Really. That’s very interesting. Must look that up.

The Choctaws, great story. There was only something on TV over Xmas about it, Damien Dempsey (he has a song about it) went over and met them.

It’s good that we are still giving to foreign aid. No matter how bad things are here, let’s be thankful it’s not Syria or some 3rd world country we live in with no electricity or running water or the fear of being gunned down every time you leave your house.

Yep! That’s true about the Native American Indians. Love that story.

The red Crescent is part of the red Cross, – they changed the name so as not to ‘ offend ‘ muslims, when giving aid in islamic countries.
Muslims despise the Cross, – muhammad could not enter a house where a Cross was hanging, & could only enter when it was removed and placed out of sight. Dogs gave him a huge problem as well, for some reason, he had every dog in his empire killed.

I really don’t think I should feel guilty because I have a mobile phone or don’t sleep rough without food. We had the famine and my ancestors emigrated or suffered and died due to starvation so our population os now tiny. We never invaded another country unlike countries that have caused a lot of the problems by robbing their wealth enslaving their people and carving up their land

Susanna – noone is saying you should feel guilty – you should however probably develop some perspective and maybe spend some time actually educating yourself on the situation in Syria and the purpose of aid. This would be a better use of your time rather than posted uneducated and ill informed comments.

So your rationale is because your own ancestors died/suffered that we as a country should not give an any to a country suffering a humanitarian crisis – because your ancestors died that justifies us letting other people die?

Would you not have preferred that people sent aid to Ireland during the famine and your ancestors had lived?

My original point. We can’t afford to give 638 million to in aid to Africa neither can we afford to give 7 to Syria at this moment in time

My original point being, we can’t afford to give 638 in Aid to Africa every year and we can’t afford to give 7 million to Syria. We have a tiny working population to support all this altruism

That we have increasing poverty in our own country? That we as a country need every penny we can get? We are billions of euro in debt?

Well said, Geraldine….!!
The Suadis, with all their hundreds of billions of easy oil revenue, only fund madrassa & mosque building in western countries. – no ‘ charity ‘ for their muslim brothers.

Tremendous attitude Rodrigo.

Was thinking the very same myself and i know it sounds wrong to not help but charity starts at home and we are already up to our necks in debt

I’d say the the Syrians are up to their neck in a lot worse then debts!

You should watch the news more often and you might not have this attitude. The people of Syria are going through a horrific upheaval.

Imagine you had to get up now and leave your home with only the clothes on your back, to travel miles to a refugee camp only to sleep in sub zero temperatures in a plastic tent pitched on rocky ground.

You would be fine with other countries turning around and saying ‘oh well we have our own problems’. Pathetic attitude.

Syrian refugees need to be supported. It’s a matter of life or death. If you were in a camp somewhere with nothing but the clothes on your back your would be grateful.
Syria is going to need a lot of aid.
Especially since the Syrian ‘rebels’ are now fighting among themselves and hoarding all supplies for their own groups. There is no organised government in Syrian rebel held territory.

B Lowe

You should write to Assad and ask a stipend for your clunky propaganda. The rebels are not hoarding aid, do not bomb bread and petrol station queues and like Assad’s airforce (bread now has to be sold at night with no lights) nor do they massacre, dismember a prisoner with a chainsaw, kick men unconscious , nor drag a prisoner in chains while they kick him (see YouTube for the last two) The rebels have fully taken Aleppo and are close to Latakia. Their victory will be the greatest humanitarian act. The Alawites, worshippers of Ali not Allah, will lose out, but most back Assad and enjoy their privileges.

We give 638 million euro to Africa every year and we’re bankrupt. The government borrows this huge amount on our behalf to donate. There is poverty and suffering and suicide here in Ireland all related to money problems Surely charity begins at home

Complaining that we are broke and poor while reading an article that can only be accessed via computer or smart phone – with Internet and electricity. The Syrians have NOTHING. If you watched RTE news last night it showed the refugee camp – 65,000 men women and children. It takes 150 tankers arriving everyday just so these people can have water to drink. Children and babies sleeping in sub zero temperatures.

It’s despicable to say that Ireland should turn their back on these people.

Just saw a comment from fizi. Yes EU countries donate but why do we give more than Germany a very rich country with an enormous working population

Nobody is turning their backs. syria is surrounded by oil rich countries that also help and not give some of the money ear marked for Africa ?

Susanna – Not approving of Aid being given to Syria so that men women and children won’t die is turning your back. You seem to have zero understanding of why African and Syrian Aid is so vital – its not a simple issue of diverting the aid from Africa to Syria and that this will have no repercussions for Africa. Additionally regarding your comment on how we are giving more than Germany: “With 90 million euros for the whole region, Germany is the second biggest donor after the US in helping host countries, Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons in Syria,” the statement said. ” From a newspaper article back in November. I’m not sure how you work this 90million out to be less than 7million – but don’t let facts get in the way of your opinions…

Susanna: no way Ireland has bigger foreign aid fund than Germany it’s not a being good uncle contest, but UN agreements that foreign aids need to meet whatever percent of gross national incomes don’t remember exactly now. Then Germany will always pay more aid than Ireland as their income is much bigger.
And do you think there are no people in need in German?
Name one country in the world where money grows on trees and everyone is minted.
This does not mean though they shouldn’t help people starving and in war in different places.
You are lucky being born in safe country like Ireland and need perspective ?

Nice comment, Kellyanne. I feel the same way.

So like cut it forever…? :)