'Irish Post' launches an unprecedented attack on Higgins

THE Irish Ambassador to London has waded into a row with the Irish Post newspaper after it launched an unprecedented attack on President Michael D Higgins.

Bobby McDonagh has written a letter to the Irish community newspaper, for publication on behalf of the government. In it, he describes the harsh coverage of Mr Higgins's trip to London -- his first abroad as Head of State -- as "misleading and disrespectful".

Prominent members of the Irish community in London have made contact with the embassy over the last two days to voice their anger.

Under the front-page heading 'Silence', this week's edition of the Irish Post says: "President Higgins fails to answer key questions on pledges he made to the Irish people in Britain."

A stinging editorial states: "It's difficult to have respect, let alone reverence, for a President who blatantly snubs 100,000 (Irish) people living in Britain... by dodging or refusing to answer questions about how he intends to... support them, as he promised during the election campaign."

It also features a cartoon of Mr Higgins with his mouth zipped shut. One page was left blank but for the word "nothing" across the fold to represent what the newspaper said was the President's response to certain questions.

The coverage also suggests that Mr Higgins gave less time to the local Irish publications than he did to national titles.

During the race for the Aras Mr Higgins was the only presidential candidate to visit the Irish community in London.

Sally Mulready, a long-standing community activist in London, who was appointed to the Council of State in January, said: "I want an apology from the Irish Post to both the President and to the Irish community in Britain itself. This coverage was a disgrace and insulting."

The weekly newspaper based in London was bought by Cork-born businessman Elgin Loane last October, after it had gone into liquidation two months earlier.

Ms Mulready added: "I fought hard to help get the Irish Post back up and running, but not so it could attack the Irish President in this way.

"The comments were hurtful, disrespectful and totally ill-informed. These views do not represent the views of the Irish community in Britain and the reaction has been one of complete and utter shock."

An informed source told the Sunday Independent that the Irish Post's coverage was "unprecedented and difficult to comprehend".

He said: "All media on the trip were treated equally. The President answered each and every question put to him. At the London school of economics, where the Irish Post was present, President Higgins took questions which were not screened beforehand.

"The newspaper in question also had a reporter at the Olympic Stadium when the President visited and the Q and A session ended with no further questions."