Sir, – The Irish Times has done the citizens of this State a considerable service by revealing that the Army has moved from providing “non-lethal” aid to the Ukrainian military to now offering to train its recruits in “basic weapons skills and advanced marksmanship skills” (News, August 19th).
We are informed by Government TDs that weapons training of an army at war does not contradict our “military neutrality” because we are not politically neutral.
While it is true that almost everybody in Ireland would oppose Russia’s imperialist aggression against Ukraine, this does not mean agreement to abandon the long-standing commitment to neutrality and peacekeeping. The Government – and Micheál Martin, in particular – promised an open, honest debate on neutrality and Ireland’s role in the world. But it seems this was just dust in our eyes.
Irish neutrality was already gravely undermined by the continuing use of Shannon Airport by the US military.
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The provision of weapons training to an army at war is further evidence that this Government is determined to render meaningless a policy supported by most people in this country. – Yours, etc,
FINTAN LANE,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.