Who will succeed Michael D Higgins as Ireland’s President?
I joined the panel on The Brendan O’Connor Show on RTE Radio 1 on Sunday for a 50-minute Week in Review from Ireland to Israel’s mass killings in Gaza to Iran after Israel’s war to Kneecap at the Glastonbury music festival.
The other panellists are former Education Minister Mary Hanifin, public policy advisor Oisin Coghlan, and communications consultant Lorna Fitzpatrick.
We begin with a look at the significance of Ireland’s Presidential election, scheduled by November, in which Hanifin has declared herself as a candidate.
We consider Israel’s ongoing assault of every person in Gaza, with the killing of around 60,000 — a conservative estimate — accompanied by the starvation, lack of medical care, and displacement amid a cutoff of humanitarian aid.
I speak with O’Connor about the future in Iran, taking apart the simple notion of “regime change”, after Israel’s 12-day war.
We return to Ireland for yet another look at the housing problem and the Government’s perpetual lack of progress.
Then it is to Glastonbury where — in contrast to the vitriol of the right-wing press in the UK — we celebrate the music and the political activism.
The precise strike on the Bazan refinery in Haifa severely hurt Israel’s ability to provide jet fuel for long-distance sorties against Iran: https://www.timesofisrael.com/haifa-oil-refinery-partly-reopens-after-shutdown-caused-by-deadly-iran-strike/
“Bazan supplied 65 percent of Israel’s diesel fuel for transportation, 59% of its gasoline, and 52% of its kerosene (used for jet fuel and cooking gas), according to information sent to the stock exchange in March.”
Iranian media confirmed that this was an objective of the armed forces: https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2025/06/15/3335640/iranian-missiles-hit-israeli-energy-supply-centers-facilities-producing-fighter-jet-fuel
Bat Yam mayor: Iranian strike caused worst destruction in city’s history: https://en.abna24.com/news/1702518/Bat-Yam-mayor-Iranian-strike-caused-worst-destruction-in-city-s
“In an interview with Israeli Channel 10, Brot described the attack as “the harshest blow in the city’s history,” stating that an entire neighborhood spanning 120 dunams (approximately 40 acres) was completely destroyed. He added that the Iranian strike, which occurred in a single day, caused unprecedented damage, making it the most devastating attack in Israel overall—not just in Bat Yam. Brot explained that the total affected area reached 160 dunams, with 120 buildings damaged. Of these, 20 are scheduled for demolition next week, confirming the loss of an entire neighborhood. He also noted that nearby buildings not directly hit were still damaged, and around 2,000 residents have been left homeless as a result.”
[Editor’s Note: Iran State TV’s interview with Ali Larijani, former Speaker of Parliament and current advisor to the Supreme Leader]
Israel’s war sought rapid overthrow of Iran’s government: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/515100/Israel-s-war-sought-rapid-overthrow-of-Iran-s-government-Leader-s
“Larijani said the enemy had calculated that by targeting high-ranking Iranian officials during a leadership meeting, they could rapidly dismantle the state structure. According to him, their next step was to directly threaten the Leader of the Islamic Revolution. At the start of the war, our military position was indeed weaker than that of the Zionist regime,” Larijani noted. “But by the sixth and seventh days, the field had changed. He added that the situation shifted significantly when prominent religious authorities — particularly Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Ali al-Sistani — issued stern warnings against any harm to the Leader. When Ayatollah Sistani declared that an offense against the Leader would alter the regional landscape, the Zionists and Netanyahu realized they had crossed a red line. They began seeking direct U.S. intervention,” Larijani said. Referring to developments on the battlefield, he stated: “On the sixth day of the war, when Iranian missile strikes intensified, one Israeli officer reportedly said, ‘I feel like I’m in Khan Younis — the situation is chaotic.’ That’s when it became clear that the balance had shifted.”