Trump launches bizarre rant after Iran missile attack on US airbase in Qatar
In a bizarre rant on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump chose to sidestep the recent Iranian attacks on US airbases in Qatar, instead opting to unleash a tirade against the "sleazebags in the media" in the media and so-called "fake news".
His post read: "The sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it. Only the Fake News would say anything different in order to try and demean, as much as possible - And even they say they were 'pretty well destroyed!'".
He targeted specific journalists and media executives, stating: "Working especially hard on this falsehood is Allison Cooper of Fake News CNN, Dumb Brian L. Roberts, Chairman of 'Con'cast, Jonny Karl of ABC Fake News, and always, the Losers of, again, Concast's NBC Fake News. It never ends with the sleazebags in the Media, and that's why their Ratings are at an ALL TIME LOW - ZERO CREDIBILITY!".
Meanwhile, the reality on the ground was far more serious. Earlier in the evening, Iran launched a retaliatory missile attack on a US airbase in Qatar, following the American bombing of its nuclear facilities.
Eyewitnesses recounted seeing missiles in the air, followed by the sound of explosions, but the full extent of the damage was not yet clear. Iran stated via state television that it had successfully targeted American forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, reports the Mirror.
State TV hailed the attack as "a mighty and successful response" to what it deemed "America's aggression", set to a backdrop of martial music. The move came shortly after Qatar had taken the precaution of closing its airspace in light of Iranian threats.
Just before the blasts, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took to social platform X stating: "We neither initiated the war nor seeking it. But we will not leave invasion to the great Iran without answer."
Following the assault, Bahrain – host of the US 5th Fleet's headquarters – temporarily halted flights over its territory, a move similar to Qatar's previous actions just before their own facilities came under fire.
After Al Udeid Air Base was hit, Qatar denounced the offensive yet confirmed that the incoming missiles were successfully intercepted with no casualties, and assured that its skies are now secure.
The US acknowledged that the air base had been the objective of an Iranian missile strike. Iran retorted by matching the scale of the attack in Qatar to the weekends' US bombings on its nuclear installations, hinting at potential intentions to defuse tensions.
It claimed the air base was chosen as a target due to its removed location from civilian areas.
Israel escalated its conflict with Iran earlier, attacking infrastructure linked to Iran's beleaguered clerical leadership, including a Tehran prison gate known for detaining political dissidents, and targeting the command centre of the forces quelling recent demonstrations.
Plumes of dense smoke billowing above Tehran marked the latest Israeli reprisal, which in turn led to another volley of Iranian rocket and drone fire. This non-stop exchange has become par for the course for civilians in both nations since Israel initiated hostilities focussed on Iran's atomic capabilities.
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The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Trump thanks Iran for 'early notice' and says 'they've gotten it out of their system'
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has 'thanked' Iran for giving 'early notice' on its missile attack at US military bases in Qatar this evening. He added that Iran has now 'gotten it all out of their system and expressed hope that there will 'be no further hate'. Trump also described Iran's attack as a 'very weak response' which was 'expected' and 'effectively countered'. He said 13 of the 14 missiles were 'knocked down', while one was 'set free' because it was 'headed in a non-threatening direction'. Trump added that no Americans were injured and 'hardly any damage was done'. He also said: 'Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.' Advertisement In a post to his Truth social platform, Trump added: 'Congratulations world, it's time for peace!' In an escalation of the conflict raging in the region, Iran launched missiles this evening on the US's Al Udeid base, which is the largest US military facility in the Middle East. It followed US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. Qatar said it successfully intercepted the Iranian attack on the US's Al Udeid base, which is the largest US military facility in the Middle East. The US base had been evacuated as a precaution ahead of the attack. 'The Ministry of Defense announced that Qatari air defenses successfully intercepted a missile attack targeting Al Udeid Air Base,' a statement said, adding that 'the incident did not result in any deaths or injuries'. Qatar's foreign ministry condemned the Iranian attack, calling it a 'flagrant violation' of Qatar's sovereignty. 'We express the State of Qatar's strong condemnation of the attack on Al Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and consider it a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law,' foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said. Related Reads Qatar intercepts Iranian attack on US air base near Doha, saying it 'reserves right' to respond Tánaiste says three Irish citizens were helped to depart Iran overnight 'We affirm that the State of Qatar reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportional to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression,' the spokesperson said. However, Iran's security council maintained that its 'action does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar'. After more than a week of Israeli strikes on nuclear and military targets across Iran, the US backed Israel militarily by attacking three of Iran's key nuclear facilities, including on an underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo using massive bunker-busting bombs. As Iran retaliated this evening, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the 'spiral of chaos must end'. Earlier in the day, Israel reported carrying out what it said were its most powerful strikes yet on Tehran. Iran, in turn, fired missile barrages at Israel. Additional reporting by Lauren Boland and AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump urges ‘peace and harmony' as Iran hits US base in Qatar
Donald Trump has urged Iran to 'proceed to peace and harmony' after it fired missiles at a US base in Qatar in retaliation for America bombing its nuclear sites. Qatar's defence ministry said Iran launched seven missiles at the Al Udeid US airbase, with another 12 in a second wave, 11 of which were thwarted. Its interior ministry said some debris fell in residential areas, but no casualties were recorded. The US president thanked Iran for giving America notice prior to the missile attack which, he said, made it possible for no lives — both Qatari and American — to be lost. No casualties were recorded after the Iranian missile attack on Al Udeid air base in Qatar. File picture 'Perhaps Iran can now proceed to peace and harmony in the region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same,' he said in a social media post. In a later post, he added: 'Congratulations world, it's time for peace.' Iran had issued threats to retaliate against the US after bombers dropped 30,000lb bunker-busters on Iranian underground nuclear facilities at the weekend, joining Israel's air war against Tehran. Mr Trump mooted the possibility of the Iranian government being toppled. Iran, which had been warned by Washington not to retaliate had informed the US via two diplomatic channels hours ahead of the attack, as well as Qatari authorities, a senior regional source told Reuters. A number of gulf nations closed their air space for a time following the attack on Qatar but they opened again a number of hours later. New law based on Occupied Territories Bill Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Harris will bring the heads of what will be known as the Israeli Settlements Prohibition of Importation of Goods Bill 2025 to Cabinet on Tuesday. The Government legislation is based on a similar Occupied Territories Bill, but it will only include a ban on the trade of goods and not services. The Tánaiste said legal clarity is needed on whether or not it is possible to include services and that he has asked the attorney general to advise on this, however he does not want to see the bill delayed. He said: We will bring draft legislation because we are not waiting in Ireland, we are not waiting, the children of Gaza have waited far too long. Mr Harris was speaking while attending a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels where the EU's trade agreement with Israel was discussed. The proposed legislation will make any import from the Occupied Palestinian Territory an offence under the Customs Act 2015, the main legislation dealing with all customs offences. The provisions of the Customs Act 2015 with respect to matters including powers of entry, inspection, search, arrest, seizure, and forfeiture of goods will apply to the importation of goods from Israeli settlements in the OPT. In practical terms therefore, the provisions of the bill will be enforced by customs officers. While foreign ministers did not on take action following the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the matter will again be discussed when the Taoiseach attends an EU Council later this week. Micheál Martin said: 'There should be consequences in the context of the Israeli European Union Association Agreement and we will certainly be working with other like-minded countries at the European Union to seek movement on that.'
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 24th: On the US, Iran and Israel, alcohol labels and Damien Duff
Sir, – Much of the narrative this past weekend has been about the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East and the wider world – and it does. However, when I look at the front page of today's paper (June 23rd) and see a picture of Donald Trump, wearing his signature MAGA baseball cap, I see an individual who, as each day passes, poses an even greater threat to the free world. His self-belief in his dictatorial rights and his personal ego, surrounded as he is by a fawning coterie of admirers, means that none of us can sleep easy in our beds. And the response of the rest of the world? 'Yes, Mr Trump' (and it doesn't matter about the question). – Yours, etc, T GERARD BENNETT, Bunbrosna, READ MORE Co Westmeath. Sir, – There is no evidence to prove that Iran's nuclear development programme was on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb – or that Iran intended to ever create one. The US has entered the war on the basis of a lie – just like the lie about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As a consequence, the world is a more dangerous place, and Israel can do what it wants in Gaza because Gaza is no longer headline news. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin 6. Sir, – The recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure – including the Fordow nuclear facility – represent a clear success. While echoes of Desert Storm are hard to ignore, this is no copycat conflict. Then, a crumbling dictatorship was flattened after weeks of preparation. Now, a theocratic regime faces targeted precision strikes – and still claims to speak for the Islamic world. Iran calls itself a republic but functions more as a clerical state. Since 1979, it has ruled through fear and martyrdom, pioneering the suicide bomber through the warped logic that 'martyrdom' is not suicide. It has bankrolled Hezbollah, funds Hamas, and propped up Assad in Syria. The Iran nuclear deal of 2015 is dead. Trump pulled out in 2018. The current operation has roots in joint war games conducted under President Biden – another example of continuity in US-Israeli strategic planning. Iran now faces the full squeeze of American power, staged in the sort of geopolitical theatre that feels closer to pro-wrestling than diplomacy. What this moment reveals is the irrelevance of soft power. The EU lectures. The US strikes. And Ireland? We shout from the back of the room like a student union officer trying to go viral. Despite being the most pro-Palestinian government in our history, we're still dismissed as 'Zionist puppets.' No one's satisfied. Nothing gets done. Maybe it's time we stopped chasing applause and started confronting hard truths. – Yours, etc. JORDAN COLE, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. Sir, – In the wake of the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, what rational actor in the Middle East region will not conclude that the only guarantee they have against future Israeli- US aggression will be to acquire their own nuclear arsenal as soon as possible? Rather than discouraging Iran, the air strikes will only serve to convince hardliners within the regime to develop nuclear weapons. In the meantime, while the world's media attention shifts away from Gaza, we should remind ourselves that the genocide there continues unabated with ongoing daily atrocities. – Yours, etc, TOMAS McBRIDE, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Nuclear disarmament Sir, – In her letter of June 21st, Mary Fitzgerald states she is not aware of any country disarming since the Non-Proliferation Treaty came into being on the early 1970s. Of course, there is one such country – Ukraine, which had the bravery and care for the common good to dismantle and disarm its nuclear arsenal. It has often been stated, in fact, that if it had kept them it would not have been invaded by Russia. A terrible repayment for doing the world such a service. – Yours, etc, ENDA SCANLON, Ennis, Co Clare. Damien Duff's Shels legacy Sir, – I was shocked to learn of Damien Duff's sudden departure from his position as manager of Shelbourne FC. His legacy as Shelbourne manager is multifaceted. He brought success back to the club after a couple of decades in the doldrums with the 2024 Premier Division title win. He has got Shelbourne back into Europe – a mouth-watering Champions League tie against Linfield awaits his successor. He has filled Tolka Park again – a heaving Riverside is in stark contrast to the empty one of just a few years ago. Then there's the boost to the league as a whole of having such a decorated and celebrated ex-player (two Premier League titles with Chelsea, and 100 Irish International caps). – Yours, etc, BRIAN QUIGLEY, Dublin 9. Alcohol labelling Sir, – Minister of State Alan Dillon is simply wrong when he says that delaying alcohol health-warning labels is not about undermining public health. ('TD says she hasn't drunk alcohol in over 13 years during impassioned plea to not delay health-warning labels,' June 20th). It is undermining public health. The current ministerial dialogue regarding re-examining the democratic Oireachtas decision and legislation to introduce alcohol health-warning labels is an outrageous dereliction of their duty. It prioritises alcohol industry profits over public health. Mr Dillon articulates alcohol industry themes when he says he is reflecting sequencing policy and protecting exports and jobs. Alcohol health-warning labels are a health issue, and are about improving health. Despite the enormous numbers of deaths, illness, crime and social harms of alcohol, most Irish citizens do not know or understand the risks of alcohol consumption. With this in mind, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act was passed unanimously by the Oireachtas in 2018. This Act included provisions to place alcohol health-warning labels on all alcohol products sold in Ireland. The regulations have been signed into law and are due to come into effect in May 2026, a decade after they were first proposed. Citizens, especially, are unaware of the huge cancer risks of alcohol. Alcohol causes seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancers, two of the most common in Ireland. Ireland has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in pregnancy in OECD, causing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which affects up to 2 per cent of people, with lifelong harmful consequences. In my own professional life, I have cared for thousands of patients with alcohol-related liver disease, many of whom have died. The alcohol industry is simply driven by maximising profits. It denies the scale of alcohol harms and deaths. As stated by the World Health Organisation, the alcohol industry, with their conflict of interests, should have no role in public health and should stay in lane. There should be no deferral or stepping back from the introduction of alcohol health warning labels on May 26th 2026. It is a citizen's right to know the harms of the alcohol they consider consuming, and a key public health action. – Yours, etc, Prof FRANK MURRAY, Chair, Alcohol Action Ireland, Dublin. Sir, – So Minister of State Alan Dillon is the latest to support the call by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to re examine the health labelling of alcohol products. He joins many others, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, who was instrumental in passing the labelling issue in the alcohol Act. Mr Dillon said: 'I have a duty to defend the interests of Irish indigenous SMEs who are facing unprecedented global trade pressures'. Not a mention of having a duty to defend the rights of Irish citizens to be informed of some of the harms that alcohol can have on their health. I also have a duty and whereas I don't have the podium that politicians enjoy, I have a right to call you out and say: 'I know that anyone who puts profit before health needs to re-examine their conscience and not re-examine the alcohol health-labelling issue. – Yours, etc, JOHN HIGGINS, Ballina, Co Mayo. A tattoo can be for you too Sir, – Dr Pat McGrath (Letters, June 23rd) writes that tattoos were once the preserve of 'male prisoners, sailors and psychiatric patients'. As a member of a generation born on the 'wrong' side of the release of Tommy by The Who, I admit to still indulging in a bit of body art. It's cheaper than therapy, lasts longer than a haircut, and – unlike a mortgage –I can still get one. A well-worn tattoo offers a much more interesting point of engagement for the younger generation than concepts they cannot relate to, such as landlines or home ownership. Many tattoos commemorate loved ones, mark personal milestones and memories, or serve as a form of entertainment. Most have no meaning to the viewer at all. In an age of deepfakes, disappearing data, doom scrolling, and negligible attention spans, a tattoo might be the last permanent thing left in the world to call your own. Provided that it's not done in comic sans. – Yours, etc, ULTAN Ó BROIN, Co Dublin. Sir, – As a grandmother of eight, I decided, post-pandemic, to fulfil a long held desire to get a tattoo. I now have 10 very small tattoos on the inside of my wrists. Each one has a special meaning for me and they bring me joy. I have no regrets at all. – Yours, etc, LAURA O'MARA, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. RPZs and holiday lets Sir, – The logical outcome of last week's decision to make all of Ireland a rent pressure zone is to immediately shutter short-term rental accommodation in the country, as most of these are now required to have change-of- use planning permission to operate (' Thousands of holiday lets will need planning permission due to rent pressure zone change s,' June 18th). We trust the Government has made alternative accommodation arrangements for all those tourists and Irish holidaymakers who will now be hearing from their holiday-home hosts informing them that their accommodation is no longer available. We trust, too, that the Government is making arrangements to compensate all the small business owners – restaurants, craft shops, tourist attractions – who will see their earnings evaporate from the loss of those visitors. Or, perhaps, the changes to the RPZ legislation is just further disastrous faffing to distract from the Government's failure to meet its own home building targets? All of this as our tourist season is about to begin. – Yours, etc, ROBBYN SWAN, ÁINE McCARTHY-KENT, Co Waterford. MARY VAN SON, Co Kildare, AIDAN SHILLING Co Wexford, Kieran Flanagan, Co Clare, DENISE NOLAN, Co Wicklow. Infrastructure suggestions Sir, – In his column last week, Michael McDowell urged the Government to replicate a piece of legislation from 1925 which the fledgling Free State government enacted to build the massive Ardnacrusha electricity station on the Shannon. It covered the State financing of the project, the CPO-ing of land, construction of canals, and so forth. This is the way, he suggests, to overcome the administrative sclerosis blocking the construction of the north Dublin sewage treatment plant, the piping of water from the Shannon to Dublin, talked about for nearly 30 years, the building of vitally needed onshore and offshore wind energy farms, as well as key road and rail projects. Meanwhile, every Government member, from the Taoiseach down, and the heads of the various State infrastructural agencies (EirGrid, ESB, Uisce Éireann, transport agencies), acknowledge the dire consequences of not resolving these logjams, and the fact that the existing permitting systems are not for purpose. Last month, the Government launched its new accelerating infrastructure taskforce to underline this fact. But this will be little more than the latest episode of 'kicking the can down the road' unless the Government undertakes the kind of bold legislative initiative urged by Senator McDowell. So, could it happen? Well, last week, the Government was able to draft, pass, and have enacted, a Bill extending rent pressure zones to the whole country. Where there's a will, there's a way! – Yours, etc, STEPHEN O'BYRNES, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. Remembering that summer Sir, – In tandem with your correspondent Michael Gannon (Memories of a summer solstice, Letters, June 21st) I too 'was among the many who had to traipse back to examination halls on Friday, June 27th, and Saturday, June 28th, to sit a repeat of the English and Maths exams' in 1969. In hushed tones, I have admitted that I was happy enough to have a second stab at the Maths papers, even if they had to be taken on a Saturday! The 'stolen papers' wasn't the only hardship visited upon us that year. Just as the cyclical post Christmas wind-up for June was beginning to gain momentum, secondary school teachers went on strike on Saturday, February 1st, 1969 for three weeks, causing considerable disruption, but especially in the mindset of us students. I often wonder how the challenges of the 'Class of 1969' would be dealt with in modern times. Looking back now, I am happy to say that I don't think a Covid-like compensatory inflation of my grades would have made any difference in my consequent and fulfilling working life. – Yours, etc, MAY FAHY, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Dogs on the beach Sir, – The main problem in trying to restrict dogs from our beaches (Letters, June 21st) is that politicians seem unwilling to address the problem. Here in Greystones, on the beautiful South Beach, dogs are supposedly banned from one small patch in the summer, but on most days, dogs and their owners can still be seen there. Local councillors are unwilling to do anything about it as there are just too many dog-owner votes to be lost. Another beach along the front, the Cove, might sometimes be mistaken for a dog park. Joanne Hunt makes clear in her article ( 'Dog business has no business on the beach', June 21st) that dog poo contains a lot of dangerous pathogens and unfortunately un-picked up dog mess decorates our Greystones pavements, grassy areas and all the beaches. – Yours, etc, IGOR CUSACK, Greystones, Co Wicklow. Sir, – Much of the narrative this past weekend has been about the threat that Iran poses to the Middle East and the wider world – and it does. However, when I look at the front page of today's paper (June 23rd) and see a picture of Donald Trump, wearing his signature MAGA baseball cap, I see an individual who, as each day passes, poses an even greater threat to the free world. His self-belief in his dictatorial rights and his personal ego, surrounded as he is by a fawning coterie of admirers, means that none of us can sleep easy in our beds. And the response of the rest of the world? 'Yes, Mr Trump' (and it doesn't matter about the question). – Yours, etc, T GERARD BENNETT, Bunbrosna, Co Westmeath. Sir, – There is no evidence to prove that Iran's nuclear development programme was on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb – or that Iran intended to ever create one. The US has entered the war on the basis of a lie – just like the lie about the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As a consequence, the world is a more dangerous place, and Israel can do what it wants in Gaza because Gaza is no longer headline news. – Yours, etc, CHRIS FITZPATRICK, Terenure, Dublin 6. Sir, – The recent US and Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure – including the Fordow nuclear facility – represent a clear success. While echoes of Desert Storm are hard to ignore, this is no copycat conflict. Then, a crumbling dictatorship was flattened after weeks of preparation. Now, a theocratic regime faces targeted precision strikes – and still claims to speak for the Islamic world. Iran calls itself a republic but functions more as a clerical state. Since 1979, it has ruled through fear and martyrdom, pioneering the suicide bomber through the warped logic that 'martyrdom' is not suicide. It has bankrolled Hezbollah, funds Hamas, and propped up Assad in Syria. The Iran nuclear deal of 2015 is dead. Trump pulled out in 2018. The current operation has roots in joint war games conducted under President Biden – another example of continuity in US-Israeli strategic planning. Iran now faces the full squeeze of American power, staged in the sort of geopolitical theatre that feels closer to pro-wrestling than diplomacy. What this moment reveals is the irrelevance of soft power. The EU lectures. The US strikes. And Ireland? We shout from the back of the room like a student union officer trying to go viral. Despite being the most pro-Palestinian government in our history, we're still dismissed as 'Zionist puppets.' No one's satisfied. Nothing gets done. Maybe it's time we stopped chasing applause and started confronting hard truths. – Yours, etc. JORDAN COLE, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. Sir, – In the wake of the US attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, what rational actor in the Middle East region will not conclude that the only guarantee they have against future Israeli- US aggression will be to acquire their own nuclear arsenal as soon as possible? Rather than discouraging Iran, the air strikes will only serve to convince hardliners within the regime to develop nuclear weapons. In the meantime, while the world's media attention shifts away from Gaza, we should remind ourselves that the genocide there continues unabated with ongoing daily atrocities. – Yours, etc, TOMAS McBRIDE, Letterkenny, Co Donegal. Nuclear disarmament Sir, – In her letter of June 21st, Mary Fitzgerald states she is not aware of any country disarming since the Non-Proliferation Treaty came into being on the early 1970s. Of course, there is one such country – Ukraine, which had the bravery and care for the common good to dismantle and disarm its nuclear arsenal. It has often been stated, in fact, that if it had kept them it would not have been invaded by Russia. A terrible repayment for doing the world such a service. – Yours, etc, ENDA SCANLON, Ennis, Co Clare. Damien Duff's Shels legacy Sir, – I was shocked to learn of Damien Duff's sudden departure from his position as manager of Shelbourne FC. His legacy as Shelbourne manager is multifaceted. He brought success back to the club after a couple of decades in the doldrums with the 2024 Premier Division title win. He has got Shelbourne back into Europe – a mouth-watering Champions League tie against Linfield awaits his successor. He has filled Tolka Park again – a heaving Riverside is in stark contrast to the empty one of just a few years ago. Then there's the boost to the league as a whole of having such a decorated and celebrated ex-player (two Premier League titles with Chelsea, and 100 Irish International caps). – Yours, etc, BRIAN QUIGLEY, Dublin 9. Alcohol labelling Sir, – Minister of State Alan Dillon is simply wrong when he says that delaying alcohol health-warning labels is not about undermining public health. ('TD says she hasn't drunk alcohol in over 13 years during impassioned plea to not delay health-warning labels,' June 20th). It is undermining public health. The current ministerial dialogue regarding re-examining the democratic Oireachtas decision and legislation to introduce alcohol health-warning labels is an outrageous dereliction of their duty. It prioritises alcohol industry profits over public health. Mr Dillon articulates alcohol industry themes when he says he is reflecting sequencing policy and protecting exports and jobs. Alcohol health-warning labels are a health issue, and are about improving health. Despite the enormous numbers of deaths, illness, crime and social harms of alcohol, most Irish citizens do not know or understand the risks of alcohol consumption. With this in mind, the Public Health (Alcohol) Act was passed unanimously by the Oireachtas in 2018. This Act included provisions to place alcohol health-warning labels on all alcohol products sold in Ireland. The regulations have been signed into law and are due to come into effect in May 2026, a decade after they were first proposed. Citizens, especially, are unaware of the huge cancer risks of alcohol. Alcohol causes seven types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancers, two of the most common in Ireland. Ireland has one of the highest rates of alcohol consumption in pregnancy in OECD, causing foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which affects up to 2 per cent of people, with lifelong harmful consequences. In my own professional life, I have cared for thousands of patients with alcohol-related liver disease, many of whom have died. The alcohol industry is simply driven by maximising profits. It denies the scale of alcohol harms and deaths. As stated by the World Health Organisation, the alcohol industry, with their conflict of interests, should have no role in public health and should stay in lane. There should be no deferral or stepping back from the introduction of alcohol health warning labels on May 26th 2026. It is a citizen's right to know the harms of the alcohol they consider consuming, and a key public health action. – Yours, etc, Prof FRANK MURRAY, Chair, Alcohol Action Ireland, Dublin. Sir, – So Minister of State Alan Dillon is the latest to support the call by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe to re examine the health labelling of alcohol products. He joins many others, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, who was instrumental in passing the labelling issue in the alcohol Act. Mr Dillon said: 'I have a duty to defend the interests of Irish indigenous SMEs who are facing unprecedented global trade pressures'. Not a mention of having a duty to defend the rights of Irish citizens to be informed of some of the harms that alcohol can have on their health. I also have a duty and whereas I don't have the podium that politicians enjoy, I have a right to call you out and say: 'I know that anyone who puts profit before health needs to re-examine their conscience and not re-examine the alcohol health-labelling issue. – Yours, etc, JOHN HIGGINS, Ballina, Co Mayo. A tattoo can be for you too Sir, – Dr Pat McGrath (Letters, June 23rd) writes that tattoos were once the preserve of 'male prisoners, sailors and psychiatric patients'. As a member of a generation born on the 'wrong' side of the release of Tommy by The Who, I admit to still indulging in a bit of body art. It's cheaper than therapy, lasts longer than a haircut, and – unlike a mortgage –I can still get one. A well-worn tattoo offers a much more interesting point of engagement for the younger generation than concepts they cannot relate to, such as landlines or home ownership. Many tattoos commemorate loved ones, mark personal milestones and memories, or serve as a form of entertainment. Most have no meaning to the viewer at all. In an age of deepfakes, disappearing data, doom scrolling, and negligible attention spans, a tattoo might be the last permanent thing left in the world to call your own. Provided that it's not done in comic sans. – Yours, etc, ULTAN Ó BROIN, Co Dublin. Sir, – As a grandmother of eight, I decided, post-pandemic, to fulfil a long held desire to get a tattoo. I now have 10 very small tattoos on the inside of my wrists. Each one has a special meaning for me and they bring me joy. I have no regrets at all. – Yours, etc, LAURA O'MARA, Stillorgan, Co Dublin. RPZs and holiday lets Sir, – The logical outcome of last week's decision to make all of Ireland a rent pressure zone is to immediately shutter short-term rental accommodation in the country, as most of these are now required to have change-of- use planning permission to operate ('Thousands of holiday lets will need planning permission due to rent pressure zone changes,' June 18th). We trust the Government has made alternative accommodation arrangements for all those tourists and Irish holidaymakers who will now be hearing from their holiday-home hosts informing them that their accommodation is no longer available. We trust, too, that the Government is making arrangements to compensate all the small business owners – restaurants, craft shops, tourist attractions – who will see their earnings evaporate from the loss of those visitors. Or, perhaps, the changes to the RPZ legislation is just further disastrous faffing to distract from the Government's failure to meet its own home building targets? All of this as our tourist season is about to begin. – Yours, etc, ROBBYN SWAN, ÁINE McCARTHY-KENT, Co Waterford. MARY VAN SON, Co Kildare, AIDAN SHILLING Co Wexford, Kieran Flanagan, Co Clare, DENISE NOLAN, Co Wicklow. Infrastructure suggestions Sir, – In his column last week, Michael McDowell urged the Government to replicate a piece of legislation from 1925 which the fledgling Free State government enacted to build the massive Ardnacrusha electricity station on the Shannon. It covered the State financing of the project, the CPO-ing of land, construction of canals, and so forth. This is the way, he suggests, to overcome the administrative sclerosis blocking the construction of the north Dublin sewage treatment plant, the piping of water from the Shannon to Dublin, talked about for nearly 30 years, the building of vitally needed onshore and offshore wind energy farms, as well as key road and rail projects. Meanwhile, every Government member, from the Taoiseach down, and the heads of the various State infrastructural agencies (EirGrid, ESB, Uisce Éireann, transport agencies), acknowledge the dire consequences of not resolving these logjams, and the fact that the existing permitting systems are not for purpose. Last month, the Government launched its new accelerating infrastructure taskforce to underline this fact. But this will be little more than the latest episode of 'kicking the can down the road' unless the Government undertakes the kind of bold legislative initiative urged by Senator McDowell. So, could it happen? Well, last week, the Government was able to draft, pass, and have enacted, a Bill extending rent pressure zones to the whole country. Where there's a will, there's a way! – Yours, etc, STEPHEN O'B YRNES, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4. Remembering that summer Sir, – In tandem with your correspondent Michael Gannon (Memories of a summer solstice, Letters, June 21st) I too 'was among the many who had to traipse back to examination halls on Friday, June 27th, and Saturday, June 28th, to sit a repeat of the English and Maths exams' in 1969. In hushed tones, I have admitted that I was happy enough to have a second stab at the Maths papers, even if they had to be taken on a Saturday! The 'stolen papers' wasn't the only hardship visited upon us that year. Just as the cyclical post Christmas wind-up for June was beginning to gain momentum, secondary school teachers went on strike on Saturday, February 1st, 1969 for three weeks, causing considerable disruption, but especially in the mindset of us students. I often wonder how the challenges of the 'Class of 1969' would be dealt with in modern times. Looking back now, I am happy to say that I don't think a Covid-like compensatory inflation of my grades would have made any difference in my consequent and fulfilling working life. – Yours, etc, MAY FAHY, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Delighted to be an atheist Sir, – Watching arguments unfold among self-declared Christians about the decision to welcome a member of the LGBTQ+ community into their midst, I am delighted to be an atheist. No biblical orthodoxy prevents or hampers my extending love to people of all genders and sexualities. I will march in as many Pride parades as possible this year to show my support for my brothers and sisters in the trans community and all who celebrate the rich diversity of human life and love. If that consigns me to hellfire and brimstone, I'll take my chances. Love wins. – Yours, etc, BERNIE LINNANE, Dromahair, Co Leitrim. Dogs on the beach Sir, – The main problem in trying to restrict dogs from our beaches (Letters, June 21st) is that politicians seem unwilling to address the problem. Here in Greystones, on the beautiful South Beach, dogs are supposedly banned from one small patch in the summer, but on most days, dogs and their owners can still be seen there. Local councillors are unwilling to do anything about it as there are just too many dog-owner votes to be lost. Another beach along the front, the Cove, might sometimes be mistaken for a dog park. Joanne Hunt makes clear in her article ( 'Dog business has no business on the beach', June 21st) that dog poo contains a lot of dangerous pathogens and unfortunately un-picked up dog mess decorates our Greystones pavements, grassy areas and all the beaches. – Yours, etc, IGOR CUSACK, Greystones, Co Wicklow.
