Sinn Féin Councillor Eric Donovan submitted an emergency motion at last Monday’s Council meeting to ensure that a group of boxers coming from Palestine would not meet the same fate as the children who were hoping to visit Ireland to play GAA.

Palestine GAA had arranged for a group of 33 children (aged between 9-16) from Palestine to come to Ireland to play GAA and to give them a break from their terrible lives in Palestine. Just before they were due to leave Palestine however, it emerged that the Irish Department of Justice had denied them their visas causing outrage throughout the country.

Palestine GAA and those who were liaising with the Department of Justice were scathing in their criticism of the Department and the way the whole application was handled.

Councillor Eric Donovan, a former boxer who won the European Boxing super-featherweight title, is currently working with Irish Sport for Palestine who are organising the ‘Shamrock and Olive Tree Boxing Project’ to bring boxers from Jerusalem and Ramallah to train and spar with Irish boxing clubs in Waterford, Dublin, Belfast and Drogheda.

Cllr Donovan said “some of the boxers will be coming from the Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem. I want to thank all the councillors across the chamber as they supported my motion for the Council to write to Minister Jim O’Callaghan to ensure there is no repeat of the visa debacle leaving more heartbreak with young Palestinians. They have enough to contend with.”

EMERGENCY MOTION

Following the disappointing VISA administration debacle faced by GAA Palestine over the past few weeks and the resulting heartbreak of the children and sponsors involved in the project to bring kids from Palestine to play GAA in Ireland, I am calling on this Council to write to the Minister of Justice, Jim O’Callaghan to ensure that there is no similar administrative delay by the Department of Justice when Ireland welcomes the young Palestinian Boxing team from the Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem later this month.