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Referendum posters a real nuisance

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As the seemingly never-ending Eight Amendment debate rumbles on, one aspect of the whole chaotic scene is a particular source of annoyance: the ubiquitous campaign posters. People on both sides are slating the other’s billboards and public adverts, with the Yes campaign especially critical of the alleged misinformation being spread by the Pro Life brigade. But, whatever about the content, it’s the sheer volume of these posters that I have a gripe with.

I recently travelled by road to Donegal and by the end of the trip I had the images seared into my brain. Foetus, YES, mother and child, Mary Lou McDonald, foetus YES, mother and child, Mary Lou McDonald. It was non-stop. I understand that it’s an important issue, but do we really need to be beaten over the head with it? One particular stretch of road near Kerry Airport has a row of posters that are so numerous and so close together that trying to read them would genuinely induce carsickness.

As I mentioned last week, I’ll be voting ‘yes’ but you would have to seriously question the thinking behind one of Sinn Féin’s ads. A big photo of Mary Lou McDonald’s head? As my father would say, what has that got to do with the price of milk? Maybe they’re trying to associate her face with the Yes campaign in the hopes that they’re on to a winner. It’s a bold move. And a strange one, too.

Then you have the whole issue surrounding the illegal removal of these signs. Labour say they put up around 80 ‘yes’ posters in Limerick over the past few weeks, and roughly half of those had been taken down. “This is just purely trying to suppress democracy and I would go so far as to say it smacks of fascism,” said Jan O’Sullivan TD.

Fianna Fáil TD for Waterford Mary Butler has also said that she had seen a "huge ‘no’ poster" torn down on the way to Dungarvan over the weekend.

"They cost a lot of money to put up. The tearing down of posters whether they are Yes or No is obviously not the right way to deal with this issue, people are entitled to put up their posters," she said.

Whatever about fascism or the law, the mysterious poster bandits might do us all a favour and take down the rest of them as well.

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Parnell commemorated in Beaufort on 125th Anniversary of Land League meeting

A special ceremony was held in Beaufort to mark the 125th anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s historic visit to the village in 1880, when the Irish nationalist leader addressed thousands […]

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A special ceremony was held in Beaufort to mark the 125th anniversary of Charles Stewart Parnell’s historic visit to the village in 1880, when the Irish nationalist leader addressed thousands at a pivotal land reform meeting.

The commemoration, which took place beside the Beaufort Bar, honoured the legacy of the former MP and founder of the Irish National Land League.
The original meeting was held in a field belonging to Patrick O’Sullivan and attracted a crowd of approximately 3,000, defying the orders of local landlord ‘The O’Mahony’ of Dunloe Castle, who had threatened eviction to any tenant who supported the gathering.
Padruig O’Sullivan, proprietor of the Beaufort Bar and a direct descendant of Patrick O’Sullivan, addressed attendees at the unveiling of a new monument to mark the occasion.
The stone was designed by renowned uilleann piper and artist Tomás O’Sullivan, who also composed a special piece of music titled Parnell’s Blackbird to honour the occasion.
The original 1880 meeting was reported in publications such as the ‘Dundalk Democrat’, which gave a vivid account of the powerful speeches delivered that day.

Extract from the Dundalk Democrat – May 1880

The meeting, held on Sunday, May 16, 1880 in Patrick O’Sullivan’s field south of the Beaufort Hotel, was arranged in defiance of local landlord ‘The O’Mahony,’ who warned tenants they would be evicted for taking part. Nevertheless, the turnout was overwhelming.
Parnell arrived by special train and travelled by carriage from Killarney with fellow MP ‘The O’Donoghue’. The two were met by a band and a large welcoming crowd. Police and a Government reporter were present, but the atmosphere remained peaceful and spirited.
Speakers rallied against the unjust land laws of the time. ‘The O’Donoghue’ praised Parnell as the “shining star” of Irish nationalism and stated that “Kerry desired that her meeting should partake of a national character.”
When Parnell spoke, he described it as “the largest land meeting he had attended since County Mayo” and declared the movement to reclaim Irish land as one of the greatest undertakings in Irish history. He condemned the laws that allowed landlords to evict tenants and seize food as rent payment, noting that 600,000 farmers were subject to the whims of just 10,000 landlords.
He called for legislative reform, including the suspension of evictions and Government-backed tenant purchase schemes, warning that if Parliament failed to act, “the people will do for themselves what the Legislature refuses to do for them.”
He concluded by proposing the first resolution.
“That in the opinion of this meeting, the eviction of occupiers of land for non-payment of rent arbitrarily fixed by the landlord is unjust, subversive of the true interests of the country and calls for the emphatic condemnation of all lovers of justice.”

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St Pauls sign American Maisie Burnham

Killarney’s Utility Trust St Pauls women’s basketball team has announced the signing of American player Maisie Burnham for the upcoming 2025/2026 season. The club, who performed strongly in the latter […]

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Killarney’s Utility Trust St Pauls women’s basketball team has announced the signing of American player Maisie Burnham for the upcoming 2025/2026 season.

The club, who performed strongly in the latter part of the recent season and reached the league final, is looking to build on that success.
Maisie Burnham, a 24-year-old, six-foot-tall guard from Spangle City, Washington, comes to Killarney with a strong playing record. During her time at Liberty High School, where she also played volleyball, she was a high-scoring player.
She then went to Eastern Washington University, where in the 2020/2021 season, she led the team in scoring with over 14 points per game, a record for a freshman player at the university.
Burnham later moved to the University of Portland, where her scoring average continued to improve, reaching a peak of 16.3 points per game in the 2024/2025 season.
Utility Trust St Pauls say they are looking forward to welcoming Maisie to Killarney well in advance of the new season.

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