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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 4h

New disability rights and equality organisation launched

www.rte.ie/news/2025/10...

New disability rights and equality organisation launches

A disability rights and equality organisation - which will be "upfront and uncompromising" in calling out matters impacting disabled people - has been launched.

www.rte.ie

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 13h

…Special Criminal Court in its current form. It is, in fact, evidence of a thoughtful and considered approach to human rights and the rule of law that deserves to be taken seriously. #Áras25

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 13h

…,while we differed on what should replace the Special Criminal Court, there was no disagreement on the need for serious reform. It is therefore not a great gotcha moment to amplify the fact that one candidate for the presidency - Catherine Connolly - has been opposed to the…

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 13h

… Equality Commission (IHREC and its predecessor IHRC), Amnesty International, ICCL and numerous academics. The most recent judge-led review group appointed by government (of which I was a member) called for repeal and replacement of the Offences Against the State Acts and…

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 13h

Gentle reminder…the Special Criminal Court was opposed trenchantly and for compelling reasons by Mary Robinson before she became President; its continued existence has been criticised by the UN Human Rights Committee, UN Special Rapporteurs, the Irish Human Rights & …

RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 17h

The two candidates in the Presidential Election have clashed over the Special Criminal Court with Heather Humphreys saying she supported it and Catherine Connolly calling for its abolition

Presidential candidates clash over Special Criminal Court

The two candidates in the Presidential Election have clashed over the Special Criminal Court with Heather Humphreys saying she supported it and Catherine Connolly calling for its abolition.

www.rte.ie

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Reposted by Donncha O’Connell

The Lilliput Press @lilliputpress.bsky.social · 15h

DRUID THEATRE: FIFTY YEARS by PATRICK LONERGAN 🎭

We are delighted to be publishing this fully-illustrated and authorised history of the iconic institution that is Druid Theatre, written by Patrick Lonergan with a foreword from Fintan O'Toole.

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

And, of course, there were government ministers boasting that they never even read EU treaties in respect of which they implored us all to vote yes!

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

…statement from Catherine Connolly being turned breathlessly into a gotcha moment by her Establishment opponents. It is great to have a candidate who knows her own mind and can think and speak with independence and courage. #Áras25

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

…Catherine Connolly opposed I strongly respect the healthily questioning tradition that she comes from and see it as an enrichment of the democratic processes that exist in this member state to validate EU treaty changes. It is really tedious to see every honest…

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

…concern that should neither be disparaged nor weaponised by those whose strident support for the EU regardless of its (obvious) shortcomings shouts down even the most measured critical assessment of the EU. Even though I personally voted for the various EU treaties that…

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

…to vote against EU Treaty changes put before the Irish people in successive referendums without becoming ‘anti-European’ (whatever that is). To be sceptical about deeper EU integration or to have concerns about militarisation is an expression of conscientious political…

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

I remember once talking with a legislative draftsperson who worked at a high level in government who told me that they voted against every constitutional amendment that they drafted. By the same token it is perfectly possible for someone who is ‘pro-European’ (whatever that is)…

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

This is a timely and hugely valuable publication for those interested in the (somewhat delayed) legislative implementation of the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland by the Policing, Security & Community Safety Act 2024:

www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk/en-gb/produc...

Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 | Thomson Reuters

<p>The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 is Ireland’s major policing reform, introducing new oversight bodies, human rights principles, and modernised community safety and complaints sy...

www.sweetandmaxwell.co.uk

Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

…management challenges presented by new divisions and not just on the size and complexity of these divisions. Embedding changes like these requires flexibility and open-mindedness…on both sides. The shared aim must be enhanced community policing and community safety.

Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 1d

A shortage of gardaí on Ireland’s west coast makes it ‘wide open’ for crime, according to retired Garda Chief Superintendent.

Unsurprising that new divisional policing model would be controversial but any review must engage imaginatively with the…

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/20...

A shortage of gardaí on Ireland’s west coast makes it ‘wide open’ for crime

Reorganisation has left large areas without local Garda knowledge - leaving them vulnerable

www.irishtimes.com

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Reposted by Donncha O’Connell

Paddy Hillyard @paddyzemia.bsky.social · 2d

All welcome. Please register with Eventbrite.

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 2d

Up the RA (Residents’ Association)

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 2d

Amend the planning laws!

Reposted by Donncha O’Connell

The Irish Times @irishtimes.com · 2d

Lighthouse that saved D-Day is now creating jobs and driving tourism in Mayo

Blacksod provided the weather report that changed the course of the D-Day landings

www.irishtimes.com

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 2d

Her core pitch is ‘I’m not Catherine Connolly’. Pathetic.

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 2d

That was a very dignified, authentic, intellectually substantial and convincing performance by @catherinegalway.bsky.social on the @rteradio1.bsky.social presidential debate #Áras25

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Reposted by Donncha O’Connell

Aoife Nolan @aoifenolan.bsky.social · 2d

Conor Gearty died a month ago yesterday. He was deeply committed to human rights law without idealising it. He recognised its power & value while acknowledging its limitations (& those of the people engaging with it). He was also an exceptional lawyer. This is a fitting final piece in the @lrb.co.uk

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 2d

Plenty for the @catherinegalway.bsky.social campaign to feel optimistic about in the latest Red C poll. Big effort should now be made to woo left-leaning/pro-neutrality/pro-Gaeilge Fianna Fáil voters who, for a host of reasons, might not feel inclined to ‘lend’ their votes to Fine Gael #Áras25

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 3d

Hope they all stick together for the 2026 by-election in Galway-West! #Áras25

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Donncha O’Connell @donnchalaw.bsky.social · 3d

Excellent piece deserving of a wide readership:

Colin Sheridan: Smear v journalism — One intends to wound, the other to inform (The Irish Examiner)

www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/colu...

Colin Sheridan: Smear v journalism — One intends to wound, the other to inform

Ivan Yates’ 'smear' comments weren’t a joke — they exposed how suspicion, fear, and cynicism now drive Irish politics

www.irishexaminer.com

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