Condolences for Sunny can be shared here: https://rip.ie/…/sunny-jacobs-galway-connemara-596152…
Condolences for Kevin can be shared here: https://rip.ie/…/kevin-kelly-galway-costelloe-596046…
Condolences for Sunny can be shared here: https://rip.ie/…/sunny-jacobs-galway-connemara-596152…
Condolences for Kevin can be shared here: https://rip.ie/…/kevin-kelly-galway-costelloe-596046…
SETU hosted the annual Féile na Beatha (Festival of Life) in collaboration with Afri (Action from Ireland) on Thursday, 27 March.
The event brought together social care students, Afri, and members of the University and local community to commemorate the lives lost during the Great Famine and reflect on how history can guide us in fostering a more caring and compassionate society.
A central part of the festival was the commemorative walk to the Famine graveyard where over 3,000 people who perished during the Great Famine are buried. Led by Afri, the walk featured reflections from local historian Anthony Brophy and speeches by Katie Martin, Afri and climate justice communicator, Nandana James. First-year social care students, joined by guests from the Delta Centre Carlow, performed ‘An Gorta Mór’, a song that powerfully captured the significance of the day.
Katie Martin, Coordinator of Afri, said,
“Afri is honoured to partner with SETU for this special annual event, which centres on remembrance and solidarity. This year’s theme, ‘Creating Cultures of Care’, was deeply felt as we reflected on the lives lost during An Gorta Mór. Each person buried here is a testament to a tragic chapter in our history and the lessons we have yet to learn. We honour their lives and heed the call for courage in confronting the structures perpetuating inequity. Through commemoration, music, and shared experiences, we strengthened our bonds with SETU and The Delta Centre and reinforced our commitment to building just and inclusive societies together.”
The second half of the event focused on the premiere of a new documentary, ‘The History of Social Care Education’, created by Dr Denise Lyons, Social Care Lecturer at SETU, and PhD candidate Charlotte Burke. The project was funded by the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) and supported by SETU’s Teaching and Learning Centre. The 45-minute film, produced by RoJnRoll Productions, explored the evolution of social care education in Ireland, and featured insights from Mr Pat Brennan, Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, and third-year social care students, highlighting the pioneering efforts that shaped the profession.
Dr Denise Lyons, Social Care Lecturer at SETU, said,
“The documentary will be available as a resource for students throughout Ireland and available for download from the Social Care Ireland website. The documentary was inspired by the insightful teachings of Pat Brennan, Programme Director of the Kilkenny Programme 1971-1981. Pat’s reflections on the key themes of social care work are still relevant to social care practice and education today.”
The event concluded with a reflection session, where attendees discussed the key themes of the day and how they could apply these lessons in their own lives and communities. Féile na Beatha 2025 served as a powerful reminder that understanding the past is essential to building a future rooted in empathy, solidarity and care.
This article is a repost from www.setu.ie. Please follow this link for further details.
Featured image: Kseniya Rusnak playing the Bandura, the national instrument of Ukraine. Photo by Larysa Karankovich
Afri’s action-packed year once again commences with a moment of rich reflection on Louie Bennett’s legacy.
We will gather at the bench commemorating her and her partner Helen Chenevix (1886-1963) in Stephen’s Green at 2 pm next Tuesday, 7th January, the anniversary of Louie’s birth in 1870. The bench was unveiled two years after her death in 1956 and is curved in honour of her commitment to conversation – a turning towards one another, whatever challenges we face. This notion is beautifully captured in the Irish word caidreamh, which headlines Article 29 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, our commitment to peaceful conflict resolution under international law.
Louie Bennett, a novelist who loved her garden, would encourage us to pause and reflect there so as to re-engage with the challenges and conflicts of our time. A central figure in the Irish Women Workers’ Union and the first female President of the Congress of Trades Unions, from her Church of Ireland background, she was staunch for Irish freedom through radically peaceful means, within a resolutely internationalist perspective.
During World War I – a time like ours when the world seemed hell-bent on destructive enmities – Louie worked tirelessly to maintain and restore the possibilities of peace. She was equally resolute in confronting Irish militarism during the struggle for independence, and in the 1950s as the seductions of the Cold War began to warp our foreign policy and Neutrality. She was central in the Irishwomen’s International League, which invited the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom to Dublin. WILPF eagerly accepted the invitation in Summer 1926, bringing the very first international conference held in the fledgling Free State.
There are few, if any, figures from our first century who can encourage and challenge us in the causes of peace, human rights and social transformation, as did Louie Bennett and Helen Chenevix. We will be joined by Joe Black Ryder and the Resistance Choir to honour that legacy next Tuesday.
The time is now. We endorse the Pass the OTB Campaign. We urge the Irish government to pass the OTB before the election is held. #ActNow #PassTheOTB
‘No more time to waste’
Ireland should pass the Occupied Territories Bill
urgently, says civil society campaign
Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill welcomes change in Government position, but urges Coalition parties to progress the Bill before an election.
A coalition of over 35 civil society organisations, trade unions, academics and political figures has urged the Government to move quickly in light of the updated Attorney General’s advice, and to pass the Occupied Territories Bill before a general election is held. The decision by the Government to formally refer the Bill to next Stage, into the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs, is a step in the right direction – but that must happen immediately.
The Bill, first tabled in 2018 by Independent Senator Frances Black, would ban trade with the illegal Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land. Both the Dáil and the Seanad have already voted in favour of the Bill, but despite this the current and previous Governments have refused to pass it based on advice from previous Attorneys General that it would breach EU law.
However, updated legal advice delivered this week from the current Attorney General, Rossa Fanning, has now given the green light for the passage of the Bill. The updated AG advice draws heavily on the historic International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion delivered in July, which found that the Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land were illegal and that all countries were obliged not to trade with them.
Civil society organisations have been calling on the Government to pass the Occupied Territories Bill for over six years. If passed, Ireland would become the first Western country to ban trade with the illegal Israeli settlements, which are considered the key driver of poverty and a host of human rights violations against Palestinians and the main impediment to their right to self-determination.
As Israel continues its military offensive across the occupied Palestinian territory and more recently Lebanon, the Campaign to Pass the OTB is calling on the Irish Government to pass the Bill before an election is held, and to hold Israel accountable for its flagrant disregard for international law and civilian life. This would build on the leadership shown when Ireland became the first Western country to ban imports from Apartheid South Africa in 1987. Within a few years, most other Western countries followed suit, precipitating the end of South Africa’s Apartheid regime.
Caoimhe de Barra, CEO of Trócaire, and a spokesperson for the Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill, said: “The Government’s change in position is welcome, but Palestinians cannot wait until after the Irish general election for Israel to be held accountable for its war crimes. Today in the Northern Gaza Strip, civilians are being left to die under the rubble of their own homes, and face starvation due to dwindling humanitarian supplies as a result of the Israeli armed forces’ siege. We are calling on the Government to ensure this Bill is enacted before the forthcoming elections in Ireland. This will put Ireland in a leadership role, as it was with Apartheid South Africa, in bringing about effective trade sanctions that will clearly state to Israel, you must respect international law and end this unlawful occupation of Palestinian land and war on the Palestinian people.”
Conor O’Neill, Head of Policy at Christian Aid Ireland and a spokesperson for the Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill said: “This is a big moment, because the key legal barrier blocking the Occupied Territories Bill has just fallen. As we have argued for six years, there is no legal impediment to passage of this legislation. The historic ICJ opinion in July made it crystal clear, and the updated Attorney General advice has now given Government the green light to pass it. If we need to make small changes or technical amendments to strengthen and improve then it we can, but that work should begin immediately. There’s no reason not to make progress before an election.”
Éamonn Meehan, Chair of Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance, and a spokesperson for the Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill, said:“We welcome the announcement by the Government that passing the Occupied Territories bill is lawful. For more than seventy-five years the people of Palestine have been attacked, driven from their homes and lands, killed with impunity and denied their basic rights to equality and self-determination. It is finally time for us to accept that we cannot, legally or morally, continue to trade with the 750,000 illegal settlers and their enterprises who enrich themselves and Israel from the stolen resources of Palestine and who at the same time impoverish millions of Palestinians in their own land. We strongly encourage the public to keep pushing until the bill is passed and we expect every political party will now support getting this essential legislation through before the elections.”
Owen Reidy, General Secretary, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said: “Thousands of trade union members have been taking to the streets with many others for over a year now drawing attention to the slaughter and ongoing genocide in Gaza with more than 40,000 people killed, including women and children. It is our strongly held view that as a result of the recent ICJ ruling, we cannot continue to trade with settlements and that it is imperative that the Government agrees to progress the Occupied Territories Bill and get it through Dáil before the election.”
ENDS
For media interviews contact Niamh McCarthy, 0863767533 niamh.mccarthy@trocaire.org
Notes for Editors
• The Campaign to Pass the Occupied Territories Bill is made up of over 35 civil society organisations, trade unions, academics and political figures including Senator Frances Black, Christian Aid Ireland, Trócaire, Sadaka-the Ireland Palestine Alliance, Global Legal Action Network (GLAN), Action Aid Ireland, Amnesty International Ireland, the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).
• The Occupied Territories Bill was first tabled by Senator Frances Black and would ban trade with the illegal settlements Israel has built on occupied Palestinian land. A copy of the bill, as well as a short briefing note on the its main provisions, is available here: http://www.francesblack.ie/single-post/settlement-goods
• The Bill was passed in full by the Seanad in December 2018. It was then brought by Fianna Fáil into Dáil Éireann, where a strong majority also voted in favour in January 2019, but was blocked by the then minority Fine Gael Government.
• The Bill was supported by every other political party and included in the 2020 general election manifestos of both Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, but omitted from the negotiated Programme for Government at Fine Gael’s insistence. It remains stalled at ‘Second Stage’ in the Dáil, but it could be quickly passed into law with support from this or the next Government.
• There are now more than 750,000 Israeli settlers living in over 140 illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian territory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In addition, there are a further 191 illegal settler outposts with 23 of those established in 2023 alone. Before the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, which was supposed to deliver an Independent Palestinian State on this territory, the number of illegal settlers was less than 150,000.
Please join us for a day of interactive events including a Workshop, Famine Walk, and Solidarity Talk, interwoven with Poetry, Music and Musings, on Tuesday March 19th 2024.
On Thursday, February 1st, ‘Brigid of Kildare’, accompanied by members of Afri and StoP, attempted to delivered a letter, a copy of the Downpatrick Declaration and a St. Brigid Peace Cross to Tánaiste Micheál Martin at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.
The doors of the Department, however, were firmly closed against Brigid – it seems her message of peace is not welcome in Foreign Affairs. Continue reading “Brigid to bring message of peace to Foreign Affairs on Feb. 1st.” →
Open Letter from Irish Civil Society Organisations representing over 1 Million People to US President Joe Biden
The controversial ‘Consultative Forum on International Security’ of June 2023 was set up by the Minister for Foreign Affairs – but to what end? This detailed report, prepared by a working group of StoP (Swords to Ploughshares) looks at the 4 days of the Forum in detail. Included is a preamble, setting the scene, and a substantial set of conclusions which can be drawn from the current situation regarding neutrality and security and what the Forum did and did not consider. Continue reading “Freedom to Choose? Report on the Consultative Forum on International Security Policy” →
Sincere thanks to everyone who joined or supported us on our annual Famine Walk on Saturday, May 21st in Co. Mayo. We were delighted to be back on the road again after a two-year break. Continue reading ““The Return of the Famine Walk” Film” →