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How to house Ukrainian refugees now the hot topic for Coalition after tetchy Cabinet meeting

David McWilliams asks why Irish women don’t strike over gender pay gap; Yousef Palani attacks leave LGBTQ+ community bereft but not surprised

Minister Roderic O’Gorman's proposal on how to change how Ireland houses Ukrainian refugees caused quite a stir at Cabinet. Photograph: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos

Sun Oct 29 2023 - 08:58

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

The debate over how to house Ukrainian refugees has been bubbling under the surface around Government Buildings for quite some time and this week it came to the fore at a fiery Cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening.

The row was sparked by a presentation given by Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman on a proposed new approach to accommodating arrivals fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, which would see them housed for only 90 days before being sent to the private sector.

There was no memo for decision at the cabinet, although it is understood the proposal has been discussed by the three leaders of the coalition parties at their weekly pre-cabinet meeting for the last two weeks.

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The row set the tone for discussions over the rest of the week, with many politicians pointing out that Ireland’s current system is now out of line with the rest of Europe. This weekend, Jack Horgan-Jones takes a look at the issue in detail and how the split in opinions may affect the Coalition going forward.

“The fact that the row became public at all is the problem for the Coalition – and an indication of how frayed the question of how to accommodate refugees has become,” he writes.

Meanwhile, in his column this weekend, David McWilliams takes a look at a strike during the week by Icelandic women over the gender pay gap and asks why Irish women don’t do the same.

“In practice woman still take home less than men and this is despite the fact that Irish women are better educated than Irish men. When it comes to education 57 per cent of women in Ireland aged 25–64-years-old are educated to tertiary level, which is not only a great deal higher than the EU-27 average of 36 per cent but it is also higher than the rate in every other country in the EU-27,” he writes.

On Monday, Yousef Palani was jailed for life for the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee in Sligo last year. In harrowing evidence given in court, it was described how Palani met his victims on an online dating app before going to their houses and murdering them. Before killing Moffitt and Snee, Palani assaulted Anthony Burke by stabbing him in the eye. Speaking to Conor Gallagher after the verdict, Burke says he feels depressed, betrayed and, above all, angry.

This weekend Shaun Lavelle, writes that the attacks have left his community reeling with sadness and anger, but little surprise.

“I’m 37. Aged 18, I was an expert at living a double life and carefully policing my behaviour. It is so painful to me now that I thought this was a normal way to live and never questioned the mental toll it was taking. Aged 19, I tried to take my own life, motivated by a belief that I would never fit in because of my sexuality,” he writes.

Today, the Dublin Marathon will take place and, earlier this week, Ian O’Riordan sat down with John Treacy to reflect on his marathon career and why he chose to call it a day in 1993.

As the Israel-Hamas conflict continues to dominate the headlines around the world, Una Mullally wrote earlier this week that Ursula Von der Leyen’s stance has damaged EU’s reputation in Ireland, particularly among younger people.

“For the first time in my life I am hearing heightened anti-EU sentiments from Irish peers who of course believe in the European Union, but feel bamboozled and betrayed by the approach the EU seemed to take because Ireland is the EU too,” she writes.

Meanwhile, Fintan O’Toole wrote about how Ireland is weirdly entwined with the idea of a Jewish homeland, but not in the way many imagine.

In this week’s restaurant review, Corinna Hardgrave visited Daróg in Galway for “delicious food and a clever wine list at a small gem with a mighty heart and Michelin pedigree.”

“Daróg means small oak tree and this really feels like a small restaurant with a mighty heart. It has the convivial atmosphere of a casual wine bar, yet many of the sophisticated dishes here would not be out of place on a Michelin-starred menu. The flavours are vivid, the produce top-tier and the service is polished in a relaxed way that doesn’t distract from your evening,” she writes.

In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Dominic Coyle looks at schemes to help first-time buyers purchase their new home. Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.

In our advice columns, Trish Murphy responds to a reader whose neighbours on both sides have drums and they can be heard from all over the house, while Roe McDermott takes a question from a reader who says they had an affair and are tormented by guilt, but unsure whether to tell their husband.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips for the best restaurants in our food section and all the latest in sport. There are plenty more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

Finally, Food Month is back, and officially began yesterday. Over the month of November we’ll bring you daily affordable recipes, great value places to eat in Ireland, restaurant and takeaway reviews and much more. You’ll find all the winter food content you need on irishtimes.com/food throughout the next month.

To kick things off this weekend, Irish writers such as Anne Enright, Joseph O’Connor and Aingeala Flannery talk about their most memorable meals. You’ll find everything form chicken and chips in foggy Venice, to the simple beauty of a tomato and an egg.

And if you’re looking to cook up something delicious over the long weekend - you can find a host of recipes from our food writers, here.

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