All posts by Rob Fairmichael

ECO-AWARENESS with Larry Speight:   A life-affirming funeral

Eco-Awareness, Nonviolent News, , , ,

On the occasions you are able to extract yourself from the bedlam of everyday life and immerse yourself in woodland or bracken-covered hills far from the sound of motor vehicles and blipping phones you will, if mindful of what is going on around you, likely notice that nonhuman life goes on without regard to human beings.

If in a woodland you will notice that the nectar seeking insects are self-intent and have no regard for you. The trees that have grown from seeds into tall, multi-branched, wide girth majestic beings will one day fall to the ground where they will decay and become part of the soil which sustains life. Visit an ancient woodland, even a moderately old one, and you will see flora in various stages of the life cycle all around you. The fallen, moss covered tree you happen to be sitting on might well have saplings growing out of it. By way of contrast humans are the only species who in death take from the earth and harm it rather than enrich it and thereby sustain life. We are the bio-world’s vandals and wreckers.

Take the average Irish funeral. When a person dies their body is injected with formaldehyde, a toxic chemical, in order to make them look as if they were not dead. They will be dressed in toxic clothes, placed in a brass handled, polyester-lined wood coffin with no inquiry likely made about where the wood and brass were sourced or where the coffin was manufactured. The deceased will have a religious service, perhaps attended by hundreds of people who will arrive and depart in their fossil fuel driven vehicles. Many will then drive to the place of burial which will once have been home to millions of microorganisms and part of a wider habitat. It will now be the site of life-killing leakages over a prolonged period of time. Marble headstone and curbs, transported by fossil fuel powered ships and lorries, will mark the grave upon which it is common for the grieving to lay artificial grass and flowers. These will have been made in a carbon-intensive manner, most likely in China, and transported by CO2 emitting vehicles.

Even if the dead are cremated there will be negative ecological consequences with the release of global warming gases and other pollutants which have a serious adverse effect upon the climate and biosphere. The mercury in dental fillings will be sent into the atmosphere and from there find their way into the food chain.

This is not the full tally of the ecological cost of the average Irish funeral. It is common that after the burial or cremation the mourners will gather in a community hall where lunch will be served which is usually sandwiches, cakes and biscuits along with a choice of tea, coffee or a sweet drink. Inevitably meat and diary produce will be an integral part of the lunch which could well be accompanied by a supply of plastic utensils. The production of meat and dairy is a significant source of global warming emissions, water pollution, loss of biodiversity and in some cases animal suffering.

Whilst death in nonhuman nature brings forth life, as in the Thunderbird or Phoenix of the mythology of indigenous North American people, the modern-day funeral brings death to other life forms and through degrading the biosphere harms human life itself.

Part of the irony of this lies in that the average Irish funeral is a profound religious event. Before death the hope of the deceased will likely have been that when they die they will be welcomed into Heaven where they will reside for eternity in the presence of God and family and friends who died before them. In the light of how most funerals are conducted this is akin to wanting to be invited to a garden party after you have trashed the host’s garden and smashed up their much-loved vintage car.

The expectation of being welcomed by the Creator after trashing their handiwork highlights the monumental disconnect between human society and the natural world we are a part of. If we foresee ourselves having a modern Irish funeral then our death will diminish the effectiveness of the processes that sustain life.

Fortunately cultural traditions change, even the most hallowed ones, such as how the dead are treated and funerals conducted. To avoid our death begetting death we can leave written instructions asking that our remains not be injected with formaldehyde, that we be dressed in worn clothes made of natural fibers. If there are none in your wardrobe they can be purchased for a reasonable price from a charity shop.

We are not obliged to be put in a wood coffin, or a coffin at all. We can simply be wrapped in a shroud; a well-worn cotton bedsheet would do. After we have been lowered into the ground there is no need to enclose the site with marble curbs and a headstone and the enclosure filled with decorative stones or adorned with artificial grass. A fruit tree can mark the site instead.

Those wishing to attend the funeral can be asked to car share, travel by bus, cycle or walk. The lunch in the community hall can be vegan, free of plastic utensils and paper napkins. The life of a tree can be saved, along with all the creatures that depend on it, through pinning the order of service on a notice board and writing the memorial on the back of used paper.

A life-affirming funeral rather that the dominant mode of present-day funerals is the one that is more rooted in tradition. A hundred years ago there would for instance have been no plastic utensils, paper napkins, individual order of service cards and very few of the mourners would have had a car to travel to and from a funeral. Further, a life-affirming funeral is by far the least expensive and therefore could be your last act of love for your next of kin.

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The Peace Line with Kate Laverty: Atonement in Practice

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I listened to a mother tell her child he was being punished for failing to attend to her ‘because that’s what happens…’. It made me think of the retributive logic in society: punishment as justice, revenge as moral balance. And I wondered where it had come from. Why can’t we simply forgive? This was how I found myself studying atonement theology.

At the heart of nonviolent atonement theology lies a simple but revolutionary claim: God is not the author of violence, but its victim and healer. The cross is about exposing human violence, forgiving it, and transforming it through love. This view invites us into the presence of a God who refuses to return harm for harm.

As J. Denny Weaver puts it: “The narrative of Jesus does not depict God as a God of violence, but rather as a God who overcomes violence through suffering love.” The cross, then, is not the site of divine punishment, but divine solidarity—Jesus identifying fully with those crushed by injustice and inviting us to do the same. In this light, Jesus’ death is not payment demanded by God, but the consequence of human fear. What is revealed on the cross is not divine anger, but the depth of human violence—and the unshakable mercy of a God who forgives even while dying at our hands.

This understanding resonates deeply with the founding vision of Forthspring, born in west Belfast out of a longing for healing between communities scarred by sectarian violence. Forthspring’s mission—to bring Catholics and Protestants, families and youth, together across lines of suspicion—mirrors the essence of nonviolent atonement: not the erasure of difference, but the refusal to let difference justify violence.

These theological insights do not stand alone within Christianity. They resonate deeply with the wisdom of Islam, which frames God primarily as Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim—The Most Merciful, The Most Compassionate. “My mercy encompasses all things,” says God in the Qur’an (7:156). It is a view that calls both Muslims and Christians to reflect God’s mercy in the world—to build societies where justice heals rather than punishes.

While Buddhism has no doctrine of atonement, the Dhammapada teaches: “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal law” (verse 5). This is similar to Jesus’ prayer on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Both voices—Jesus and the Buddha—refuse the logic of vengeance and instead offer a way to break the cycle of suffering.

Forthspring, working in a context of interreligious and intercommunity tension, offers space for these shared values to take root. Our work is not about denying religious difference, but harnessing the spiritual common ground that refuses violence in the name of God.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned a world healed by love, not domination. His concept of the Beloved Community is where nonviolent atonement comes to life: a world where justice and mercy meet, where former enemies share tables, and where systems of harm are transformed into spaces of healing.

As King wrote, “At the centre of nonviolence stands the principle of love.” That love is not sentimental—it is courageous, rooted in the conviction that every person has inherent dignity, even the wrongdoer.

For those of us working in community, especially with youth affected by violence, the implications are urgent. At Forthspring, children are not taught to carry the burdens of the past, but to question them, transform them, and lay them down; adults model restorative justice rather than retribution; diverse faiths sit together in the shared conviction that peace is sacred, and violence is not inevitable.

AVP at 50: A Global Gathering of Peacebuilders

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by Lisa Oelschlegel

This year, the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) marked its 50th anniversary with an international gathering in New York, bringing together hundreds of facilitators from around the world to celebrate and commemorate our shared journey and look towards the future.

AVP is a grassroots movement active in more than 60 countries, including Ireland, where it has been running for over 30 years. In Ireland, we deliver transformative, experiential workshops across 11 prisons. Each workshop is co-facilitated by trained incarcerated facilitators alongside volunteers from the wider community. Together, we create spaces of genuine human connection, spaces where a sense of belonging can take root and where moments of real change emerge, often quietly and unexpectedly. Our workshops help participants develop conflict transformation skills and tools to build healthy, trusting relationships. They foster collaboration, open dialogue, and a shared commitment to non-violence.

In May, our long-standing AVP facilitators Claire, Donna, and AVP co-founder Jenny travelled across the Atlantic to represent AVP Ireland, carrying with them the voices, creativity, and contributions of many others who could not attend in person but who have been integral to this journey for many years.

At the gathering, they shared stories, artwork, and poetry created by incarcerated facilitators in Ireland – powerful glimpses of what AVP means to those whose lives it has touched. They also reflected on recent developments in Ireland, including work on community building, consensus-based decision-making, and nurturing strong relationships through open communication. Claire and Donna led a particularly impactful breakout session on AVP workshops that explored the links between gender and violence, sparking rich discussions about gender, identity, power, and personal transformation.

The international gathering was moving in ways that are hard to put into words: breakout sessions, stories of change, cultural exchanges, and a visit to Green Haven Prison, where AVP first began in 1975. One participant summed it up beautifully: “We all felt it—whether separated by distance or by walls, we are one family.”

We also learnt about how outside of Ireland, AVP has found its way into many other places too: schools, refugee camps, and community centres around the world. The New York event was not only a moment to reflect on the past and present, but also an opportunity to look forward: expanding youth engagement, strengthening trauma-informed practices, supporting prison re-entry programmes, and reimagining how AVP shares its message more widely. Whether through work with young people, in prisons, in communities, or with those returning from prison, AVP continues to grow in relevance, reach, and hope.

If you would like to learn more about AVP or become part of this journey, we would love to hear from you!

Website: www.avpireland.ie
Email: info@avpireland.ie
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– The INNATE photo album on AVP is at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72157645765804171/

Pope Francis and nonviolence: Let’s move towards a “Nonviolent Culture”, an “Other Way”

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by Sylvia Thompson, Tralee

On the death of Pope Francis, on Easter Monday 21 April 2025 an email came from Pax Christi International with the following: “A Compendium of Pope Francis’ Use of The Term “Nonviolence” in Statements, Interviews, or Other Papal-Related Texts in English: 2013-2025” https://paxchristi.net/a-compendium-of-pope-francis-use-of-the-term-nonviolence/

The Compendium was drawn up by Ken Butigan, Executive Committee Member of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative and Coordinating Committee Member of The Catholic Institute for Nonviolence. Butigan wrote that, in a series of books, presentations, statements, and interviews, Pope Francis called us to this “other way”: active nonviolence, a core Gospel value that combines the rejection of violence with the power of love and reconciliation in action.

I found it compelling reading and will share some favourite texts and quotes from it and may this inspire you to consult it for reference, read it in full or better still, try to ensure that this legacy is not only treasured but acted on.

“Let us make nonviolence a guide for our actions both in daily life and in international relations. And let us pray for a more widespread culture of nonviolence that will progress when countries and citizens alike resort less and less to the use of arms.” – Pope Francis April prayer intention: ‘For a nonviolent culture.’ 2023.

Amid the enormous violence and injustice our world faces—what the Holy Father has called “a third world war fought piecemeal,” there is …a “global culture of violence including permanent war, growing poverty, threats to civil liberties, ecological devastation, the enduring terror of nuclear weapons, and the scourge of the structural violence of racism, sexism, and economic injustice and other forms of systemic injustice “ – Ken Butigan Pope Francis urged the world to confront this catastrophic suffering, not with more violence, but with a nonviolent revolution of tenderness and again to confront the reality of violence with active and transformative Gospel nonviolence.

This “other way” is not avoidance, or appeasement, or aggression, or attack. It is a dramatically different way of being in the world, of working for peace, of building movements and systems, and of being faithful to the vision of Jesus – a recognition of the primacy of diplomacy over the noise of arms.

“Living, speaking, and acting without violence is not surrendering, losing or giving up anything, but aspiring to everything.”

“This is not the same as weakness or passivity; rather it presupposes firmness, courage and the ability to face issues and conflicts with intellectual honesty, truly seeking the common good over and above all partisan interest, be it ideological, economic or political.”

“To be true followers of Jesus today…includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence”, “In the most local and ordinary situations and in the international order, may nonviolence become the hallmark of our decisions, our relationships and our actions, and indeed of political life in all its forms,” and may we “make active nonviolence our way of life.” – Pope Francis, Message, for the Celebration of the Fiftieth World Day of Peace, 1 January 2017, “Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace”

“…I think of nonviolence as a perspective and way of understanding the world, to which theology must look as one of its constitutive elements.”

“Before the scandal of war, in the first place, our concern must not be for talking and discussing, but for weeping, for helping others and for experiencing conversion ourselves. We need to weep for the victims and the overwhelming bloodshed, the deaths of so many innocent people, the trauma inflicted on families, cities, and an entire people. …But we also need to experience conversion, and to recognize that armed conquest, expansionism, and imperialism have nothing to do with the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. Nothing to do with the Risen Lord, who in Gethsemane told his disciples to reject violence, to put the sword back in its place, since those who live by the sword will die by the sword (Mt 26:52), and who, cutting short every objection, simply said: “Enough!” (cf. Lk 22:51). – Vatican News, June 30, 2022:

“In our complex and violent world, it is truly a formidable undertaking to work for peace by living the practice of non-violence!” – World Day of Peace: Nonviolence: A Style of Politics for Peace, 2017

Speaking to all religious leaders in 2017, in ‘Pathways to Peace’, he said “we also have a special responsibility to be and to live as people of peace, bearing insistent witness that God detests war, that war is never holy, and that violence can never be perpetrated or justified in the name of God. We are likewise called to trouble consciences, to spread hope, to encourage and support peacemakers everywhere. –

Francis does not let anyone off the call – older age included:

“Old age is no time to give up and lower the sails, but a season of enduring fruitfulness: a new mission awaits us and bids us look to the future.” Message of the Holy Father Francis for the Second World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly (24 July 2022).

Pope Francis launched an impassioned plea for nations to set aside war and the threat of nuclear destruction. “…there is no occasion in which a war can be considered just. There is never a place for the barbarism of war, especially not when contention acquires one of its most unjust faces: that of so called ‘preventive wars.’” The choice to follow the path of nonviolence and continued existence, concluded Pope Francis, lies with us.

When asked about an encyclical on nonviolence, Pope Francis replied” “Yes, the plan exists, but the next Pope will do it… There are other projects on the back burner. One of them is on peace. It’s maturing. I feel I will do it when the time comes. …I don’t feel ready yet to write an encyclical on non-violence, I have to pray a lot and find the way.”

So now we wait or rather call on Pope Leo and I don’t think he needs much encouragement judging by his first words on being elected “Peace be with you all”.

On May 30, 2025, Pope Leo XIV issued a powerful call for nonviolence as a way of life, urging individuals and communities to resist the global surge of hostility. Addressing over 300 peace movement representatives gathered in the Vatican, the Pope declared that “nonviolence, as a method and a style, must characterise our decisions, our relationships, our actions.” This audience marked the one-year anniversary of the “Arena of Peace” gathering in Verona, where Pope Francis met with these same groups in May 2024.

Building on that momentum, Leo XIV, already known for his pastoral clarity and cultural sensitivity, offered a deeply human reflection on the moral imperative of peace: “There is too much violence in the world, too much violence in our societies,” he said, listing war, terrorism, human trafficking, and a broader “culture of aggression” that permeates daily life. In contrast, he stressed that children and young people “need experiences that teach them the value of life, dialogue, and mutual respect.”

In his remarks, the Pontiff elevated those who suffer injustice yet refuse vengeance. These witnesses, he said, are “the most credible protagonists of nonviolent peace-building.” He emphasised the need for “a different way of life — nonviolent at its core,” and challenged attendees to embody that in everyday choices.

Quoting his predecessor Francis, Leo XIV noted that peace begins by “standing with the victims and seeing from their perspective.” This outlook, he said, can disarm hearts, change minds, and expose the injustices of systems “that kill and are built on a throwaway culture.”

He also invoked St. John Paul II’s teaching that peace “is an indivisible good: it is either for everyone, or for no one,” highlighting the communal dimension of true peace. Acknowledging the long road peace requires, Leo XIV added that conflicts should not be ignored or erased, but rather “recognised, embraced, and endured together.”

The pope’s vision, grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, reaches beyond the Church’s walls. “The Gospel and the Church’s social doctrine can serve as a meaningful compass for everyone — believers and non-believers alike.” Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching | USCCB

The most poignant moment came when Leo XIV honoured two audience members: Maoz Inon, an Israeli whose parents were killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, and Aziz Sarah, a Palestinian whose brother was killed by the Israeli military. The Pope recalled their public embrace in Verona — a gesture of courage and reconciliation that moved the crowd to applause. “That moment remains a sign of hope,” he said. In a world overwhelmed by conflict, Pope Leo XIV offers a counter current — rooted in dignity, courage, and the conviction that peace is a disciplined act of love.

And finally in July 2025 in a message to participants in Pax Christi USA’s annual National Assembly, a conference focused on “Reclaiming the power of nonviolence in a broken world”, Pope Leo says “efforts to promote nonviolence are all the more necessary” in a world facing the challenges including war, division, and forced migration.

“In the midst of the many challenges facing our world at this time, including widespread armed conflict, division among peoples, and the challenges of forced migration, efforts to promote nonviolence are all the more necessary. Pope Leo invited participants to recall that “after the violence of the Crucifixion, the Risen Christ’s first words to the Apostles offered peace,” a peace that is “unarmed and disarming, humble and persevering”.

“Jesus continues to send His followers into the world to become creators of peace in their daily lives”. Therefore “it is all the more important for a Church capable of reconciliation to be present and visible” in parishes, neighbourhoods, and especially on the peripheries of society. Pope Leo expressed his hope that the National Conference would inspire members of Pax Christi USA to work to make their local communities “‘houses of peace’ where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished”.

By doing so, he said, “you will enable many more people to embrace Saint Paul’s invitation to live at peace with their brothers and sisters”.

So now we call on Pope Leo to issue a much needed and urgent encyclical on nonviolence, maybe it is already in preparation!

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INNATE is pleased to publish input on nonviolence from religious or secular viewpoints and contributions have included reflections from Buddhist and Jain perspectives. This valuable contribution on nonviolence in the Catholic tradition, with relevance to others, is from long time peace and green activist Sylvia Thompson in Co Kerry.

Children’s rights in Ireland

Nonviolent News, Readings, , ,

Note of Panel Discussion held in Birr Library, 16th August 2025:

From Cáin Adomnáin to Today – Exploring the Evolution of Children’s Rights in Ireland

by Caroline Hurley

Background

For Heritage Week 2025, the Museum of Childhood Ireland/Músaem Óige na Éireann, teamed up with Birr Library to create a series of exhibitions, workshops and a panel discussion. Entitled Seen And Heard, under the theme, Exploring Our Foundations, the project traced the story of children’s rights in Ireland from Cáin Adomnáin to the present day.

Key among the activities hosted was the Seen and Heard Panel Discussion, ‘From Cáin Adomnáin to Today – Exploring the Evolution of Children’s Rights in Ireland’, from 1.30 to 3.00pm Saturday 16 August 2025. The panel consisted of historians and children’s rights advocates describing and discussing children’s rights from early Irish law to present day protections and future ambitions.

Location choice was not accidental. Birr, Co Offaly became the birthplace of one of the world’s earliest child protection (and international humanitarian) laws – the fascinating Cáin Adomnáin, written in 679 AD. Also known as the Lex Innocentium (Law of Innocents*), Cain Adomnáin dates back to the Synod of Birr in 697 AD. The law gave protection to women, children, clerics and other non-arms-bearing people in time of strife, and was the first such known law in the history of Western Europe, if not the world. A copy of the book, Cáin Adomnáin, illustrated by artist Caroline Conway, is on permanent display in Birr Library.

The event was filmed, for viewing soon on the museum’s website. Irish Sign Language interpreters accompanied speakers. The panel was co-chaired by Eoin Murphy, youth rights citizen advocate; and Marie Baker, former Supreme Court judge with experience in Constitutional law relating to children, now Electoral Commission Chair.

Four panellists took part. Based in Birr, Dr James W. Houlihan is a retired solicitor and historian whose doctoral research culminated in the critically-acclaimed book, Adomnán’s Lex Innocentium and the Laws of War (Four Courts Press, 2020), a detailed exploration of Adomnán’s Text (currently out of print but queued for reprint.) Combining his legal expertise with rigorous historical scholarship, Houlihan situates this early medieval Irish code within the broader evolution of children’s rights.

Donnah Sibanda Vuma works for Limerick based NGO, Doras; supporting and promoting the rights of migrants in Ireland, and has particular concerns about the direct provision system. Donnah is currently undertaking a Masters in Peace and Development Studies.

Eamonn Carroll has practised as a family lawyer for over 30 years, championing child rights in the courts. A longtime family mediator, he spearheaded the establishment of Collaborative Practice for family law in Ireland.

Formerly of the Migrant Rights Center Ireland who organised Young, Paperless and Powerful, a creative youth project for undocumented young people, Mairéad McDevitt is a Dublin based Youth & Community worker and youth migrant rights consultant, focusing on those impacted by immigration policies.

Panel Presentations

Chairperson of Museum of Childhood Ireland, Majella McAllister opened the event, thanking about thirty people present for coming. She outlined elements and goals of ‘Seen and Heard’; the first event on Birr’s Heritage Week programme; fittingly, given the town as birthplace of Cáin Adomnáin/Lex Innocentium. She outlined objectives of the Museum of Childhood Ireland, designed according to United Nations principles, open to citizen participation, and putting into practice the ideal of cherishing all equally. The Museum serves both Irish people and the diaspora. She conveyed apologies from former children’s ombudsman and museum board member, Emily Logan.

Chair Marie Baker introduced James W. Houlihan, world expert and author on the Cáin Adomnáin text, whose subject matter of noncombatant rights and protections during war was not really formally developed again until the twentieth century.

James welcomed everyone to Birr. He framed Cáin Adomnán, translated as the Law of Adomnán, known also as Lex Innocentium, as a child protection measure introduced thirteen centuries ago. Contemporaneous Irish Annals refer to the text and enrolment ceremony. From Donegal, Adomnán was the ninth abbot of Iona, after St. Columba who founded the monastery there. Adomnán used his influence to persuade church and lay leaders to come to Birr to agree his inspired law on the glorious occasion of the 697 Synod convened by him.

The list of guarantors , all of whom probably attended, survives. At the top of the secular list is then Irish High King, Loingsech mac Óengusso, followed by 50 lesser kings. Bishop of Armagh, Fland Feblae mac Scandlin, heads up the list of 40 ecclesiastic leaders. These luminaries, about one hundred, are presumed to have gathered at the gates of St. Brendan’s Monastery, (now in ruins) bordering Emmett Square near Birr library. Remarkable in intent, substance, and delivery, the law was conceived to defend the defenceless, the non-arm-bearing non-combatants; to assure immunity to the harmless and innocent. Relevance to the current moment, in Gaza, Ukraine etc. is glaringly obvious.

Mankind’s humanity was now being commemorated, particularly relating to children, because Adomnán took a radical initiative in what was then an incredibly inegalitarian and hierarchical society where authoritarian kings were unquestioningly obeyed. Dr. Houlihan sketched the social and legal situation in 7th century Ireland. The Brehon Laws applied, with inequitable rules and restitutions linked to status, except when it came to children up to seven years old, who, whether progeny of king or commoner, received equal legal protection.

Also, when an adult female was killed, a significant penalty had to be paid, in contrast to all males over seven, requiring little or none. These rule outliers gave Adomnán enough to make the case that penalties should also be paid for boys killed until they reached manhood. He was able to convince prominent social figures, expected to hold entrenched views and enmities, to change their minds. Historical research confirms that this is the first such law of its kind, prefiguring the Geneva Convention, to be promulgated in Europe and perhaps in the world. As lawmakers flurry to revise shortcomings emerging in international law, the importance of Cáin Adomnáin grows even greater as a foundation stone to build on.

The chair then asked Eoin Carroll to sum up developments in children’s law. He expressed delight at being present, while starkly aware of the theme’s relevance to ongoing global conflicts. Progress had steadily been made away from harsh Victorian statutes, such as corporal punishment, especially with the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Having it written down makes a difference. Eventually Ireland began to draft parallel laws, such as the children’s rights referendum resulting in a 2012 Constitutional amendment prioritising children’s own voices and best interests.

Work in court had changed a lot. The Children’s Rights Alliance did great work. Judges and other parties were receiving appropriate training, resulting in better understandings and outcomes. Disputes about child custody heard in district courts were complex. Authority was giving way to flexibility and support. Court representation for children is now routine, although children in care, especially those with special needs, disabilities, and Travellers, are still often let down by inadequate services. Frequently, agencies have to be pressurised and cajoled into providing services children are entitled to. Accountability generally works, for example, when the court requires named service providers to appear in court. The problem now is not process but availability of resources, impeding implementation of rulings.

Next, the chair introduced Donnah Sibanda Vuma, child advocate who, after coming through Ireland’s international protection system with three children in 2014, brought first-hand knowledge to her role. She commended Ireland’s stance championing children’s rights; less so, failures to enact those rights. She warned that marginalised children were being excluded, and left behind which, in light of Ireland’s history of institutionalisation, was alarming. Would detention centres be condemned in future like Magdalene Laundries? To prevent this, she suggested being ambitious, going for true equality so that no child would ever face street or structural violence, and the most vulnerable would never be abandoned between child protection cracks, as happens to this day.

Mairéad McDevitt agreed that there was a disconnect between laws and process, and how they play out in children’s lives i.e. provisions fall short to address poverty, overcrowding, health needs etc, imperilling safe dignified existences. Today’s legal framework only covers some children. Citing migrants, she demonstrated that migration is very common. Nearly everyone does it at some point. A mindset conflating migration with impermanence leads to assumptions damaging for children, because residency status determines futures and ability to plan. Migrants, especially those undocumented, have fewer options, more obstacles. Destructive features of the family reunification policy ignore circumstances, hampering adjustment. Wealthy Ireland is not rushing to fix these issues. The EC legal framework adds to challenges by not accounting for socio-economic realities like homelessness, which leaves children in dangerous vulnerable places. Statutes are easy; incarnating them, not so much. Ramifications are very serious for children impacted.

The chair noted that the citizenship referendum set progress back, with paternalism remaining in the system, but in any case, the court could not be held responsible for all failures.

Panel Discussion & Close

A discussion then took place about what could be done to improve matters. Suggestions included: adopting the Lundy model, ensuring children have choices, agency, and spaces to play, listening that isn’t just a box-ticking exercise; informing and educating all parties and the public; instituting child and family approaches cross-departmentally for all policies; harnessing political will which not only drives narratives but determines systemic results; creating opportunities to talk and reduce hate; and service auditing, which proves effective.

The chair said that children need to know that rights come with obligations, for example, if the voting age was reduced to 16, a controversial topic open to political manipulation. The chair said the youth have been left a mess to clean up. At least reports of the Ombudsman show they were listening. and the role was advancing, including more recommendations on homelessness, IPAS (International Protection Accommodation Services), and other urgent hindrances. On that note of hope, the event was brought to a close.

Related Activities

Concomitantly in the library, a thought-provoking exhibition created by the Museum of Childhood Ireland, working with artist Fergal McCarthy, explored the history of children’s rights in Ireland. This work incorporated school visits with children in Birr and Dublin and workshops with local Birr groups Biorra le Gaeilge and Elm Grove House, IPAS Centre and was carried out using the Lundy Model of participation. Open to adults and children of all ages, the exhibition highlighted fascinating children’s rights milestones through imaginative and curiosity-sparking drawings by the artist and collaborating groups. Creative drop-in workshops with the artist were held through the week. A specially-created suitcase—filled with interactive games and hands-on activities about children’s rights— stayed with the exhibition in Birr Library until Saturday 23 August, offering ongoing opportunities for discovery and engagement throughout Heritage Week.

Endnotes

*On 21 September 2024, International Day of Peace, Lex Innocentium 21st Century was launched in Birr and Lorrha as a new people’s or popular law on war, based on the original 697 CE law enacted in Birr at the Synod instigated by Adomnán, abbot of Iona, as reported here – https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/2024/10/01/news-october-2024/

Author’s reflection: law and money only go so far. Auditing and accountability as mentioned engage commitment and action, while fairness and kindness improve everything making disappointments tolerable. Regaining humanity is the shared universal necessity.

Billy King: Rites Again, 332

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Billy King shares his monthly thoughts

Hello again, summer doesn’t be long in going in, and before you know it again it is autumn and those autumn schedules. Well, the mysteries of time have still to be properly unravelled and all we can do is make the most of the time it is and the time we have. But I hope you had a pleasant time of it and time out over the summer. And it’s time for my first Colm of the autumn….

All the presidents, men and women

The post of President of Ireland comes up for filling in November as Michael D finishes his second term – with a presidential election before then. Let’s hope we get someone at least half as good. It is a largely symbolic role but that symbolism took on a much more dynamic character under Mary Robinson, the first woman president, elected in 1990, and it was built on by Mary McAleese and Michael D Higgins himself (he who, when Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht was the subject of a Saw Doctors’ song “Michael D, Michael D, Up on your bikeldy, Michael D Higgins, Up in the Dáil…..”) While party political support has been important in the victory of the last three presidents, most voters have looked for more than that.

Prior to Mary Robinson the role of president was essentially for retired – and tired – political figures though the very first President, Douglas Hyde, was primarily an academic and Irish language advocate, and significantly, a Protestant (as was Erskine Childers, president from 1973 until be died in 1974). Eamon de Valera was president for two full terms (1959-73), way past when he was physically capable of playing the role – he was 90 and in very poor health for some time when he retired (the exiting Michael D is 84 but still energetic enough). The ‘Hernia’ satirical page at the back of ‘Hibernia’ magazine marked Dev’s 90th birthday with the headline “De Valera at 90” and below that “Vroom, vroom, vroom!”

As to who will emerge as next president, well, the game is quite open and many names are floated but with intense scrutiny of candidates these days, their deeds and misdeeds, and it being easy to slag someone off, it is a brave or foolhardy person to put their name forward (I put Michael Flatley and Conor McGregor in the latter category of ‘foolhardy’, both unlikely to get the necessary support to appear on the ballot paper, and McGregor a civil case defined rapist – no thank you to him even being on the ballot paper).

Heather Humphreys, a former Fine Gael TD and Minister, is emerging as the likely candidate from the Fine Gael stable and as a Monaghan Prod, her grandfather signed the 1912 Unionist Solemn League and Covenant, she would be an interesting choice and a conservative with relatively broad support. However from a progressive peace and neutrality point of view it would be impossible to beat the credentials and views of Catherine Connolly, Galway West TD, and a plain spoken supporter of equality, inclusion and both peace and neutrality and opposition to NATO. It is all to play for yet.

Discerning the truth got rather more difficult

Two British colonels were captured by the Russians while on the ground directing Ukrainian military operations. This story started circulating some weeks ago and names and a picture were provided. There was just one problem with this story. It wasn’t true and the picture was a poor AI generated image. The names provided didn’t appear anywhere on British military records.

The first thing to say is that the story could have been true. What various western countries are doing to support Ukraine, beyond the obvious, is anybody’s guess. And if you look at what the British state got up to in Northern Ireland during the Troubles – within its own jurisdiction – then anything is possible; running a list of agents as long as a plethora of arms (or armaments?) with many of them recruited, presumably, through blackmail, even running a laundry, the Four Square Laundry, to gather intelligence when picking up and dropping off, and, handily, to be able to test clothes for any incriminating evidence; the Military Intelligence Museum website refers to it only covering ‘catholic’ areas. And to quote another account ““We were not there to act like an army unit, we were there to act like a terror group,” said one unidentified former member of the MRF* who didn’t disclose his name out of concerns for his safety.” https://www.coffeeordie.com/article/four-square-laundry-service *British Army unit the Military Reaction Force.

The old saying of truth being the first casualty in war is true as far as it goes but civilians including children are first, and probably last, casualties too. Propaganda is nothing new, e.g. at the start of the First World War stories about the Germans butchering Belgian babies (the label ‘Catholic’ added for Irish benefit) – there were German atrocities but magnified well beyond the truth by the Allies. But with social media just one person can start a lie/rumour and it can go viral very fast.

But let’s look at the above story about the colonels. Suppose there were British colonels captured by the Russians while fighting with Ukraine. Suppose they were secret agents who, while previously openly in the military had been ‘retired’ and given new identities. Suppose when they were captured the British secret services deliberately manufactured dodgy looking AI images of them so any discerning person would immediately assume the story was false. The possibilities are endless, particularly in the era of social media and AI.

We know some of the dastardly deeds that Russian forces and the Russian state get up to in Ukraine. But we also know that the Nord Stream gas pipelines sabotage in the Baltic in 2022, initially blamed on the Russians, was done by others (e.g. pro-Ukrainian). We simply don’t get to hear about all the activities the US, UK and NATO are doing to destabilise Russia, and you can be sure they are at it. We hear in the likes of the mainstream Irish media about the presence of dodgy Russian ships around the seas of Ireland – but not about dodgy NATO ones, here or around Russia We are fed only a fraction of the picture and propaganda gets more sophisticated all the time. And in some ways like in Russia, most people don’t read between the lines.

Discerning the truth has got more difficult and requires time, thought and investigation…but with social media a story like the British colonels one can get legs and be over the horizon before we have cottoned on that it is fake.

Unionist support for British militarism

I find it sad the way Northern unionists, the vast majority anyway, support British militarism without question. I know unionism tends to be right of centre but it seems obsessive to me. There are many positive British values that could be actively supported like Nye Bevan’s universal health service policy (not his anti-anti-nuclearism of 1957!) or some British policies and practice on multiculturalism (now seemingly in a sad state), and lots of British culture worth immersing in. Going back in time the DUP wanted Cruise missiles based in Norn Iron cos Britain was getting them. It all seems so sad in a society which suffered from armed conflict for three decades from around 1969 onwards – how can you wish what was inflicted on you on people in other countries and in much greater measure?

Unhelpfully in a variety of ways, it seems British politicians of all shades regularly use arms production in Northern Ireland as a means try to keep unionists sweet. For example, Ben Lowry reported, and commented on (News Letter online 16/8/25), a visit by Rachel Reeves, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, where she is quoted “Ms Reeves said: “Northern Ireland is brimming with talent and ambition, from cutting-edge film studios to world-class defence manufacturing.” She said that the investments she announced were a “turning point”, adding: “Every pound we invest here supports good jobs, strengthens our economy, and boosts the United Kingdom’s standing on the world stage, with Northern Ireland at its heart.”

Ben Lowry went on to say “Last year, the influential centre-right think tank, Policy Exchange which is based in Westminster, issue a report that said that Northern Ireland is key to addressing the UK’s security concerns. The document called for the UK government to expand its naval and air presence in NI for “maritime patrol missions against Russian intrusion”. It also urged the UK and its regional partners to unite and “up the ante” in pressing Dublin to do its “fair share for collective security”. The then prime minister Rishi Sunak said that he would be “delighted” to examine the report and added: “I have seen, with my own visits, the vital role that Northern Ireland is playing through the location of firms like Thales and Harland and Wolff.” “

Lowry went on, in the typical militarist and British right wing fashion, to accuse the Republic of “defence freeloading”. Yes, the Republic should be doing much more on international peace and security but certainly not by dishonestly ending the Triple Lock on deployment of troops and getting as close to NATO as it possible can. Ireland’s role is ( = should be) to be a peace builder and peace maker – not a bit part player in the militarisation games of NATO and the EU. Security for Ireland comes from building peace not upping the militarist ante. And there is such a thing, in military related terminology, as ‘non-offensive defence’, aside from the possibilities of civilian based defence and planned nonviolent resistance which the 2023 Irish state-run Consultative Forum on International Security Policy refused to examine.

Flegs again

Flags including national flags can mean many things. The feeling is very different between a flag placed outside a house in a Nordic country for someone’s birthday and a flag – mainly loyalist but to some extent republican* ones too, in Norn Iron. Being resident in Norn Iron I felt (uncomfortably) ‘right at home’ when visiting the West Bank/Palestine some years ago and seeing the Star of David flags of Israeli settlers. Both tend to be marking territory, or claiming territory, in a not too subtle way. * While Irish tricolour flags are used in Northern Ireland, also to claim territory and proclaim identity, there isn’t the same culture of blanket flag raising on the Catholic/Nationalist side of the house.

While we should all be internationalists first, and nationalists with a very small ‘n’ second, pride in one’s country can be a positive thing – pride in ‘our’ culture and traditions – though not all traditions are pride-worthy and we need to be critical where ‘our’ country falls short on equality, human rights and relating to the world. Right wing nationalism and ethno-nationalism have been making strides and not just in the West – think of Hindu ethno- or religious nationalism in India.

And now we have the Northern Irelandisation of England with Union and especially St George’s flegs going up in abundance. Of course this is denied to be a racist action, and for some people they may not see it that way, but the overall effect is certainly that – England for ‘the English’, and that defined in a narrow way. For the far right it is a way to move their agenda forward in a seemingly ‘acceptable’ way. The pictures make me feel it is just like the oppressiveness of Norn Iron political culture.

Meanwhile the report of a commission on ways forward on issues to do with flags, emblems, culture and tradition in the North, with some very sensible analysis, has sat firmly and securely on the shelf since its completion in 2019 and publication in 2021. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-59266116 and https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/publications/commission-flags-identity-culture-and-tradition-final-report It is another unfortunate illustration of the ineffectiveness of the Stormont Assembly on many issues where the 2+ sides can’t agree, and even some where they could if they faced reality (e.g. acting effectively to save Lough Neagh).

A flag on display is not a neutral object, it is an object that can be used in a thousand different ways. Overall I wish the support for fleg waving would flag. Some of the answers are blowing in the wind. But the issues involved, like flags left up for some time, leave society in the North ragged, torn and dishevelled, and stuck up a pole with difficulty in getting down.

–

Well there we go, that’s me for now and I hope you are prepared physically and mentally for autumn and winter and whatever they throw at you, which I hope won’t be too much. And however mad Ireland is you can be sure there are at least as bizarre, or bizarrer [That’s not a word – Ed] [It is now, say it out loud cos it sounds a bit bizarre – Billy] things going on elsewhere, like the guy in England arrested for sporting a ‘Plasticine Action’ t-shirt after the banning of Palestine Action under terrorism legislation – doesn’t sound like the police were modelling very good behaviour……or shooting the messenger when D Trump fired the head of an official US statistics bureau when he didn’t like the job figures given…..there are lies, damn lies, and Donald Trump.

September can still be a very pleasant month, weatherwise, in our neck of the woods, and with global warming winters aren’t as cold as they use to be either. In the damp cold of an Irish winter you may not notice too much difference though. Anyway, it is only the start of autumn, and there is plenty of time for you can catch a falling leaf and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day (to marvel at its construction and the passing seasons). Meanwhile International Day of Peace comes up on 21st September and International Day of Nonviolence on 2nd October – a useful hook to hang an event on if you are thinking of anything. I’ll be back next month with another dose of thoughts, until then, Billy. l

News, August 2025

Nonviolent News, ,
  • 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.

Eco-Awareness with Larry Speight: Devouring the future

Eco-Awareness, Nonviolent News, ,

Aside from the exceedingly disturbing daily news coverage about the ongoing genocide in Palestine, Putin’s war on Ukraine and the occasional account on the war in Sudan in which an estimated 24.6 million people are suffering acute hunger, are the regular reports of the dismal state of the health of the biosphere. The most recent one to get media attention is the ‘State of the UK Climate 2024’ by the UK Met Office which states that the extreme weather we have experienced on these islands over the last few years is the new norm.

Among its findings is that the UK climate has been warming at approximately 0.25 C per decade and the last three years have been amongst the warmest on record. Winters are getting wetter, the leaf-season is getting longer, frosty days are becoming fewer, severe storms and flooding have become more frequent and the rise in the sea-level is accelerating. The Met Office says that 2025 is on track to be the warmest since records began in 1884. So far this year there have been three extended periods of exceedingly hot weather and large parts of the Republic of Ireland and the UK are experiencing drought with restrictions placed on the use of water.

Bad as this weather is for our health, farming, biodiversity, personal convenience and finances the young of today will in future years likely look back on this decade as a period of mild weather and good living. This is because scientific studies suggest that the warming world is going to lead to the collapse of ecosystems and thus the global economy including agriculture as we know it.

The science-based expectation is that by 2070, which is within the expected life-span of many alive today, one third of the planet will be uninhabitable which means that three billion people will have nowhere to live. While most of these people are in the global south, what was once called the Third World, they also live in our own archipelago.

Factors that will account for the loss of habitable land include drought and the rise in sea level caused by the melting of glaciers, the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and ocean thermal expansion. According to the high-level emission scenario, which given the steady rise in the outpouring of global warming gases is more likely than the medium and low-level emission scenarios, the sea level is projected to rise by over 100 cm by 2100, with, as the UK Met Office graph shows, a rapid rise occurring after 2050.

The predicted rise in sea-level will render every coastal village, town and city on this island uninhabitable as well as settlements build by major rivers. Unlike in the story of Noah’s Ark there will be no place of refuge, no place we can paddle or sail to as most countries will suffer a similar loss of habitable land if not caused by the rise in sea level then by prolonged drought. In some cases the loss will be due to both.

What is utterly bewildering is why in knowing that the only outcome there can be from our consumer-based way of life is the creation of an inhospitable world that is unable to provide sustenance for our children are we so set on hurrying towards this catastrophe? The horror of which could be said to be depicted by Francisco de Goya’s 19th century painting of Saturn devouring his son (on display in the Museo de Prado, Madrid).

The truth is we are Saturn in that through our sense of entitlement, love of convenience and ravenous appetite for goods and experiences, underpinned by the religious-like belief in continual economic growth, we are devouring our children’s future. We are gobbling-up all the food on the table leaving nothing for those you will come after us.

A plausible explanation for the disconnect between our behaviour and its unpleasant outcomes, which many millions are experiencing today in the form of extreme weather events and chronic poverty is that we often fail to see the world as it actually is. As Leor Zmigrod points out in her book The Ideological Brain (2025) “We comprehend only a fraction of reality and neglect its entirety.” (p.170) This is largely due to the fact that we overlook inconsistencies and irrationalities that challenge our view of the world.

Aware of it or not many people are prone to screen out, downplay and ridicule information that undermines their worldview including religious beliefs they might hold. In wishing to maintain the imagined integrity of an outlook some will go as far as telling themselves that in particular circumstances 2 + 2 = 7. In politics and business this can take the form of telling oneself that although a certain type of behaviour is immoral it is warranted. This might be selling weapons, or allowing the transfer of weapons, to a government that is committing genocide. Or it might be lobbying for the opening of a mine that will ruin habitat, farm land and poison rivers and aquifers. It includes fly-tipping and throwing litter out of car windows.

As reality can be what we conceive it to be as illustrated by the case of seeing an object or animal on a dark night as something other than what it is, we as a society have opted to believe that the meaning of life is to be found on shop shelves, owning a large bulky personal vehicle, having a beach-holiday, wearing the latest fashion or having whatever we think confers prestige and thus allows us to feel that we are significant and live meaningful lives.

Yet, if we don’t awaken to the negative consequences of how we live our descendants will regard us as either villains or completely deluded. How, they will ask, did we with our technological inventiveness, amazing management skills, ability to create artistic wonders and immense capacity for compassion allow ourselves to believe in the fairytale of unlimited economic growth without catastrophic consequences. 


	

	
	

		
			



							


	

		
				

			News, July 2025
		

		
		

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Invest NI funds arms production including F-35s….as used in Gaza


This detailed and shocking 30-page report by Act Now on ‘Invest NI, F-35s and Israel: Public Money for War Crimes?’ is available at https://www.actnowni.org/invest-ni-f-35s-and-israel-public-money-for-war-crimes-report As the report states “Invest NI used nearly £20 million of public money to fund four NI-based companies who produce components for the F-35 programme…….F-35s are being used by Israel to bomb and massacre Palestinians in Gaza.” The report includes looking at Invest NI’s lack of accountability and transparency, the firms involved, and concludes by mentioning a forthcoming judicial review brought by a member of Cairde Palestine.


Deirdre Duffy the new CEO for FOE


Irish Friends of the Earth has a new CEO, Deirdre Duffy, who will take up the post in late August, replacing Oisin Coghlan who moved on from the post earlier this year. Deirdre Duffy is currently Director of Impact, Grants and Donor Care at Community Foundation Ireland; she was also Campaign Manager for Together for Yes, which successfully worked for the Repeal of the 8th amendment, and she also held senior roles in the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, drawing on her background as a civil rights lawyer.   An interview with her appears on the FOE website at https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/news/an-interview-with-our-new-ceo/


World Peace Gathering in Dripsey, Cork


From 18 – 20 July there is a 3 day gathering “uniting global voices for peace, healing, cultural exchange, and Indigenous wisdom” taking place at Dripsey Castle, Co Cork. It will feature indigenous leaders from the Americas and elsewhere “all joining with the Indigenous People of Ireland and European communities to walk a path of healing, solidarity, and shared purpose” and be “a call for Ireland to rise as a bridge between worlds, cultures, and peoples”. Further details at https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/world-peace-gathering-2025-tickets-1236838038869 As this approach is different to what most peace activists are familiar with, we asked Helen Henderson (not involved in organising the above) to write something about her approach in this area and her article, Duchas, appears in the email and web editions of this issue.


Corrymeela 60


Corrymeela has been planning a variety of events to mark its 60th anniversary – it was founded in 1965 and the only ‘pre-Troubles’ peace and reconciliation group in the North. There will be a residential reunion in late August for those who have been part of the Corrymeela story over the years, a special service in the Croi on 30th October, Dublin programme on 1st and 2nd November (held jointly with Glencree for their 50th anniversary and Dublin north inner city community). On Saturday 22nd November there will be a ‘Sounds Connected’ Fundraiser Concert featuring the premiere of ‘A Season to Sing’ in Belfast Cathedral. Look out for more details and you can sign up to receive the monthly Corrymeela newsletter on their website at https://www.corrymeela.org/


Amnesty International report on threats to journalists in NI


Northern Ireland is the most dangerous place in the UK to be a journalist and AI’s recent report “Occupational Hazard? Threats and violence against journalists in Northern Ireland” https://www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/occupational-hazard-protect-journalists-northern-ireland-report gives the details. The threats are from paramilitaries and organised crime groups. Research for the report revealed 71 incidents of threats or attacks on journalists in Northern Ireland since the start of 2019 – but that is only part of the picture. Recommendations in the report include coordination of state responses, effective investigations and prosecutions, home protection and police training.


AVP Ireland: 50 years of AVP internationally


Three members (Charming Claire, Dazzle Donna, and Gentle Jenny in the adjective naming style of AVP) represented AVP Ireland at the AVP 50th Anniversary Gathering in New York in May. “Over five inspiring days, they joined AVP facilitators from around the world to exchange best practices, reflect on AVP’s past, present, and future, and explore the evolving role of AVP International.” As Dazzle Donna reported “What stood out most were the testimonies of how AVP workshops have been adapted and delivered in a wide range of communities (prisons, youth, migrants, communities, justice systems) with each having their own unique challenges and strength. What unites all of these different settings is the belief in the power of experiential learning, deep listening and nonviolent communication to unlock empathy and change.” Meanwhile at home there have been over 180 participants workshops this year, and in the last quarter three Training for Facilitators workshops. Enquiries about volunteering with AVP welcome, see the website https://www.avpireland.ie/ or email info@avpireland.ie and there is a link to make financial donations to support the work on the website.


Equality Coalition report on local councils and equality in NI


“Screened Out Without Mitigation – Returning Equality in Northern Ireland to the Margins” is a new report, written by Robbie McVeigh,  from the Equality Coalition in Northern Ireland critically examines how Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils implement their statutory equality duties nearly three decades after the Good Friday Agreement and highlights serious gaps between equality obligations on paper and actual outcomes on the ground.  Findings include persistent inequalities in workforces, equality screening failures, misuse of equality mechanisms, and weak oversight. Recommendations are made on a centralised database, screening and reforming the interpretation of “good relations” to ensure it does not override equality obligations, among other points. See https://caj.org.uk/publications/reports/screened-out-without-mitigation-returning-equality-in-northern-ireland-back-to-the-margins/ The Equality Coalition is a civil society body with over a hundred NGO and trade union members. https://www.equalitycoalition.net/


CGE podcast: Joe Murray on peace, justice, demilitarisation


The Centre for Global Education’s ‘Reimagining Development’ podcast series includes one with Joe Murray, former coordinator of Afri, as he reflects on his career as an educator, activist and campaigner for social justice, peace and sustainability.  https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/cge-belfast/episodes/Peace–Justice-and-Demilitarisation-with-Joe-Murray-e31mjmo and CGE is at https://www.centreforglobaleducation.com/


Glencree


Glencree CEO Naoimh McNamee and Community & Political Dialogue Manager Pat Hynes were were in Zagreb in May invited by the Croatian Foreign Ministry to discuss issues arising after 30 years since the Dayton Accords that ended the Balkan wars. The team also shared Glencree’s experience of the Northern Irish peace process and implementation of the Belfast / Good Friday Agreement. Meanwhile Glencree’s podcast on their dynamic dialogue approach is available on their website at https://glencree.ie/resources/podcast-3/ where Barbara Walshe talks to Ian White, Geoffrey Corry and Pat Hynes abut this approach and its use in their work.


80 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki: PCI webinar


A recording of the recent Pax Christi International webinar marking 80 years since the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and looking at the commitment to nuclear disarmament and lasting peace, is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcaxUQkgoWE and runs for 99 minutes with speakers from different Pax Christi sections and from ICAN (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons). https://paxchristi.net/ https://www.icanw.org/


FOE continue data centres campaign


Irish Friends of the Earth are continuing their data centres campaign with astounding figures about data centre electricity, water and land use. They report that “With over 80 data centres currently, Ireland now accounts for 25% of the European data centre market. Data centres use a whopping 21 per cent of Irish electricity compared to an EU average of around 2 per cent (the next highest country is the Netherlands at 5 per cent).” This is more than all urban homes in the country and is forecast to grow to 30% by 2030; it also puts a huge demand on an area’s water supply. Half their energy comes from fossil fuels but they also gobble up renewable energy – “One data centre in Wicklow, Echelon, which is positioning itself to plug into the Arklow bank wind farm, is estimated to use 50% of all the renewables produced there.” Friends of the Earth is calling for a moratorium on new data centre developments and expansion until data centres can operate within climate limits, and wants strict limits on electricity consumption used by existing centres, not only new connections. Go to https://www.friendsoftheearth.ie/act/data-centres/ for more info.


The website of FOE in the North is at https://friendsoftheearth.uk/northern-ireland


All Island of Ireland Interfaith Gathering for Peace


This inclusive online gathering, organised by Dublin City Interfaith Forum and the Northern Ireland Interfaith Forum, takes place on Tuesday 16th September from 7.00 – 8.30pm. Facilitators are Adrian Cristea, Edwin Graham and Lynda Morissey. Details at https://tinyurl.com/3mkezh3s Source: Eco Congregation Ireland https://www.ecocongregationireland.com/


Input to Dáil Joint Committee on Defence and National Security


Input by Karen Devine, John Maguire, and Ray Murphy to the above committee and its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Defence Amendment Bill 2025 – intended by the government to remove the Triple Lock on deployment of Irish troops overseas, can be found at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_defence_and_national_security/2025-06-12/ and go to 27 minutes in.


l A letter from 409 academics to the Taoiseach, written in March this year, urging the retention of the Triple Lock can be read on the PANA website at https://www.pana.ie/posts/open-letter-from-irish-academics-on-triple-lock


Death of Sunny Jacobs


We regret to record the death of Sunny Jacobs and her carer, Kevin Kelly, in a house fire in Co Galway on 3rd June. Sunny was a well known humanitarian and human rights activist. See more at https://www.afri.ie/category/tribute-to-sunny-jacobs/ and through an online search.


INNATE’s posters on peace, green issues and human rights


A new A4 size mini-poster on the economic cost of militarism has been issued by INNATE; go to https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Cake-anti-militarist.pdf This is one in a set of over 120 mini-posters which are intended for home, school/college and office use and can easily be run off on a computer printer. https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/posters/

	

	
	

		
			



							


	

		
				

			Editorials: Might is right, Migration as a fact of life
		

		
		

			Editorials, Nonviolent News, , 					

	


		

		
Might is right…..down a rabbit hole


We previously covered in this space the extent to which the ‘rules based international order’ was and is a myth and flouted by ‘the West’. Recent events have further emphasised how rampant militarism – on the part of that very same ‘West’ with its supposed values – is dangerously out of control; think of Israeli and USA attacks on Iran, or NATO members committing to spending 5% of GDP on arms, armies and related ‘security’, an appalling waste which will cost humanity massively in a variety of ways. https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Cake-anti-militarist.pdf The sycophancy shown by Mark Rutte, head of NATO, congratulating Donald Trump after the USA bombed Iran beggars belief; there is no evidence Iran was about to get nuclear weapons (as even US ‘Intelligence’ attested) whereas the USA and Israel already have them. The lesson for many from this whole story is that if you want to avoid being bombed by the USA or Israel then you should develop nuclear weapons as fast as you can.


There are so many current factors in the world pointing to ‘danger’ that it is difficult to know where to begin. NATO countries are not, needless to say, committing 5% of GDP on green energy and avoiding catastrophic climate heating. Having promoted the idea of a Russian bogey man they are ramping up a militaristic response. Such military based ‘security’ is a total misnomer; it leads to ramping up an arms race and increased insecurity, at best, and at worst a possible culmination in war. Of course there are dangers from Russia, but the idea that Russia, China or Iran are the only dangers in the world flies in the face of what ‘the West’ is doing; it is the USA and the West that are more likely than anyone to be undertaking military actions. And ‘Western’ military actions this century in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have caused endless misery and instability – when will they ever learn?


In the Cold War between the USSR and ‘the West’, lies were told about an ‘arms gap’ and Russia’s military capabilities. This was used to justify further rearmament, especially by the USA. Something similar is happening today. Mark Rutte himself has pointed out that Russia’s economy is 25 times smaller than NATO member countries. The Russian economy may be on a ‘war footing’, and that may suit Putin politically, but it is difficult to sustain in the long term, even in a country which can, to date, politically sustain mass casualties. Russian deaths in the Ukraine war could be 250,000 with up to a million total casualties; Ukrainian figures could be up to 100,000 people killed and 400,000 total casualties – but accurate figures are almost impossible to come by.


Real security, human security, comes from dealing with health and wellbeing issues https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Human-security.pdf And there are no greater security issues than dealing with global heating and world poverty. For analysis of perceived ‘threats’, in this case in relation to France, see https://wri-irg.org/en/story/2025/who-threatening-who


Stepping back out of the militarist hole which Europe and ‘the West’ find themselves is difficult but achievable. The first point about being in a hole is to ‘stop digging’ – escalation of an arms race is in no one’s interest. Of course there are difficult decisions for Ukraine to make, and for Europe and the USA in relation to Ukraine, but continuing a stalemate war where Russia is gradually gaining ground is not an answer. Had the neutrality of Ukraine been guaranteed then we might not have been in this situation to begin with; militarist decisions have costs.


And effective Western backing, particularly by the USA but many EU states as well, of Israel as it engages in genocide against the people of Gaza is obscene. That hundreds of people have been killed simply trying to get food is an expression of the desperate situation Gazans are in, and Israel continues its general bombardment. The inhuman situation that exists in Gaza could be stopped by the USA tomorrow if it utilised its power and support for Israel for the good of all and not for its geopolitical ideology. And Europe’s failure to take any action is also reprehensible.


Migration as a fact of life


It would seem that, North and South of the border, we are into an era of periodic racist riots when someone originally from outside these shores has done, or is perceived to have done, something reprehensible. These riots are stoked by right wing anti-immigration activists or fanatics who are happy to use any excuse to attack migrants – no matter what their reason for ending up here or the role they play (e.g. fulfilling essential economic roles in society at all levels including in the health service). The most recent example of this phenomenon manifested itself most prominently in Ballymena where, without police action, migrants would likely have been burnt to death in their homes.


While there may be no figures to hand, there is no reason to suppose that the situation in Ireland is any different to the USA in regard to the level of crime committed by newcomers. In the USA that level is less than for those born in the country. However the crimes committed may be ones that are more visible, plus the colour of the person’s skin, may make illusions of migrant crime waves appear rampant. This is then exploited for racist and self-advancement reasons by rightwingers – including the current President of the USA.


We all come from somewhere else originally, at least our forebears did. The evolution of homo sapiens is complex but the most important migration on a worldwide basis is usually regarded as that out of Africa aeons ago, leaving Africans as the only people without Neanderthal DNA (and thus, if we were to follow racist thinking, the most advanced members of our species…). The Irish history of largely forced emigration – forced by colonialism and economic necessity – makes some on this island more aware of the realities of migration. But migration is essentially a natural phenomenon, ‘as natural as the wind’ https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Migration_swallow.pdf


Migration to both jurisdictions in Ireland has been a hugely positive experience in general for both economic and cultural reasons. The idea that Ireland is ‘full’ is laughable for a whole variety of reasons – including comparison with population densities elsewhere and the role of migrants in the economy in a relatively rich part of the world with an ageing population. However much work is needed to show the benefits that migrants bring and to allow them to be integrated as far as they want; many sporting and cultural organisations, as well as ordinary people, are engaged in this.


Migration being a natural phenomenon does not mean it should not be regulated. However the best way to alleviate forced migration is to work for and towards an end to global heating, for economic justice worldwide and avoiding violent conflicts and war. Everything else, in trying to control migration, is tinkering with the issue. There will always be people who want to try pastures new and better their situation. But the considerable majority of people would rather stay in their home environment or country if circumstances permit. However, tragically, if global heating continues at the rate it is going then current levels of forced migration will be only a drop in the bucket compared to what is to come.


The role of governments in both jurisdictions in combatting racism needs partly to be through dealing with social deprivation and exclusion within the native population. Part of the seedbed of racism is the perception that migrants and asylum seekers are receiving privileged support from the state; this may be totally untrue but in areas of considerable social and economic need it can feel true, and be used by racists to stir up support. This is another reason why dealing with social need and poverty cannot and should not be ignored but receive the needed resources.