Dúirt Siad...

Personnel should not wear or carry items that may identify them as UK servicemen when going ashore and should not make reference to their employment or nature of their visit. Military ID cards are not to be taken ashore. - Ken Foxe, Ireland on Sunday 9 July on advice given to British troops on board HMS Ocean, the British warship that docked in Dublin last week.

The Irish government have known who were responsible for over 30 years and allowed the British government to protect them and they ignored us for all that time. They failed to help their own citizens and instead helped those who killed their citizens. - Margaret English, daughter of Hugh Watters who was killed in the 1975 loyalist attack on Kay's Tavern, Dundalk, Daily Ireland 10 July.

The Orange Order applied for 2,000 Orangemen to parade out to Drumcree, then down the Garvaghy Road. Only 400 or so have turned up, so that obviously means that if they're not marching through a Catholic area the majority of the Orange Order don't want to know. Drumcree is a dead issue and it should be allowed to rest in peace. - Brendan Mc Cionnaith on the low turn out at Sunday's Drumcree Orange parade. The Irish Times 10 July.

David Tweed, a supporter of the 1996 loyalist blockade of Harryville Catholic Church, claimed in 1998 that the murders of the Quinn children that summer were not sectarian. - Susan McKay on sectarianism in Ballymena and the political role played in it by the DUP. The Irish Times, 11 July.

How things politically are in Paisley's heartland should act as a warning to those optimistic that good sense, and a recognition of the need for justice and equality, will prevail. - Susan McKay, The Irish Times, 11 July.

Damaging cracks emerged in the prospective Fine Gael-Labour coalition yesterday as the parties openly squabbled over their respective chances in next year's general election. - Fionnan Sheehan, confirms increasing evidence of incoherence in the 'coalition of the confused' Irish Independent, 11 July.