To arm or not to arm? The debate over Ireland’s neutrality is no longer theoretical

Ireland is caught in a crisis of conscience between sending weapons to Ukraine and maintaining its dearly held neutrality. But with world security becoming ever more precarious, we may end up with little choice but to enter the fray

A recent commission on the Defence Forces stated that the army was ‘not equipped to conduct a meaningful defence of the state against a full spectrum force for any sustained period of time’. Picture: Irish Defence Forces

Cathal Berry is one of a small number of TDs who want to send weapons from the Irish Defence Forces arsenal to Ukraine.

The ones he has in mind are anti-tank missiles, for obvious reasons. “If it wasn’t for those missiles, Russia would own all of Ukraine now and Europe would be flooded with millions of Ukrainian refugees. People can argue against them from a purist point of view. But the alternative is more unpalatable,” ...