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Davin-Power steered the coverage of the during the Troubles peace negotiations. RTÉ

President leads tributes to former RTÉ broadcaster David Davin-Power, who has died

The veteran reporter passed away today.

LAST UPDATE | 31 Oct 2024

THE PRESIDENT HAS led tributes to the former RTÉ journalist David Davin-Power, who has died aged 72.

The Dubliner was born in 1952 and began as a reporter and broadcaster with RTÉ News in the early 1980s, becoming a presenter on RTÉ Radio One’s Morning Ireland in 1984.

After returning to the station following a short period at Century Radio, Davin-Power was appointed Northern Editor at RTÉ News, where he steered the coverage of the Troubles peace negotiations.

image-ref-no-2018058 David Davin-Power (right) speaking with a guest on RTÉ Radio One in 1992 RTÉ RTÉ

Davin-Power and his reporters led the public broadcaster’s bulletins on the day the Good Friday Agreement was signed on 10 April 1998.

The journalist was later appointed as a political correspondent in Leinster House in 2001, a role he held until his retirement in 2017.

Despite his retirement from RTÉ, he continued his work in the media. In the past seven years, he appeared on radio and television programmes and wrote guest columns for a number of newspapers as a political commentator.

His is survived by his wife, Dearbhla, and his five children,  Nick, Julia, Caroline, Ben and Emily.

President Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tánaiste Micheál Martin have paid tribute to the journalist.

“It is with great sadness that people all across the country will have learned of the death of David Davin-Power,” President Higgins said.

“A consummate broadcaster and communicator, David Davin-Power was a regular presence in the lives of so many people either over the airwaves or on television.

David provided decades of incisive analysis across his roles in RTÉ in particular and was a trusted voice whether reporting on Northern Ireland or on the business of the Oireachtas.

The President said that the broadcaster will be “deeply missed by all who knew him, his colleagues in the media, across the Oireachtas and by the public who were so informed by his work”.

“May I send my condolences to David’s wife Dearbhla, and to his children Nick, Julia, Caroline, Ben and Emily, to his colleagues in RTÉ and beyond, and to all of his family and friends.”

image-ref-no-5695040 Davin-Power outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London in 2014. RTÉ RTÉ

Harris said: “As a journalist and broadcaster, David was a trusted name who was welcomed into homes across the country throughout his long career

“He was one of the first presenters of Morning Ireland, an accomplished Northern Editor of RTÉ at a key moment in history, a political correspondent who knew the Dáil inside-out, and in recent years, a witty and insightful columnist.”

The Taoiseach described Davin-Power as a “consummate professional, a thorough journalist, and a gentleman”.

“He was a storyteller who was generous with his time, he was an interesting person who was interested in other people, and he was kind to those around him,” he said, sending his condolences to Davin-Power’s family.

Martin said it was with “great sadness” that he learnt of the death of Davin-Power. He commended the reporter for his career and “life dedicated to public service broadcasting”.

“David was thorough and razor sharp in his questioning and analysis, but fair. He was always driven to get to the bottom of every story he worked on,” the Tánaiste said, adding that he enjoyed the many engagements he had with the journalist throughout his career.

image-ref-no-5695004 Davin-Power (left) and producer Steve McLaughlin in the RTÉ mobile broadcasting unit in 2015. RTÉ RTÉ

Speaking on the passing of his friend and former colleague, retired RTÉ broadcaster Brian Dobson told RTÉ Radio One’s Drive Time said the news of his passing was “very shocking” and reflected on the memories they shared.

Dobson shared that Davin-Power was “not happy” to retire, at the mandatory age of 65.

“He described it as a redundancy by age. He would’ve very happily gone on. I suppose if it were now, he would have had the opportunity to go on – I think RTÉ does offer people that opportunity extending a bit beyond age 65 – but at the time, he had to go and he didn’t want to go.

“He loved his job, loved the people he worked with, and would have been delighted to have stayed on. But he found new outlets for his talent,” Dobson said, adding that his work after his retirement “liberated” him to share his opinion on the World.

“He did have strong opinions. But I suppose, like a lot of us in public service broadcasting, you have to put those to one side but he had that opportunity, I think, to be more forthright, maybe in in some of some of his views,” his former colleague said, adding that his columns became “essential reading”.

Director General of RTÉ Kevin Bakhurst said Davin-Power “possessed one of the most incisive political brains at RTÉ and indeed in Ireland”.

“For many years, he was familiar to audiences, colleagues and politicians as insightful, eloquent and scrupulously fair. Off-screen, he was also funny, a great storyteller and was hugely loyal to colleagues, friends and to RTÉ itself,” he added.

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38 Comments
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    Mute Fergus Kavanagh
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:01 PM

    The issue won’t go away until the Spanish government allow a referendum. The more they resist the more determined the nationalists get.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:45 PM

    @Fergus Kavanagh: wouldn’t the whole country have to vote for it to actually be a democratic decision?

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:28 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe:
    Presumably you don’t think the Scots should be allowed to cecede from the UK unless an overall majority of UK (predominently English) voters agree to it then?

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    Mute Richard Cronin
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:32 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: ya that would be the common sense thing to do but don’t expect politicians to be straight, take Scottish referendum a few years ago if the English & Welsh had a say in it you could pretty much guarantee they would be independent now

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:33 PM

    @Avina Laaf: Scotland is a country

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:40 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe:
    *Which is part of a democratic legally binding union
    There, fixed that for you.

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    Mute Patrick Kearns
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    Sep 16th 2017, 9:08 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: Their own status as separate country is what they’re seeking, so you’re putting the cart in front of the horse.

    Spain is made up of 15 separate regions, much the same way as the USA is made up of 50 different states. You might say Texas isn’t a country, merely a state, but they have the option to legally secede from the rest of the US. A Texan can say they are American but will say they are far from the same as being a Californian. The Catalonians are saying the same thing, they identify as being different from the other regions in Spain. If a majority in the region wish to separate from the rest of Spain, how can that be said to be undemocratic?

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 9:15 PM

    @Avina Laaf: Scotland is a country, the entire country voted, they decided Scotland would remain in the UK

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 9:46 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe:
    You missed the point Dave. By your logic even if the Scots voted unanimously for independence it shouldn’t be allowed unless the rest of the UK agreed to it.

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    Mute Jindrich Marz
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    Sep 16th 2017, 11:55 PM

    @Patrick Kearns: Catalonian’s speak Cat Alan as opposed to most of Spain which speak Castillano.

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:42 PM

    The real reason the Catalunyans want independence isn’t to do with a sense of nationhood, or cultural pride, it’s purely borne out of greed. It is the wealthiest part of Spain and they merely want to cast off the plebs so they can roll in their own money.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:44 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: true. But please don’t talk about catalans as a whole. It’s a diverse society where the majority don’t want this. Catalan is not catalan nationalism.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:46 PM

    @Atheos Euripides:
    May or may not be true, but either way they have a right to self-determination regardless of their reasons.

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    Mute Mr Phil Officer
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:48 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: why shouldn’t they have a referendum if that’s what the majority wants, it’s also a good chance to see how democratic the EU really is, will they recognise the Catalonians democratic wishes.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:51 PM

    @Avina Laaf: false. Totally false. Read some international law.

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    Mute Leroy
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:55 PM

    @Atheos Euripides: And fair play to them..

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    Mute Cicero
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:01 PM

    @Massa: so your view is there should be no regional self determination? Why should they be forced to stay a part of a country they no longer want to be in? Unless you just want to preserve the current social hierarchy of things.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:14 PM

    @Cicero: i don’t Say there shouldn’t be. I don’t care. Just follow the rules of democracy. Which are not just voting. There are ways of doing it. Just for the record. And it’s very easy to check for all of you. They are 35% of census. This is a complex topic.but be aware of propaganda…

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    Mute Remy
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:20 PM

    @Atheos Euripides:

    So what if they want to roll in their own money, fair play to them.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:25 PM

    @Remy: yeah , like the bankers or the Rich. They should be free to decide if they pay taxes or not. And Dublin to decide if they fund poorer counties. Hahaha guys ….

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    Mute Jindrich Marz
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:35 PM

    @Massa: In 2014 in a practice vote the independence side got around 80%

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:38 PM

    @Jindrich Marz: yeah 40% of people voting… Total success!!! really guys…

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    Mute Jindrich Marz
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:41 PM

    @Massa: how many people go to referendum here, and still is valid. Anyway the support for independence is around 42%.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:43 PM

    @Massa:
    Yes, damn these upstarts with their quaint outdated notions of self-determination – how dare they….

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:43 PM

    @Jindrich Marz: ya, that “practice vote” was totally false. Opinion polls (yes I know) show that the remain side is more popular by a small buy clear margin

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:46 PM

    @Massa:
    Hmmmm…
    International law you say….

    https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/self_determination_international_law

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:47 PM

    @Liam Doyle: I suggest you take a look at how Cataluña became so wealthy. They didn’t just invent it themselves.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:51 PM

    @Jindrich Marz: referendum here are totally legal as a democratic country. It’s your choice not to go. The rules are agreed by all. Again if all this needs to be explained in 2017 we have a problem in understanding democracy and we have a big problem with propaganda. My last comment. All the best.

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    Mute Jindrich Marz
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:56 PM

    @Dave O Keeffe: Still they should have a right to express themselves in an official vote. It would clear the situation and if voted to stay, it would help stability in Spain.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:04 PM

    @Massa:
    Your profile picture is quite ironic

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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:07 PM

    @Massa: My sincere apologies, I should have been clearer and pointed to those calling for independence, I spent many years in Catalunya and fell in love with the people and landscape, many a night spent enjoying the sardanas in open squares.

    8
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    Mute Atheos Euripides
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:10 PM

    @Liam Doyle: So you know nothing about Catalunya and its history. We’ll just add it to your ever-growing Things Liam Doyle Knows Nothing About Ignorance List.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:12 PM

    @Jindrich Marz: except it affects the entire country so it would be only right for it to be a national vote.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:29 PM

    @Jindrich Marz: by the way, the 2014 “referendum” allowed 16 and 17 year olds to vote as well as non-residents add to that that it was boycotted by the No campaign with a roughly 40% turnout and yeah, you’ve got a redundant statistic introduced by someone either being deceitful or not having a clue what they’re talking about.

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    Mute Dave O Keeffe
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    Sep 16th 2017, 8:38 PM

    @Liam Doyle: Atheos was probably referring to the fact that your comment in itself displayed an ignorance of the history, as I was too but you seemed more intent on just insulting him than actually discussing the issue.

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    Mute SteveW
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:38 PM

    700?!

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    Mute Toon Army
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:05 PM

    @SteveW: Yes, 700.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:38 PM

    Breaking the law of a democratic country is, by definition, non democratic. Those mayors being called just to declare (they havent been accused) represent 30% of the total population of Catalonia.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:44 PM

    @Massa:
    Then what’s the problem with holding a referendum if support for independence is so low?

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 6:49 PM

    @Avina Laaf: the sovereignity belongs to the people of the whole country. Just as pretty much any other country un the world. If this needs to be explained in 2017…

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    Mute Jindrich Marz
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:30 PM

    @Avina Laaf: the support is somewhere close to 50%.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:35 PM

    @Massa:
    I suggest you take a look at a map of the world from any time in history and compare it with a modern one.

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    Mute Massa
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:39 PM

    @Avina Laaf: not relevant for this topic. But thanks for telling me…

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:49 PM

    @Massa:
    No, of course the right to self-determination has no relevance whatsoever to how international boundaries develop over time….
    *cough*

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    Mute Kevin Moylan
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:58 PM

    Well done to the Catalans, unlike our weasel politicians who roll over when Merkel and her cronies tell them to

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Sep 16th 2017, 11:53 PM

    This comes down to Spain’s Constitution. Does it permit an “Independence” vote by any single region? And apparently it doesn’t by the ruling of the Constitutional Court. When the Spanish Constitution was drafted it was put to “All” the Spanish people to agree on by referendum. As such the Catalans agreed to the conditions set out in the Constitution. It would be like County Cork declaring that the Irish Constitution is no longer applicable to them and they could do as they saw fit.

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    Mute Avina Laaf
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    Sep 17th 2017, 6:05 AM

    @Mick Jordan:
    And why shouldn’t they if that’s what they want? Isn’t it a bit, well, fascist to say that the rest of the country can deny Corconians the right to self-determination?

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:04 PM

    I have to admit a lot of ignorance on this topic. What happens if the referendum goes ahead? Could there be sanctions? Could the military get involved? Dark days.

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    Mute billy Dorney
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    Sep 16th 2017, 7:55 PM

    Spanexit

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    Mute Angeles
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    Sep 17th 2017, 12:36 AM

    Spain’s democracy is too recent and fragile to mess with it. Those that dare seem irresponsible. Creating differences, feeling more Catalan, more authentic, braver and without fear (no tinc por!) against an enemy that is not common, but chosen by a few to detract from the real issues facing a Catalonia that is looking defaced and aged as if tired of coping with all the assaults made in its name, as if it was a martyr awaiting death whilst most of its citizens remain unemployed or with lower salaries and worse public services.
    They can blame Spain and say they are not afraid and that independence is their best bet, but they don’t know themselves.
    It’s a smoke screen that could hide what we should all fear. The shaking of our democracy and peace & the return to the whispers and taking sides

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    Mute Enda Moynihan
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    Sep 17th 2017, 11:53 AM

    How do you figure that Catalonia is a North Eastern region? Do you have access to Google maps in the journal offices?

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    Mute Ciarán Ó Duifinn
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    Sep 17th 2017, 2:20 AM

    @billy Dorney:

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