HANDS OFF IRELAND'S NEUTRALITY! Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 10 May 2025

So, gore mía mía mhaghaibh asan faul se moir a seal agus tán, fresh un, fierce a stith a bain sa, lius se an yú, an sa e mania a ho'chlea. Friends, we're here together with a shared goal, to defend Ireland's cherished neutrality, to say with one voice, that we will not stand by, while our neutrality is undermined and attacked by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, nor by the militarisation agenda at the heart of the European Union. I want to say this, if they believe that they can push ahead with their plans unchallenged, then we have news for them, because we will fight like hell to stop them. And our message to Micheál Martin, and to Simon Harris, and indeed to Ursula von der Leyen, is very clear, hands off Ireland's neutrality. Mutuality to see goes to the very heart of who we are as a people, goes to the heart of what it means to be Irish. It's a shared value that binds us together, that looks to the world not to seek war, but peace, not aggression, but friendship. A mutual idea of our tribe that spurns that destructive dogma that might is right, and reaches instead for the better angels of our humanity, for a better world in which the threat of war, of imperialism, and of slaughter is overcome. Ireland's neutrality is hardwired into our history, into the very fabric of our nation. It's profoundly connected to, chimes so powerfully, with our own struggle against colonisation, occupation, oppression. Our struggle to regain our freedom and our nationhood. The vision of Ireland as a neutral country was first espoused by the father of Irish republicanism, and leader of the United Irishman, Theobald Wolftone. And again, as a defining thread of our nationhood in the Easter Rising, when James Connolly's Irish Citizens' Army hung out that iconic banner, which in one sentence cut to the core of the matter, we serve neither king nor kaiser, but Ireland. And not only was this an expression of national loyalty, but a powerful rejection of the militarisation of the mighty, and of the fascination with empire that dragged the world into the abyss of world war, and the horror of the trenches, where working class men and boys were sent off to fight and die in rich men's wars. The Irish people, we learned the lessons of our history well, and our neutrality has stood us in good stead. It's the very bedrock upon which Ireland has built a powerful reputation as a voice for peace, for freedom, for justice in the world, as an honourable defender of human rights and democracy, as a respected champion of conflict resolution through dialogue. It has allowed members of our defence forces to wear the blue beret of UN peacekeeping missions with pride, and to stand in protection of the vulnerable throughout the world. We will not give up on that. Through their attack on our neutrality, the first front of which is their promise, their vow, as Catherine has said, to dismantle the triple lock, Michal Martin and Simon Harris seek to surrender the power of Ireland's honourable diplomatic strength in international affairs. And the Taoiseach has made very clear in recent times that he will push ahead with this shameful plan. He says that this is necessary because the world has profoundly changed. Well, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Israel's horrific genocide in Gaza, the tensions that we see between India and Pakistan, are all testament to an instability in the world, perhaps a changed world. But I believe that's exactly why preserving and strengthening Irish neutrality now has never been more important. Never has it been more crucial for neutral states to stand up and be counted, to confront the instinct of the powerful to arm up, to flex their military muscles and to go to war. So it is disgraceful that government would choose to use the volatility of the world as an alibi to tear down our neutrality, to dismantle the triple lock so that Irish soldiers can be deployed in EU-led and NATO-led military misadventures that are not in Ireland's interest without a UN mandate and that can bring catastrophic consequences to the globe. We should never ever send out a message to the world that the United Nations no longer matters, especially at a time when the European Union now blatantly intensifies its militarisation agenda. It openly engages now in an arms race, spending billions on weapons of war. It's a European agenda that the government is happy to go along with. I ask, where is their moral courage? I believe, as representatives of the Irish people, they should stand against this hawkish militarisation. They should be defending our neutrality. And I remain convinced that the military neutrals, the non-aligned countries now, have a crucial role as interlocutors for peace, for freedom and for stability. And that is why. That is why we must campaign to see the rights, the position, the recognition of military neutrals and non-aligned recognised in the EU treaties, not trampled upon by those same institutions. And as Francis has said so eloquently, this lurch to militarism gathers pace at the very time that the people of Gaza are being slaughtered in their tens of thousands. A genocide happening before the eyes of the world. The blockade, the starvation, Netanyahu's plan to take all of Gaza by force. This horrific massacre of men, of women, of children. All the fruits of militarisation. The fruit of that deplorable might-is-right philosophy that now comes to tear apart Ireland's neutrality. The lack of an international response to the cries of Palestinian children. The impunity afforded to Israel to carry out its barbarism. All of this, make no mistake, is the fruits and the product of a militarised world. Funded, supported, aided, abetted by the United States, by Britain and by the European Union. And we are here to say that the Irish people will never accept our country being part of these shameful events, these shameful alliances that bring such suffering, such misery and such destruction to humanity. If Peter Kestis described Israel's actions as war crime, he's right. The Tanisha says he's sickened by Israel's actions, he should be. But condemnation is not enough. Now is the time for action. And I suggest that the Irish government take the energy that they're dedicating to dismantling the triple-off and our neutrality and instead direct that positively, direct that constructively. Sanction genocidal Israel. Sanction Justice for Palestine and stability in the world demands that we end Israeli impunity. It is time to stop the genocide and it's time to end the occupation. Friends, this is a time for knowing who we are. And in this battle to save Irish neutrality, none of us can be found wanting. We need to campaign relentlessly on the streets, in our communities, on the airwaves, in the Dáil and the Shannan, in council chambers across the land. We have to ask people to join us. We have to facilitate people to get involved, to play their part. We need to put feet on the streets and we need to raise our voices loudly in protest. I want to finish, if I may, with the words of this man. His name is William Rooney. He was a Ghaelgour, a Thir Grawhour. He was born into tenement poverty here in Dublin. He died in May 1901. He was a formidable character and we unveiled a plaque to him, by the way, today in the North Strand. And these were his words when he addressed the Celtic Literary Society on the 3rd of January 1900. I want you to listen to them. He describes the Irish ideal and he says, An Irish state self-supporting, self-funding, her flag respected in every court, her shores and her sympathy for the oppressed of every race and every colour, her voice in the council of the nations, her language, her laws and her achievements, the pride of all her people. Such is a national idea and to tone do we owe the fact that any of its most militant features still recommend themselves to the vast bulk of our country men and women. And so it was then and so it is now. So Micheál Martin or Simon Harris really believe that they have this right if they really are convinced by their own argument. If they want to get rid of our position as a neutral, I say to them, go to the people, put the question and you'll get your answer. Like, share and subscribe and let us know your thoughts in the comments. We'd love to hear from you.