November 5.

Aimed at people with sight loss and their families, the event will take place in the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin 2, and will also be streamed live so that everyone can take part, no matter where they are in Ireland.

RETINA offers the sight loss community an opportunity to meet eye experts and to have their questions answered. People will hear of the latest cutting-edge clinical trials underway that have the potential to save and restore sight. They will also gain information on the supports available to them and have an opportunity to meet others on a similar journey and to share experiences.

There are approximately 272,000 people with sight loss in Ireland and so it is important that we all take these five steps to keep our eyes healthy:

Step 1 – eat a diet full of minerals such as zinc, copper, and selenium, and antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, to help maintain eye health

Step 2 – regular exercise is important but intense activities can increase pressure in the eye if the heart rate is raised. Talk to your doctor about the most appropriate exercise for you

Step 3 – protect your eyes when undertaking potentially hazardous activities at work, at home and at leisure. Wear quality polarised sunglasses to safeguard against the sun’s harmful rays

Step 4 – smoking can cause eye inflammation, increasing the risk of developing several eye conditions. There are lots of supports to help people quit smoking – why not give them a try?

Step 5 – if you have a family history of a particular eye condition that places you at risk, make sure to have your eyes tested regularly. If identified early, blindness can be prevented in some eye conditions.

Remember, if you have concerns about your sight, always talk to your optician or ophthalmologist.

For information on the line-up for the RETINA Public Engagement Day, or to register, visit www.fightingblindness.ie

Yours sincerely

Dr Ellen Moran

Research Manager

Fighting Blindness

7 Ely Place

 

Dear Editor.

Government ministers sometime don’t realize they’re delving into the pits of hypocrisy and doublespeak when they offer advice from on high.

Patrick O’Donovan TD, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform might have meant well in his recent utterances on RTE radio news when he castigated visitors to the Great Blaskets who threw a seal cub into the water and held the creature up for a selfie.

He stated “These are wild animals in their natural habitat.

They need to be left alone. And we would ask people to exercise a small bit of cop-on and stay away from them.”

I couldn’t agree more, but the minster is part of a government that has just given the green light to another season of live hare coursing, a “sport” that involves netting of thousands of hares, a supposedly protected species like the grey seal, so that dogs can be set on them.

Their natural habitats are trampled upon by the net men who scour the countryside in search of the dwindling numbers of hares that remain on this island.

A percentage of manhandled hares die in captivity before they ever see a greyhound. Others die after coursing of stress-related ailments.

Despite a fifty percent decline in the hare population over the past half century the coursing lobby continues to hold politicians in a vice-like grip.

The hare is surely as entitled to be left alone as any of the protected seals that grace our coastline and offshore islands.

It doesn’t deserve to be used a mere plaything in a game of chance…to be mauled, battered, or tossed about like a broken toy.

So, I’d appeal to Minister O’ Donovan and his government colleagues to exercise a bit of cop-on: Stop telling us to respect wild animals and habitats while giving your seal of approval to hare coursing.

Thanking you,

John Fitzgerald