Soapbox « Thurles Information

Ireland, Israel, RTE & The Politics Of Constant Outrage.

Ireland’s political and media class increasingly seems trapped in a cycle of outrage, where emotion appear to matters more than realism.

The recent arrest of Dr. Margaret Connolly; sister of Irish President Mrs Catherine Connolly; on board a Ga, so called aid flotilla immediately caused uproar in Irish political and media circles. Government figures condemned Israel, activists treated the incident as a major international drama, and RTÉ coverage became highly emotional.

At the same time, Eurovision exposed another reality that many activists do not want to face. Despite loud campaigns demanding Israel be excluded, Israel still took part in Eurovision and finished in second place. RTÉ and several other broadcasters boycotted the contest over Israel’s participation, but Eurovision went ahead anyway without their participation.
So will RTE, who this year ignored licence fee payers, decide to repeat this boycotting scenario again next year?

That raises a very simple question; what exactly is the long-term plan?
If the goal is somehow to make Israel disappear, that is not serious politics. Israel is not going anywhere. It is a strong country with major international alliances, a powerful economy, and the world’s largest Jewish population.

If the goal is to isolate Israelis from international events, that also appears to be failing. Eurovision continued. International organisations continue working with Israel. Trade continues. Sporting and cultural events continue. And if Israel competes again next year in Sofia, Bulgaria, the wider world will largely move on, regardless of any Irish outrage.

This is where many ordinary people are beginning to lose patience with what critics now call the “Paddystinian” movement.

Many feel the movement has gone far beyond criticism of Israeli government policy and has become something more obsessive and even hostile. Criticising Israel is perfectly legitimate, just as criticism of any government is legitimate. But when every issue becomes centred around Israel, people naturally begin asking questions.

There is also growing concern about the atmosphere being created for Jewish people living in Ireland. Across Europe, Jewish communities have reported rising hostility and intimidation since the Gaza conflict intensified. Many Irish Jews now feel increasingly uncomfortable speaking openly about their identity or opinions. That should rightly alarm decent people.

A country can support Palestinian civilians without turning hostility toward Israel into a national obsession. It is possible to care about Gaza while also rejecting hatred, intimidation, and political hysteria.

Many people now treat attending such weekend protests in major cities as a kind of social pastime, with large numbers taking part, despite having only a limited understanding of the history or complexities behind the issues involved.

Unfortunately, parts of Irish public debate no longer seem interested in balance or nuance. Too often, disagreement is treated as proof of moral failure. Anyone who questions the dominant activist narrative, risks abuse, smears, or social pressure. That is not healthy democratic debate.

Ireland once had a reputation as a calm, sensible country known for diplomacy and peace-building. Increasingly, however, parts of Irish politics and media appear more interested in performative outrage than practical solutions. Meanwhile, the rest of the world simply keeps moving.

Israel continues trading internationally, participating in global events, building alliances, and developing economically. Eurovision survived the RTE boycott. International audiences still voted for the Israeli entry in huge numbers. That reality may be uncomfortable for activists, but it is reality nonetheless.

Movements built mainly on anger and grievance eventually run into a problem: outrage alone is not a strategy. Shouting louder does not necessarily change minds. In fact, constant moral lecturing often pushes ordinary people away, and that may ultimately be the biggest danger for Ireland itself. Because countries that become consumed by ideological crusades can end up isolating themselves far more than the people they are trying to punish.

In the end, most people simply want balance, common sense, and a bit of perspective, not this endless outrage, division, and political theatre pumped out on news bulletins and via social media.

EPA Finds Almost Six Out Of Ten Septic Tanks Fail Inspection.

EPA finds almost six out of ten septic tanks fail inspection, putting drinking water wells and rivers at risk.

► Local authorities completed 1,466 septic tank inspections in 2025 targeting areas of greatest risk from an environmental and health perspective.
► Of these, 59% (863) failed inspection with many posing a risk to nearby rivers and drinking water wells.
► Since 2013, some 7,212 septic tanks failed inspections, with 84% fixed by the end of 2025.
► Improved resolution of faulty septic tanks by homeowners has been aided by increased Government grant support.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released the report on Domestic Waste Water Treatment System Inspections 2025, which details the findings of septic tank inspections completed by local authorities in 2025.
In 2025, 1,466 septic tanks were inspected, with 59% (863) failing because they were not built or maintained properly. Faulty systems pose a risk to human health from harmful bacteria and viruses through the contamination of drinking water wells, and can pollute rivers and streams through releases of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus.

Sewage Flowing Into The River Suir, Thurles Town Centre Ignored.

When septic tanks fail inspection, local authorities issue advisory notices to householders setting out what is required to fix the problem. Of the 7,212 septic tanks that failed since inspections began in 2013, 84 percent had been fixed by the end of 2025. The number of failed systems with advisory notices unresolved for longer than two years reduced from 523 in 2024 to 442 in 2025.

Tipperary local authority area Inspection findings.
Sadly Tipperary Water Service Authority shows only a moderate rate of Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems (DWWTS commonly known as septic tanks) failures fixed.

Water Service Authority.	Inspections Required 2025 ▲.	Inspections Completed 2025.	Failure Rate 2025.	Systems failing 2013 – 2025.	% Fixed at end 2025.
Tipperary.	40	44	52%	205	78%

▲ Includes minimum number of inspections allocated in the National Inspection Plan (NIP) 2022-2026 and inspection shortfalls carried forward from 2024.

Commenting on the report, Mr Pat Byrne, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection and Environmental Monitoring said: “The gradual increase in the number of faulty septic tanks being fixed by homeowners since 2013 in response to failed inspections is welcomed, as these are in the areas of greatest risk to rivers and drinking water wells. This has been aided by increased Government grant aid and greater enforcement activities by proactive local authorities. However, more consistent and sustained enforcement is needed across all local authorities to ensure that faulty septic tanks are fixed as soon as possible and that public health and the environment is protected.”

The grant schemes for remediation of septic tanks were amended in 2024 and increased from €5,000 to €12,000. There were 460 grants awarded in 2025, totalling nearly €4.77 million, up from 265 grants awarded in 2024.
Mr Noel Byrne, EPA Programme Manager said: “In 2025, some 59% of inspected septic tanks failed. This is a worrying statistic, as many homeowners may be exposing their families to health risks from contaminated private wells, or polluting local rivers, often without realising it. Regular checks and routine maintenance of septic tanks by homeowners can prevent minor issues becoming major problems, helping to protect their family’s health and the environment. Where eligible, homeowners should also make use of grant support of up to €12,000 to remediate faulty systems.”

There was a shortfall in inspections by three local authorities (Donegal, Fingal and Wexford) in 2025 and this shortfall must be made up in 2026, in addition to the planned inspections. The EPA will continue to monitor local authorities that are required to make up these shortfalls in 2026.
Nine local authorities had less than 80 per cent of their issued advisory notices resolved by the end of 2025, which means that too many faulty septic tank systems continued to be a risk.

Local authorities are required to ensure septic tanks that fail inspection are fixed by homeowners in an appropriate timeframe.
The report, Domestic Waste Water Treatment System Inspections 2025, is available HERE to download on the EPA website.

Ireland Tolerates Terrorist Symbols But Ignores Murder Of Private Seán Rooney.

Something is deeply wrong, when Ireland tolerates terrorist symbols but ignores the murder of Private Seán Rooney.

Private Seán Rooney was not a politician, activist or a celebrity; he belonged to a far higher order of human achievement and character. He was a 24-year-old Irish soldier from Donegal serving his country on a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
By all accounts he was courageous, decent and deeply committed to protecting his fellow soldiers.

**Private Seán Rooney, Irish Soldier Murdered by Hezbollah in Lebanon.**

On December 14th 2022, just 11 days before Christmas, while travelling in a clearly marked UN vehicle near the Hezbollah stronghold of Al-Aqbiya, Private Seán Rooney and his colleagues came under sustained gunfire from Hezbollah-linked attackers. Seán, sadly, was killed trying to protect his comrades, while another Irish soldier was seriously injured.

The aftermath of this event has been a grotesque insult to his family and indeed to the Island of Ireland itself.
The main suspect, Hezbollah member Mohammad Ayyad, was eventually convicted and sentenced in his absence after repeatedly avoiding court appearances. He still remains at large today, after previously being released on “medical grounds.”
Meanwhile, others involved received sentences so absurdly lenient that even the Irish Government publicly condemned them as unacceptable.
Private Seán Rooney’s mother correctly described the process as a “sham trial” and said justice had neither been done nor even seen to be done.

While Seán Rooney’s family continue to fight for accountability, Ireland has witnessed crowds marching openly through Dublin and Cork waving Hezbollah and Hamas flags, latter organisations synonymous with sectarian violence, terrorism, hostage-taking and the murder of civilians.

Perhaps nothing captures the moral confusion of our modern-day Ireland more than the sight of Irish Tricolours being waved beside Hezbollah and Hamas flags on the streets of Dublin and Cork, as though the values represented by our national flag are somehow compatible with organisations linked to terrorism, sectarian hatred and the murder of an Irish peacekeeper, Private Seán Rooney.

For Seán Rooney’s family, and for many decent Irish people, that image is not “solidarity” or “activism.” It is a profound national disgrace and an insult to the memory of a young Irish soldier who died serving under the UN flag at the hands of Hezbollah-linked gunmen.

What is truly repellent is not only that these flags appear, but that so many so-called and self-appointed champions of “human rights” refuse to condemn them. Many politicians, activists and celebrity figures appear far more interested in performative anti-Israel activism than in showing even basic solidarity with the family of an Irish peacekeeper, murdered by extremists, linked to Hezbollah. That silence is not moral courage; it is moral bankruptcy.

Jerome Lawrence rightly warned in his 1955 play, “Inherit the Wind”, that: “Fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy, and needs feeding.”

That is exactly what we are witnessing today. Fanaticism survives when hatred becomes fashionable, when ideological tribalism replaces moral consistency, and when people excuse or romanticise violent extremism because it aligns with their political worldview.
Bigotry is not confined to race or religion; it also includes the irrational hatred and dehumanisation of anyone considered politically inconvenient, including Israelis, Jews, or even Irish soldiers whose deaths disrupt a preferred narrative.

Supporting innocent Palestinians does not require anyone to glorify Hamas or Hezbollah. But too many people in Ireland have crossed that line. They excuse terrorist symbolism, ignore antisemitism when it comes disguised as activism, and remain conspicuously silent about the murder of Private Seán Rooney because acknowledging it would force them to confront uncomfortable truths about the movements they openly, through ignorance, tolerate.

The Rooney family deserved national outrage, unity and relentless demands for justice. Instead, they got evasions, hypocrisy and silence from people who claim to stand against violence and extremism; latter a disgrace on modern Ireland.

Licence Fees, Million-Euro Bailouts & Executive Pay – RTÉ Faces Fresh Scrutiny.

RTÉ is once again at the centre of controversy after new figures revealed that more than 200 people at the broadcaster were earning over €100,000 a year by the end of 2025, including 18 individuals paid more than €200,000 annually.

This latest revelation lands after years of scandals involving hidden payments, secret commercial deals, undisclosed barter accounts, and repeated failures in transparency from Ireland’s national broadcaster.

The public was already furious after the 2023 payments scandal exposed how RTÉ had understated presenter earnings, while continuing to demand television licence payments from ordinary households struggling through a cost-of-living crisis. Trust in the organisation collapsed, senior executives resigned, and multiple government and committee investigations followed.

Yet despite the outrage, RTÉ has continued to rely heavily on taxpayer support.

In recent years, the broadcaster has effectively received two major state financial rescue packages funded by the public:
► A €725 million annual public funding model through licence fees and state support.
► An additional government-backed financial bailout package worth hundreds of millions aimed at stabilising RTÉ after the payments scandal and declining revenues.

At the same time, licence fee inspectors continued pursuing households across Ireland for non-payment, even as questions mounted over excessive salaries, waste, governance failures, and opaque contractor arrangements inside the organisation.

In Ireland, thousands of people have been prosecuted over non-payment of TV licences, but only a relatively small number have actually been jailed.

Historically; in 2012, there were about 11,500 prosecutions for TV licence non-payment. Of those convicted, 242 people were jailed, though most were imprisoned only for a few hours and six overnight.
In 2008, 49 people were jailed over licence-related fines.
Between 1973 and 1993, at least 15 people were imprisoned during a civil disobedience campaign linked to Irish-language broadcasting activism.
More recently, prosecutions and convictions have declined sharply after the RTÉ payments scandal damaged public trust:
Irish courts dealt with 7,263 prosecutions in 2022, falling to 6,555 in 2023.
Nearly 15,000 court summonses were issued in 2022 alone for non-payment.
Convictions for non-payment reportedly fell by around 30% over recent years amid the fallout from RTÉ controversies.

People are generally not jailed directly for “not having a licence” itself, but for failing to pay court-imposed fines after conviction. Fines can reach up to €1,000 for a first offence.

The newest figures also show nearly 1,300 people received between €50,000 and €100,000 from RTÉ in 2025, while thousands more contributors were classified as contractors.

Meanwhile, viewers and taxpayers are still asking the same unanswered question:
How can RTÉ continue demanding mandatory licence fee payments from the public while repeatedly failing basic standards of transparency and accountability with public money?

Why Ireland’s New Proposed Government Savings Plan Is Causing Concern.

The Irish Government is preparing a new savings and investment scheme that is expected to be announced during the next Budget. The main political figure behind the proposal is Mr Simon Harris, who is currently serving as Ireland’s Minister for Finance, with the Department of Finance also heavily involved in designing this plan.

The Government says the aim is to encourage ordinary people to invest their savings instead of leaving large amounts of money sitting in low-interest bank accounts. Ministers believe Irish households are holding billions of euro in cash savings that could earn better returns through investment funds or shares.

Under the proposal being discussed, people could place money into a special investment account that would receive major tax advantages. Reports suggest the Government is looking at a Swedish-style model where profits and gains from investments would either face very low tax or possibly no capital gains tax at all.

Supporters of the idea say this could help middle-income families grow their savings faster and make investing less complicated. Mr Simon Harris has argued that Ireland’s current taxes on investments are too high and discourage people from investing for the future.

However, several economists are warning that the plan may mainly benefit wealthier households. Their argument is simple: people with large amounts of spare cash will gain the biggest tax savings because they can afford to invest much more money. Families struggling with rent, mortgages, childcare, or daily expenses may not be able to take advantage of the scheme at all.

Critics also fear the State could lose a significant amount of tax revenue. Taxes collected from investments help fund public services such as hospitals, schools, transport, and housing. If investment profits become lightly taxed, the Government may collect less money in future years. Economists describe this as creating “another hole in the tax bucket” because less money would flow into the State, while the largest benefits would go to those already financially comfortable.

The debate now centres on fairness. The Government sees the proposal as a way to modernise Irish savings and encourage people to build wealth. Critics believe it risks increasing inequality by rewarding people who already have money while reducing funds available for public services.