Kerry Covid-19 memorial ruled out because ‘a tree was planted' in 2021
A solitary tree as a marker to the victims was deemed sufficient by council management when Sinn Féin Councillor Tom Barry tabled a motion suggesting that a monument be considered at the recent Listowel Municipal District meeting.
Cllr Barry spoke of being approached by a woman in Listowel who made a 'compelling argument' as to why some token to the suffering and trauma needs to be acknowledged.
'The more she spoke about this the more it merited consideration,' Cllr Barry said.
'People just want to remember and the ways it affected them, even younger kids and their ability to socialise and their communities. There are still people who are isolating themselves during Covid, and who still haven't really come back. I know people like this,' he said.
Cllr Barry stated that such a memorial is not solely for the people who died, but also for those who still carry the pain and loss of losing loved ones.
'People lost loved ones. Not only that, many of them couldn't even call to the hospital to see them – and watching loved ones from outside windows who couldn't comfort them,' he said.
"There was funerals they couldn't go to. There was over 9 million people killed worldwide from it. There was 9,000 died in Ireland, and 233 people died in Kerry,' Cllr Barry added.
'This [monument] would also be for those who didn't get a proper chance to remember loved ones. I think the [Listowel] town park would be an ideal location for it. We have the Holocaust Memorial down there and the Garden of Europe. This is something that really should be considered,' Cllr Barry said.
In reply, Kerry County Council management said a tree was planted outside County Buildings in Tralee in June 2021 by the then Cathaoirleach Patrick Connor Scarteen in memory of those who passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fianna Fáil Councillor Jimmy Moloney seconded Cllr Barry's motion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
I visited Iran to see what it's REALLY like – I ended up in hiding in terror and fleeing for my life
EMERGING from a carpet shop in Iran's beautiful and ancient city of Esfahan, I was engulfed by a group of jostling young men. Like a desert mirage, as quickly as they had arrived they were gone. 8 Sun Man Oliver Harvey in Iran in 2012 by a poster of former Iran leader Ayatollah Khomeini Credit: Oliver Harvey 8 Tehran's skyline in the shadow of the Alborz mountain range Credit: Getty - Contributor 8 The Statue of Liberty as a skull painted on the wall of the former US embassy in Tehran Credit: AP:Associated Press Patting myself down, a zip on my trouser pocket was undone. My passport was gone. And this so-called Axis of Evil nation had no British Embassy to get a replacement. Hands trembling uncontrollably, my adrenalin-induced sweat of fear smelt like cat's urine. read more on iran There can be few more hazardous places on Earth for a journalist without papers — and an entry stamp — than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Years later Barry Rosen — a US embassy worker held hostage there in 1979 — told me how his interrogation played out. With a rifle pressed to his temple, Barry was told he had ten seconds to admit he was a spy. As the grim countdown began, the New Yorker wrestled with the dilemma of either being perceived as a traitor to his country or leaving his kids fatherless. Most read in The Sun 'On the count of five I relented,' Barry told me. 'I signed the false confession, distraught and completely ashamed.' Trump's shock Iran strikes take us to brink of global conflict and will strengthen Axis of Evil alliance, experts warn Barry would eventually return to his loved ones in the US after 444 days in captivity. Britons are high-value hostages for the regime. She was finally released when Britain paid a £400million outstanding debt to Iran. I would eventually get out — more on how later — after staying with an extraordinarily kind Iranian man who put me up in his apartment and tempered my nerves with some rocket-fuel home brew. Today — with Iran's tyrannical regime in Israeli and US crosshairs — I cast my mind back to the welcoming people I met while travelling this ancient land. These folk loathe rule by the hardline ayatollahs and long for a time less than 50 years ago when women wore miniskirts in capital Tehran, the hair bouncing on their shoulders. I had arrived in Iran — successor state of the Persian Empire — in 2012 with the idea of travelling from Tehran to Persepolis, a millennia-old desert ruin once the centrepiece of its civilisation. On the way I'd talk to ordinary people to try and understand what made this land tick. Did they really think Britain was the cursed Little Satan? 'GREAT SATAN' On landing in Tehran — a high-rise city of 9.8million shrouded by mountains — fleets of white taxis honked their way through the city's awful traffic. In the pollution-choked centre, I was struck by the number of women walking around with white plasters on their noses. Tehran has been called the nose job capital of the world. Women here also face a daily battle over what they can wear in public, with checks made by the dreaded Basij militia network. Yet many were wearing their head scarves pulled back to reveal dyed blonde hair, while their overcoats were colourful and figure-hugging. Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, when the Shah — or king — Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was toppled and replaced by hardline cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Islamic dress has been strictly enforced. Alcohol was banned, protests stifled and unmarried couples prevented from meeting in public. Today, the internet is censored and the regime attempts to scramble satellite TV signals. Near the Taleghani Metro station is the old American embassy — known here as 'the nest of spies' — its walls daubed with murals and slogans decrying the so-called Great Satan. Months after the revolution, students stormed the embassy compound and took 66 Americans hostage. 8 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Iran for six years on trumped-up charges of plotting to topple the Iranian government Credit: AFP 8 US embassy worker Barry Rosen was held hostage for 444 days in 1979 Credit: AP:Associated Press A disastrous and aborted US rescue mission the following year — when eight servicemen were killed in a helicopter crash — badly damaged US president The lingering stigma of that failure was perhaps a factor in why Donald Trump took his time before deciding to unleash American firepower on Iran. In Palestine Square — in the heart of Tehran — beats a Doomsday Clock predicting Israel's end by the year 2040. The regime put it there in 2017. It helps explain why Israel launched a Nearby, I visited the British embassy compound, its gateway overlooked by lion and unicorn statues. Around six months before my visit, diplomats had fled as a frenzied mob of Iran- ian 'students' storm- ed the building and ransacked offices. It would remain shuttered for nearly four years. The rioters — who were chanting 'Death To England' — were in fact state-sponsored Basij thugs. It is the same sinister paramilitary force that is responsible for the policing of morals in this hardline Shi'ite Muslim state, including the wearing of the hijab or headscarf. Yet these repressive goons are far from representative of the beating heart of this oil-rich nation. 8 Oliver's 'Denmark' passport Credit: Supplied A short stroll away in the teeming Grand Bazaar, women shoppers, in the all- covering black cloak-like chador, were out looking for bargains. But surprisingly, Union Jack-patterned knickers and bra combos were on sale on at least three stalls. American stars and stripes underwear was also available in several shops. One black-clad shopper in her thirties told me: 'The underwear is very popular. 'We have nothing against your country.' The message that the lingerie worn under the chadors sent out was clear: Knickers to the hardliners. Indeed, as a metaphor for things being very different under the surface in Iran, it couldn't be bettered. Another stall sold 'We don't hate Britain,' a 26-year-old Red Devils-mad taxi driver told me. 'Far from it. 'We admire your freedom.' After a few days in Tehran I took a shared taxi on the five-hour, 280-mile journey to Iran's third largest city Esfahan. It's home to an exquisite square overlooked by the imposing aquamarine dome of Shah Mosque, regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture. The city's outskirts are also home to one of the largest uranium enrichment facilities in the country. 'EVERYBODY BREWS THEIR OWN NOW' Terrified that Iran was close to producing a nuclear weapon to make good on its doomsday prophecy, the site was pummeled by more than two dozen US Tomahawk cruise missiles on Sunday morning. I had checked into a largely empty hotel in the city centre which had no safe for valuables. That evening I went out shopping for a Persian rug. Warily passing some soldiers in the street, I was dismayed to see them beckon me over. Yet they simply wanted a selfie alongside a rare Western traveller. Emerging with my new carpet, I was heading for an electronics store bearing a fake Apple logo when I was surrounded by pickpockets. Now passportless, I was petrified about being stopped by police and asked to produce my documents. I then remembered meeting some Iranian migrants in Calais who had told me they used to work as smugglers, trekking over the mountains from Iran to Turkey with some contraband alcohol in backpacks. Finding an internet cafe to research the journey, a man started using the computer next to me to watch porn. The idea of attempting to walk alone over rugged mountains seemed more hazardous than another internet suggestion — go to another country's embassy and throw myself at their mercy. Travelling back to Tehran I attempted to check into a hotel but the receptionist insisted I needed to show my passport. When I explained my predicament, he told me: 'I'll phone the police and they'll sort this out.' 8 Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, who was toppled in 1979 Credit: Getty I told him I needed to collect my luggage then scarpered. Knowing no one in the country, a contact then put me in touch with someone who could put me up. The grey-haired father lived alone in a ramshackle flat and said I was welcome to the sofa. 'I was jailed for protesting against the Shah when he ruled,' he told me. 'Now I wish I hadn't bothered. 'This regime is far worse. 'We have far less freedom now.' Deciding the Dutch would be most amenable to a stricken Brit, I tried their embassy but it was closed for holidays. So I went to the Danes instead. They took my details and I was told to return the following day. Presented with a paper Danish temporary passport 24 hours later, I profusely thanked the embassy staff for making me an honorary viking. Taking a cab to the airport, I checked my bag on the flight then queued up at immigration dreaming of a glass of red on the plane. A bearded border guard disdainfully looked at my Danish passport, sniffing as he tossed it away: 'No good, no ministry stamp.' It was back to my new friend's sofa to watch subtitled TV, including shows with Jamie Oliver and James May. The former prisoner — raising a glass of home-distilled spirits — revealed: 'Twice every year the police go upon the roof and smash up all our satellite dishes. 'But we simply go out and buy some more. 8 A chanting crowd during the Iranian revolution in 1979 Credit: Getty 'There's a saying here that the regime closed down thousands of brewers during the revolution but created a million more. 'Everybody brews their own now.' After two days queuing at the relevant Iranian ministry — and praying that they wouldn't google my identity — I finally got my stamp. My plane banked over the vast mausoleum built to house Khomeini's remains as it headed west. One after another, most of the women on the flight removed their head scarves, then their restrictive chadors. Settling with a glass of wine, I hoped one day to return to this fascinating land under better circumstances. Now, with the ayatollahs' regime perhaps at threat of being toppled, I may one day make it to Persepolis. Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Irish Post
11 hours ago
- Irish Post
Politicians condemn 'shameful' attack on Belfast Islamic Centre after viable device thrown inside
POLITICIANS have condemned an attack on the Belfast Islamic Centre, in which a viable device was thrown into the building, with Secretary of State Hilary Benn branding it 'shameful'. A window was broken and the device thrown into the building on University Road shortly after 10pm on Friday while people were praying inside. Police have said a man has been arrested under the Terrorism Act and are investigating the possibility that it is a hate crime. "Police received a report at approximately 10.10pm on Friday, June 20 that an object had been thrown through a window at a property in the University Road area of the city," said Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally. "Officers attended and carried out a search of the building where a suspicious device was discovered. "Ammunition Technical Officers attended and examined the object which was determined as viable and has since been removed for forensic examination." 'Sinister attack' Posting on Twitter/X, Mr Benn wrote: "Deeply concerned by the shameful attack on the Belfast Islamic Centre last night. "Hatred of this sort has no place in Northern Ireland." Deirdre Hargey, Sinn Féin MLA for South Belfast, said such incidents are 'fuelled by hate'. "I unreservedly condemn this sinister attack, and I welcome that the suspect is now in custody, thanks to the vigilance of a member of the public," she said. "No one should ever feel unsafe in their place of worship, and my thoughts are with everyone affected. "Acts like these, fuelled by hate, spread fear and division, and target people who have come to our communities to build a life and call this place home. "It's vital that all political leaders speak out and stand united against this disgusting behaviour." Hargey's Alliance counterpart Paula Bradshaw said the incident does not reflect the diversity of South Belfast in 2025'. "This attack was again designed to cause fear among people inside the centre, who were at prayer at the time," she said. "Nevertheless, I am thankful for the intervention of a nearby passer-by and for the work of the police. "Those were much more reflective of the true spirit of Belfast, where most people rejoice in diversity. "I would like to express my solidarity with all those who were evacuated, and my thanks to all those who worked to ensure their safety." 'Disgusted' Fellow South Belfast MLA, Matthew O'Toole said the incident was an attack on the diverse community in the area. "I'm not just disgusted at the attack on the Belfast Islamic Centre, I am angry at the treatment of my neighbours," said the SDLP politician. "My constituency office is just yards away and we share one of the tolerant, diverse parts of the island of Ireland. "Not alone are there people from all over the world, there are churches and religious groups of an extraordinarily persuasions in that small patch of Belfast. "An attack on one of them is attack on the tolerance we cherish. "So this attack and the hate it represents will not go unchallenged and will not be allowed to represent our city and our region." The PSNI said a 34-year-old man was arrested at the scene under the Terrorism Act and remains in police custody at this time. "It is important to stress that, while the suspect has been arrested under the Terrorism Act, the motive for the attack has not yet been established," added ACC McNally. "Detectives from Serious Crime Branch are currently working at pace and are exploring a number of potential motivating factors including the possibility that this is a hate crime." Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators on 101, quoting reference number 1808 of June 20.
Irish Independent
21 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Golf events and fireside chats — Sinn Féin's Canadian fundraising arm sees more donations ‘for the Irish peace process'
Sinn Féin's Canadian fundraising arm has had an increase in donations for support of the 'Irish peace process', accounts filed in Canada show.
