THE FORGOTTEN SOLDIERS OF IRISH HISTORY

Dear Editor,

I write with reference to the letter of John O’Brien Jr., concerning the above and published in the current edition of The Avondhu Newspaper.

I can confirm much of what he states, particularly with regard to the treatment of Irish soldiers returning home to Ireland, after the end of the First World War.

As a young boy born in Fermoy in the mid 1920’s, moving with my parents and family to live in Mitchelstown in the 1930s to live in James Street, near to my father’s friend, Bob Best, I could not understand why, when my father and Bob used to gather with others at the end of Church Hill after Mass on a Sunday, where farmers used to hire men for work, they were told to return home, with the farmers’ making their selection from the others gathered with them.

Bob Best returned from the war with injuries he had received towards the end of the War in 1918, in ‘hand to hand fighting’, losing thumb and fingers to one of his hands. In 1916, he lost two brothers in the War - John in April and David aged 18, 12 days later on 9th. May.

My father was not involved in the War but had been serving with the British Army in India, and other parts of the British Empire. How they felt at being unfairly rejected for work on every occasion, God only knows!

I have in my possession comprehensive lists, containing the names/details of all servicemen and women from Co. Cork, Co. Limerick and Co. Tipperary, together with their awards and places of commemoration, having paid the supreme price in both World Wars.

Over the years, I have visited many war cemeteries in Europe and beyond. On each occasion, I recognised the sacrifice they made to ensure the liberty and freedom of speech, we all tend to take for granted.

Ireland had one of the youngest ever to receive the Victoria Cross, his name was Thomas Flynn, and it was not a posthumous award. A pilot from Mitchelstown, serving in the RAF, was killed in action, 30 hours after World War 11, was declared.

Yours sincerely,
John O’Leary MBE, J.P,
(formerly of St. Fanahan’s Place, Mitchelstown)
53, Heather Road,
Hednesford,
Staffs., WS12 4EX.

CHILDREN SUFFER

Dear Editor,

I have been inundated with phone calls and meetings with people asking me to highlight the disgraceful way the Government is coming after our school going children who are our future.

1. Class sizes will be larger which will result in the loss of teachers.

2. Some subjects removed altogether.

3. Language support for newcomers will be gone.

4. Book grants scheme to go.

5. Book Rental Scheme to go.

6. Traveller education gone.

7. Physics and Chemistry will be gone.

8. Home Economics will be gone.

9. Field trips and education visits and trips to the cinemas and theatres to go.

I am also saying in the near future parents will have to raise funding for ESB, heating, and water and waste rates. It is a disgrace to penalise our children and hard struggling families.

These children are not to blame, so why penalise them. I’m calling on all parents and teachers to write to our so-called public representatives to put a stop to this carry on. Some of them are coming out of the woodwork after being asleep for 4 years or more.

I’m also calling on the board of management and parents’ councils to call a public meeting to organise ourselves to put a stop to this. People power is the greatest weapon we have, only people power will win out in the end. I’m calling on them to show leadership, because we must do this for our children and our future generations to come.

Its been brought to my attention also that due to the savage cutbacks, sports and leisure trips are to be abolished, thus resulting in our children not being able to participate in our school sports and competitions. A healthy eating policy for our schools and now sports and leisure activities are gone. For God sake for the sake of our children please take a stance.

Yours sincerely,
Timmy White,
Mitchelstown independent candidate local elections.

DEFENDING THE DEFENSIBLE

Dear Editor,

Re letter re Teachers The Avondhu 13th November. What annoys, even angers me is to see parent organisations (POs) finger wagging and banner waving the minister with no mandate from those ordinary parents (OPs) whom they claim to represent, to protest against education cutbacks.

POs have not asked us. If they did, the OPs, who know in their gut if not in their thinking minds that the country simply cannot afford increased teacher numbers at this crisis time, however laudable in the longer term, would answer loudly “not in my name.”

If teachers truly have our children’s interest at heart they would accept reduced salaries or even a pay freeze in order to maintain teacher numbers/reduce class sizes. Their actions will speak volumes.

Foreign nationals who come to this country must not expect to hold back and disrupt the class of English speaking children, nor unlimited or undue support from this state to teach their children English.

Those who cannot speak English at an age appropriate level should be obliged to take one year out of ordinary schooling to learn English in an intensive environment, if possible within the school grounds. This is not segregation or racism; it is pure practicality and common sense.

Mitching teachers, in whatever numbers, place an inordinate burden on the majority of dedicated, hard working teachers who answer their vocation to teach. Thank you to the letter writer (Avondhu 13th Nov.) for pointing this out.

However, those dedicated teachers must take courage and responsibility, and be supported in this, to tell mitching and inept teachers to stop their behaviour and ultimately find another vocation. The country simply cannot afford substitute teachers for their mis-behaviour now or ever.

Thank you to those who wrote/spoke encouraging words privately; you inspire those who would tell it as it is.

Yours sincerely,
Kevin T Finn,
Kingston Close,
Mitchelstown.