Civil Partnerships in Ireland

            A pivotal moment in Irish history took place this week as two Dubliners are set to become the first gay couple to have their relationship officially recognized by the state.  After 17 years together, Barry Dignam and Hugh Walsh have entered a civil partnership when they exchanged vows at Dublin’s Registry.

The Irish Parliament passed the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act in July 2010, providing homosexuals with the right to properly register as civil partners.  This Act includes a variety of marriage-like benefits to gay and lesbian couples, addressing issues such as property, social welfare, inheritance, and pension entitlements.

Although the Act came into effect in January of this year, due to a mandatory three-month waiting period for all couples, Tuesday was the first day civil partnership ceremonies could take place under new legislation.

Prior to 1993, laws dating back to the nineteenth century were enforced that rendered same-sex sexual activity illegal.  Senator David Norris led the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, which resulted in the 1988 ruling that declared Irish laws regarding homosexuality were in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights.  Five years later, Ireland decriminalized homosexual activity, however, same-sex marriage remained illegal.

An ongoing debate concerning the reformation of the Constitutional definition of marriage is currently in the works.  As of now, the only valid form of marriage is between two people of the opposite sex.

Although the legalization of civil partnerships represents the significant strides that have been made towards achieving a greater equality in Irish society, the Act fails to make provisions for any children involved and issues of guardianship.  If a biological parent were to die, the non-biological parent would be the sole guardian, yet they would fail to possess any legal rights relevant to their relationship with the child.  If the Constitutional definition of marriage was amended to take into account more pluralist forms of family, it could accommodate the legal recognition of the relationship between a child and a non-biological parent.

Even though the couple will continue to advocate full gay-marriage rights, for now, Dignam and Walsh are more than content to be declared civil partners.  "When we first met, it was still illegal. Now our partnership is going to be recognized by the State. That is a huge journey in one lifetime," said Walsh.

This act is very forward for a country that declared being gay a crime less than 2 decades ago.

Recession Prompts Thousands to Immigrate to Australia

As the recession continues to rear it’s ugly head in an economy that was formerly known as the “Celtic Tiger,” many young Irish have chosen to immigrate to Australia in search of a better life.  With its warmer climate, lower cost of living, and better career opportunities, it’s no wonder why thousands of people have chosen to take advantage of all that Australia has to offer.  While moving to the land down under remains a pipe dream for some post-graduates, many are taking the next step to turn their dream into a reality.      

Welcome to Stab City

            Limerick, the third-largest Irish city located at the mouth of the River Shannon, is widely regarded as “Stab City.”  The reputation was acquired years ago due to a spike in fatal knife incidents during a time of high unemployment.  Although the Garda Síochána na hÉireann, the police force of Ireland, are taking measures to decrease the amount of violence in Limerick, the homicide rate is equivalent to that of Glasgow, Scotland, the murder capital of western Europe.

            Organized crime remains a huge issue as various gangs set out to control the drug trafficking in the city.  Many bloody battles have been a result of rival gangs attempting to monopolize the profits of the lucrative drug market.  The most notorious group, the McCarthy-Dundon gang, is an alliance of criminal families that have asserted dominance in two parts of Limerick: Moyross, a public housing estate nearby Thomond Park stadium, the home of Munster rugby, and Ballinacurra Weston, an impoverished district in close proximity to the main railway station.

            On the opposite side of the River Shannon, the Keane-Collopy gang resides in St. Mary’s Park.  Hatred between the gangs began in 1990 when Jack Collopy was beaten so badly that he became an epileptic and was unable to work again.  The perpetrators were three men of the McCarthy family.  The Collopy family sought revenge and the rivalry has escalated between the families since then in order to control the drug trade.   
  

            The McCarthy-Dundons are considered the more ruthless and violent of the two gangs. This is as a result of several high profile killings of innocent people, including the callous murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan in November 2009.  The entire nation was shocked and horrified in when the 28 year-old captain of the Garryowen rugby club, one of the most renowned teams in Ireland, was executed at point blank range in Limerick. 

            Currently, the cocaine and heroin market in Limerick is estimated to be worth €50 million ($69 million) a year.  In 2010, nine members of the McCarthy-Dundon faction were taken into custody following a series of raids conducted by 130 gardai.  Although many of the key figures of the gang are imprisoned, the next generation of young criminals are eager to pick-up where they left-off.

The dynamics of both gangs regularly changes, as a result of deaths and stretches in prison, but here is a snapshot of the current power balance in the rival gangs. (Source: Sunday Tribune www.tribune.ie)

The McCarthy-Dundon gang

LEADERS

Wayne Dundon (32)

He is the undisputed leader of the gang and has the most forceful personality of all the criminals in Limerick.

He was released from prison in March 2009 having served a jail sentence for threatening to kill barman Ryan Lee, a first cousin and stepbrother of murder victim Roy Collins. Lee's evidence played a key role in sending Dundon to jail. He is considered by senior detectives to be the most volatile of all the Limerick gang members and his behaviour in the past couple of weeks has become increasingly erratic.

The eldest son of Kenneth Dundon and Anne McCarthy, Wayne Dundon was considered to be so violent by British authorities, he was served with a deportation order from the British Home Office following a litany of crimes.

He returned to his home city of Limerick at the turn of the millennium.

John Dundon (30)

Currently in prison serving time for road traffic offences and is also on remand in relation to another crime. He is the second in command in the gang.

Along with his young brother Dessie, he tortured a fellow inmate in Wheatfield and then sent pictures of the attack to friends. They wrote 'F*** Me' on the prisoner's forehead and backside and lined his face and body with red marker before beating him.

Dundon fled Limerick in the aftermath of the murder of rugby player Shane Geoghegan before returning and handing himself in in relation to the road traffic offences charges.

Dundon was released from prison in July 2008, after serving a four-and-a-half-year sentence for threatening to kill Owen Treacy who was a star state witness and nephew of McCarthy/ Dundon murder victim Kieran Keane.

Larry McCarthy (32)

Is the head of the McCarthy side of the family and is a cousin of Wayne and John Dundon but is no longer as influential in the gang's activities.

He was jailed for 11 years in 2006 after he was convicted of running a weapons supermarket factory in Hackney, east London and possessing machine guns, ammunition and high impact 'dum-dum' bullets.

He remains in regular contact with his cousins in Limerick and plays a role in all the gang's key decisions despite being behind bars.

CORE GANG MEMBERS

Dessie Dundon (27)

Is serving a life sentence for his role in the murder of rival criminal Kieran Keane. After killing Keane, Dundon fled Ireland but he was arrested by gardaí in Co Kilkenny when he returned three months later. While he is an extremely violent criminal, he does not have the same leadership qualities or intelligence as Wayne and John.

Ger Dundon (24)

He has more than 80 previous convictions and is regarded as an out-of-control, erratic criminal. But, like Dessie Dundon, also does not have a huge amount of influence in directing the gang's drug-dealing activities.

Anthony 'Noddy' McCarthy (28)

A cousin of the Dundons, he continues to be involved in criminal activity despite serving a life sentence for the murder of Kieran Keane.

Christopher McCarthy (27)

Noddy's brother, he is considered one of the gang's most violent members.

James McCarthy (31)

Another cousin of the Dundons. He is also serving a life sentence for his role in the Kieran Keane murder.

Nathan Killeen (20)

Killeen has quickly risen the ranks of the McCarthy-Dundon gang. While he has few previous convictions, he has been questioned in relation to the murders of Roy Collins and Shane Geoghegan in recent years. His sister is married to John Dundon.

The Keane-Collopy gang

LEADERS

Brian Collopy (39)

The horse-trader has controlled the Limerick gang since the death of Kieran Keane. He is undoubtedly the brains behind the operation. There have been recent tensions internally within the Collopy family as well as their associates, the Keanes. The Collopys are no longer as strongly aligned with the Keanes because of this. Unlike the Dundons, Brian has managed to keep a lower public profile and concentrate on drug dealing. In 2003, his Fedamore home was seized by Cab after it emerged he had bought it with cash for €150,000 one year earlier. He has survived at least four attempts on his life by the McCarthy-Dundons.

Christy Keane (49)

The crime boss was released from prison last year after serving a 10-year sentence for drugs possession. His brother Kieran was murdered by the McCarthy-Dundons. He has kept a very low profile in Limerick since his release. He is no longer as influential as Brian Collopy but the Keanes now operate his drug dealing operation separately.

KEY GANG MEMBERS

Raymond Collopy (40)

Regarded as a very capable gang member, he is close to his brother Brian, who leads the gang. He has found it difficult to deal with the death of his brother Philip last year. The 29-year-old shot himself in the head accidentally in a house in Limerick's St Mary's Park. He didn't realise the gun was loaded when he put it to his head and pulled the trigger. Philip's death was a major blow to the gang – he was one of its most trusted gunmen.

Jonathan Collopy (23)

Was recently released after serving a five-year sentence for selling drugs to an undercover garda. Jonathan, along with his brothers Raymond and Vincent, spends a lot of time living in Spain, where the family owns a villa, to avoid garda attention and attempts on their lives.

Vincent Collopy (30)

Vincent also served five years for attempting to sell drugs to an undercover garda. He is considered by his brother Brian to be the most level-headed and is one of the most trusted gang members.

Liam Keane (25)

The nephew of murdered crime boss Kieran Keane. Of all the gang members, he has the highest propensity for violence. He famously gave photographers two fingers after his trial for the murder of Eric Leamy in 2001, where he was acquitted. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence for weapons offences. Despite being imprisoned, he is still very criminally active. Detectives say he will pose a major threat upon his release from prison.

Joseph Keane (23)

A cousin of Kieran Keane, he was just 19 when convicted of manslaughter. He is currently serving six years for his involvement in the killing when an innocent young man was kicked to death in a gang attack after being mistaken for a feud participant. Like his cousin, he's considered extremely violent and out-of-control.

Johnny McNamara (34)

He is regarded as a key and loyal associate of the Collopy-Keane faction. He was a close friend of Philip Collopy, who shot himself dead last year. He has survived countless attempts on his life. He was the intended target of the McCarthy-Dundon gang, who murdered rugby player Shane Geoghegan in a case of mistaken identity. 

Controversy Over Fine Gael's Language Policy

Fine Gael, Ireland’s second largest political party, has recently proposed to abolish Irish as a compulsory subject for the Leaving Cert.  Would this policy bring salvation to thousands of unsatisfied students around the country or drive the native language to extinction?

The 2011 Irish Elections are critical as Ireland faces its worst crisis since the Civil War.  The nation’s problems are so severe that any incoming government will be forced to make drastic changes in the education system or watch helplessly as Ireland falls further behind the rest of the world.  While voting is set to take place in less than a week, the ongoing debate over Fine Gael’s language policy becomes even more intense.

        

         Fine Gael’s proposal to make the teaching of the Irish language optional for the Leaving Certificate, the final examination in the Irish secondary school system, has left many feeling unsettled.  As of now, students are required to take five traditional subjects, one of which must be Gaeilge.  Surveys completed across the country have proven that compulsion is only way to ensure survival of the ancestral tongue.  Poll after poll has confirmed that the majority of people believe that the state must implement policies to protect the language, which is considered imperative to the Irish identity.  So then, why would Fine Gael draft a policy considered ludicrous to so many? 

         Currently, many inadequacies exist in the teaching methodologies, which has resulted in many people with negative feelings about the language.  In a recent televised debate, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore, Fine Gael's Enda Kenny and Fianna Fáil leader Mícheál Martin exchanged views on national and regional issues including agriculture, the future of the Irish language. Ironically, they were debating the flaws of Irish in schools while speaking excellent Irish themselves. 

Kenny believes that his policy would advance the language by recruiting students who are truly passionate.  “You are trying to make it sound as if I am trying to do away with Irish altogether," he said.  "That is not the case, I am trying to strengthen it.”  Students who take the initiative to learn it because they find it enjoyable, rather than being forced to study it, would ensure retention and productivity of the language.  Furthermore, Kenny insisted that the current education system was not serving students or the language satisfactorily.  Although it is mandatory for students to study Irish five hours a week for 14 years, they only need to learn a certain level of fluency to pass their Leaving Cert exams.  Once their results are posted, there is no practical use for the language anymore.

The number of speakers is declining, even in very Gaeltacht areas, where it was once flourishing.  Each year, thousands of graduates emigrate to pursue career opportunities in foreign countries.  It would be more beneficial to possess the ability to speak languages such as Spanish, French, or Mandarin, as opposed to one that has essentially become little more than a hobby.    

Defenders of the language assert that making it optional would have detrimental effects, stating that if it is not mandatory to know the subject for the Leaving Cert, students aren’t going to study it.  Cormac Ó HAlmhain, a third year Education major at Mary Immaculate College, believes that the language must be preserved by remaining compulsory.  HAlmhain is originally from Inis Oírr, the smallest of the Aran Islands, where Irish is the main spoken language.  Even his Facebook page is set to Gaeilge as the default language.  “I learned Irish before English,” he said.  “If Gaeilge becomes optional, students as young as 14 years old are forced to make a lifelong decision. There are many college courses you would be restricted from if you didn’t pick to study Gaeilge. Teaching is one of them. I don’t know about you, but when I was 14, I had no notion of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Optional or not, the supporters of Gaeilge are only delaying the inevitable fate of the language that is unique to Ireland.  If they wish to maintain and restore the language, social supports must be implemented to make speaking it habitual and essential to everyday life.  According to Eilis O'Hanlon of the Irish Independent “If you're not making the effort to speak Irish regularly, then your advocacy of the language carries no more weight than the views of a deaf man on how loud the juke box should be played in bars.”

The Tesco Generation

The Dilemma Between Low Prices and Small Businesses

Within the past decade, it has become apparent that multinational corporations have increasingly dominated our society.  With thousands of stores operating across Europe, Asia, and North America, Tesco is now considered the world’s third largest retailer.  The supermarket chain controls over 30% of the grocery market in the UK, accounting for £1 of every £8 spent in British shops.  Driven by expansion, Tesco is predicted to exceed the sales of major global rivals, including the world’s number one retailer, Wal-Mart.


Although millions of consumers have chosen to spend their hard-earned money at a place that offers low prices, the pursuit towards number one hasn’t come without making a few enemies.  Tesco’s increasing market domination has been criticized for destroying communities politically, socially, and environmentally.  The future of small, independent shops may seem bleak with a supermarket giant hovering over their shoulder.  The question remains, is Tesco’s growth happening at the expense of locally owned shops? 

Last Saturday, over 400 residents united in Ainsdale to campaign against plans for a Tesco store opening in town.  The grocery chain had recently expressed interest in a vacant site.  Protestors claim that local retailers would be at risk to be put out of business.  Residents believed in taking a stand in order to “retain our village, not only for us today but for the future, our children and our children's future,” said Brenda Porter, local Conservative councilor.  "We want to keep our small businesses and the fact we have few empty premises tells the true story."  A public meeting to discuss the next step of the campaign is scheduled for March.

Until recently, the “supermarket disease” had only been a problem in America, where smalltime farmers and butchers had lost control of the market to national chains during the 1950’s.  Farmers were forced to expand in order to sell commodities to the large supermarket chains themselves or to brand name suppliers who sold to them.

The inexorable rise of Tesco bears a heavy burden on small suppliers in the face of unfair competition.  Wiping out local competitors leads to customers being faced with no longer having options as to where they shop.  Diminishing the variety of shops allows Tesco to dictate the standards of prices and quality on goods and services.  In addition, when small private shops give way to huge franchises, the town is more likely to turn into a commercial wasteland as high streets fade into the background.

The market-distorting power that lies in the hands of major companies like Tesco will continue to grow until consumers chose otherwise.  In the mean time, independent stores are fighting for their survival against the corporate monster.  Tescopoly is an alliance of organizations concerned with the negative impacts of supermarket power, including over 350 local campaigns.  For more information on how to support the cause, visit www.tescopoly.org.

TOP 20 TESCO TOWNS
Town	No. of Tescos	Population per store
Bicester	6	5,185
Andover	5	7,591
Nottingham	27	9,243
Southampton	24	9,759
Norwich	17	10,238
Cambridge	11	10,312
Bristol	39	10,783
High Wycombe	7	11,025
Colchester	9	11,598
Wigan	7	11,600
Taunton	5	11,648
Bedford	7	11,784
Solihull	8	11,844
Manchester	33	11,947
Milton Keynes	15	12,304
Torquay	5	12,593
Worthing	8	12,762
Maidstone	7	12,812
Blackpool	11	12,934
Middlesbrough	10	14,269