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THE FIANNA FÁIL leader has said that it would be “a disgrace” if the Taoiseach told a Northern politician that Stormont was “not our business”.
UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said earlier this week that Enda Kenny told him that “the Irish government’s role would not touch on internal Stormont issues”.
At the Cáirde Fáil dinner last night, Martin remembered Albert Reynolds and said that he would not have given such assurances.
“Neither he or any Fianna Fáil Taoiseach or minister who followed him would ever have agreed that the affairs of Northern Ireland are not our business. According to the Ulster Unionist Party leader this is the very assurance he was given by Enda Kenny last week.
“If it is true it is a disgrace and a direct abandonment of the dynamic central to every major achievement of the peace process.”
Martin also said that in the next election, there will be no “private deals” because of new rules in the party and claimed Fianna Fáil had ‘got Alan Shatter out of a job’.
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This is more about cheap political point scoring than any nationalistic concern. Anyone who believes otherwise is deluded
Martin is like a man at the gallows, liable to say anything to protect his political skin within fianna fail.
Fianna Fáil – the pretend republican party.
or a chara the small print ” Republican Party”
You delusional oul b”””’s martin, not that im a fan but mick wallace, and clare daly got shatter put out of a job you and your gang of snake oil salesmen only jumped on the bandwagon
And that is what they’re at now. Maybe I missed something but not a whimper about the North before, yet now they’re calling themselves ‘Republican’!
Not a SF supporter but some people are worried!
We in the South have enough problems let the North do their own thing the war is as good as over leave them alone.
WHERE DID MY COMMENT GO?
Well said Alan Scott, truthfully, what did the Republic ever gain from Northern Ireland other than a shed load of grief and a massive bill?. awaiting the red thumb avalanche :-)
partitionist Alan Scott…typical Fine Gael attitude
Im sure the catholics who fly the tri colour dont want to left alone and im sure sinn feinn have still hopes of a united Ireland its unionists who dont want us involved
If enda really believes he shouldnt be getting involved in northern irelands affairs then why is he meeting a rape victim from N.I…
We’ll said Ruari..He is using a rape victim as a political weapon … He couldn’t care less about that girl ,he is low life vermin!
Does anybody know why Maria Cahill did not give evidence at the trial of the man accused of raping her ?
Please people not speculation, I mean has she explained why ? There is a report she was not happy with the PSNI investigation….also this is another perspective
sorry didnt post link http://fw.to/GPcsP8I
Whereas the IRA only used her as a victim to rape
Why is he not taking up the cases of many other rape victims around the country?
John I know you hate Sinn Fein and the fact that irrespective of there been two administations on this Irelan most Irish people do feel Ireland is 32 and that every person in every county of this Island is Irish… get a few facts right in what you allege there…
An Ex IRA member was charged and acquitted as Maria did not give evidence, it is disgraceful that you slur all IRA members in the way you do.
Caoimhin,
“most Irish people do feel Ireland is 32″, doesn’t take from the fact that it is not, I pay my taxes in the Republic, remind me again where Martin McGuinness pay’s his?
” it is disgraceful that you slur all IRA members in the way you do”, are you having a laugh? there were good ones???
Kenny is probably meeting her for the same reasons that Peter Robinson has said he will meet her, to hear it straight from the horses mouth rather than hearsay.
John you may not agree with the IRA but the volunteers took up arms for a cause they believed in and many paid the ultimate price and you do have no right to smear their memory as you do,
Your over riding concern appears to be political administration, I repeat most Irish people do feel Ireland is 32 and that every person in every county of this Island is Irish…
I guess you think all WElsh people are English as they are administered from London ?
Were we English prior to 1922 ?
“Not our business ” sounds about right as far as Enda Kenny and FG are concerned so no surprise there then.
But if there is any political gain to be made, you can guarantee enda will be up there quicker than you can say it
Internal N.Irish issues surely are none of our business. No?
Sadly no but hopefully someday it will!
It never will be Cathal.
even should the majority decided it Adrian ?
Yes Mr O Brien they are
The majority will never vote for it. Your job now is to support current democracy, you clearly don’t but you expect me to accept something that isn’t even on the radar yet voted by a phantom majority.
It will! Justice will win out eventually! Ireland will be 32!
It wont
Cathal was saying yesterday he loves it when Ulster get their arse kicked. If we ever do have a United Ireland in will be in spite of, not because of, people like Cathal.
FF got shatter out of the job
These people are delusional
Mehowl did not get Shatter out will ya go way
That wouldn’t be a surprise is Enda said that. He is a west Brit
Have we not got enough problems of our own without importing them
Why should we meddle in another country’s affairs?
Because another country has been meddling in our affairs for the last 900 years or so.
Have you emigrated? If not you should.
We are not Meddling we are protecting those who seem themselves as Irish. When the loyalist had total power what did they do? They created an apartheid state!
pack it in Brian for Christ sake
They don’t “see themselves as Irish” they ARE Irish, with the citizenship and passports to prove it. Besides, we pay money to develop the infrastructure of the North. That buys us a voice
Well said Brian Ward .
Unfortunately too , we have a huge number of people living in this Country who are really Conservative Unionists .
Most of them support the FG Party .
Look at The Bruton’s , Kenny , Hogan , Cosgrave’s et al ?
A few of them in FF too – Lynch in the 1969 onwards period .
As for The Labour Party , their since of Irishness , disappeared when they were taken over by the renegade Stickies .
I’m not really surprised at Kenny’s outburst to his fellow Unionist – his body language in Dáil Éireann towards SF says it all !
And the majority of the catholic population, according to surveys, want to remain in the UK.
Let’s stick to our problems and stop wasting time on the North.
Where did you get your facts? Come on back them up
Well said, Ciarraíoch! Most of the prominent Blueshirts are descended from the landed gentry and Anglo-Irish families who prospered during British rule. That’s why with FG they always seek a Taoiseach within the Pale and many resent leaders from the West of Ireland.
If you’re calling FG “blueshirts” can they call you “The Provo Party”? After all, no one in FG was actually a blueshirt but plenty of SF were Provos
I agree FearCiarraiooch, in my opinion they are not only unionists but downright traitors – and that includes people on here that harp on about the six counties is not Irish” or “its British” or “it’s none of our business – “we in the south – them and us” and so on….these people are true-blue Irish traitors.
If they are unionists then there’s no logic on them being on the other side of the border. They’d be up here as part of the UK. You boys think that anybody who renounces republicanism is some sort of sell out, well fcuk republicanism. I have more respect for the Irish people that refuse to jump on that rancid bandwagon, I admire them for making a stand in the face of terrorists like Adams and Co. You can be a good Irishman without supporting the IRA ya know, a lot of people on here would be doing well to remember that.
Adrian we always have had Unionists down here a sizeable minority and a much larger minority in Fine Gael…If any republican said ” fcuk the Unionists ” You and your fellow travellers here would be the first to crow about it
Paul i think you will find it is a irrefutable fact that vast majority of Catholics (and i do hate using religous terminoligies to categorise people ) vote Sinn Fein
calling people traitors beacuse they have a different view sounds like national socialism to me but your name is in Irish so you must know what your talking about.
Fcuk the unionists is what you are all thinking anyway isn’t it so why not just come out and say it. At least I can call a spade a spade. Republicans are pretending to be friendly with Unionism but if the opportunity presented itself they would rip the union from under us and it wouldn’t cost a second thought.
It was republicans that tried to bomb unionists into accepting a United Ireland so don’t tell me in 2014 that I’m wrong for saying “fcuk republicanism”.
Paul Dunne – I live in Connemara, all my neighbors speak and use Irish daily. It is only right that I make the effort to do the same – do you object to the use of our language?
absolutely not I noticed you avoided the other part of my post.
This is 2014 not 1933. Many members of the Sinn Fein Party were members of the PROVISIONAL IRA. Seems you know very little Irish history judging by your post. Go away and learn some history for yourself. Dont make stupid generalised statements that can be blown out of the water.
Because what you said is total bloody nonsense – it’s got nothing to do with national socialism. If you turn your back on our own people in the six counties, and verbally, or otherwise encourage and assist the division of our country – then the term traitor fits, and fits very well in my opinion – and to bring up a posters use of the Irish language as a hit or score against him, is indeed a clue of your deep resentment of our language.
branding people traitors for not sharing an idealogy is exactly what national socialism was ,I trust you know what national socialism was?
Paul who did I call a traitor ?
The comment about my name been in Irish shows your prejudice not mine
not you padraig throwing around silly names at people.
It’s amazing how things change, Fianna Fáil really starting to look like the Sinn Fein party of the South during the nineties when it had little or no support and was trying to associate any good news stories of the day with their party.
give it Martin ya ejit.
Ulster is a foreign alien colony, a Sinn Fein dynasty, that has nothing to do with us. The Irish Government has as much potential to contribute to Ulster as it has to augment the welfare system in Greenland.
So Myles, are people like Mary Mac Alesse, Seamus Heaney and James Mac Lean foreigners too?
A foreign colony you say? Who gives you the right to tell the hundreds of thousands of Irish people carrying Irish passports living on the north that the irish government have no part to play in the North, after such a role was cemented in the GFA. That might be your opinion but don’t dare speak for the rest of us. By the way was our previous president someone from a foreign colony? What an ignorant pr*ck!
he’s not speaking for the rest of us he’s speaking for himself the gfa cemented it as a foreign colony until the people say different so he is in fact correct .
@Myles, You’re a true Fine Gael obviously? You probably don’t know what ‘Fine Gael’ even means. Most in the party don’t.
It means ‘Tribe of the Irish’. That ‘tribe’ is living on every part of this island and it has been your party’s failure that you have chosen to disown a portion of them.
christ will you give it up making assumptions on everybody’s political party and seeing trolls everywhere just beacuse they dont tow the sf party line it’s played out and ridiculous at this stage .
“Myles” – Has a new name !!!
Tell me Myles – Where is Ulster ? And how many Counties are in Ulster ?
I will answer for you – as you probably don’t want to admit it ! – There are NINE Counties , “Myles” !
Sorry “Myles” – You have made a liathroidi of yourself in that analysis !!!
3 counties in ulster are in the republic myles! I’m not that fond of Cavan but to paint it as a foreign colony is downright silly! (-:
Sitting in donegal here myles thinking it’s because of plastic Irishmen like you that maybe we should just go ahead and build that wall n legalise the chicken ranches n have ourselves that Las Vegas!
Sure are !!
now cathal your the one being silly he’s obviously referring to the 6 counties but you know that and are just mischief making.
Clicked onto your account there Paul. ‘Paul Dunne likes fox news’
Yeah, I’m the one who’s from a backwater who lacks ambition!
Myles Duffy, you may dislike Sinn Féin – who cares what you think on that. But to disown and dismiss the six counties and our own people there, as “foreign” makes you a lowly and disgusting Irish traitor.
You know Myles should you wish to go to Greenland you would not be missed….one less vote for Blueshirt Fine Gael and Denis O Brien
@Myles. And the people of monaghan, Cavan and Donegal? Ulster is a province of Ireland consisting of 9 counties, 6 of which were annexed just over 90 years ago.
nonsense response
Paul I know you are in denial but it is exactly what happened in 1922 …Ulster was split to make a phoney majority for the unionist
Its not our business, they do dictate how we run down here.
FF leader us trying to turn the heat off himself after his werk.
Don’t
There is no down here or up there..Ireland is 32 counties always was and always will be and that is how the majority of people view Ireland….Ireland is Ireland and how many political administations you have will never change that
No it isnt
Any reason at all with m Martin sad man
The troubles got so bad because of the mindset that is “Its not our business” from 1922 until the 90′s governments of Ireland stood by the Irishmen and Women in the north where shot and beaten of the streets for looking for equality. Its the biggest failure of this state to let then unionist minority on this island treat nationalists the way they where treated.
Yawn.
I’m speechless at some of the comments here. Micheál Martin is not asking Enda Kenny to “meddle” in another country’s affairs (NI isn’t a country anyway!). He’s holding Enda Kenny to account for not fulfilling his responsibilities, as Taoiseach, under the Good Friday Agreement, approved by referendum north and south of the border. While Micheál Martin is a republican, you cannot dismiss this ideological rhetoric or grandtanding. You don’t need to be a republican or a nationalist have to see that we have an interest in the GFA working. Peace cannot be taken for granted. The IRA haven’t entirely gone away you know, and if Stormont breaks down, a return to sectarian civil war is not unthinkable.
On a pragmatic level, we need to ask how much the Troubles cost the Irish economy. How much did we lose in tourism? How much money did we have to pour into security? Not to mention the Dublin and Monaghan bombings… I think I speak for most people who were born in the 90s, and who have bearly any recollection of the Troubles: not in our lifetimes, thanks!
Enda might think he has enough on his plate dealing with the economy, but he needs to engage. To put the point in language FG might understand: we shouldn’t sacrifice our recovery by allowing the Troubles to drag our economy back to 2008//9 again.
after that post the one thing your not is speechless.
Mehowl appears to be trying to increase the sizs of the R in ” republican party ” on the Fianna Failed election posters i guess
Why should the population of the North want the Irish Taoiseach meddling or commenting on their internal affairs?
Northern Ireland needs to be respected as an emerging independent State. If in decades to come a united Ireland seems feasible, so be it, if the people there want it and the Republic wants it, democratically.
Meddling by the Republic in the affairs of a separate state whose electorate is divided, with a majority not yet in favour of a united Ireland, is counterproductive.
Let the North develop as its people want it to, without interference by grandstanders like Martin.
Very well said. It’s depressing to see how many people here attack anyone who has a civilised conversation with a protestant as a unionist.
Unionists signed up for the North-South ministerial council (strand 2) and the British-Irish Council (strand 3). All Enda Kenny has done is acknowledge that there’s a strand 1 – the status and system of government within the UK which has to be agreed by Stormont and the people living in Northern Ireland.
Regarding who’s a unionist and whose a nationalist i once heard Garrett Fitzgerald (who’s mother was a Bangor prod) say that he always thought the Northern Unionist had a better sense of their place in Ireland than the so-called Irish nationalist who never crossed the border or thought about Northern Ireland other than in lazy cliches.
Some people need to get their heads round the fact that prods don’t think of themselves as less Irish than Mary McAleese, Seamus Heaney or a professional footballer who chooses to play for the Republic rather than Northern Ireland. No unionist has every divided an all Ireland sporting or social body for political reasons. When an Ulster prod plays for Irish Rugby, Cricket, Hockey, Olympic Sailing team he’s as much as Irishman as anyone from Leinster, Munster or Connaught. He may also (if he ever thinks about it) consider himself British but most unionists are just people who think it’s possible to be both.
Gig Yellow – You have said lots in a huge sprint , but can I please ask you – what actual point are you making ???
Lol. The iPad tidied up the gaps between paragraphs. Simple enough point. Including protestants and unionists in the Irish Nation – which they happily do themselves in sports and all sorts of other institutions – is more important than trying to out green Sinn Fein. When an Irish government minister treats unionists with respect they make the best contribution they could to potential Irish political unity and present social and economic integration.
Protestants have always been an integral part of Irish Republicanism.
You don’t need to tell me.
he right
he right they look after themselves up there
Is it none of Dublins business. Does Peter Robinson or Mike Nesbitt attend meetings that affect the ROI? No they don’t.
Robinson and Nesbitt can run for a Dail seat like everybody else, if they want to have a say.
Fair point. Fianna Fáil should start running in NI STV elections if they want more involvement in strand 1 matters.
They don’t want a Dail seat though. Your politicians don’t have a Stormont seat either so why do they get a say in our affairs? Stay down over the border and leave us alone ffs. That goes for the Americans too. We don’t get a say in the running of the US so why are they here in NI telling us what to do.
Ireland is 32
Adrian under the Good Friday Agreement there is an All Ireland dimension
Adrian, they have a say in your affairs because you ran an apartheid statlet – until you were forced to recognize your nationalist neighbors as actual human beings.
Define “apartheid”. The only legislation NI has ever had that defines any kind of group rights has been at the insistence of nationalists – the requirement that MLAs refine themselves as either nationalist or unionist, 50/50 quotas on recruitment to the PSNI and Equality Commission monitoring on all employment. Those might all be necessary but alongside SDLP and Sinn Fein resistance to integrated schooling it’s pretty clear who’s trying to divide NI society into separate “groups”.
Your some gombeen apartheid is exactly the right description for NI in the period 1922 to the late sixties…Why do you think there were Civll Rights marches
There were a number of agendas in the civil rights movement. The main cross-community agenda was housing allocation and fairer votes in local councils (votes for non-rate payers and an independent boundary commission for setting wards) and policing reform. Some people like Gerry Fitt and Ivan Cooper were trying to build a non-sectarian Labour movement in NI. Some people – especially in Derry – had a regional grudge against a Belfast administration that had just invested in a new university campus in Coleraine when employment was high in Derry. And some people saw a chance to ignite a paramilitary campaign against British administration in NI.
Non of that is remotely close to Apartheid. And when you use that word you don’t just demean yourself and libel Northern Irish people – you trivialise real Apartheid and expose your own racism. But then Sinn Fein was always on the side of the Boer.
Big Yellow – You are totally rambling and making little or no sense again !
You perhaps need to read up on your Irish History – a real BIG bit ?
I was asked what the civil rights marches were about so I answered. Is this even history? For some is us it’s more like recent current affairs. And old copies of An Phoblacht aren’t a history text book you know.
One correction. Should have said above “when unemployment was high in Derry”.
To the two fellas above with Irish spelt names.
Dublin should have no say in NI just as we should have no say in ROI, they parted in 1921 and that’s the way it’s staying. You left the UK, we opted to stay in, the bed was made now lay in it. There is no all Ireland dimension, there’s cross border cooperation but that doesn’t mean you get to tell us how to live our lives.
@Adrian. When your neighbours vote with the majority to be part of a United Ireland will you move back to Britain? Of course you won’t. You’re a complete stranger over there. Just an over-starched Mick.
Some food for thought…
55% of all school children in Northern Ireland are Catholic. You’ll have to stop treating Catholics like sh!t if you want to maintain the union!
you are going back to the Boer war…have you ever spoken to anybody who were on the receiving end of the Northern Unionist Apartheid system
That was a cheap crack about the Boer War at someone calling me a gombeen (that’s a first :-))and bollocking on about Apartheid but the honest answer to your question is that I personally know people who’ve had their homes attacked by loyalists, people who’ve had to police Holy Cross, people who had to comfort the dying at Omagh, people who’ve lost friends and fellow nursing students at Enniskillen and that’s without thinking much about it. Do I know anyone who would say they were victimised by the “Apartheid State”? No I don’t. But that’s because most people I know talk in everyday language, not Shinner sound bites.
Ah here leave it out!!!
Micheal Martin is just as bad, if not worse than Enda Kenny. He is now, when there is a pending election, trying to get the people onside. What a creep!
The north, the south, the east and the west are directional not political entities.
No it is you that is not an entity Mr Lyons
Clutching at straws again Michael leave it out Ms Cahill doesn’t need you to step on the band wagon it is a very serious matter and i hope Ms Cahill gets justice
because of the trans -boundary nature of “fracking” or hydraulic fracturing (proposed by Tamboran for exploration drilling at Belcoo) there has to be consultation with the NI Assembly -Dept of Environment and Enterprise -Fermanagh District Council etc by the republic equivalents-Leitrim and Cavan co councils and Dublin -so Kenny is wrong and very wrong -Martin has come of the fence at last.
Michael Martin is right -take the “fracking” issue as proposed for Belco-which is on the border and its trans-boundary nature and implications for Shannon etc – so there must be consultation with the north’s environment and planning authorities by the southern cavan -leitrim co councils and state authorities such as the EPA.
have your say