Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Williamsburg-Caren Jane Sinn was born February 7 the daughter of James and Ethel (Johnston) Flanagan She graduated from Williamsburg High School in 1969 Mary’s Catholic Church in Williamsburg Caren was a friendly face to the countless customers she served while working at Jack and Mac’s and a grandma—going as far as telling everyone that her grandchildren were “perfect She is survived by her husband of 55 years Jessica (Callum) Trimpe and Jamie Sinn all of Williamsburg; nine grandchildren Susan Curry of Williamsburg and a brother David Flanagan of Riverside a sister Ione Flanagan and brother-in-law Bob Curry Celebration of life service will be 11:00 am on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the Powell Funeral Home in Williamsburg. Visitation will be Tuesday from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the funeral home. A memorial fund has been established for R.E.A. Messages and tributes may be directed to www.powellfuneralhomes.com All text and images © Powell Funeral Homes or published elsewhere without explicit permission.  All text and images © Powell Funeral Homes Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Footage revealed by The Irish News shows the three senior DUP figures watching the parade as onlookers sing the sectarian lyrics of both songs hours after Pope Francis died Sinn Féin has responded by requesting an urgent oral question and a matter of the day be debated in the assembly West Belfast MLA Danny Baker described the songs as “blatant sectarianism” and said political leaders had a responsibility to call out such actions “I am calling on all three DUP MLAs in question to publicly call out and challenge this blatant sectarianism,” he said. “There has been a rise in sectarian incidents across the north, in Lisburn, Belfast and Derry. These incidents reflect a broader pattern of sectarian behaviour that also need to be challenged.” The DUP MLAs’ attendance at the Lisburn parade emerged days after the party had condemned as “distasteful” the playing of a No Pope of Rome by a different band at a separate Apprentice Boys event. Responding to the Sinn Féin move, branded it “hypocrisy” and said the DUP had “consistently and unequivocally condemned sectarianism in all its forms”. “On the immediate aftermath of the Easter Monday parade, we congratulated the thousands who participated respectfully but distanced ourselves from the distasteful actions of the few,“ he said. “Elected representatives cannot be held accountable for the actions of others in a public space.” Th Upper Bann MLA said Sinn Féin was “seeking to delegitimise the cultural identity of the unionist and loyalist community”. “DUP MLAs nor our party make any apology for supporting Loyal Order parades and our proud culture and heritage,” he said. Facebook pageTwitter feedRSS feed@2025 The Irish News Ltd How To Wear It The Cartier Tank Cintrée In-Depth Examining Value And Price Over Time With The ‘No Date’ Rolex Submariner Watches In The Wild The Road Through America, Episode 1: A Model Of Mass Production Bubble-dial divers that have travelled the oceans and more as Sinn kicks off 2025 If there is a brand that exemplifies the German mindset of function over form The Frankfurt brand has always had a strong cult following without being tempted by the easy lucre of trends the brand ethos remains crystal clear and is reflected in six strong new releases that were recently introduced including a trio of new and surprising U-Series divers made of an unexpected material (or maybe very expected...) and a pair of new dive-chronographs that underline what Sinn does best The first of this year's novelties are formed around two executions of a new dive chronograph While brands big and small offer all sorts of dive watches today dive chronographs remain a niche product for the hardcore enthusiast (and the Sinn audience) Reading the press release for the new 613St is like entering another world bereft of vacuous terminology and hyperbole and the press release reads like a page on an underwater welder's equipment list The 613St doubles down on contemporary design with Sinn technology expanding on a catalogue of three dive chronos flipped version of the quirky destro EZM 13.1 This is a pared-down tool known by an inner circle of Sinners (sorry) a new Sellita SW 515 keeps it compact while keeping costs down at a strong $2,860 on a silicone strap ($540 extra for the bracelet) The Sinn 613St meeting DIN 8310 and 8306 norms for water resistance and diving equipment make for a strong and sporty package The 613St includes Sinn's fog-reducing Ar-Dehumidifying Technology and a 100 mT or 80,000A/m magnetic field protection to DIN 8309 specs This sounds overprotective but is a different measure than the more outdated Gauss roughly equivalent to the 1000 gauss of magnetic induction of a Rolex Milgauss The clean-cut case and bracelet of the 613St are instantly recognisable I can tell you that these 41 millimetres wear compactly and the sapphire crystal features Sinn's superb in/out AR-coating The matte black dial is framed by Sinn's captive bezel offering a tactile 60-minute counter and clean lume-printed markers the 60-minute chrono counter is reverse panda-white a welcome contrast that distinguishes the stopwatch pointers from the lumed hour-and-minute hands and I'll fight anyone who airs any views on improved no-date aesthetics the 613ST UTC comes with a brushed H-link bracelet and displays second time zone A Sellita SW535 calibre in Sinn guise offers a useful second timezone on an inner grey-printed 24-hour scale with a grey UTC hand show me another 500m dive chronograph with a GMT function on a bracelet with this feature set The second timezone is not as rapidly readable as a GMT bezel but the package deal of the 613St UTC is uncommon and multifaceted How about big-brand alternatives to the Sinn 613 comes on a bracelet but has a whopping 45.5mm case with an 18.9mm height and a $10K+ price The reworked SW515 in the Sinn can't compete with the Co-axial 9900 calibre If you find something that packs the punch of the 613St or 613St UTC for less than $4,000 and mark Sinn's 20th Anniversary of using German submarine steel The references refer to German decommissioned U-boats (submarines) whose steel is used for each model's case Sinn has designed a gloss blue/almost petrol-green dial that contrasts with the brushed steel but offers more at close quarters (submarine living pun not intended) Signifying the adventures of each submarine each dial has a pattern of central rising bubbles Thanks to a print featuring metallic blues and greens they take on a three-dimensional quality and are a fun touch The dials also feature the actual nautical miles each of the donor's vessels traveled while in service and blue lacquer-filled minute markings on the bezel match blues in the bubble motif But let's get down to some serious spec-business Submarine steel is an alloy developed by ThyssenKrupp for submarine outer hulls and included in the world's most advanced non-nuclear class 212 U-boats The strength of this non-magnetic steel exceeds 155% of the commonly used 316L steel and Sinn's steel is sourced from decommissioned Type 206 submarines The specialised case maker Sächsische Uhrentechnologie GmbH Glashütte straightens the curved pieces of stainless steel before cutting and machining each case blank The 41mm U15 is based on the compact charm of the U50 with its stat-busting 500m depth rating from a mere 11.2mm thick case The steel is sourced from a 1974 U15 submarine decommissioned after covering over 200,000 nautical miles The 60-minute captive bezel has addictive haptics and features Sinn's scratch-resistant Tegiment treatment and can attest to the delightfully juxtaposed nature of a soft comfortable presence with a tank-like solidity The rounded Sinn H-link bracelet is not groundbreaking but fastidiously crafted adding to a confidence-inspiring personality made from steel found in the U16 submarine from 1973 with a 38-year service record covering 207,000 nautical miles The two charmingly oversized hands could have graced a watch in Minecraft and remain hyperlegible and its 22mm bracelet is identical to the U15's 20mm version the extra two millimetres will add a substantial weight on the wrist it is powered by the Sellita SW300-1 movement in a 14.7mm thick case and the term desk diver is not even whispered in Frankfurt The U16 has a class-leading 1000m depth rating and has the same $3,340 price tag as the U15 offers a dial that mixes a pilot's watch aesthetics (with some notes of the UX line) and the evocative bubbles of a deep dive But its slender markings and handset come with a tell-tale indicator at six o'clock and serious specs This even thicker 15.5mm case (still 44mm in diameter) features Sinn Ar-Dehumidifying technology a necessary addition for a 2000-meter dive spec tool This is seriously impressive and also features the Sellita SW300-1 movement This is a big value for hardcore credentials and goes up against some pretty expensive competition what constitutes a basic movement seems less important and accurate enough to keep the limited trio high on value-for-money comparison charts with their features All of the new U-series are priced similarly to the regular Sinn models they are based on making the distinctive dials a tempting twist especially when you add the charm of the strength and history of each submarine with its proven steel But if you enjoy the compact brawn of the U50 there is also a sixth new alternative from Sinn might not have the real-world toughness of traceable submarine steel but it comes with a blue fabric strap to match a matte blue dial and a warm tint of gold Goldbronze 125 is a proprietary alloy developed by Sinn and is a new version of the instant-sellout T50 that appeared in 2023 It has a rich bronze bead blasted case in a corrosion-resistant alloy and a 500m rating that belies its glitzy look For more information, visit Sinn online Introducing The Doxa Sub 200, Now With A Steel Bezel Introducing Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT 60th Anniversary Edition SPB519 Introducing The Tudor Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 25" Business News Rolex Will Raise U.S. Prices In Response To Tariffs Six Of The Coolest CPO Rolex Watches I Saw In London's Old Bond Street Rolex Boutique Reference Points The Cartier Tank Louis Introducing The Christopher Ward C12 'Loco' (Live Pics) Hands-On Tudor's Black Bay Pro Gets A Surprisingly Dramatic Facelift With An Opaline Dial together with the U1 dive watch and the 104 pilot’s watch one of its most respected and sought-after watches The concept is now back in a fairly more classic duo a day-date complication and some contrasting colours on the dial But the main recipe of a tool watch combining functions is still there using a different display with a 60-minute sub-dial The new Sinn 613 St – next to its multi-time-zone counterpart, the 613 St UTC – is essentially a flipped version of the EZM 13.1 Diving Chronograph with destro style as there’s a bit more than meets the eye specifications and dimensions remain identical ultra-matte stainless steel case measures 41mm in diameter 15mm in thickness and the watch head is about 98 grams but keep in mind that we’re looking at a serious aquatic tool capable of withstanding 500m of depth The rest: sapphire crystal with double-sided AR coating; righ-positioned screw-down crown and pushers with D3-System; screwed caseback; “captive” rotating bezel (60 clicks) with black aluminium insert and 60-minute scale A standout feature is the Ar-Dehumidifying Technology ensuring enhanced functional reliability and freedom from fogging magnetic field protection up to 100 mT (80,000 A/m) effectively prevents magnetization… Classic German over-engineering – and it meets DIN 8310 and 8306 norms there are more modifications than on the case clean white lumed hands… The display of the Sinn 613 St is fairly different from that of the EZM 13.1 the running seconds has been relocated to 9 o’clock which incidentally leaves space for a more balanced date window at 3 o’clock (it was at 4h30) and now next to it is a day-of-the-week indication while the 60-minute sub-register is still located at 6 o’clock it has here been white-coloured for a touch of contrast and a more modern look with the small seconds barely visible and used mostly at a running indicator (a necessity for a dive watch) There is also a brand new model in the collection the specs and the overall layout of the dial; nothing The main difference is that the day-of-the-week indication has been removed (only the date remains) and replaced by a fourth central hand that acts as a second time zone on a 24-hour basis (independently adjustable) and painted in dark grey to avoid it taking too much attention Both the Sinn 613 St and the 613 St UTC models run on the calibre SZ02, an internal name for modified Valjoux-based automatic chronograph movement produced by Sellita such as the 60-minute recorder and the addition of the UTC function These movements run at 28,800 vibrations/hour boast 42 hours of power reserve and have a classic cam-lever chronograph mechanism Reading the article with a 903 st ii on my wirst… and strongly tempted to pull the trigger again!!! Hope UTC buyers don’t need to know the second time zone between 8pm and 4am No lumed second hand? I thought that is duty for divers … My fault – the second hand is the small one at 9. shake on me … .-) This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. 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Read our Privacy notice Gerry Adams has told a libel hearing that he does not remember how many people were killed in IRA atrocities such as Bloody Friday or the Claudy bombings There were sharp exchanges between Mr Adams and a barrister for the BBC at Dublin High Court as he was quizzed about a number of terrorist killings The former MP and Sinn Fein leader is continuing to give evidence in his defamation case against the broadcaster at the High Court in Dublin. He claims a BBC Spotlight programme, and an accompanying online story, defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the killing of the former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson. Mr Donaldson, who had worked for Sinn Fein, was shot dead in Donegal in 2006, months after admitting his role as a police and MI5 agent for 20 years. In 2009, the Real IRA admitted killing Mr Donaldson. The Spotlight programme was broadcast in September 2016. Mr Adams entered the witness box for a fourth day where he faced questioning from counsel for the BBC, Paul Gallagher SC. The barrister began his cross-examination by asking how many people were killed during the Troubles. Mr Adams said there had been around 3,500 deaths with “countless others injured and traumatised”. He said he could speak from personal experience, stating that his brother-in-law had been shot by the British Army. He said there was still a live threat against him from dissident republicans. Mr Adams said: “I have met with numerous victims and survivors, including victims of the IRA.” Asked by Mr Gallagher what proportion of Troubles deaths and injuries were the responsibility of the IRA, he said: “A lot, what has this got to do with the Spotlight programme?” The barrister said that the book Lost Lives stated that 48.5% of Troubles deaths were the responsibility of the IRA, amounting to 1,758 deaths. Mr Adams told the court he had no reason to dispute that figure. He said: “That was the main reason for my work to build the peace process, to bring it to an end.” Mr Gallagher then referred to a number of IRA atrocities in the 1970s, including Bloody Friday in 1972. Nine people died and 130 were injured when a number of IRA bombs exploded across Belfast on July 21 1972. Mr Adams said it was “terribly wrong, quite a few people were killed, it was a disaster”. Mr Gallagher asked him how many people were killed. Mr Gallagher said it was one of the most “infamous” incidents of the Troubles, stating the details of it must be known to Mr Adams as a republican. Mr Adams responded: “The IRA apologised, and 30 years later apologised again.” The barrister asked him again how many people were killed. Mr Adams said: “I have already answered that.” Mr Gallagher asked him to give an estimate of the number of deaths, but Mr Adams said he was “trivialising the details”. The barrister then asked him how many people were killed in the 1972 Claudy bombings. He added: “I remember it was another disaster, a wrong action.” The barrister then asked him about meetings he had attended with other senior republicans in 1972 with UK Government representatives in an effort to negotiate an agreement following an IRA truce. Mr Gallagher asked him about the attendance of republican Daithi O Conaill at the talks, whom he described as a leader of the IRA. Mr Adams said: “I was there and he was there in our capacity as leaders of Sinn Fein.” Mr Gallagher asked: “Why can you not answer that he was a member of the IRA?” Mr Adams said the group was there to broker a ceasefire which Mr O Conaill would then bring back to the leadership of the IRA. Mr Gallagher said: “Were Sinn Fein empowered to negotiate on behalf of the IRA?” Mr Adams said: “No, our briefing was not to negotiate on behalf of the IRA, the briefing was to negotiate a package which Daithi would bring back to the IRA.” After the barrister continued to ask about the 1972 meeting, Mr Adams said: “I thought we were going to talk about Denis Donaldson, not a meeting which happened 50 years ago.” The barrister went on to ask him if he remembered a number of further IRA incidents. Mr Adams said incidents in which civilians were killed were some of the “biggest regrets” of his life. Referring to the La Mon bombing in 1978, Mr Adams said: “It doesn’t matter who it was, it was wrong.” As the barrister continued to ask questions about IRA killings, Mr Adams said: “What has this got to do with Denis Donaldson?” Mr Gallagher said: “I will ask the questions.” Mr Adams said the barrister was “persisting in asking me to remember events, to remember atrocities”. When the barrister began to ask about IRA killings in the Republic of Ireland and the view of the Irish government towards the IRA, Mr Adams said the Irish government “had for a long time played no positive role in bringing peace to the island of Ireland”. He said: “Successive Irish governments abandoned people of the north.” Mr Adams said he was “surprised” the barrister was not interested in asking him about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings, carried out by loyalists in 1974. Mr Adams, 76, stepped down as Sinn Fein president in 2018 after 34 years at the helm. He served as an MP for West Belfast and represented Co Louth in the Irish parliament for nine years until the 2020 general election, when he retired from politics. The case, which is expected to last four weeks, will resume on Tuesday. ABOVE: Ean Sinn stands in the sanctuary of First Congregational Church in Sherburn SHERBURN– Sinn Family Celebration of Life Center is soon going to have a presence in Sherburn with the recent purchase of First Congregational Church This will be in addition to the already established locations in Trimont and Welcome The expansion is happening a lot quicker than owner Ean Sinn expected “When I started working at 17 at a funeral home the plan was to run a funeral home in Trimont Welcome and Sherburn but I thought it would be five or 10 years before we’d ever have something outside of Trimont,” he admitted The MCW graduate opened his flagship location at the site of United Methodist Church in Trimont He fixed up the building and in addition to holding funeral services there he’s opened it up for other community events and the congregation has continued to hold weekly church services there Paul’s United Church of Christ in Welcome and is renting that space It works for both parties as it gives the church building more use and exposure and allows Sinn to have a presence to offer his services in Welcome “I had talked to Pastor Mike (Ennis) and said if they ever want a similar situation to what we have with Trimont I’d be willing to talk about it I assumed it would be several years down the road and wasn’t quite anticipating we’d have the discussion so soon but it’s a perfect opportunity for us and for the church and for Sherburn so we couldn’t really pass it up.” He has signed the purchase agreement and is working on closing the deal in the next month Then he needs to go through the proper state licensing process However he is hoping for a late spring opening “Sherburn has been great to work with,” Sinn said Funerals will take place in the sanctuary and as the pews are in good condition He’s pleased with the modern kitchen but has plans to renovate the arrangement room and add a TV for tribute videos such as painting and replacing flooring and lighting “This location will be good for serving not just Sherburn The model will be similar to what he has going in Trimont in the sense that the congregation will continue to hold its weekly service there Heaven’s Table Food Shelf also has a food shelf set up inside the church and Sinn said nothing will change with that “We’re going to keep that relationship going We’re happy to provide the space,” Sinn said He also plans to offer the space to rent out for grad parties which has proven to be a popular offering for the Trimont location “We’ve got two graduation parties planned for this spring… my goal is to provide the space and get people in the doors,” Sinn said More information on the funeral home can be found at sinnfuneralhome.com the Martin County Economic Development Authority (EDA) elected to hold off on approving .. CEYLON — A communion service at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Ceylon will be at 5:30 p.m FAIRMONT—Mayo Clinic Health System-Fairmont is offering a support group for families of children with .. Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Minnesota | https://www.fairmontsentinel.com | 64 Downtown Plaza Home / Hometown Current Sinn’s father has been there every step of the way Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread DES MOINES — All Williamsburg’s Nile Sinn needed was one time Sinn got that time against Mount Vernon’s Mikey Ryan in the Class 2A 150-pound semifinal match at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Wrestling Tournament Friday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Sinn knew the challenge he’d face in Ryan Sinn lost to Ryan by major decision at the Wamac conference tournament he had never beaten Ryan in any of their previous matches and I knew that would be tough to deal with,” Nile Sinn said “I tried to slow him down with fakes and put him on the defense a bit.” The match headed to overtime — two 30-second periods in which each wrestler starts on top making the score 2-2 and sending the match to double overtime meaning he had to escape in 30 seconds to prevent a Ryan win “I definitely did not like it 2-2 going into the ultimate tiebreaker but you got to do what you got to do,” Nile Sinn said Sinn was able to kick himself out for the escape and the gritty 3-2 win A familiar face was there in the coaches’ chairs the entire match ready to embrace Sinn after his win — his father “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sinn said “He’s the best coach and dad I could ever ask for I love that guy and I’m super grateful he’s able to be around me every single day.” Jeff Sinn has been with his son every step of the way through Nile’s wrestling career Now he gets to watch — and coach — his son as a senior in the state championship match “I’ve always been super proud of the way Nile has carried himself,” Jeff Sinn said “We’ve been defeated by Mikey several times and he’s handled it with class.” “I told him before he went out there but believe in yourself as much as I believe in you The stage is now set for the championship match against one-seeded Shane Hanford of West Marshall Class 2A finals will wrestle front and center in the middle mat in the all-classes night session to close the state tournament out “I told a reporter yesterday that wrestling in the middle of the ‘dog bone’ was pretty sweet,” Nile Sinn said ”There’s nothing like being in the 2A mat at the state finals.“ It’s a surreal moment for Sinn to close out his wrestling career in the title match and to have his father there beside him “I’m going to feel just like him,” Jeff Sinn said “I’m going to have to keep my composure and not get overwhelmed by the situation.” The finals sessions begins at 5:15 tonight with an award ceremony and a grand march followed by finals in all classes starting at 106 DUBLIN — Sinn Féin wants the speaker’s head — but Prime Minister Micheál Martin says they can’t have it The crisis within Ireland’s fledgling parliament deepened Wednesday as Sinn Féin and other opposition leaders demanded the resignation of Verona Murphy, a sharp-tongued ex-trucker who was appointed as speaker only three months ago Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said her party expects the speaker’s resignation by the end of the week otherwise her party will introduce a formal no-confidence motion But Martin — whose own January election as Taoiseach was delayed by Sinn Féin-led obstruction tactics — said he wasn’t willing to see anyone get “intimidated” out of office “Your tactics are well known,” Martin told the Sinn Féin chief a day after parliament had to be suspended amid unrelenting opposition heckling of Martin and Murphy “But they will be met by steel on this side of the house the speaker is supposed to be politically neutral and able to command the confidence of both sides of the house if any major party expresses it’s lost confidence in the speaker setting the scene for protracted blow-ups and suspensions McDonald and other opposition party leaders accused Murphy of siding with the government Tuesday when she overrode the opposition’s attempts to block a vote on a government motion created new weekly speaking slots for a small pro-government grouping of lawmakers called the Regional Independents Their support is crucial for Martin’s two-party coalition to wield a majority in the Dáil Éireann parliament until she got her surprise promotion with Martin’s backing She’s being widely seen now to be promoting the interests of the Regional Independents and particularly its key figure who wants a role in parliamentary debating time normally reserved for opposition voices McDonald — whose nationalist party finished second to Martin’s center-ground Fianna Fáil in November’s election — directed her fire directly at Murphy as she demanded her resignation “bulldozed Dáil rules to get the government’s plan over the line To protect the very deal that put her in her position A deal brokered by her mentor Michael Lowry who sat smiling and giving the two fingers to the people of Ireland whilst the chaos unfolded.” McDonald told Murphy: “The Dáil cannot function properly whilst you remain in the chair Such demands for a speaker’s resignation on alleged bias grounds are virtually without precedent in Ireland. The last speaker forced to quit, Fianna Fáil’s John O’Donoghue in 2009, did so because of a media investigation into exorbitant travel expenses in his previous government ministerial role Murphy — who spent much of Tuesday’s shortened session pleading, in vain, for Sinn Féin and other opposition leaders to respect her position and to stop heckling her — issued a defiant statement Wednesday night “Prolonged disorder and obstruction is utterly unacceptable in any democratic parliament So too is making false accusations of partiality and collusion against its officials and chair,” said Murphy who vowed “to continue to carry out the onerous office to which I was elected.” Martin stressed to the house that he wasn’t willing to let Sinn Féin get its way “You’ve created a new precedent,” he told McDonald if you successfully barrack and intimidate people enough He noted how Sinn Féin, once the public face of the outlawed Irish Republican Army, hadn’t even recognized the political legitimacy of the Republic of Ireland until the mid-1980s when it started to contest Irish elections here Martin said he feared that Ireland’s democratic system faced “a new era of total opposition” by Sinn Féin “making it impossible to do business unless the minority allows it … a refusal to respect basic rules.” “You would do anything to undermine the institutions of this state which you’ve never been very loyal to in your long history,” Martin said to the Sinn Féin leader Presuming that Murphy doesn’t table her resignation beforehand Sinn Féin plans to table a formal no-confidence vote Tuesday Social Democrats and the socialist Solidarity-People Before Profit have pledged to join Sinn Féin in seeking Murphy’s ouster but it would create an unprecedented division in Ireland’s parliament The Irish budget airline is Boeing’s biggest customer in Europe Prime Minister Micheál Martin pleads with opposition to let Dáil Éireann do its job as “enormous threats” from U.S Government forces through new speaking rules — but the Sinn Féin-led opposition makes it impossible for the other side to speak at all The former mixed martial arts champ — recently found civilly liable in Ireland for raping a Dublin woman — brings his anti-immigration message to the White House ABOVE: Crystal and Ean Sinn and Greg Wohlhuter stand outside of St which is the new and second location of Sinn Family Celebration of Life Center WELCOME– Just a year after opening the first location in Trimont Sinn Family Celebration of Life Center has added a second location in Welcome Owner Ean Sinn said upon opening his first location “When I started out in this business I always thought I’d be serving Trimont Welcome and Sherburn and I thought (being in) Trimont would be good and we could maybe expand down the road,” Sinn explained a funeral Sinn had earlier this year at St Paul’s United Church of Christ in welcome opened the door to a partnership between the two “I turned to Greg (Wohlhuter) and said ‘this would make a great funeral home,’ and he said The conversation started in February but Sinn said it was a long process as they had to meet with the church board talk to the city to get the correct permit and then work with the state to get the right licensing in place who is a preplanning specialist and funeral assistance He said the church board had discussed the opportunity back in March and decided that the benefit to the church would be to get more use out of the building– and more exposure “It’s like a double bonus,” Wohlhuter said Sinn added that it’s an adaptive reuse of the building and pointed out that there’s a lot of history in older buildings like churches but often times if they can’t be maintained they get torn down “It’s nice to see them retain a community purpose,” Sinn said when the matter went to the Welcome City Council in July it passed easily They like to see another business in town,” Sinn said The licensing was just approved by the state on Oct 31 which means the location is operational The set up is similar but different to the location in Trimont bought the building (United Methodist Church) and did a lot of renovations to it The church still holds weekly services there and he uses the space for community events as well In the winter months they’ve held farmers’ markets and they’ve also hosted blood drives and put on concerts In addition they’ve had anniversary parties bridal showers and wedding rehearsal dinners in the space Sinn is renting the space as the congregation is still very active which was constructed in 1951 and added on to in 1996 is in good condition and Sinn only plans to do some minor upgrades like painting clearing out some items and adding some TVs “We plan to do the same thing in Welcome,” Sinn said about holding additional events “We have the space for it and it benefits me with outreach and it benefits the church with getting some extra people in here to see the building.” He’s excited about the additional location and what it means for the business “Licensing this as our facility allows us to advertise this is as our funeral home and it allows us to have more of a reach toward Fairmont and toward Ceylon and of course Welcome,” Sinn said Sinn said their reach has been more significant than he expected They’ve held funerals in Mountain Lake Sinn is grateful for but not entirely sure why their response has been so good He did say he believes they do a good job of doing outreach “We encourage people to talk about their funeral planning before it happens and I think people notice that and appreciate it,” Sinn said Right now it’s just Sinn and Wohlhuter Crystal and Lisa and other family members eagerly help out when needed They don’t have set plans but ideas of expanding and offering some other services down the road “The biggest thing that people have been saying when they walk into the Trimont location is that this is more than just a funeral home and that’s the biggest compliment we could ever get for what we’re doing I didn’t know it could be so enjoyable to be serving in this role He hopes to recreate that same atmosphere in Welcome The tribute to the late IRA hunger striker and MP will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon at the Republican Memorial Garden in west Belfast’s Twinbrook area Antrim and Newtownabbey councillor Alison Bennington told the Belfast Telegraph the decision was “deeply troubling” “I grew up next door to Bobby Sands,” she said “We played together and he even helped build the bonfire in Rathcoole Bobby Sands decided to become part of the PIRA a group responsible for decades of terrorism which left Northern Ireland with a legacy of death and trauma “He was convicted in 1976 and sentenced to 14 years in prison (for the bombing of the Balmoral Furniture Company and a subsequent gun battle with the RUC) “It is deeply troubling to see public representatives organising an event to unveil a statue honouring Bobby Sands,” she said “Honouring figures associated with paramilitary violence undermines efforts toward genuine reconciliation and peace. “We should be focusing on remembering innocent victims of the Troubles and helping survivors, not elevating individuals with terror convictions whose legacy is inseparable from violence. “True peace is built on justice and respect for innocent victims, not the romanticising of terrorism and the rewriting of history.” Sinn Féin’s West Belfast MLA Danny Baker will be chairing the event, with his party colleague and former hunger striker Pat Sheehan as the keynote speaker. Asked to respond to Cllr Bennington’s comments, Mr Baker said in a statement that the unveiling would be “a powerful and dignified occasion to honour his legacy and rededicate ourselves to achieving a new and united Ireland”. Mr Baker had previously included an image of Bobby Sands in the background of his official portrait as Lord Mayor of Belfast. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more Sinn creates tool watches that provide the best possible performance under the toughest conditions, which sometimes necessitates some unusual features. The EM 13.1, for example, is an absolute beast of a dive watch. Along with a 500m dive rating, the automatic chronograph boasts anti-magnetic field technology, a dial dehumidifier and a temperature-resistant movement. More notable, however, is the uncommon crown and pusher configuration. Specifically, both are on the left side of the case. While this arrangement typically suits the rare left hander-friendly watch, Sinn uses it here for a different reason: to prevent the controls from putting pressure on right-handed divers’ hands. Unfortunately, while the novel configuration is interesting to look at, the counterintuitive movements required to operate the chronograph and adjust the time can be awkward for right-handed people. The good news is, Sinn just released the 613 St, which appears to solve the problem. It is essentially the EM 13.1 with the crown and pushers moved to the right side and a day-date complication added to the dial. Now, let’s break down what makes that so significant. In the watch community, watches with the crown placed on the left side of the case to accommodate left-handed individuals are called destro. The word means “right” in Italian and refers to the fact that left-handed people usually wear watches on their right wrist. Destro watches are a hot commodity on the second-hand market because they are exceedingly rare. Building one isn’t as simple as making a case with the crown on the left side; the entire movement has to be redesigned. Since there are far fewer left-handed people in the world and making a destro watch is labor and resource-intensive, most brands don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze. Sinn is a little different, however. It decided the design had a benefit for right-handed divers and placed it on the regular production EM 13.1 dive watch. That makes sense … for actual divers. But for dive watch owners who rarely, if ever, actually dive — i.e. most dive watch owners — it is more of an inconvenience. I’m taking the liberty of speaking for all right-handed watch owners when I say that having the crown and pushers on the right side of the case is preferable. Bottom line: Sinn’s EM 13.1 destro dive watch will likely fetch an impressive price on the vintage market one day, but the new 613 St is a superior watch to wear. Crown orientation aside, the 613 St is just as impressive a dive watch as its predecessor and even packs in an additional complication. This dive watch uses Sinn’s Ar-Dehumidifying Technology, indicated by the “Ar” icon at four o’clock, to prevent the dial from fogging at extreme pressure and temperatures. In the simplest possible terms, it combines a drying capsule like the kind found in shipping containers, specially designed seals on the case and a protective gas filling. The chronograph pushers utilize Sinn’s D3 system, which uses piston-like cylinders to create a water-tight and gas-tight seal and prevents physical damage. The chronograph layout remains unchanged, but the rest of the dial has been slightly rearranged. The running seconds sub-dial has been moved to nine o’clock to make room for a day-date window at three o’clock. Inside the anti-magnetic case is an in-house SW515 automatic movement. It has been tested to meet DIN 8310 and 8306 standards of water and magnetic protection, which is the European standard for dive watch performance. To be honest, very few people on this planet are capable of pushing this watch to its limits, but as with so many other extreme tool watches, it’s cool to know it exists. For most prospective owners, the Sinn 613 St’s most practical benefit is that the crown and pushers are in a familiar location. That will come in handy even if you never even see the ocean. The Sinn 613 St is available now in the European market and is coming to America this spring. The sandblasted steel case comes with a matching steel bracelet with a three-piece clasp. Sinn is one of the German watch brands exclusively available in America through Watchbuys. You can inquire now about reserving one before it launches stateside. Reporting by Padraic Halpin and Amanda Ferguson; Editing by Alex Richardson DUBLIN — Sinn Féin has set the stage for a potentially fractious St Patrick’s Day in the White House by announcing it’s boycotting events involving Donald Trump The move by Ireland’s main opposition party, though dismissed as an attention-seeking stunt by Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, reflects deep-seated Irish antipathy to the United States president’s latest ideas on clearing the Gaza Strip of Palestinians Ireland, along with Norway and Spain, last year recognized Palestinian statehood and is openly reviled by Israel Martin still hopes to be invited to the White House for annual events including the ceremonial handover of a bowl of shamrock a decades-old tradition maintained throughout Trump’s first term Ireland’s government normally treats the Irish national holiday on March 17 as its best chance to promote Irish interests in dozens of countries It’s been at least as important for Sinn Féin as it is usually a focal point for talks in the White House and on Capitol Hill But the joint announcement by Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and the party’s first minister atop the Northern Ireland government highlights how the usual diplomatic rule book could be torn up this time — and invites retaliation from hair-trigger Trump “I, like many other Irish people, have listened in horror to calls from the president of the United States for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of Palestinian land,” said McDonald, whose party is closely allied to the Palestinian cause from the days when Sinn Féin represented the public face of the outlawed Irish Republican Army She and O’Neill said they intended to meet other American leaders particularly Irish-Americans who have offered strong backing to Sinn Féin since the 1990s when then-President Bill Clinton’s efforts to bring it in from the diplomatic cold encouraged IRA cease-fires Sinn Féin leaders have since attended every St. Patrick’s Day White House celebration — except in 2005, when the Republican administration of George W. Bush banned the party in punishment for IRA cease-fire violations “People rightly look to leaders to stand against injustice,” O’Neill said in justifying her decision to avoid any White House events this year when our children and our grandchildren ask us what we did while the Palestinian people endured unimaginable suffering I will say I stood firmly on the side of humanity.” O’Neill’s boycott could present a rare diplomatic opening for Northern Ireland’s main pro-British party which typically cuts a lonely figure on an otherwise green St O’Neill’s DUP co-leader of Northern Ireland’s cross-community government Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly still expects to attend the White House event Government leaders in Dublin chided Sinn Féin’s snub as reckless and foolish given widely held fears that Trump intends soon to target the Republic of Ireland with its Europe-leading cluster of nearly 1,000 U.S Although Sinn Féin is not part of Martin’s coalition government, it is the only Irish political party with substantial name recognition in the United States. Likewise, Sinn Féin is the only Irish party that actively raises funds in the U.S. via its American arm Trump, by contrast, has limited his visits to the golf resort he owns on Ireland’s Atlantic coast Martin — the ultra-diplomatic political veteran who took the reins of a new coalition government last month — dismissed Sinn Féin’s anti-Trump move as cynical opposition posturing. He said it was critical for European governments to engage positively with the Trump administration, particularly Ireland, which receives unique access to the White House each March 17 — unless Trump, this time, chooses to withdraw the welcome mat. “Sinn Féin does what it always does,” Martin told reporters shortly after McDonald’s announcement. “I have a responsibility to the country.” The Irish budget airline is Boeing’s biggest customer in Europe. Prime Minister Micheál Martin pleads with opposition to let Dáil Éireann do its job as “enormous threats” from U.S. tariffs loom. Prime Minister Micheál Martin vows to resist Sinn Féin’s campaign of “total opposition” in showdown that has crippled the ability of the Dáil Éireann parliament to function. Government forces through new speaking rules — but the Sinn Féin-led opposition makes it impossible for the other side to speak at all. additional reporting by Amanda Ferguson in Belfast; Editing by Alex Richardson “They need to be dragged out by their balls,” said one older woman She transpired to be the wife of the movement’s emerging leader the veteran Republican activist and newly-elected inner city Dublin councillor Malachy Steenson The day was to be a reassertion of nationalist credibility after the politically damaging presence of Southern anti-immigration protestors alongside Ulster Loyalists during last summer’s Belfast riots “Traitors!” one young woman shouted at the counter-protestors Scattered across a broad spectrum of microparties Ireland’s anti-immigration movement achieved electoral success last year only in winning council seats in working-class areas of Dublin the protest’s organisers have decided to lean strongly into capturing Sinn Féin’s disaffected urban voter base It was the sort of political speech that would be recognisable to historians of Ireland’s 19th-century mass movement nationalism “They fear not chaos but our awakening,” Quinlan roared “The holy fire that blazed in our patriot dead […] lives on here today from which the Provisional IRA and today’s Sinn Féin split at the beginning of the Troubles is not gonna save the Irish people,” the National Party’s Patrick Quinlan told me He cited the example of the early 20th-century Irish language movement: “The Irish fight has always been a cultural fight If it’s not electoral politics alone getting that fabric of what it means to be Irish back.” Yet while a boost to an amorphous anti-immigration movement bruised by electoral failure the purpose of these mass protests remains unclear Coming together to maximise protest turnout the anti-immigration movement’s different party leaders compete for the same narrow vote share at elections Neither will Steenson’s links to McGregor — and by association the Trump administration — win over the middle classes from Steenson’s “Make Ireland Great Again” baseball cap down the movement’s increasing tilt to Ireland’s largely conservative American diaspora for funding and political influence reflects another longstanding tradition in Irish nationalism It’s also a front against both the Irish coalition government and its Sinn Féin challenger “This is very much a battle for the heart and soul of nationalism it’s for the heart and soul of the Irish people,” Steenson said Sinn Féin no longer represent nationalism — they’re globalists.” Aris Roussinos is an UnHerd columnist and a former war reporter Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Please click here to view our media pack for more information on advertising and partnership opportunities with UnHerd Gerry Adams reads a copy of An Phoblacht in 1991 The Sinn Fein-affiliated firm that owned republican newspaper An Phoblacht has gone out of business which operated out of the Sinn Fein offices in Dublin Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening Please check your inbox to verify your details own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Bristol provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK View all partners With the dust settled on the 2024 Irish general election attention has turned to the negotiations which will lead to the formation of the next coalition government with a seat tally of 39 (in a parliament of 174 seats) Sinn Féin will not be invited to those talks the party is destined for another stint on Dáil Éireann’s opposition benches It will be tasked with holding some variant of a Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-dominated administration to account Despite the efforts of some in Sinn Féin to spin the election in a positive light the result represents a significant setback for the party – and will prompt much soul-searching within its ranks Sinn Féin’s vote share fell for the first time in 35 years down 5.5 percentage points from its poll-topping 24.5% in 2020 In a proportional representation voting system it was also the only opposition party to register a loss in first preference vote share Given the relative unpopularity of the outgoing government – and the broader picture of incumbents being punished in most other elections in 2024 – Sinn Féin’s failure to make electoral hay will sting its supporters That sense of an opportunity missed for Sinn Féin is compounded by the opinion poll picture during the lifetime of the 2020-24 Irish parliament In 2023 the party was regularly sustaining over 35% in the polls riding a wave of popular disenchantment with the government Sinn Féin appeared set to lead the next one claiming that she would be Ireland’s first female Taoiseach reflecting both the volatility of the Irish electorate and the fragility of the party’s electoral coalition While there are several causes for that remarkable slump, the civil disorder in Dublin in November 2023 was especially consequential Sinn Féin’s handling of the immigration issue in the aftermath of those riots splintered its voter base the party struggled to revive its status as a movement on the march As with any party that has experienced a loss in electoral support Sinn Féin’s predilection for internal discipline and its history of anointing rather than electing party leaders makes it difficult to accurately gauge the security of McDonald’s position When she succeeded Gerry Adams as party president in 2018, McDonald was widely viewed (and presented) as the face of a new Sinn Féin, one which would wear its past relationship with the IRA more lightly and so could gain support from previously untapped electoral quarters and widely recognised as a formidable campaigner McDonald was arguably the lynchpin in Sinn Féin’s drive towards a position of mainstream respectability and The foremost reason why McDonald will be feeling the pressure now is how Sinn Féin’s electoral underperformance undermines the party’s raison d’etre: securing Irish reunification Failure to get into government in Ireland is equated with a failure to make progress on Irish unity a referendum on Ireland’s constitutional status was presented by Sinn Féin as inevitable In the wake of the 2024 election, that demand for a border poll before 2030 is a good deal tougher to make. Conversations may well continue around Irish unity, but concrete actions on the issue are unlikely to manifest during the next term of government. Sinn Féin therefore finds itself at a critical juncture. The party is not used to going backwards. Indeed, for Sinn Féin, electoral setbacks are arguably more existential than for most. The republican movement’s shift from militarism to electoral politics in the 1990s – and its entry into government in Northern Ireland following the 1998 Good Friday agreement – was primarily sold on the basis of it underpinning interminable progress towards Irish reunification. Unchecked electoral advances by Sinn Féin, north and south of the Irish border, would, according to the Adams peace strategy, secure the movement’s ultimate objective. Languishing in opposition exposes that strategy to criticism. It is likely then that Sinn Féin’s underwhelming performance in the 2024 election will trigger a root-and-branch review of the party’s positioning, tactics, organisation and personnel. Gerry Adams has called a BBC programme in which he claims he was defamed an “attempted hatchet job” that was “full of inaccuracies” He said he was “astonished” when he watched the programme and called some of the events which were detailed “bogus and wrong” The former Sinn Fein president is suing the BBC over what he asserts are defamatory claims made in a 2016 Spotlight programme on who sanctioned the killing of Denis Donaldson, who was a British spy was shot dead at a cottage near Glenties in Co Donegal in April 2006 Mr Adams has denied the allegation that he had any involvement in ordering the murder the jury was shown the Spotlight programme that aired in September 2016 which featured an interview with an anonymous source who said he was a former agent for the Special Branch claimed that Mr Donaldson’s shooting had been sanctioned by the leadership of the republican movement Spotlight journalist Jennifer O’Leary said during the broadcast that it was understood that by 2006 Mr Adams had stepped aside from the IRA Army Council but it was Martin’s belief that he was still being consulted. Martin said that based on his experience, murders must be approved by the political and military leadership of the IRA. When asked by Ms O’Leary who he is referring to, he replied: “Gerry Adams, he gives the final say.” The jury also heard extracts read from a BBC online article with the headline “Gerry Adams ‘sanctioned Denis Donaldson killing’”. In the witness box, Mr Adams told the court he remembers watching the programme and being “astonished” at what he called “an attempted hatchet job” and “bad, poor journalism” – in particular the extracts where it is claimed he had a part in Mr Donaldson’s killing. He said the article on the BBC website is still up nine years later and said “there was an arrogance involved” from the BBC who he said gave no reason why the article was still online. He said the BBC had “encouraged other media to run with this stuff” and that the allegations gave “a stick to beat those” who wanted the peace process to work. Mr Adams said the aired allegations that the IRA had killed Mr Donaldson and that he had sanctioned it created the impression that republicans had “been led up the garden path” by the peace process, because the IRA had told members to lay down arms and take up political or community work in the months before Mr Donaldson’s death. Mr Adams said he put out a statement denying the allegations in the programme and contacted well-known libel lawyer Paul Tweed who sent letters to the BBC asking them to correct the record. “We invited the BBC to retract what was said,” Mr Adams said. In earlier evidence, Mr Adams said he “knew” and “liked” Mr Donaldson, who he had first met in Long Kesh and who worked as an administrator for Sinn Fein’s Stormont Assembly team. But he said he did not have many dealings with him and that he was working “at another level within the party”. Mr Adams described the raiding of Sinn Fein’s Stormont offices in 2002 and the subsequent arrest of Mr Donaldson and others as part of Stormontgate allegations, which Mr Adams said were “complete nonsense”. He said that he was later informed by another member of Sinn Fein – Declan Kearney, of Sinn Fein’s branch in Northern Ireland – that Mr Donaldson was an informer for the Special Branch. He said that during an interview with two senior members of Sinn Fein, “Denis acknowledged that he had been an agent and he had been an agent for 20 years”. Mr Adams said he was not in touch with Mr Donaldson after he left the party, and said he was “shocked” when he received a phone call from the British secretary of state to say that Mr Donaldson had been found dead in April 2006. By the time he got in touch with Mr Donaldson’s family, it had been made public that he had been killed. Mr Adams said the people who Mr Donaldson had been an informer for had seen him as “expendable”. “Personally, I think that Denis Donaldson was a victim of the conflict,” he told the court. “I don’t see any other way of describing it.” He said that as a Louth TD for the Irish parliament, he continued to advocate on behalf of the Donaldson family and contacted the justice department several times on their behalf. “I would continue to feel that a great injustice had been done to the Donaldson family,” he said. He said this related to calls for an inquiry and “also the fact that they haven’t had satisfaction, not just in relation to the inquest, but in relation to the investigation into his killing”. Opening the case on Tuesday, the barrister for Mr Adams, Tom Hogan SC, said the former Sinn Fein president’s reputation as a “peacemaker” had suffered an “unjustified” attack because of the broadcast of the BBC programme. Mr Adams then entered the witness box and described his early political awakenings in Belfast in the 1960s. This continued on Wednesday, where Mr Adams said the IRA was “a legitimate response” to what was happening in Northern Ireland at the time, but added that was “not to say that everything they did was legitimate”. He became emotional as he spoke about the 1981 hunger strikers and outlined his and others’ efforts to pursue “an alternative way forward” to the IRA’s armed conflict. Mr Donaldson’s family members watched proceedings via videolink. The trial continues on Thursday before the jury and Mr Justice Alexander Owens. DUBLIN — Letters of reference for a pedophile press officer Allegations of censorship and criminal misdeeds Lawmakers blasting party leaders in resignation statements And a senator pestering a teenage boy with flirty texts It’s been a nightmare October for Sinn Féin the Irish republican opposition party that has long hoped to lead the next government in Dublin And the timing of its troubles couldn’t be worse with a snap election expected to be called before Halloween The crisis is raising serious questions about the political survival of Mary Lou McDonald, the Dubliner handpicked by Sinn Féin’s previous leader, Gerry Adams to take the Northern Ireland-rooted party from the political fringe into power for the first time in the Republic of Ireland Ever since drawing level with Ireland’s governing center-ground parties at the last general election in 2020, Sinn Féin had confidently billed McDonald as the nation’s prime minister in waiting. But that confidence, already shaken by poor results in other elections this summer has evaporated amid a barrage of self-inflicted wounds McDonald spent Tuesday afternoon in Dáil Éireann, Ireland’s key lower house of parliament, mounting a defense of Sinn Féin’s handling of two scandals and a pair of surprise resignations But her explanations left key questions unanswered and spurred new accusations that she had deliberately misled parliament about how much she knew The widening scope of the debate illustrated just how quickly Sinn Féin’s internal problems have multiplied. When the government of Prime Minister Simon Harris sought to use the debate last week as a vehicle for attacking Sinn Féin only one of the four controversies was out in the open McMonagle had spent eight years working in various Sinn Féin roles at Stormont the seat of Northern Ireland’s devolved government including within the legislative office of O’Neill in 2020 Sinn Féin officials had known about the police investigation into McMonagle’s behavior for three years. He was quietly fired — but two party colleagues, including Sinn Fein’s top spin doctor at Stormont wrote him letters of recommendation to land a new gig at an unwitting charity When journalists started asking questions after McMonagle’s guilty plea and got wind of the recommendations, Sinn Féin pushed both letter writers to resign, denied any knowledge at the top that the party had recommended McMonagle, and accused the British Heart Foundation of failing to conduct due diligence Although Sinn Féin is the only party contesting elections in both parts of Ireland its Dublin and Belfast operations are largely partitioned — and McDonald had hoped She stayed silent on McMonagle until the eve of O’Neill’s Stormont questioning, then announced a root-and-branch review of Sinn Féin’s internal structures under a newly appointed general secretary “There must always be accountability for wrongdoing,” McDonald vowed “I am committed to ensuring that an incident like this is never repeated again.” That bid to take back control of the narrative didn’t survive the weekend Sinn Féin lawmaker Patricia Ryan announced she was quitting Sinn Féin and would run against the party as an independent While Sinn Féin was still knocking down Ryan’s accusations a bigger figure took aim at the party as he too quit in bitterly disputed circumstances Brian Stanley was one of Sinn Féin’s most high-profile lawmakers in his role as chair of the most powerful parliamentary committee, Public Accounts, which pursues waste and wrongdoing in state-funded bodies. He accused Sinn Féin chiefs of scheming to ruin his good name in a “kangaroo court” designed to prevent him from standing for re-election Hours after Stanley’s resignation Saturday afternoon Sinn Féin said it had referred evidence of wrongdoing against Stanley to Ireland’s national police force Since then each side has dared the other to explain “We have not put the details of the complaint into the public record It is for Brian to come forward and to be transparent if he so wishes.” McDonald offered vague details in her parliamentary defense of Sinn Féin’s performance saying a woman had complained of ill treatment by Stanley in October 2023 that had left her feeling “traumatized and distressed.” She insisted that Sinn Féin had nonetheless been right to leave Stanley in charge of the Public Accounts Committee until Monday Stanley has refused all interview requests instead issuing a string of statements through a lawyer accusing McDonald of abusing parliamentary privilege to smear him following “days of inaccurate statements and insinuations from Sinn Féin along with selective briefings delivered with the clear intention of damaging my reputation and to shift the spotlight off the party.” has vowed to run against Sinn Féin as an independent in the midlands county of Laois where the party currently has only one other elected official sitting on the local council — Stanley’s wife The biggest damage to McDonald may have come during Tuesday’s Dáil debate, when the identity of a sex pest texter in Sinn Féin ranks was finally revealed — and it emerged McDonald herself had given the transgressor a salutary sendoff was Sinn Féin’s leader in Ireland’s upper house of parliament until December 2023 — when McDonald issued a press statement praising his work record and wishing the 39-year-old success in battling unspecified “health challenges.” Sinn Féin has now deleted that statement from its platforms, just as Ó Donnghaile shut down his social media pages Tuesday after admitting he’d pestered a 17-year-old boy by text after the two went canvassing for Sinn Féin votes The teenager had complained to Sinn Féin about messages McDonald described as “unwanted and inappropriate.” This was the real reason Ó Donnghaile had resigned The Sinn Féin boss defended the decision to stand by him by claiming there were concerns about Ó Donnghaile’s mental health The government and other opposition leaders argued that McDonald shouldn’t have put out a cover story for his political exit They noted that as with all the other problems Sinn Féin had only come clean once journalists began investigating or resigning lawmakers cried foul Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, leader of the other major party in Ireland’s coalition government, Fianna Fáil, accused McDonald of deliberately misleading parliament — an act that “The party’s track record of concealment and secrecy is shocking,” he said, listing three earlier cover-ups, including the child rape committed by Gerry Adams’ brother Liam “It is clear Sinn Féin again failed to tell the truth on a very serious matter and seem to have been involved in a very elaborate cover-up,” said Martin, who officially wants the government to run its full five-year term through March but has already had his election posters printed The government parties appear in strong position to capitalize on Sinn Féin’s five-year low in opinion polls in the Republic of Ireland POLITICO’s Poll of Polls puts Sinn Féin level with Martin’s Fianna Fáil on 19 percent, while Harris’ energized Fine Gael leads on 25 percent. McDonald’s personal approval ratings are slumping and double digits below Harris and Martin On the campaign trail, Sinn Féin wants to be talking about its key vote-winning issue: the prohibitive cost and scarcity of housing in a country that ranks as among the most expensive places to live in Europe But analysts say the party will struggle to pull the focus away from its own internal strife and secrecy — and an impression that it’s not fit to rule “This has added fuel to what is going to be a ferociously fought general election,” said Gary Murphy, politics professor at Dublin City University. “The government parties will say: ‘well, you can’t even get your own house in order. How can we expect you to get the government house in order?’” “If the general election is called soon, which it might well be, Sinn Féin will go into it on the back foot.” Sinn Fein’s leadership will not attend an event at the White House in “a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza” The party’s president Mary Lou McDonald and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill Senior Sinn Fein figures normally travel to the US every year around the same time that the Irish premier traditionally gets invited to meet the US president for St Patrick’s Day events Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump suggested Israel would turn Gaza over to the US for redevelopment into the “Riviera of the Middle East”- involving a mass displacement of Palestinians from the territory The proposals were widely condemned and later comments from the administration have suggested the displacement would be voluntary and temporary Ms McDonald said: “I followed with growing concern what’s happening on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank have listened in horror to calls from the president of the United States for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of Palestinian lands.” She added: “There is also an onus on us to speak honestly and to act when we believe a US administration is wrong catastrophically so in the case of Palestine “I’ve thought deeply about this issue in recent days and listened to many voices inside and outside of Sinn Fein “I’ve made the decision not to attend the event in the White House this year as a principled stance against the call for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza something which I believe demands serious dissent and objection.” Ms McDonald said it is still important for the Taoiseach, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin, to attend as he speaks for the people of Ireland. She said Mr Martin must use his expected bilateral with Mr Trump for St Patrick’s Day to “reflect the view of the Irish people” in support of Palestine. The Sinn Fein leader said it would be “unforgivable” if Mr Martin did not avail of the opportunity to tell Mr Trump how Irish people feel about Palestinians and the conflict in Gaza. She urged the Taoiseach not to “equivocate” during his meeting with the US president. “I would urge the Taoiseach to be true to us as Irish people, and to express accurately, truthfully, honestly, the feeling in this country and beyond Ireland, on our national day,” Ms McDonald said during a press conference on Friday. “I would ask him to reflect the true spirit of Irish people at home and abroad, for justice, for fairness, for freedom, and to articulate that in the clearest possible terms. “I can’t put words in his mouth but we are asking and urging that he avail of the opportunity. “I think it would be unforgivable for the Taoiseach, the person who uniquely has this opportunity, not to avail of it, to be clear, to be frank, and to insist that a threat such as it has been made by the American president against the Palestinian people, that it be withdrawn. Let’s all get back on the page of ceasefire, of calm, of stability, of engagement, of international law. “Those are the parameters within which all of us have to operate. That’s the way in which we can actually get to a just and lasting settlement, Palestinian self-determination and security, also for the people of Israel.” The Dublin TD rejected assertions that her party’s stance would undermine Ireland’s efforts to protect its economic interests in the face of potential new US tariff and tax policies. “We’re aware that Irish jobs and Irish interests need to be protected,” she told reporters in Dublin. “We also know that there are moments where important calls have to be made, and we face now a direct threat and call from the president of the United States for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, the annexation of that land. “That is unconscionable, and we believe that Irish political leaders, including the Taoiseach, need to state our firm opposition to that and call it out.” Ms O’Neill said she recognises the positive impact that the US has had on the island of Ireland, including the Northern Ireland peace process. However, she said she was standing “on the side of humanity” by not travelling to the White House. Speaking at the press conference in Dublin, the First Minister said: “The decision to not travel to the White House has not been taken lightly, but it is taken very conscious of the responsibility that each of us have as individuals to call out injustice when we see it. “We are all heartbroken whenever we witness the suffering of the Palestinian people, and the recent comments by the US president around the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza is just simply something that I cannot ignore.” Ms O’Neill, who has travelled to the US several times, said she informed DUP deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly of her decision on Friday morning. “I have spoken with Emma. I’ve spoken with her this morning and it’s absolutely Emma’s call in terms of what she may decide to do,” she said. “For me, this is about taking a principled stand. This is about a moment in time, a moment in history whenever we’d all reflect around what we did. And this is an opportunity to take a stand for the Palestinian people against the backdrop of what is a very dangerous threat to the Palestinian people. “This represents a breach of international law. This would represent war crimes. This is about humanitarianism. This is so essential that we take this stance at this moment in time. So I expect that Emma will respect my view. “Equally, I will respect Emma’s view, and she will have to decide and speak for herself in terms of what action she might take and whether or not she will attend the White House.” The Sinn Fein leaders were challenged on why they believed it was right for Mr Martin, as Ireland’s head of government, to go to the White House, but yet decided that Ms O’Neill, who is joint leader of Northern Ireland’s devolved government, should boycott the St Patrick’s events. They highlighted that the Taoiseach’s engagement with Mr Trump was “distinct” and “unique”, as he would have a bilateral political meeting with the president – something the Stormont First Minister would not have. “This is Ireland’s day. This is about the US and Ireland. So the distinct difference, I think, as First Minister and as Taoiseach can easily be drawn on that occasion,” Ms O’Neill added. “When it comes to a moment like this, you have to make a call. And for me, the right call at this moment in time is to take a principled stand for Palestine.” Ms McDonald added: “The distinction with the Taoiseach is that he uniquely has the opportunity to directly take that stand and to articulate that position directly. “And I think that marks a distinction, an obvious distinction, with myself as leader of the opposition, but a distinction too even with the First Minister.” President Clinton greets Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams as Social Democratic Labor Party leader John Hume stands at left in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington presents President Joe Biden with a bowl of Shamrocks during a St Patrick’s Day reception in the East Room of the White House LONDON (AP) — Sinn Féin’s leaders said Friday they will not attend a traditional St Patrick’s Day event next month at the White House as a protest against President Donald Trump’s stance on Gaza The Irish party’s leader Mary Lou McDonald said the Trump administration’s position was “catastrophically” wrong and she was taking “a principled stance against the threat of mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from Gaza.” “I followed with growing concern what’s happening on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank have listened in horror to calls from the president of the United States for the mass expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homes and the permanent seizure of Palestinian lands,” McDonald said She was joined in the boycott by Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill who said she was standing “on the side of humanity.” The announcement was widely criticized by Sinn Féin’s political opponents who said he hadn’t received a formal invitation to Washington but expects the meeting to happen and plans to attend said it’s an important opportunity to discuss trade and present Ireland’s perspective on Ukraine and the Middle East we need a massive surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza and we need to create a political pathway to a two-state solution,” Martin said Left-of-center Sinn Féin has won a large percentage of seats in the Irish parliament in the last two elections but has been shut out of any coalition government because of its historic ties to the Irish Republican Army during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland The White House event typically involves the Irish prime minister handing the president a Waterford Cystal bowl of shamrocks for St Leaders typically wear green ties and in past years the White House has been illuminated with green lights at night and its fountain gushes with green water The ceremony has its roots in the 1950s after the Irish ambassador to the U.S sent a box of shamrock to President Harry Truman and later evolved into visits to the White House by the prime minister president or Ireland or high-level officials President Bill Clinton invited Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams to the event which was condemned by the British government Sinn Féin said this is the first year since the peace agreement that its leaders won’t be traveling to Washington for St was prevented from entering the White House event because of a security concern though the Secret Service later said it was because of an administrative error DUP councillors also suggested that the applications for bilingual signs in Mount Merrion Avenue Loopland Drive and Kimberley Street should be closed Under the council’s controversial policy introduced in 2022 residents of a street are surveyed if just one resident or councillor applies for a consultation on a new sign The previous threshold to trigger a consultation was 33.3% of residents while a new sign required the backing of 66.6% of those surveyed Now just 15% of residents are required to back a sign before it is agreed DUP councillor Davy Douglas proposed overriding the decision to survey residents agreed by the council’s People and Communities Committee A recent council report on the applications stated that following initial assessments “potential adverse impacts were identified” before draft equality screenings were carried out This identified that both surveying residents and erecting signs featuring Irish “has the potential to give rise to community tension” the screenings also identified that the process could “assist in promoting cultural and linguistic diversity” A DUP proposal to block surveys for Mount Merrion Avenue and Isoline Street had failed in a vote at the committee Councillor Douglas’ proposal was backed by party colleagues along with the UUP and TUV but failed following opposition from Sinn Féin Sinn Féin councillor Ciaran Beattie said: “Once again the DUP is challenging anything Irish – this is every single meeting." “If that was any other party challenging another nationality constantly Look at the amount of money that has been spent in call-ins around the Irish language.” Councillor Beattie said his party would be “pulling that data together” as “we are at a point now where we are going to lodge a formal complaint” adding that he believed it breached the council’s rules on offensive expression background and indigenous language,” he said Councillor Beattie requested a report be brought before the council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee on the number of challenges relating to the Irish language and the cost of call-ins. “We think this is absolute bigotry,” he added. DUP councillor Sarah Bunting requested the same report include how much is spent by the council on Irish language signs and “Irish cultural activities”. Her DUP colleague Tracy Kelly said: “I don’t have a problem with the Irish language, nobody does. What we have a problem with is it being forced into communities and streets where it is not wanted.” She added: “We are well aware of the history of the (Irish) language, there is Irish on orange banners - there are Protestants who speak it, and we don’t need to be lectured on that. We just don’t want it forced into unionist areas.” Among other things, Easter is a season of remembering in Ireland. President Michael D Higgins led events at the GPO for the final time at the State’s official 1916 commemoration last Sunday placing the wreath after the customary reading of the proclamation by an officer of the Defence Forces Taoiseach Micheál Martin presides over his party’s event on Sunday at Arbour Hill Fianna Fáil has always felt a special connection with the Rising with a long list of 1916 veterans – DeValera et al – who occupied prominent positions in the party for decades afterwards Sinn Féin also does its commemorations and as you might expect they have a different character and historiography to the others The party always seeks to link the Rising and the War of Independence with the Provisional IRA’s campaign in the 1970s ’80s and ’90s – and highlights what it sees as the moral and political continuity between the executed leaders in 1916 with the 10 men who died on hunger strike in the H-Blocks in 1981 It’s a link that is as important to Sinn Féin and many people in the North as it is offensive to many in the political mainstream down South “We are living in the end days of partition as a new generation looks to the possibilities of unity with fresh hearts,” McDonald told her audience. “We must prepare for unity referendums this decade.” Listen | 45:36But the prominence of the united Ireland rhetoric vies with the reality that a Border poll is nowhere near the political agenda for the Irish and British governments. In an interview with Sam McBride of the Belfast Telegraph before Easter, Martin dismissed suggestions of a Border poll before 2030, putting the emphasis on reconciliation and co-operation between North and South (largely through his Shared Island initiative) in advance of eliminating the Border. Asked what Northern Ireland would look like in 50 years, he expressly avoided predicting unity. Meanwhile, despite the recent predictions from former Fine Gael leader and taoiseach Leo Varadkar about the imminence of unity – Mary Lou memorably welcomed the discovery of Varadkar’s “inner shinner” – the issue seems even less of a concern for the presumed next taoiseach, Simon Harris. “That is not where my priority is today,” he said recently on a visit to Stormont. British prime minister Keir Starmer’s government is equally uninterested, according to its public and private statements. One person familiar with that government’s thinking told me recently that it is simply not on the Downing Street radar. The admission by junior Northern Ireland Office Minister Fleur Anderson this week that opinion polls would play a role in the British government’s decision about holding a Border poll was no more than a statement of the obvious. While that government has been obtuse in refusing to spell out exactly how it would decide on a Border poll, the idea that one or two favourable opinion polls would trigger a referendum is naive. Moreover, those polls still indicate a solid “No” in the North. Let’s face it: if the Irish and British governments are saying there will not be a referendum before 2030, there’s not likely to be a referendum before then. So when Sinn Féin and other united Ireland campaigners insist that Border polls will happen by 2030, you’d wonder: how real is their confidence? Nonetheless, the enduring strength of Sinn Féin and its leadership of the Opposition means that the unity question is likely to remain part of the mood music of politics in the Republic, even if it is not central to political debate. We know that a great majority of people in the South are in favour of unity – though there are reasons to suspect that for many of them, the commitment is a mile wide and an inch deep – but we also know from surveys that it just doesn’t register as an important political issue for more than a tiny minority. In a recent poll, just 1 per cent said it was the most important issue for them. Meanwhile, the question of the economic costs of unification for the Republic, greater than the 2008 crash, economist John FitzGerald wrote in Friday’s Irish Times, will continue to weigh on the minds of Southern voters. In other words, at least for this Government’s term of office and the four Easters to come during it, there is likely to be plenty of talk about unity – but not, I am afraid, much more than that. Facebook pageTwitter feed© 2025 The Irish Times DAC The failed appointment of a ‘housing tzar’ has led to increased tension within Government The Taoiseach has denied that Fine Gael blocked the Nama Chief’s appointment as CEO of the new Housing Activation Office Brendan McDonagh decided to pull out of the running for the role amid controversy over a reported €430,000 Sinn Fein TD for Wexford Johnny Mythen says that Mr McDonagh’s appointment to the role it’s the ‘Bizzare Tzar’; it’s unbelievable that the government could appoint a person for €430,000 a year and it’s the same job as the Minister is doing himself The stage is being set for intense trade talks between the US and China Is this the moment China has been stockpiling gold for with widespread instability deepening the divide between east and west In his talk at this month's Metals Investor Forum in Vancouver senior content creator at Goldfinger Capital examined the current macroeconomic situation and the role he expects gold to play in it Highlighting how China's strong gold buying has supported the yellow metal's price he also spoke about how Donald Trump's return to the White House could impact relations with the Asian nation In the weeks before his inauguration, Trump discussed several issues with his counterparts around the world Perhaps most notable was his talk with Chinese President Xi Jinping According to tweets and reports from the Chinese government the discussion between the global rivals was friendly and positive The messaging was encouraging to financial markets and helped strengthen the US dollar Sinn told the audience that he doesn't see this positivity lasting long “I don’t think it's going to be like this forever I think that they’re going to definitely go head-to-head toe-to-toe — try to get the best deal for their country,” he said China is still reeling from its economic implosion and dealing with high levels of debt and deflation but Sinn believes the situation is much worse than the data being presented to the world states “They can’t really fake up the bond market that much an economy that is in a downturn — there’s just too much debt and price levels are falling and so are bond yields,” he said Sinn also pointed out that the Chinese economy is very unbalanced The country has the largest banking system in the world it still hasn’t recovered from the implosion of its real estate sector and the recovery is slow because it’s a highly regulated market with strict government controls Sinn noted that following the US Federal Reserve’s 50 basis point interest rate cut in September 2024 bond yields came off their longest inversion in history He also explained how this came alongside an overvalued US dollar “It’s actually the most overvalued it’s been since 1985 so this is like a 40 year high in terms of its valuation You can go back to 1985 and what happened shortly after — it got super overvalued and hit up a red-light level It fell very sharply because of what they did in Manhattan at the Plaza Hotel,” Sinn said He was referring to the Plaza Hotel Accord in September 1985 representatives from several European nations and Japan met in New York with members of the US Department of the Treasury to discuss the depreciation of the US dollar and to correct trade imbalances between nations and trade was balanced over the next five years Sinn suggested that something similar may be about to occur The US is further challenged by a massive US$2 trillion deficit and US$7 trillion worth of debt that needs refinancing in 2025 he expects the US to extend the 2017 tax cuts made under Trump This will require the US to commit to more deficit spending and Sinn sees a squeeze on the dollar coming and one of their key objectives is to weaken the dollar during his term Trump is pro-growth; he wants to see the stock market go up and the economy strong,” he said Trump’s promises to raise tariffs on China have countered this and Sinn doesn’t see this happening — at least not immediately “China and the US need each other,” he noted The US knows the position of the Chinese economy and the threat of US tariffs may be enough to get the country to the table on new agreements but he also knows he can’t set the bomb off “He wants to put 60 percent tariffs on the table That’s the starting point; if that happens gold is often linked to what happens through the rest of the financial system When yields rise, gold falls, and when the dollar rises, gold falls. However, recently the price of the yellow metal has diverged from these traditional influences. Sinn credits this divergence to strong buying from central banks, most notably China, but also other BRICS nations He believes China may be buying more than it is reporting “So China’s official stockpile is 2,300 metric tons I would estimate that their real stockpile is probably closer to 6,000 or 7,000 metric tons He explained that China ramped up its purchases in 2022 following Russia’s invasion in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed It’s unclear what China plans to do with its huge gold stockpile China is going to have to do something with its currency They’re going to either have to revalue higher or devalue It’s not that clear what they’re going to do,” he said The preference for China isn’t to devalue the yuan and it’s Sinn’s belief that the Trump administration doesn’t want that either as it would further deepen the existing crisis “They’re going to revalue the yuan higher against the dollar and they’re going to do a partial peg to gold,” he said Sinn also explained that China needs to be cautious when doing this as it could create further problems for debtors and push the price of gold higher the shift in yuan valuation would have to be accompanied by a massive stimulus injection and force inflation into the economy “It’s the big button on the table that you press when you have no other choice He thinks this also explains the rise in the gold price over the past month and the last couple of years Sinn expects China’s gold buying to continue as the country works through trade negotiations with the new Trump administration — and that the story is far from over Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article Get the trends and expert predictions you need to stay ahead of the markets Learn About Exciting Investing Opportunities in the Precious Metals Sector Investing News Network websites or approved third-party tools use cookies. Please refer to the cookie policy for collected data Investment Market Content Specialist Learn about our editorial policies. Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times The proposals would have effectively closed off the great lawn at Botanic gardens from public access for 35 days The DUP and Sinn Fein have U-turned over support for two controversial and “concerning” festival applications in Belfast after local residents raised concerns It concerns two events due to be held at Botanic Gardens this summer Last month Sinn Fein and the DUP pushed through a decision during a committee debate behind closed doors and away from the public and press They agreed to two applications for hosting events in Botanic Gardens in June and July unsuccessfully proposed declining the requests with seven councillors backing them and 13 against The two festivals would have taken away use of the great lawn The first request was submitted by CRD Live seeking to host the “Botanic Summer Sessions” which would have consisted of three music concerts on June 26 The second request had been received from JKS for a “Fire and Food BBQ Festival” from July 17 to 27 at the full monthly meeting of Belfast City Council this week both Sinn Fein and the DUP appeared to have changed their positions on the requests the council agreed to receive a deputation from a representative for the Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association He told the chamber it was “surprising and dismaying” that the applications had been approved SDLP councillor Gary McKeown proposed not allowing the two requests to use Botanic Gardens this summer He said: “No one has any objection in principle to Botanic Gardens being used for events and for years many successful events have indeed been taking place there from the Mela to family fun days and fairs “First and foremost it is a botanical garden laid out and maintained for the people of Belfast would effectively close off the great lawn from public access for 35 days at the height of summer denying people the ability to enjoy it at precisely the time when it is in greatest demand “This part of Botanic Gardens is an iconic location in the city that draws in hundreds of people daily across the summer and often when good weather is reported in the media it is the crowds enjoying the sun on the great lawn It is not acceptable that people could be excluded from such a central location for such an extended period “These were opportunistic applications that were submitted after other events were cancelled so there is no existing relationship between the promoters and the council that could establish any presumption that approval could be anticipated.” Green councillor Áine Groogan seconded the proposal She said in the chamber: “Open green space is limited enough in our city This is a lifeline to local families and local communities and to close off such huge areas of the park for exclusive use is not a decision we should ever take lightly It should never be a decision we are bounced into which I feel is the case in this instance.” “These types of events need particularly long run-ins they need community conversations and consultation and have the experience to carry out events of this nature without causing any negative impact “The reality is the length of time we have before us does not allow for that to happen properly there would have been time maybe to get to grips with some of these issues.” SInn Féin councillor Conor McKay said at the meeting: “Reflecting on the correspondence we have had from constituents and (the representative) speaking on behalf of Stranmillis Neighbourhood Association we would like to say we will be voting for the (SDLP) proposal.” Kneecap investigated by counter-terrorism officers over ‘kill your MP’ video DUP Councillor Tracy Kelly said at the meeting: “We will be supporting the (SDLP) proposal I often say if you look at our district electoral area from the sky So to take away the field for that amount of time is unacceptable “I also think we need to remember that we have very few parks in and around Belfast that people have access to A lot of the people I represent just have back yards with little or no grass or green space near them.” The proposal to reverse the committee decision was unanimously agreed by the chamber Digital access for organisations. Includes exclusive features and content. See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times. Sinn Féin’s enterprise and employment spokeswoman is set to raise questions over Meta’s decision to cut some jobs in Ireland at a meeting with the tech giant next week The Irish Times reported last week that some staff at Meta Ireland have queried the legality of their so-called performance-based dismissals and sought the advice of solicitors Employment law experts have questioned whether the dismissals – unveiled earlier this month as part of a wider, global cull of what Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg described as “low-performers” – are being conducted in accordance with Irish law which said last week that it has full confidence “in the fairness and robustness” of its performance review process told employees in a January memo that it was cutting roughly 5 per cent of its global workforce The social media group has said it intends to backfill the Irish and global roles affected by the announcement In a statement to The Irish Times, Rose Conway-Walsh said she was “deeply concerned” that some workers may have lost their “positions due to sub-par performance without this being flagged at any performance reviews” “While Meta Ireland is a valued employer in this State it is imperative that all companies and organisations regardless of size adhere to employment law,” the Mayo TD said “Those laws are there to protect both employers and employees.” She said she would raise the issue with Meta at a meeting in Dublin next week Ms Conway-Walsh has also written to Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke looking for “assurance that Irish redundancy laws are being adhered to” a spokeswoman for the Minister confirmed he had not received a collective redundancy notification from Meta and said that any further queries should be directed to the company In anonymous communications between Meta Ireland staff some employees claimed they were not given any notice that the company considered their performance to be sub-par a staff member said they had not received negative ratings in any of their performance reviews in their more than five years with the company this “may not necessarily provide bona fide grounds for dismissal under Irish law if fair procedures are not properly followed” it would be unreasonable to hire replacements without first offering existing employees the opportunity to engage in genuine performance improvement plans or explore redeployment options,” he said fair procedures cannot logically be upheld if Meta has already made a predetermined decision to reduce its workforce by approximately 5 per cent.” One employment law expert told The Irish Times that Meta’s handling of the terminations does not accord with Irish law However, he said staff were being offered severance packages generous enough that it made “no sense” for the employees to challenge the process in the Workplace Relations Commission because they would end up with less money. The Financial Times reported last week that Mr Zuckerberg said on a recent earnings call that he intended 2025 to be an “intense” year in which Meta would invest to become the “AI leader”. This includes expenditure on big projects, such as data centres, of between $60 billion (€57.13 billion) and $65 billion this year. Ian Curran is a Business reporter with The Irish Times