Cuireann An Phoblacht fáilte roimh litreacha ónár léitheoirí. Scríobh i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla, 200 focal ar a méid. Déantar giorrú ar litreachta más gá. Cuir do litir chuig [email protected]
An Phoblacht welcomes readers’ letters. Write in Irish or English, 200 words maximum. Letters may be edited for brevity. Send your letters to [email protected]. No attachments please

Unity seen on health march must be kept up

LAST Saturday I was one of the thousands of people who took part in the march for health rights organised by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Youth Section. I was surprised and delighted at the turnout but having been on a couple of marches in my time I’ve always noticed that the same political parties and organisations show up. The unity displayed while on protest marches only seems to last as long as the speeches, admittedly often a long time. Wouldn’t it be a bit more sensible if once the marches were over the same groups and parties continued to work together? By co-operating on the Agency Workers issue in the Dáil Labour and Sinn Féin have pointed a way forward. It’s time to keep that up.
RUÁN Mac CARTHAIGH,
Baile Átha Cliath 4

Ahern resignation

HAVING just heard the announcement of Bertie Ahern’s resignation I have no doubt a lot of comment in the media over the next few days will be on his legacy. Last Saturday, around 10,000 people took to the streets to protest the state of the health service. The week before the CORI Justice Commission revealed that nearly one in three households at risk of poverty in Ireland, almost three quarters of a million people, are headed by a person with a job.
This is Bertie Ahern’s legacy. Not the lawyer’s fees, blundering answers and acres of newsprint from Dublin Castle. But the hospital trolleys, record breaking levels of inequality and and children going to dilapidated schools with no breakfast.
TÁRLACH
Mac DIARMADA,
Ros Comáin.

Irish citizenship and the diaspora

THE REPUBLIC of Ireland is loosing its status as a nation-state. The Irish culture and heritage are taking a back-seat to multinational corporations being able to turn obscene profits for their shareholders that aside from a select few the majority of Irish will never benefit from.
Ireland needs to have a clear no-questions asked right of return citizenship policy, if one can prove bona fide ancestry leading back to what is presently the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland there should be automatic fully Irish nationality.
Irish-Americans (and also Irish-Canadians, Irish-Aussies, Irish-Kiwis,etc.) have put a lot of money and political effort into Ireland and it is unacceptable for Ireland to lock us out.
An Irish-American has far more right to be in Ireland than someone else whose country just happens to be a member of the European Union.
If Ireland is not prepared to do this then even if the island unifies, a truly Irish Republic is impossible to achieve.
ERIC HAFNER,
New Jersey, USA

Ellis’s role in resolution of Finglas bus issue

I WOULD like to commend you on last week’s article on the decision by Dublin Bus to withdraw the bus service to South and West Finglas over the Easter period following concerns about the safety of drivers.  As Chair of the Finglas Sinn Féin Cumann I would like to take the opportunity to commend Sinn Féin Councillor Dessie Ellis for the three-and-a-half-hour negotiations with the unions and Gardaí that he was involved in on Good Friday which brought about the resolution of this issue.  The local cumann are very proud of the role played by Dessie on this issue as well as his high profile stance in fighting for the rights of the people of Finglas in recent weeks.
Tony Duncan
Cathaoirleach  Clark-Smith-Doherty Cumman,
Finglas,
Dublin 11.