Latest news with #Protestant
Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Times
Naming sporting event after IRA leader is obscene
Imagine the outcry if a youth football tournament in England were named after one of the London Bridge terrorists. Or if a community sports facility in Manchester bore the name of the Arena bomber. It would rightly be condemned as grotesque, inflammatory and utterly incompatible with the values of a decent society. And yet in Northern Ireland, we are expected once again to swallow the farce of honouring IRA terrorists under the guise of 'commemoration'. The latest insult comes in the form of a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) youth tournament named after Joe Cahill, one of the founding figures of the Provisional IRA, whose record includes gun-running from Libya and lifelong justification of armed violence. Cahill was a convicted terrorist whose career spanned decades of bloodshed. He was unapologetic about the IRA's campaign of bombings and killings, which left thousands dead and many more lives shattered. Naming a 'Joe Cahill Gaelic Competition' for under 12s is obscene. Worse still, this act of glorification is happening at a time when the UK government is preparing to pour £50 million of taxpayers' money into the redevelopment of Casement Park, the GAA's flagship stadium in Belfast. Public money should never be used to prop up organisations that celebrate terrorism. It sends a damaging signal to victims, to wider society and to young people learning history through the prism of sport. How can we say we are building a shared future when one section of that future is lionising men who tried to destroy the very notion of peaceful democracy? This is not about cultural expression or historical memory, it is about rewriting the past to sanctify those who waged war against the people of Northern Ireland, both Catholic and Protestant. It is about embedding the message that political violence is not only excusable but honourable. For years now, Sinn Féin has walked this morally repugnant line, from honouring hunger strikers to naming playgrounds and GAA events after known terrorists. It is part of a calculated political strategy: to cloak murder in martyrdom and to push their narrative unchallenged into the mainstream. If the GAA wants to be a truly inclusive sporting body, it must reject the impulse to lionise gunmen, no matter how prominent they were within republican folklore, and stand with the victims of terror. And the UK government must stop pretending that these issues are separate from its financial support. You cannot fund an organisation with one hand and ignore its moral failures with the other. £50 million buys responsibility, not silence. Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee is a non-affiliated peer
Global News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Global News
MAGA singer: Religious group denounces Montreal for fining church after concert
A Quebec religious group is accusing the City of Montreal of censorship for fining a local church after it hosted a concert over the weekend by a Christian singer. Ministerios Restauración Church is facing a $2,500 fine for hosting singer Sean Feucht, a rising star in the MAGA political movement tied to U.S. President Donald Trump. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The city says it warned the church it didn't have a permit to host Feucht — who has spoken out against abortion and LGBTQ+ people — but says the show went ahead anyway. The religious group — Réseau évangélique du Québec — represents roughly 500 evangelical Protestant churches in the province, and says the city tried to shut the show down because it didn't like the singer's religious views. Spokesperson Jean-Christophe Jasmin says the event should not have required a permit because it was part of a routine religious gathering. Story continues below advertisement Complaints about Feucht have led officials to cancel his concerts scheduled in Eastern Canada — decisions that free speech advocates in the country say were violations of the Charter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
MAGA singer: Religious group denounces Montreal for fining church after concert
MONTREAL – A Quebec religious group is accusing the City of Montreal of censorship for fining a local church after it hosted a concert over the weekend by a Christian singer. Ministerios Restauración Church is facing a $2,500 fine for hosting singer Sean Feucht, a rising star in the MAGA political movement tied to U.S. President Donald Trump. The city says it warned the church it didn't have a permit to host Feucht — who has spoken out against abortion and LGBTQ+ people — but says the show went ahead anyway. The religious group — Réseau évangélique du Québec — represents roughly 500 evangelical Protestant churches in the province, and says the city tried to shut the show down because it didn't like the singer's religious views. Spokesperson Jean-Christophe Jasmin says the event should not have required a permit because it was part of a routine religious gathering. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Complaints about Feucht have led officials to cancel his concerts scheduled in Eastern Canada — decisions that free speech advocates in the country say were violations of the Charter. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Why we have a monument to the Duke of Wellington in Tipperary
At the highest point of the Grange Crag Loop in County Tipperary, walkers may be surprised to discover an odd-to-behold structure whose purpose appears to defy rational explanation. To uncover the story of why it was constructed, we must transport ourselves back to the end of the 18th century and a turbulent time in Irish history. Having survived centuries of rebellion and conflict, the Protestant Ascendancy were, at this time, feeling somewhat secure. Having enjoyed 80 years of relative peace, they now felt comfortable enough to assert themselves. Surfing a huge wave of popular enthusiasm and supported by the threat of violence if his demands were not met, Henry Grattan, leader of the Irish Patriot Party, secured an Independent Irish parliament in 1782. Kilcooley House One of his strongest supporters was William Barker of Kilcooley House, County Tipperary. A Whig (Liberal) MP, he also favoured the emancipation of Catholics from penal laws and some easements were immediately granted by the new legislature. This led to fears in Britain that allowing full voting rights for Catholics would create a hostile parliament in Ireland. Then came the French Revolution and the abolition of the hereditary aristocracy in France, with many of its members executed or forced to flee. Drawing upon the egalitarian ideas of revolutionary France, the radical United Irishmen soon espoused a similar idea: a republic where there would be no inherited privilege. The subsequent 1798 rebellion, which was supported by a French invasion of Ireland and had atrocities committed by both sides, shook the Irish aristocracy to its core. With an understandable human desire to keep their heads attached to their bodies, the ascendancy classes were now looking to Britain for safety. If this meant reestablishing a parliamentary union with Britain, it seemed a small price to pay. Forced to flee to England during the 1798 Rebellion, it is perhaps unsurprising that Sir William Barker changed his mind and voted for the perceived security afforded by an Act of Union with Britain. The Wellington Monument in Phoenix Park The fear remained, however, that Napoleon would invade Ireland and create a Catholic state for a Catholic people. Doubtless, a sigh of relief was emitted by the Protestant Ascendancy when 'The Little General' was defeated by the Duke of Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo. Monuments to the Duke were built by the much-relieved Irish aristocracy in Dublin's Phoenix Park; in Trim, County Meath; and by Sir William Barker at Grange, County Tipperary. The Wellington Monument, Grange. Picture: John G O'Dwyer To access this Tipperary monument, start from the carpark at the entrance to the Grange Crag Loop, located about six kilometres south of Urlingford. Follow the woodland tracks to reach an incongruous-looking building that once served as the deep freeze for Kilcooley House. Blocks of ice were cut from frozen ponds and transported to what was known as the icehouse, where they were stacked between layers of straw to create a microclimate where food would be preserved. Next, continue to a three-way junction where the arrows lead right. Ascend to another junction, where a sharp left joins a forestry road that ascends for about a kilometre to an intersection where the way is right. View of magnificently carved doorway in south transept at Kilcooly Abbey, County Tipperary. /taken from Ancient Ireland: Exploring Irish Historic Monuments by Tarquin Blake and Fiona Reilly, published by The Collins Press, 2013 Soon after, a track on the left takes you steeply uphill to reach the aforementioned Wellington Monument. Such edifices are generally referred to as follies, but mostly they served a purpose. Not only does this monument commemorate the Duke of Wellington, it also provides a focal point to draw people to a high point where they would be impressed by fine views of the Kilcooley Estate and the nearby Cistercian monastery. A daughter house of Holycross Abbey, it was built on land granted by Donal Mór O'Brien, the last king of Munster but was later dissolved following the English Reformation. Its extensive estates then passed to the Earls of Ormonde until purchased later by the Barker family. Nearby, but almost obscured among woodlands, the great house at Kilcooley was first built in the late 18th century. Now in a sad state of decay, the present-day Palladian mansion dates from 1843 and was constructed after a great fire in 1839 destroyed the original structure. This conflagration began when a butler, who had been dismissed from his employment by the then-owner of Kilcooley, William Barker Ponsonby, set one of the chimneys alight — so the old saying "always keep the butler onside" seems appropriate here. Walkers on Grange Crag Loop. Picture: John G O'Dwyer Soon, the views are obscured when you enter mature broadleaf woodland and swing right to descend by a stream and exit onto a track. Continue (left) following green and purple arrows along the woodland track for almost one kilometre. Follow the walking arrows sharply right and then take the next left, which allows you re-join your outward route after an outing of about two hours. Afterwards, as an added treat, quench your thirst in the old-world charm of Hogan's pub, Grange village.
Irish Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Who was Sam Maguire and why is the All-Ireland trophy named after him?
Today, Donegal and Kerry go head-to-head for the Sam Maguire trophy in the All-Ireland football final at Croke Park. Everyone is familiar with the Sam Maguire trophy, but who was Sam Maguire and why is the trophy named after him? Samuel "Sam" Maguire was an Irish republican and Gaelic footballer. Born in West Cork in 1887, Maguire was a Protestant who joined the British Army in London at the age of 20. He captained the highly successful London Hibernians team that reached numerous All-Ireland finals in the early 1900s. In 1907, he moved into administration with the London GAA, becoming chairman and a delegate to the GAA's Annual Congress. Interestingly, the vice-chairman of the London county board was Liam McCarthy, whose name graces the hurling cup. Maguire later secured a position in the Irish civil service, only to be dismissed. According to Margaret Walsh, author of "Sam Maguire: The Enigmatic Man Behind Ireland's Most Prestigious Trophy", he was sacked and denied a pension in 1924. In 1925, he returned to Cork, where he contracted TB and passed away at the age of 49 in 1927. His final resting place is Saint Mary's cemetery in Dunmanway. The Sam Maguire Cup was designed and presented to the GAA in his honour in 1928. The cup was crafted by silversmith Matthew J. Staunton of D'Olier Street, Dublin. Kildare were the first team to lift the trophy in 1928, and it was replaced by a newer model in 1988.
