Post European Council Meeting: Statements
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-14
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Peadar Tóibín (AON), Meath West

I wish to raise neutrality in the European context. Incredibly, there was an article published in The Times in the last few weeks that reported an allegation made by British intelligence that Wexford fishermen have been approached by the Russian army to pull cable-cutting tools behind their trawlers to cut Irish cables. It is an incredible allegation that besmirches and blackens the names of those fishermen. It basically states those fishermen in Kilmore Quay are in some way traitors and acting against the national interests of this country for money. I have spoken to our councillor there, Jim Codd, who knows these fishermen well and has been working with them through the times where they have their quotas cut and the Government has introduced laws that have reduced their ability to earn a living for their families. It is absolutely wrong that British intelligence would make these accusations and I would like the Government to investigate those allegations.
At the heart of this is black propaganda designed to create fear about Ireland's defence and to push Ireland into a situation where it is seeking to join a European army and a military alliance, which is obviously against the interests of this country, against neutrality and against our good name as peacekeepers in the international community. I ask the Minister of State to address this issue and to make sure he defends the name of Irish fisherman and stands up against British intelligence.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-14