Call for protection of poor

Former President of Ireland and UN high commission of human rights Mary Robinson called today for the poor of Ireland to be protected.

In an address to an estimated 2,500 people at the annual Michael Collins commemoration at Béal na mBláth in west Cork today, Mrs Robinson said:

"Undoubtedly sacrifices will have to be made. There is no easy way out of the predicament we find ourselves in. Two principles are emerging from some discussions about our economic problems: firstly, example should come from the top - those who can afford most should give most. Secondly, those at the lowest end of the scale should be protected from the worst effects of the recession.

"Both of these principles seem to me to be fundamental. They are an essential part of a vision of the future which is founded on fairness and bridging the gap between the well-off and the poor, a gap which is already too wide in Ireland", she said.

The former President also warned against romanticising Michael Collins.

"We should not romanticise the times Michael Collins lived in. They were terrible times. Killings and reprisals were the norm. Irishmen fought against each other in the Civil War, leaving a legacy of bitterness that lasted for generations."

Mrs Robinson was accompanied at the event by Helen Collins a grand-niece of Michael Collins and the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Dara Murphy and Cllr. Derry Canty, Mayor of County Cork.

The commemoration, which took place in inclement conditions, started at 1pm to facilitate Mrs Robinson, who flew in from the US for the event to travel to Tel Aviv, Israel, at 5pm today.