Sir, – Your recent article highlights the deeply troubling financial reality faced by disabled people and their families in Ireland (“Households of people with disabilities hit by extra costs and lower income”, News, March 13th). The latest Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Economic and Social Research Institute report only confirms what disabled people have long known – that the extra cost of disability is substantial, unavoidable, and overwhelmingly ignored in public policy. Households with a disabled member require between 41 per cent and 93 per cent more disposable income to achieve the same standard of living as non-disabled households.
Yet, despite this, disability social protection payments remain woefully inadequate, leaving many people struggling to afford basic necessities.
The latest CSO figures published on March 20th show that one in five people who are unable to work due to their disability live in consistent poverty, and nearly 40 per cent experience enforced deprivation. Ireland continues to rank among the worst in the EU for disability poverty.
The new Government committed to a permanent cost of disability payment in the programme for government.
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This must be introduced as a matter of urgency, alongside the benchmarking of social protection rates to the minimum essential standard of living.
This must be accompanied by real action to reduce and address the structural barriers, insufficient supports and lack of action on the many extra costs that push disabled people into financial hardship and continue to exclude and impoverish – notably in the area of healthcare and medicine, housing, transport, and employment.
The Disability Federation of Ireland has long called for concerted, targeted and urgent action to address the ongoing poverty that disabled people are pushed into by a lack of sufficient supports and has done a deep dive on this issue. – Yours, etc,
FLEACHTA PHELAN,
Policy Advocacy Manager,
Disability Federation of Ireland,
Dublin 8.
Ireland and a changing world
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole’s excellent exposition of Ireland’s shape-shifting, balancing act of triangulating to the economic and political needs of the United States, Britain and Europe is both timely and instructive (“Ireland’s love triangle is ending in a nasty divorce”, Opinion & Analysis, March 25th).
His warning that “We can’t triangulate any more” is concerning. However, Ireland has previously demonstrated its ability to pivot in response to changing circumstances.
Our best option would appear to align more closely as Europeans to counteract the deleterious effects of a Maga-based US administration and a UK government unable, or unwilling, to address the egregious error of Brexit. – Yours, etc,
JOHN NAUGHTON
Dublin 18.
Sir, – As a nation, are we not capable of turning our stumbling blocks into stepping stones? – Yours, etc,
MATTIE LENNON,
Blessington,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – America First. Greenland second. Canada third. European Union fourth. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN HUNT,
Kilmacanogue,
Co Wicklow.
Signal failure of US intelligence
Sir, – The latest US security scandal, in which war plans were casually shared in a Signal group chat, including with a journalist, should give European leaders pause (“US magazine editor says he was added to Trump advisers’ text group on bombing Houthis”, News, March 24th). If Washington cannot keep its own secrets, why should allies entrust it with theirs? The dismissive tone toward Europe in those leaked messages is telling. If the US sees military actions as “bailing Europe out” rather than defending shared interests, how long before European leaders take the hint? Calls for “strategic autonomy” in Brussels may once have seemed aspirational; now, they look like common sense.
This is about more than military independence. If American leadership is increasingly erratic and disdainful of allies, Europe may also feel less inclined to follow the US. in trade, technology, and diplomacy.
The broader trend of cultural and economic decoupling could accelerate, not as an ideological choice but as a practical necessity.
America’s greatest strength has always been its ability to inspire confidence. If it loses that, its alliances will weaken – not from betrayal, but from neglect. – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.
Ditching the car
Sir, – All power to Sadhbh O’Neill and her biking around Waterford, but please let’s not assume ditching the car is a realistic option for many in Ireland (“Six months ago, I went car-free and I have no regrets”, Opinion & Analysis, March 25th).
Sadhbh O’Neill says she dresses appropriately for biking in bad weather, but stripping off your leggings arriving at a client meeting to reveal your sweaty underclothes is unlikely to give a good impression, and around here in Donegal the wind will permeate any robust clothing. Comparisons with Utrecht are meaningless. The population density in the Netherlands is 526 persons per kilometre against 70 in Ireland. You’ll be biking much further to see people here than in Holland. Finally, you need to factor in the loss of your no claims bonus when you ditch the car. If your circumstances change and you need to buy one again, you’ll have to start building it up from scratch. Accident-free driving in rental cars does not count toward a no claims bonuses.
Credit also to the last government for greatly increasing public transport options and frequencies in rural Ireland, but we aren’t ready to ditch the car just yet. – Is mise,
KENNETH HARPER,
Burtonport,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – I have just read Dr Muiris Houston’s advice that we should have 15 minutes of daily extra sleeping time to enhance our health (Your Wellness, March 24th). Like so many other men I have to get up two, three or sometimes four times a night to go to the toilet. I could do with extra sleep. If only. And then I read Sadhbh O’Neill’s article extolling the virtues of cycling. I am 70 with two replaced hips and if I could get on to a bicycle, I am not sure that I could get off again. I have a cottage in the Ox Mountains. The nearest shop is six kilometres away. If the two copies of The Irish Times that it puts on the stand each day are gone when I get there, the next nearest newsagent is 11km away in Swinford. When will urban dwellers accept that for rural dwellers, old and young, a car is essential for daily life? – Yours, etc,
RICHARD ALLEN,
Cummeen,
Sligo.
Pedestrian spaces must be protected
Sir, – Pedestrian safety in Irish towns and cities is being quickly eroded by the increasingly common practice of cycling on footpaths. Despite clear laws prohibiting it, cyclists and electric bicycle users now routinely use pedestrian pathways – often at speed – without consequence. Vulnerable people, including older adults, children, and those with disabilities, are especially at risk. Any form of remonstration is met with abuse.
The Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 is clear, but enforcement is virtually non-existent. Gardaí rarely intervene, and the absence of a specific fixed-charge offence makes consistent policing difficult. Meanwhile, delivery riders and everyday cyclists continue to use footpaths. We urgently need clear legislation, targeted enforcement, and safe, dedicated cycle lanes.
Pedestrian spaces must be protected. Walking is the most fundamental form of transport, and it should not require courage. – Yours, etc,
NOEL KELLY,
Dublin 15.
Trains – time for quiet carriages
Sir, – Recently I travelled from Westport to Dublin by train. I was looking forward to a relaxed trip, reading my book and maybe catching 40 winks. However, that was not my experience. Why on earth do people think it is okay to chat on their phones loudly and play music so everyone has to listen? Maybe Iarnród Éireann could mark at least two carriages “quiet zones” and let at least some passengers travel in peace and quiet. – Yours, etc,
LAURA O’MARA,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Neutrality and the triple lock
Sir, – Ireland is a democracy, therefore the citizens decide who will represent them in the Dáil. The proposal by the Government to remove the triple lock turns this concept on its head. Successive polls have shown that Irish people want Ireland to remain neutral, to act as a peacemaker and not to be militarily aligned. Furthermore, Irish people, in an unprecedented move, were asked to vote twice on the Nice and Lisbon referendums. These treaties were initially rejected, one of the reasons being concerns in relation to the ongoing militarisation of the EU. The treaties were only accepted because of the guarantees in the triple lock. Our TDs are doing more than a disservice to the electorate if they support the current proposal to remove the triple lock. They are acting in an unacceptable and profoundly undemocratic way. – Yours, etc,
ELIZABETH CULLEN,
Kilcullen,
Co Kildare.
LGBTQ and authoritarianism
Sir, – Una Mullally blames increasing authoritarianism for the surge in anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation, but it might do her no harm to reflect on the role of the LGBTQ movement itself (“Authoritarian America is rewarding sameness and punishing difference”, Opinion & Analysis, March 24th). Over the last 10 years it has provided a masterclass in disastrous PR, resulting in numerous controversies, mainly involving women’s sports and changing rooms, not to mention ongoing battles over gender ideology. It’s all very well to demand rights, but when those rights impinge on the rights of others, she should not be surprised to see a backlash.
Yours, etc,
NORMAN DAVIES,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
The far right and migration
Sir, – Following a lengthy and meandering article on the multiple dangers of the far right movement, Mark O’Connell correctly concludes that they remain a pathetic formation overall (Opinion & Analysis, March 23rd). However, I would contend that the ongoing failure of the Government to get to grips with international protection processing in the midst of a worsening housing crisis is likely to give oxygen to a mixed bag of opportunists.
It seems to me that the Government is finally taking a realistic approach to asylum accommodation following three years of panic post the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and a surge in international protection claims. However, it remains the case, as demonstrated in Carna at present, that small rural communities are accommodating disproportionate numbers, which leads to pressure on services.
On a broader level, it remains the case that actual asylum processing is treading water with a vast amount of taxpayers’ money being spent on accommodation, Civil Service staff, panel members, lawyers and court time handling judicial reviews and the Garda National Immigration Bureau to little effect.
Should economic headwinds arrive, the rantings of Conor McGregor may find purchase with an increasingly concerned populace. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL FLYNN,
Dublin 13.
Any time is Urney time – jingle plea
Sir, – Urney Chocolate of Tallaght many years ago had a wonderful commercial shown in the cinema in the 1950s.
The text began:
“Ladies and gentlemen
As you know
Time began many years ago
But even further back than
the Egyptians . . .”
It ended with,
“Just remember this little line:
Any time is Urney time.”
This old emigrant in Canada would be so grateful if anyone can quote the full text. – Yours, etc,
HARRY BEHAN,
Ontario,
Canada.
Knitting and the weaving of words
Sir, – Pointing out that in most European languages, words for weaving and textual creation are interrelated, Sarah Moss has been told Irish is an exception (“A reader tried to needle me by scoffing at knitting”, People, March 24th).
Consulting eDIL, the Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (www.dil.ie), however, shows that her informant is mistaken.
The term oige, also uige, for example, signifies a web of cloth, or tissue, and also, crucially, a composition or poem. – Is mise,
LILLIS Ó LAOIRE,
Ollamh le Gaeilge (Emeritus),
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe.
Trump and a long time in politics
Sir, – Those who qualify their criticism of the US administration by suggesting that it’s not wrong on everything might like to know that a broken clock displays the correct time 1,462 times during a presidential term. – Yours, etc,
PAUL REARDON,
Dublin 9.
