Here's Ireland's Minister for Defence - 
related article from a Limerick, Ireland newspaper http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=6528&category=Daily-Sat
Posted on 07/25/2005 3:05:43 PM PDT by Murtyo
Defence Minister Willie O’Dea today cancelled plans for a meeting with United States Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers (pictured).
Defence Minister Willie O’Dea today cancelled plans for a meeting with United States Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers.
Anti-war protesters had condemned the general’s visit to Dublin but a spokesman for the Department of Defence said the informal meeting would not now go ahead.
The spokesman insisted the engagement, due to be held this afternoon, had been arranged on a casual basis and official talks had not been organised.
“The position was that the minister was quite happy to meet General Myers, was he to be in Dublin this afternoon. It was that level of formality,” the spokesman said.
“If he was there Gen Myers would have dropped in, it was no firmer than that. But the minister is visiting troops in the Midlands and has been delayed.”
Mr O’Dea is visiting army units in Longford and Mullingar as part of his nationwide tour around all barracks. A number of troops from both the barracks are serving with the United Nations peace keeping force in Liberia.
Gen Myers is inspecting Irish troops at Collins Barracks, Kilmainham, and will hold discussions with his counterpart and head of Ireland’s defence forces Chief of Staff General Jim Sreenan in the Phoenix Park.
The spokesman for the Department of Defence said the primary reason for the visit was general to general, and a meeting with the minister would have been a courtesy call arranged on a casual basis.
But anti-war protesters, who gathered at Defence Forces headquarters in Phoenix Park, said no representative of the Irish State should be meeting with a member of the US military.
“This suggests a very high level of collusion between the Irish State and the US military machine,” he said.
“With the news that troop numbers at Shannon have doubled it suggests that the Irish Government is increasing collusion with the US at a time when the US invasion of Iraq has never been more discredited.”
“It is deeply concerning and it is an affront to Irish neutrality and shows a very high degree of contempt to the views of the majority of Irish people.”
Here's Ireland's Minister for Defence -
related article from a Limerick, Ireland newspaper http://www.limerickpost.ie/dailynews.elive?id=6528&category=Daily-Sat
Do the Irish permit Muslim immigrants? I've never heard about a Muslim community in Ireland.
(If they don't, we and the rest of Europe should fire our immigration departments, and follow the Irish lead. . . )
Islam is the fastest growing religion in Ireland. There is a mosque in every county. There's even some concern that there is a Jihadist cell in Ireland.
The Minister may well be telling the truth, that there was no formal appointment set up and he had other business.
If so, then I think he must make an effort to see General Myers anyway, to dispel any impression that he was knuckling under to protestors. That impression should not be allowed to stand.
As the grandson of Irish immigrants my reaction is: What can you expect, considering Ireland's history of supporting terrorism and previous forms of fascism?
I thought the Irish Army was mostly for ceremonial duties. It's too bad Monty Python is long gone, there's material here for a skit.
This statement suggests a very high level of collusion between the Irish protestors and the brutal totalitarian regimes of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein.
I don't take kindly to the Brits making fun of the Irish. Kinda like Germans making fun of Jews.
Ireland has a military?
The only one I remember was their terrorist army they shared with Ulster.
Ireland was less that 20 years past a bloody war of independence against the Brits when the Nazis went to war against them. Not an excuse, Ireland should have joined the allies (and it effectively did behind the scenes - examples Allied airmen were returned to their countries immediately, Axis airmen were kept in POW camps in ireland til after the war) but there were reasons for Ireland not joining with the Brits in WWII.
no, it's a real army. Mostly does UN peacekeeping and anti-IRA stuff ("Aid to the Civil Powers"), it's got an elite wing called the army rangers - they're very well trained I hear.
www.military.ie
you gotta read more widely!!
what fascism??
Yes, I can see where that would be a problem.
The Islamic and Nazi versions ringing any bells with you?
"Here's Ireland's Minister for Defence'"
I think my 84-year-old mother can whip his
butt.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in IReland.
the day Hitler died, Ireland observed a day of mouring.
Fact is Ireland out does the French in their Anti-Americanism
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