- Please note this is a relatively short supplement with mainly time-limited or immediate information, not a full issue (the next one will appear at the start of September)
Pre-legislative report before Government demolishes Triple Lock
The Irish Government has announced its intention to proceed with its removal of the Triple Lock on deployment of Irish troops overseas in the autumn following the publication of a committee report on the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025. On 30th July the Joint Committee on Defence and National Security, chaired by Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh, published its Report on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of the General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025, which makes 27 recommendations for inclusion in the draft legislation. The Joint Committee has recommended a number of safeguards if the current ‘Triple Lock’ requirement for a UN mandate is removed including a formal legal review by an independent body in advance of any deployment of Irish troops with an international force with this review being made public, and defining the purposes for which Irish personnel can be deployed with an international force as ‘peace keeping, peace enforcement or duties of a police character’ rather than ‘peacekeeping, conflict prevention and/or strengthening international security’.
However how much of the committee’s recommendations will make it into final legislation, and how much it would limit the Irish government deploying troops for any particular EU or NATO military mission remains to be seen (‘peace enforcement’ could cover a multitude of scenarios). And the fact remains they could do so without UN authorisation.
The report is available at https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/34/joint_committee_on_defence_and_national_security/reports/2025/2025-07-30_report-on-pre-legislative-scrutiny-of-the-general-scheme-of-the-defence-amendment-bill-2025_en.pdf
Hiroshima Day events:
1) ICND: Annual commemoration of Hiroshima, Dublin, 6th August
On the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, which took place on 6th August 1945, Irish CND (campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) will be holding the customary annual commemoration in Merrion Square in Dublin.
The ceremony will take place at the memorial cherry tree in Merrion Square Park, at 1.10 p.m. There will be short speeches by Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin John Stephens, Japanese Chargé d’Affaires in Ireland, Mr Norimasa Yoshida, and Irish CND vice-president Adi Roche (CEO of Chernobyl Children International). There will also be contributions of music and poetry, and a wreath of flowers will be laid at the tree at the close of the commemoration.
ICND go on to say “An estimated 80,000 people were directly killed by the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, with casualties reaching 140,000 within a year. Approximately 12,500 nuclear weapons remain in the world today, more than enough to destroy life on earth as we know it many times over.
Sadly, the dark shadow of the possibility of nuclear war looms more grimly than perhaps ever before. Within the past month, the stationing of US nuclear weapons in the UK has resumed. Spending on nuclear weapons reached more than $100 billion last year, a shocking new high. Nuclear weapons states are all engaged in modernising their arsenals and delivery systems. Five of the nine nuclear-armed states have engaged in international military attacks in the past three months alone. It would only take a moment of madness to plunge the world into an irreversible nuclear war.
Yet there are positive signs of progress. More countries continue to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons each year. The number of companies with significant investments in nuclear arms companies has dropped by a quarter since the TPNW entered into force in 2021. International support for disarmament is growing, even in apparently unlikely quarters, such as US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s recent statement. Here in Ireland, 23 local authorities are now members of Mayors for Peace, with 16 new councils joining following the visit to Dublin last October of the Mayor of Hiroshima, Mr Kazumi Matsui. Light overcomes darkness. “ http://irishcnd.blogspot.ie/
2) Hiroshima commemoration, Galway, 6th August
The Galway Alliance Against War (GAAW) Hiroshima Day commemoration will be held at the Spanish Arch on Wednesday, August 6th, at 8pm with the theme “Hiroshima 1945; Gaza 2025: Stop the Killing”, and draws a stark parallel between past and present atrocities, condemning the ongoing genocide in Palestine and beyond. The speaker will be Tadhg Hickey.
GAAW states “Cork comedian and political satirist Tadhg Hickey has become a social media sensation for his unwavering advocacy for Palestine. With 300,000 followers on Instagram and a massive YouTube audience, his sharp, skit-based commentaries—delivered in his distinctive Cork accent—have resonated globally. But his growing influence is not welcome in certain quarters: in May 2025, Instagram abruptly shut down his account, and months earlier, YouTube demonetised his channel. Meanwhile, his gigs in Britain have been accompanied by a heavy police presence. These acts of censorship underscore the challenges faced by outspoken voices……The gathering is free and open to the public, offering a space for reflection, solidarity, and resistance. Join Tadhg Hickey and GAAW to honour the victims of war and demand an end to these never-ending war crimes. ” https://www.facebook.com/groups/312442090965/
3) PANA webinar: Lessons after 80 years
A webinar entitled “The Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings: Lessons After 80 Years” will be taking place on Wednesday, 6th August at 7pm Irish time. The event will be online and the Zoom link will be circulated to attendees, who can register for free. The event will hear an interview with Nagasaki survivor Kazuo Maruta; famed historian and World War II expert Geoffrey Roberts; and President of World Beyond War Kathy Kelly, who has been a leading peace activist spanning decades. PANA (Peace And Neutrality Alliance) states “As European spaces for de-escalation and non-proliferation continue to shrink, with Finland and Sweden now in the nuclear-armed NATO alliance, and the recent suggestion that Austria could follow suit, it is more important than ever that the dwindling number of non-nuclear states bind together.” See www.pana.ie or click on box at https://www.pana.ie/posts/hiroshima-80-years to register.
l A video of PANA chair Stephen Kelly, along with Niamh Ní Bhriain of the Transnational Institute, who were witnesses at an Oireachtas session on Pre-Legislative Scrutiny of Triple Lock Bill, on 3rd July, is available at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/video-archive/committees/10447/ (go to 0.23.24) and a Journal report of the same meeting is at https://www.thejournal.ie/defence-committee-tetchy-scenes-6751758-Jul2025/
Climate Justice, Militarism, and Palestine: Dublin workshop
Friends of the Earth and Afri have a workshop on “Climate Justice, Militarism, and Palestine: Unlearning Empire, Rooting Resistance “, facilitated by Afri coordinator Katie Martin on 13th August. This workshop is a part of Friends of the Earth’s Global Citizenship Education project, in the effort to promote action for global solidarity but unfortunately is fully subscribed so no longer open. Irish FOE is at https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/ and Afri at www.afri.ie
MNI ‘Difficult conversations’ and other courses
A one day course on Constructive Professional Dialogue – Handling difficult conversations with confidence takes place in Belfast on 23rd and online on 24th September. Other courses in the autumn include Group and systemic mediation practice, Principled negotiation, Workplace conflict management, and Mediation theory and practice. Mediation Northern Ireland/MNI website is at https://mediationni.org/
Civilian based defence systems
A short, just under 7 minute, video introduction by Risteárd Mac Annraoi to civilian based defence appears at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2kX_LqYRKc ……. with backdrops of Cork. This is a subject which the Irish government’s ‘Consultative Forum on Security Policy’ in 2023 refused to learn about…..
The EU is on a war path
Excellent analysis of the militaristic path being followed by the EU, and its convergence with US and NATO military might, appears in a short article by Niamh Ní Bhriain published by World Beyond War (WBW) at https://tinyurl.com/4wm7tyn2 If anyone is in doubt about the direction ‘we’ are heading, this is a piece to read or share. WBW is at https://worldbeyondwar.org/
Week of Action for Peace & Climate Justice
The second annual Week of Action for Peace & Climate Justice, backed by a wide variety of groups, is taking place from 15th – 21st September and will address the links between war, militarism/militarisation and social, economic and climate injustice. It will promote grassroots action and policymaking to confront both genocide and ecocide – for peace and a just systemic transition. This important area is beginning to come into focus. See https://climatemilitarism.org/weekofaction/ Source: War Resisters’ International www.wri-irg.org
Legacy Act demo at ICRIR
Relatives for Justice, the Pat Finucane Centre, CAJ and Amnesty UK, victims and families gathered outside the Belfast offices of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) in Belfast to mark the first anniversary of the Conservative government in Britain’s Legacy Act, which came into effect on 1st May 2024 – which they branded as bringing in a shameful legacy of betrayal. But they were also calling for action. In writing about this Grainne Teggart of Amnesty International wrote “The Labour Party pledged during the general election campaign to repeal and replace the Legacy Act. But recent signals from Westminster suggest that promise is wavering, with partial reforms now replacing firm commitments to repeal.” See page 6 of the June edition of CAJ’s ‘Just News’, downloadable at https://caj.org.uk/publications/our-newsletter/just-news-june-2025/
Síolta Chroí
Síolta Chroí has a series of Gardening for Biodiversity Family Days on the second Saturday of the month – 9th August, 13th September etc – and you will have missed a Lúnasa community meal and conversation on food the evening of 1st August. For a full list of courses and events see https://sioltachroi.ie/courses-and-events/ Síolta Chroí is at Aghacloghan, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.
Organic Centre, Rossinver
You can check out upcoming programme at the Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim on their website at https://www.theorganiccentre.ie/ This includes courses on dry stonewalling which is sold out, ‘Autumn in the Polytunnel’, Korean natural farming, wild mushroom foraging, and fermentation. You can also give gift tokens, an ‘ideal zero waste gift’ as they say. Much more including their seed and organic range is on their website.