Clare Fm - Podcasts

Members of the Cabinet have defended the refusal of travel visas for Palestinian children due to take part in a GAA tour of Ireland, which was to include a visit to Clare. 47 participants – including 33 children and 14 sports officials were to travel from the West Bank, before they were refused visas by the Immigration Service. The aim of the two-week tour was to foster friendship, solidarity and sporting connection through the GAA. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said any decisions on the visas had to be made in accordance with the law. Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Harris defended the decision in the Dáil, saying there were “legitimate checks in relation to child protection” involved, even though the tour body from the West Bank says it has repeatedly sent documentation and been ignored. For more on this, Alan Morrissey was joined by Éamonn Meehan, Clare based chairperson of Sadaka, The Ireland Palestine Alliance. Dept of Justice Statement: Each visa application is decided on i