Scoundrel Sheltered

I HAVE been following the scandalous outrage that is Larry Murphy’s release back in August 2010, and his subsequent admittance back into Ireland in May/June 2011 because he had his passport stolen by a prostitute in Spain.

Clearly t his scoundrel is being protected by the Irish justice system and has been since his release back in August 2010.

The fact that he repeatedly raped and almost murdered a Carlow woman and served only 10 years for this heinous crime should be enough for the justice system in Ireland to be revamped from head to toe.  But of course the powers that be do nothing.

When Murphy was released he got to stay in rent free lodgings paid for by the Irish taxpayers via the Department of Social Protection! Imagine a convicted rapist who attempted to murder a woman is being PROTECTED upon his release by the government.

Here are some serious questions that need to be answered:

*Was he a paid informant of the Gardai (police)?
*What information did this scoundrel give to the police or withhold from them?
*How was he allowed to stay in Ireland for two weeks when he needed to get a new passport?
*Who protected him when he flew back to Ireland and why?
*What information does he have now that the police in both Spain and Ireland are monitoring him incessantly?
*What does retired commissioner Pat Byrne know of the information Murphy had that the Gardai released him and allowed him to return unimpeded to get a new passport?
* Why has the main stream media dropped this story? Were they directed to do so and by whom?
*What was Murphy’s connection to Kevin Street Garda station within which he sough refuge upon his release?

When he returned in May 2011 Father Ciaran Enright collected him at the airport. He was under 24-hour Gardai surveillance while he ambled about the place waiting for his passport to be re-issued.
What sort of a legal system allows this to happen to its women?

What have the Gardai and the justice system concluded in the cold cases of Annie McCarrick, Jo Jo Dullard and Deidre Jacob?

The answer? Nothing.

The U.S. authorities need to step up and investigate Annie McCarrick’s disappearance and demand answers from Ireland’s police force as soon as possible.

Perhaps their first step might be to question Murphy at length in his Spanish residence.

A.P. Ó Máille
New York, New York

Tax the Rich

THE suggestion by billionaire Warren Buffet that the "mega-rich" pay more taxes should be taken up in Ireland and, indeed, across the globe.

Ever since the Thatcherism and Reaganism of the 1980s, there has been a steady transfer of wealth to the very rich which has accelerated in the last few years as hard working people have taken cuts in income to bail out super-wealthy bankers.

Not only is this socially unjust, contributing to the recent riots in England, but it is economic insanity. Those on low and middle incomes re-invest practically all of their money in their local economy, keeping more people in work.

On the other hand, the mega-rich waste much of their wealth on hoarding, buying gold and silver, high-end luxury imports or speculation on the money markets, which is causing so much turmoil in the EU. All of which generate far fewer jobs here.

It is time the Irish government stopped implementing the failed policies of the last 10 years and adopted the sensible suggestion of Buffet, which has led to both economic and social progress in small economies like Denmark and Sweden.

Noeleen Reilly
Dublin, Ireland

Plastic Bullets

THE rioting and looting which recently took place throughout England was as serious as any which took place here in the North of Ireland, yet those in charge of policing deemed it unnecessary to use lethal weapons -- i.e. plastic bullets.

The lesson to be learned is that there are alternative methods which can be deployed in dealing with such public order issues.

Will the Police Service of Northern Ireland take this on board and decommission plastic bullets?

Jim McCabe
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Stop Killing Animals

IRELAND’S forestry board, Coillte, is set to sacrifice thousands of defenseless creatures in a callous bid to boost its profits.

Coillte is currently selling licenses that will allow hunters to destroy life in forests all over the country.
Not only will woodland wildlife be killed, but also creatures that Coillte is inviting hunters to introduce into the forests to use as targets.

Coillte is owned by the Irish people, and this contamination of profits with blood money is surely unacceptable to the merciful majority. The deer, foxes and birds that make a visit to a forest so priceless for so many should be allowed to live free from persecution.

Ironically, on its website, Coillte urges visitors to forests to "respect wildlife" and "avoid disturbing animals and birds."

Everyone who values life over death should urgently demand that Coillte practices what it preaches and keeps the hunters out.

Philip Kiernan
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
Mullingar, Co. Westmeath

Not Pro-Obama

THE recent news that President Obama will “halt” deportations against non-offending undocumented immigrants is a joke and a clear attempt to attract Latino votes next year.

Can this president do anything right? Can’t he just fight for what he believes in, instead of all the half-hearted measures he’s been putting forth since taking office? 


He promised comprehensive immigration reform, and could have worked towards that end during his first two years in office but he did nothing. Now he wants us all to believe that he is pro-immigrant.

The only “pro” thing Obama is is himself and his re-election campaign.  If you stand for nothing you’ll fall for everything, and that’s exactly what’s happened to him since taking office.

Robert Doherty
Watervliet, New York