Category Archives: Latest News

Hiroshima Nagasaki events, Dublin and Belfast, 5th & 6th August

 

– Irish CND is organising its customary commemorative ceremony in Merrion Square Park, Dublin

The ceremony will take place at the memorial cherry tree in Merrion Square Park, Dublin, at 1.10 pm on Thursday 6th August. There will be short speeches by Lord Mayor of Dublin Daryl Barron, Japanese Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission in Ireland, Mr Koji Hirohata, and Afri Board member, Dr Patrick Bresnihan (Maynooth University). 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.    http://irishcnd.blogspot.ie/  www.afri.ie

– There will be a commemorative lantern vigil held at the Big Fish/Donegall Quay/Lagan Weir in Belfast from 9.00pm – 11.30pm on Wednesday 5th August to mark the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and stand for nuclear disarmament today. ( Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann is on in Belfast at this time) Bring a lantern or failing that a candle in a jar. The event is organised by INNATE innate@ntlworld.com and see flyer at https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Hiroshima-Nagasaki-vigil-26.08.pdf Lantern vigils are being promoted by Pax Christi International https://paxchristi.net/lanterns-for-peace-from-hiroshima-to-the-world/ and this address includes instructions for making your own lantern……

Amhrán Lelia / Lelia’s Song

Marking Lelia Doolan’s walk for peace from Shannon to Dublin, John Maguire wrote this song –

MÚSCAIL DO NEODRACHT, A BHANBA!

AMHRÁN LELIA ( Fonn: ‘Trasna na dTonnta’)

Curfá:
Trasna na tíre ’tá Lelia ag siúl,
Saying ‘Farewell to fear, we’ll no longer be fooled;
Bunreacht na hÉireann is our golden rule:
Múscail do Neodracht, a Bhanba!’

Our Irish Peace Process was patiently built,
Hopefully helping out history tilt
Away from the cultures of hatred and guilt
Le casadh ó bhealach an díoltais.
Is Shannon a morally Duty Free Zone
For guns and rendition of ‘persons unknown’,
Where human compassion and conscience have flown?
Mo náire, mo náire, a Rialtais!

Curfá

Muintir na hÉireann, is leosan an cheist:
We’ve known occupation, and we’ve been oppressed.
Our way is not with the Big Guns of the West
Or with any who threaten and kill.
Idir Gaillimh is Gaza is láidir an téad;
Let our word be our bond, by refusing to trade
In goods by colonial settlers made:
It’s time for enacting that Bill!
Curfá

We salute the Blue Helmets on Lelia’s Walk,
And we aren’t overwhelmed by deceptive war-talk;
Is coir é an cogadh, rud soiléir do chách –
A lesson our leaders aren’t learning!
They made us a promise at Lisbon and Nice;
Can they now take it from us, and paint war as peace?
Níl gá le foréigean, níl gá le faitíos –
And meanwhile our planet is burning!

Curfá

Written by John Maguire, March 2026

For coverage of Lelia Doolan’s walk, do a word search…….

Neutrality and peace: Lelia Doolan – at 91! – walks from Shannon to Dáil, starting 31/3/26

Walk With Lelia – A Peace Walk Across Ireland – starting 31st March

Shannon – Cratloe – Limerick – Birdhill – Nenagh – Moneygall – Roscrea – Mountrath – Portlaoise – Monasterevin – Newbridge – Nass – Rathcoole – Dáil Éireann

At 91 years, Lelia Doolan has seen too much of the devastation caused by wars, apartheid and genocide.  She is donning her (ethically sourced!) walking shoes to blaze a trail from Shannon Airport to Dáil Éireann.

Joined by community groups and peace activists along the old road to Dublin, they will express the frustration, shame and anger felt by the many Irish stalwarts who have for over 30 years (since 1981), regularly protested at Shannon against the use of the airport by US military planes – whose personnel and cargos the Irish government refuses to inspect.

Starting on March 31st from Shannon Airport, the walk should arrive in Dublin around April 14th/15th.

The Irish government’s financial and political cap-tipping to the US government results in turning a blind eye to our obligations under international law, thus making itself complicit in the deaths of tens of thousands of children in Gaza and, most recently, in Iran.  It has also arrested, jailed and fined, and currently confines to Court censorship, many of its own citizens for their opposition to this current practice.

This is a walk for peace, for closing Shannon Airport to US military planes and personnel, for passing the Occupied Territories Bill, and for protecting our national neutrality from war mongers.

All are welcome to join for a step, a mile, a song!

Email walkwithlelia@proton.me for a sign-up form

Follow the walk on socials @walkwithlelia

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/walkwithlelia?igsh=eGlveXczdGFnYWVx

Upscrolled https://share.upscrolled.com/en/user/d02bcbbf-48a9-4052-90f2-e24423a03d3c/

– For coverage of the walk, do a word search, e.g. ‘Lelia Doolan walk’

Shannon #CloseBases Sunday 22nd February 2026

 

World Beyond War Global Weekend of Action against military bases is happening around the world this coming weekend, and specifically at Shannon airport this Sunday 22 February 2pm to 3pm. Further details can be found at this link,  https://worldbeyondwar.org/closebases/
US military abuse of Shannon airport destroys Irish neutrality and makes Ireland actively complicit in war crimes and genocide.  This event is also the monthly demonstration at Shannon against US military use of the airport as a de facto military base.

Frank Aiken lecture new date, 2nd April

There has been a change of date for the Frank Aiken Evening previously announced to take place on 27th March. This will now take place on Wednesday 2nd April. Full details:

The Legacy of Frank Aiken
The Role of Small Countries in Times of Danger and Uncertainty – An Evening of Talks and Discussion hosted by Lex Innocentium, 21st Century  and  The Irish School of Ecumenics

Wednesday, 2nd of April 2025, at 7.00 p.m.
Room G16, Loyola Building, Trinity College Dublin

Speakers (in order of presentations): Dr. Stephen Kelly, Head of the School of Humanities, Professor of Modern Irish History and British-Irish Relations, Liverpool Hope University;    Dr. Patrick Bresnihan, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, Maynooth University; Dr. John Maguire, Professor of Sociology Emeritus,University College Cork.

Lex Innocentium, 21st Century website is at https://lexinnocentium21.ie/

Ramin Jahanbegloo webinar on nonviolence and democracy

Canadian-Iranian political philosopher Ramin Jahanbegloo was in Northern Ireland in November 2024 and provided programme for Conflict Textiles, Ulster University Hume O’Neill Chair in Peace, and INNATE.

He spoke at an INNATE webinar on Nonviolence and Democracy Building on 28th November 2024. This was recorded and the video is available at https://youtu.be/sp0OJ8mH2fA?si=0GeaoahYVjGbwDYv     

The photo of Ramin Jahanbegloo below was taken in the Ulster University, Belfast, video suite at the start of the webinar

There is also a photo of Ramin Jahanbegloo at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/54213009123/in/dateposted/ when he was speaking on Nonviolence and Empowerment the same afternoon.

Building bridges, bridging gaps

This pamphlet by Belfast woman Laura Coulter reflects on her long and varied career in peacebuilding in Northern Ireland. Click on https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Laura-C-Building-Bridges-final-amended.pdf to download this 14 page pamphlet.

A variety of other pamphlets and broadsheets are available on the INNATE website at https://innatenonviolence.org/wp/pamphlets/