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JOBS MINISTER RICHARD Bruton has insisted that the agreement between EU leaders on addressing Ireland’s bank debt still stands despite comments from German chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday.
Bruton was backing up the government’s continued insistence that negotiations surrounding the retroactive use of the eurozone bailout fund – the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) – to lessen the burden of Ireland’s bank debt are ongoing.
This comes in spite of Merkel saying yesterday that retroactive direct capitalisation of banks was not possible in response to a question about the Spanish banking issue.
Bruton said that an agreement between leaders in June to examine the sustainability of Irish debt still stood, telling RTÉ Radio: “The June agreement absolutely still stands and that means there is to be separation between banking and government debt.”
Fianna Fáil has said that the government “seems to be in denial” about how significant Merkel’s comments are and said that comments from a German spokesperson today that it will continue to “co-operate closely” with the Irish government does not clarify the situation.
The party’s finance spokesperson Michael McGrath said: “The comments we heard this morning from the German spokesperson do not address the key issue of whether legacy bank debt will be dealt with through the ESM.”
McGrath said that the Germans had not clarified the situation and that a statement from the finance ministers of the Netherlands, Finland and Germany last month coupled with Merkel’s comments last night indicated “that legacy bank debt will not be addressed by the ESM”.
On Saturday with Claire Byrne, Bruton was insisted that there would be “direct action on the sustainability of the Irish debt position” and was insistent that negotiations will continue.
He added: “We’re used to seeing expressions of disbelief in one route or another but that’s the course of negotiation and we also have many allies.
“On the very same day (as Merkel’s comments) others said directly the opposite. So I think there’s a lot of work to be done here.”
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams called on the government to change tactics and said that EU leaders and banks were not taking the Irish government seriously on the issue of bank debt.
He said: “The fact is that this Government has never seriously sought a bank debt write down despite all its pre-election commitments and its recent public pronouncements. Instead they have borrowed €67 billion from the Troika and given €64 billion of this to the banks.
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Absolutely brilliant. This is very positive and a natural tourist destination for the nature conscious.
@ Marlon Major
very true and possibly the answer to the poll today about holiday plans
500k!!! My goodness!!
Seriously though Ireland has some stunning places tucked away! People really need to get out and start exploring! There is always something new to see!
Walked the Grand Canal with the bro a few years ago. Took 4 days and passed thru some fantastically unspoilt countryside. Couldn’t recommend highly enough, and it’s out there ready and waiting❕
Did you camp along the way Tony?
I’d like to say yes but we stayed in B&Bs, in Sallins, Edenderry and Tullamore. It actually added to the experience in that we got to meet locals each night…and didn’t have to carry as much on our backs!
Cycling around ireland for charity in august, might try and take this in, sounds nice.
Ireland’s own Camino!
How much of it is along busy roads?
Several of these way-marked routes are unusable due to heavy motor traffic and there is no joy walking in single file as cars and trucks speed past you.
Well don’t walk it then stay in and have a good moan
I’d love to do it!
I’d love to do it to Ailis. Maybe we could do it together.
Ailís, I think ‘Good News Caravan’ is asking you out. I sense another TheJournal.ie dating story!
Maybe we could! Can you start a fire using flint and kindling should the unthinkable happen? That is, we take a wrong turn and are lost to civillisation and have to resort to making a cave habitable and killing our own meat.
The romance is clearly blossoming. Good luck you two!
You like meat too? I will start saving for that ring.
Looks class. Would love to get on the bike and do it over the holidays. Fair play to all involved… I’d imagine you would come across some really interesting areas off the beaten track. I live near the great southern trail in limerick (which is a conversion of the old railway from limerick to Tralee) and you see some very cool places you would never see on the road and I can imagine this would be the same…
Sounds good Barry. I walked part of the Beara-Breifne Way in Galway recently, which is really near my house. It was amazing to see parts of the country that I’ve never seen before and that were right on my doorstep.
Yeah that’s it Amy… Tis great to see places that you’d never come across other than going out for an oul ramble… We walked the length of Valentia island today off road and came across some
class spots… Thank god I got an A in leaving cert geography, otherwise no one would have been able to identify that sea stack/sea arch
Is there a link to a map version of the walkway?
http://bbgreenway.com/clans/orourke.html Check it out Neil.
Right on Micheal,
The Leitrim end should be worth seeing ,really beautiful
Right on Micheal , the Leitrim end should be worth seeing, really beauty full
my two favourite counties,now i can walk :)
Yet we cant build proper roads between these counties!
You are confusing we, the people, with an inept government.
In one case we get one vote every 5yrs or so, in the other we see what we can do when we take matters into our own hands as communities.
Great achievement, looks like I’ll be going on a little holiday this year after all. They deserve my meager support.
You can download all walks on the Heritage Council website and can get your local area maps in printed form at your local tourist office.
Looks like a great walk for a charity event, might look into this further :)
I know the West Cork section is actually the old railway line hooking up Bantry, Skibbereen, Clonakilty and Bandon to Cork city. The very idea that they are turning it into a walking and cycling path kills any notion of these towns ever getting connected by rail again.
That’s because they don’t need it, totally impractical to ever open such a line again. A good quality bus service is more than adequate for towns like that. They had trains at time when there was no auto transport and terrible roads.
A fantastic idea, and I really hope it takes off.
I’d don’t think so Kevin. Middleton has a train link build in the last few years. It’s population is similar to that of Bandon if not less. The people of East Cork are pushing for the line to be extended to Youghal which has a population of just about the same as Clonakilty, that’s we’re the East Cork line would end but a West Cork line would still have Skibereen and Bantry to go which also have a similar population to all the other towns I mentioned.
Nice picture Amy, are you free for a walk sometime ?
Thanks RB… Not sure if I’d make all 500k. Nice shades.
You look fit enough to me !!!
Thanks!
This is great that they have linked up these walks.
However this needs a good website with good maps. it needs more promotion and symbol/ logo just like the camino de Santiago.
Woohoo! Ireland’s answer to the Camino de Santiago – without the weather, cheap accommodation or cheap wine!
very good article, & stunning photos!
Thank you
I have read the book “The last prince of Ireland” by Morgan Ellwyn. A must read! Truly amazing and inspiring. From a fellow O’Sullivan
Wondering which leitrim villlage has the stone wall remains of building relating to his final destination in leitrim?!
Having trouble finding the Heritage Council website for the map-anyone got a link? Thanks
does anyone know if the villages close enough to find accommodation every night?
have your say