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Gerry Adams condemns government as nine Irish people an hour emigrate

Sinn Fein leader says a united Ireland must be a “cordial union”

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, May 27, 2012, 7:31 AM

Updated Sunday, May 27, 2012, 7:31 AM

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Gerry Adams

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams has attacked the Irish government for driving "nine Irish people an hour" out of the country.

Adams highlighted the Republic’s shocking rise in emigration as he renewed calls for a united Ireland at his party’s annual congress.

Delegates to the meeting in Killarney gave Adams a standing ovation after he criticized the government on emigration.

“We now have continued exodus of our young people due to the recession,” said Adams.

“In this State, around 70,000 people are emigrating each year. That’s nine citizens every hour.

“Rural Ireland, and especially the West, is being devastated. But it is an indictment of the two men from the West who lead this bad Government. Shame on you, Taoiseach (Prime Minister). Shame on you, Tanaiste (deputy PM).

“Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore are out of their depth. The Government simply cannot be trusted on the fiscal stability treaty.”

The Louth deputy again called for a United Ireland at a meeting dominated by the recession and the forthcoming referendum on the EU Fiscal Treaty.

Adams said: “A united Ireland makes sense, a single Island economy makes sense.

“It does not make sense on an island this size and with a population of six million to have two states, two bureaucracies, two sets of government departments and two sets of agencies competing for inward investment.

“Harmonising our systems will save money, improve efficiency and create jobs.”

Adams also claimed: “A new, agreed, united Ireland will emerge through a genuine process of national reconciliation.

“But that union must happen through a cordial union.”

Nster.com

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66 Comments

15 - 66 | See all comments

seamus60 | Oct 20, 2012, 01:50 PM EDT

Georgedillon. I congratulate you and anyone else for their work with Northernaid. A very noble group brought down by the british agent Donaldson. Even though he was acting on orders from Adams/Brits at the time.

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seamus60 | Oct 20, 2012, 01:44 PM EDT

Bythebay. Care to tell us how many inocent ( not all Catholic) people were murdered in the name of loyalism or Britishness before the IRA claimed their first victim. We won`t expect you to be very precise, ball park figure would be greatly appreciated.

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warrenpoint00 | Oct 06, 2012, 01:19 PM EDT

Yeah chickooze old dexy seems to forget about the millions of his ancestors murdered or displaced between 1845/1847 by his british friends.Also the mass murder of Irish nationals in the Dublin/Monaghan bombings by those same british friends of his that was so conveinently covered up by the yellow belly predecessors of Enda Kenny.These people have the gall to call themselves Irish.

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sirpeter | Jun 05, 2012, 12:25 PM EDT

ciaradexy.You really are not doing any good when you say Quote"My friends and I laugh at an 'Oirish' American forum. we laugh at muppets and this site is full of them."Unquote.It's toooooooo sweeping.This IS Irish "American"Central and if you are here to challenge American ridiculous notions you are not going to get very far with statements like that.Or the one below.You say you are in favour of talking and working things out.Well I don't see any evidence of that when you are laughing at ALL Irish Americans.That shows lack of respect to a group of people and that's the first step to conflict between groups which causes sectarianism.You see where I'm going with this?You budding terrorist you.lol.Of course you know I have no problem with conflict where injustice is involved.But then I don't pretend to be non-aggressive when I am been aggressive in my comments either.Beat the individuals argument into the ground.Not every Irish American.

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timbobdennehy | Jun 03, 2012, 02:40 AM EDT

mr adams is right,if you listen to enda kenny the social welfare queue is down since last year,well done kenny,you amadan ,it is down since a lot of those people emigrated.how can the poor emigrate you need money to do that.they're will be no young irish to replace the old irish in this country,with everyone leaving only a land full of non-irish.

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IrelandNorth | Jun 01, 2012, 09:03 AM EDT

One may be entitled to work throughout Europe, but that dosn't necessarily mean that one can. How does the % of Irish to native workers compare in China or Nigeria - neither of which are in the EU! The historical illiteracy of 30-somethings on this site is profoundly disturbing, not least when they refuse to be disabused of their revisionist programming. Probably less labour intensive to confirm them in their latent precosity. Ms Dexy! Your read like a well-tutored parrot who was fed ample supplies of birdseed growing up. Trouble is, you're still squawking dementedly from the gilded cage of existential ignorance.

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chicksooze | May 30, 2012, 07:51 PM EDT

Well if it's too "Irish/American" for you, then maybe you should disappear. You're waffling on is making Irish people look stupid, so I'd like to clarify to any Americans on here that YOU do not represent the Irish people. All Americans are not the same as you seem to think they are, that's a dumb statement. You were so quick to point out the Omagh bombing but never a word from you about the atrocities that the brits inflicted on us. I'm ashamed to call you a fellow Irish person.

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ciaradexy | May 30, 2012, 03:05 PM EDT

Im on here because initially I thought it was an Irish site as its called 'Irish central' and not 'Irish American' central but I ended up staying to ensure the Americans ridiculous notions and racist rhetoric was challenged and along came you to add fuel to the fire! Im not ok with Bloody Sunday, Im not ok with the Omagh bombing but I am in favour of talking and working things out rather than shooting and bombing people so it looks like youre more American than Irish as theres plenty of trigger happy yanks on here too, you have loads on common with them! And theres George waffling on about mass immigration as he calls it. 30 states in Europe,I am entitled to work in any of them just as georgie is entitled to work in any of the 50 US states but yet is to dumb to admit that these people are breaking no laws! They are doing what his family left Ireland to do years ago-work and live and fair play to them.

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chicksooze | May 30, 2012, 02:31 PM EDT

dexy the ditz.. what are YOU doing on an "oirish" american forum then? If this place is so full of muppets why are you here so much eh? That makes you the MASTER MUPPET fool. The IRA ARE NOT TERRORISTS! Are you ok with Bloody Sunday? Or do you even know what that is. BTB, I am NOT Irish American FYI, I am full blooded Irish, born and bred. I am a voter in Ireland and continue to be, so when/if Gerry decides to run, he WILL have my vote.

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GeorgeDillon | May 30, 2012, 12:36 PM EDT

IrelandNorth: You hit the nail on the head. Ireland will never solve its unemployment problem because it has an unending supply of foreign workers (and welfare frauds) streaming in every month. That's the big difference between the current unemployment crisis over there and that of the 1980s. In the 1990s unemployment was to a large extent solved. Why? Because if you created a job you put an Irish person back to work. That cannot happen in the current crazy Mass Immigration in Ireland. Create a job? Maybe an Irish person will take it, but just as likely a Pole or Chinese or Burundian will take it. And another thousand foreign migrants will arrive this week. I was an active member of Irish Northern Aid back in the 1980s, but I cannot support Sinn Fein today. It's nothing to do with the North, tho I have grave suspicions about the role of the Sinn Fein leadership in events such as the Loughgall tragedy. No true Irish nationalist should support the Sinn Fein kneejerk support of the Irish capitalist project of Mass Immigration.

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ciaradexy | May 30, 2012, 11:20 AM EDT

Chick, my friends and i laugh at an 'Oirish' American forum. we laugh at muppets and this site is full of them and now youre here, thats one more to add to the ever growing list of tools. You seem to be oblivious to the fact that the IRA ARE terrorists. Are you ok with the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn twins in Omagh? Was that done in your name? I was one of the people who took to the streets for the ''Not in my name'' march back in the '90s and i can assure you it got more of a crowd than any pro-Sinn Fein/IRA march ever did or ever will.

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Bythebay | May 30, 2012, 10:27 AM EDT

Gerry Adams never completed secondary level and is bewildered by the maths which he has said incorrectly. He'd do better to return to education and learn something. Not too late for the 64 year old.

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Bythebay | May 30, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT

The British Army did the same thing the American Army did to terrorists. Gerry Adams and his Provo IRA terrorists started the 30 years of terrorism with their bombs and bullets killing and maiming thousands of innocent people. Americans never had to experience it and dont have a clue about their viciousness. Northern Ireland UK is a different country than Ireland and Adams never lived in Ireland. The only ones who think Sinn Fein are gathering support are Americans. They don't have the support of 76% of the people of Ireland. Americans can do their yakity yack all they wish, they are not the voters in Ireland and will not decide the matter.

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IrelandNorth | May 30, 2012, 08:24 AM EDT

European Union (EU) 'directives' (shorthand for diktats made by unelected Eurocrats) dictate that 2/3 of any workforce must be Irish or European, both categories seemingly being indistinguishable. Does this mean 33% Irish. 33% other European. And 33% non Irish or European? Surely percentage unemployment should be the benchmark. Since Ireland currently has 14% unemployment, should that not mean that 86% of staff should be Irish exclusively, with the remaining 14% distributed between European and other foreigners? What sense does it make for immigrants from a country with 24% unemployment (Spain) coming to one with 14% (Ireland), only to inflate unemployment up to 38%.

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seamusssss | May 29, 2012, 07:03 PM EDT

sirpeter - i saw seamus & his family in Melbourne last week, me thinks that somebody is posting under his name

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