The Irish Times carried out a number of investigative assignments this week, releasing the findings from multiple months of research by our European correspondent, Naomi O’Leary on Wednesday. Her report disclosed that ex and exiting Defence Forces personnel have been furnishing military instruction to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar’s forces, a significant revelation. Providing military tutelage to forces in Libya has been forbidden due to a UN arms embargo implemented in 2011 aimed at controlling the violent disorder that took place after the overthrow of dictator Muammar Gadafy. Nonetheless, as our report uncovered, Irish Training Solutions, an Offaly-based establishment run by ex-members of the Army Ranger Wing, hired ex and outgoing Irish soldiers from early 2023, flew them to Haftar-governed Benghazi and positioned them as trainers alongside military veterans from other nations.
Supporting this article was a wide variety of sources, including travel documents, photos, video records, as well as discussions with various individuals familiarised with the circumstances. Politicians were quick to respond to the findings released on Wednesday morning. Deputy head of the Irish government, Micheál Martin expressed that these discoveries were “deeply shocking” and detrimental to the nation’s image. It was also noted by the Department of Enterprise that these allegations have been passed onto the Irish police force.
Additionally, earlier in the week, another project of a distinct nature, which involved a comparable long span of preparation, drew to a resolution with a 6,000-word compilation under the headline: Who Owns Grafton Street? Documented for the first time by Colm Keena on Monday, the report highlights who presides over each of the 119 buildings on Dublin’s most popular shopping street. The narrative transitions between social history and economic analysis and discloses how wealthy Irish families have been purchasing properties on the street, often for cash, as large investment funds try to decrease the volume of retail properties in their portfolios. Our Dublin editor Olivia Kelly also offers an intriguing history of Grafton Street’s past, present and future in the same compilation, supplemented with historic and contemporaneous photographs that encapsulate the street’s transformation over the past 100 years, complemented with a simple tool for searching individual buildings and their proprietors.
This tale unfolded in an unexpected office chat last autumn, much like countless others. The creation process involved many meticulous hours examining land and corporate registry records, cross-referencing maps, images and other sources. We also conducted insightful interviews to fill the information gaps. This follows a pattern reminiscent of previous narratives such as the Libya story and features on Ireland’s key civil servants and all governmental advisors – requiring ample time and effort to reach fruition.
In the light of an impending defining week in domestic politics, Simon Harris is a major focus in our weekend reportage. For someone in the limelight for over ten years, the 37-year-old Fine Gael leader, likely to take on the role of taoiseach when the Dáil next convenes, continues to exude an indecipherable vibe. Our Political Correspondent Jennifer Bray offers an in-depth chronicle tracing Harris’s life and political journey – from grassroots activism in Co Wicklow, through an unstable spell as health minister to the Government Buildings, after Leo Varadkar’s surprising exit. The main topic at the Fine Gael party conference in Galway revolves around potential members of Harris’s Cabinet. However, the crucial query is about his plans as taoiseach. According to Political Editor Pat Leahy, Harris’s debut speech as leader at the conference left too many questions unaddressed.
Pat reported: “‘Hit the ground running’, ‘align vision with action’, ‘stand by our values’, ‘resolve the housing crisis’, ‘we will move mountains’, ‘we will persevere till the end’ – he made these declarations to an eagerly awaiting crowd.” He further added, “There was hardly any detail about his prospective actions as taoiseach. Yet, he vaguely hinted at improvements across various government sectors with no exact details.”
A significant early challenge for Harris will be defining a strategy for Northern Ireland and the relationship with Ireland. Despite lacking experience in these fields, he will need to navigate the controversial issue of Irish unification, a topic scrutinised by Cliff Taylor this weekend after a recent report projected a potential cost of up to €20 billion a year for the Irish treasury over two decades. Meanwhile, Jack Horgan-Jones speculates about the political leanings of the upcoming government, and Kate Demolder commends the strategic genius of Taylor Swift in the entertainment industry.
A horrific murder in New York has left the Irish community in dismay. Sarah McNally, originally from Longford, was a well-known figure in the Queens neighbourhood of Maspeth. Our correspondent in Washington, Keith Duggan, provides detailed insights underlining the shock and horror after the violent incident took place in a social public setting.
An ongoing crisis in Sudan, often described as “the war the world forgot”, has led to more than 1.9 million people fleeing the country in the past year. A UN official warns that almost five million may experience extreme hunger in the upcoming months. Sally Hayden shares the harrowing accounts of those escaping violence and hunger from a border crossing with South Sudan. Additionally, Daniel McLaughlin reports from the solitary open crossing between Russian-controlled territory and Ukraine. David McWilliams and Patrick Smyth each tackle the subject of conflict in Gaza in their columns.
Sporting enthusiasts will eagerly follow the beginning of the All-Ireland Championship this weekend. Malachy Clerkin suggests that unpredictable twists may await in the Championship, often incorrectly assumed as a certainty for Dublin, Derry, or Kerry. New columnists Dean Rock and Michael Murphy join Darragh Ó Sé to forecast the season ahead.
There’s also an account by Joe Brennan of an attempted boardroom takeover at Disney and a notable interview by Olivia Kelly with Richard Shakespeare, an influential Irish public official. Enjoy a chat with Louise Duffy, Róisín Ingle’s guest, and a chilling video from Bryan O’Brien, documenting a journey through Dublin during the Covid lockdown from four years ago.
In our Culture section, we are privileged to hold conversations with acclaimed authors such as Percival Everett, Sinéad Gleeson, and Louise Nealon. We also engage with the creators of a fresh Netflix adaptation based on a notorious BBC interview featuring a member of the British royal family.
As always, keep current with our continuously growing compilation of podcasts that encompasses an array of topics, spanning news and politics to sport and lifestyle.
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic
Chief Editor