Debbie M

“There is no future in the past”

[U2 @U2]

Sometimes I would wonder if Glen Hansard really existed….

Seriously, he was such an angelic presence… not otherworldly…in fact, very present this presence…
A smiling rascal if you needed him to be… this most musical and mischievous archangel of Ballymun… no airs, plenty of graces...

Of course, Glen was the shining star of the Christmas Eve busk… sometimes the only one reminding the rest of us that Christmas began with a refugee born in a manger, which is hardly a step from living on the street.

To be utterly yourself by being more interested in others - a clue for any of us trying out different personas. He really was who you thought he was. He could never walk by a person living rough without checking they were OK… and more than that, he worked very hard so that less people had to live on the streets in the first place.

When the crowds got bigger and for safety’s sake Glen had to agree to move the busk to a stage kindly provided outside The Gaiety Theatre, he would say 'we’ll give it our best but it’s not a busk if we’re not on the street!’ …because that’s who he was - a performer at eye level in any situation. The stage was a separation he wouldn’t recognize. Of all the grand and gigantic venues he and The Frames played, you sensed the street was his most favoured place to perform. And street people, his favourite audience.

Voice of the streets. A choir of angels in one man. The rest of us blessed to stand there beside our very own and very earthed Angel Gabriel… All of us welcome in his choir, whatever shape or form.

….and I’m telling myself this morning that if he never existed, then he can never cease to exist. For me, he will always be everywhere I see a coin spinning into an open guitar case.

May you rest in the peace you gave to so many.

Bono

[Gary Barlow @GaryBarlow]

Best tour ever - to say that 35 years into our career is saying something #circuslive

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

Micheál Martin asks “what happens in October? What happens in January?”
He just doesn’t get it. Workers and families are struggling to keep their heads above water TODAY. More than 300,000 households can’t pay their electricity bills. Energy credits are needed urgently. Emergency Budget now!

[RTÉ2 @RTE2]

The best fans in the world 🥺🇮🇪

[Daniel Hussey @DanielHussey2]

Troy has a way with words man

[Conor Lally @conormlally]

Irish fans in Prague getting into The Dubliner pub at opening time this morning - it'll be a long day for some!!

#COYBIG | #WorldCup | 🇮🇪 #ireland | #prague

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

🇮🇪 We’re all behind you. We all believe you can do it. We know you will give everything tonight.

You’ve produced heroics, made magic, made us dream.

You’ll hear the supporters in Prague and know that the voices of everyone back home in Ireland will be roaring you on. Come on You Boys in Green!

#COYBIG

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

New report today shows the cost of food is out of control. People are sick of being ripped off. Sick of big price hikes in every area of life. They see no end in sight. All while Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael don’t lift a finger to help.

So, here’s my message to Micheál Martin and Simon Harris.

Do your jobs.

Stand up to price-gouging companies.

Deliver cost of living supports for working households.

Do it now.

Work to make life affordable for people instead of your twiddling thumbs.

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

I’m getting nonstop phone calls from principals, parents and SNAs who have been informed that vital SNA supports are to be cut. This will be devastating for vulnerable children who rely on their SNA to progress in school. Every child is entitled to an education. No child should be left behind.

Please let me know if your child’s school has been notified of SNA cuts or if you’re concerned about supports being withdrawn. We have to do everything we can to stop this happening.

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

🚨 Blister pack update!
Let’s be very clear. Nowhere in tonight’s tone deaf statement from the Minister for Health does she say the government will continue to fund tablet blister packs even though they are a lifeline for so many vulnerable and elderly people.
Vague talk of a three month postponement is not people who rely on blister packs want to hear. They are very stressed and worried. So, they need a cast-iron guarantee that this vital support will not be cut and that they won’t be hit with charges when they are already struggling to pay the bills. We will push ahead with our Dáil motion on Tuesday to force the government to provide this guarantee and to fully reverse this cruel decision.

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

How on Earth can the Taoiseach defend the tone deaf decision of his government to share the box room video which has caused such hurt and anger. Tens of thousands of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s back living at home. Why? Because home ownership has collapsed for an entire generation. Rents are out of control. Young people despair of having a future in Ireland. The last thing they need is to be patronised by this government.

We need to make life affordable. We need to give our young people a chance. We need them to know that we want them here in Ireland and we won't stop until we make that happen.

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

I addressed the Irish Oireachtas. It is a great honor for me to stand here today – in a country that understands the price of freedom better than many in Europe, better than many in the world, and that shares our belief that every voice counts, every nation matters. Please remember, your voice matters – from Ireland’s vote at the United Nations, to the words in your media. From your thoughts here in Dublin, to every home in the global Irish community around the world. That’s millions of people who can influence hundreds of millions more. When the most powerful apply pressure, the global community helps guide that pressure in the right direction. The aggressor must be held accountable for what was done.

Please, take an active role in making the Tribunal for this aggression a reality. Not just joining, but pushing, working, insisting that justice must begin with accountability. Please, continue to advocate for every form of sanctions against Russia. And it is time for Russian assets to serve the cause of peace – to help defend and rebuild Ukraine. This is a long-overdue decision, and it must be implemented. And please – call on everyone in the world to help return all the children abducted by Russia, and all the prisoners still held in Russian jails and camps – many of whom have been there not just since 2022, but since 2014, when Russia launched its hybrid war against us and occupied Crimea. This has gone on far too long to simply close our eyes and turn the page on Russia.

Without a just peace, hatred will not fade – it will continue to smolder and provoke new violence. History has seen this before. And this time, it must be different. We need real peace. Help us achieve it. And never lose your faith in Ukraine.

[Éirevision Podcast 🇮🇪 @EirevisionPod]

🚨 Latest: Full statement from @rte confirming Ireland's withdrawal from Eurovision 2026.

[Debbie M @DecadentB]

@reptracker From Academy to U’14’s at Ballyoulster Utd FC in Celbridge. We are extremely proud of Glen 💙⚪️💙⚪️

[Dr Robert Bohan @RobertBohan]

Only 2 TDs, out of over 170 in the Dáil, supported people with disabilities & Carers in the Care Referendum - Mick Barry & Catherine Connolly. Catherine has always fought for >all< of us. She’s my president. #Aras25

[Debbie M @DecadentB]

https://t.co/6kXEamZveV

[Sinn Féin @sinnfeinireland]

✊Hands off our rebel history and hands off the GPO!
@MaryLouMcDonald

[Mary Lou McDonald @MaryLouMcDonald]

Total betrayal! Tonight, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael voted to plough ahead with their shameful plan to turn the GPO into shopping units and offices.

The GPO belongs to the people - and this move is a betrayal of our rebel history.

We will not back down. We must fight to save the GPO together. Sign the petition now: https://t.co/DovdMvy5eS

[Debbie M @DecadentB]

@SkyHelpIreland what has happened to Virgin Media 1? It’s gone the last 2 days

[Emma Carroll 🇵🇸 🇮🇪 🚂 @McsEmma]

To the 50% of Irish people who didn't vote
Please do not even THINK about complaining about the next government, whatever the outcome is. You did not vote. Therefore, you do not have the right to complete

Kind regards,
The other 50% who did vote 🗳
#GE24 #GeneralElection2024