Louth Neutrality Network launches on Hiroshima Anniversary

A new civic group, the Louth Neutrality Network, has been launched today on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing to defend Irish neutrality and oppose the government’s shift toward military alignment.

Founded by local citizens, family members of current and former UN peacekeepers and peace advocates, the group is particularly critical of what it calls Fianna Fáil’s retreat, from its historic commitment to peace, shaped by figures like Frank Aiken who championed nuclear disarmament and introduced the UN resolution that became the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“To dismantle the Triple Lock — which protects us from being dragged into wars without UN approval — is to abandon Aiken’s legacy,” said a spokesperson. “On this anniversary, we remember the cost of war and reaffirm Ireland’s tradition of peace and non-alignment.”

The group also condemned plans to spend up to €100 million a year on fighter jets while Defence Forces personnel face poor pay and living conditions. “This spending does nothing to make Ireland safer,” the spokesperson said. “This money would be better spent on  providing better access to healthcare and affordable housing”.

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Warning of a broader European trend, the group highlighted that five EU countries are expanding conscription. “We cannot let Ireland be pulled into a future where our young people are sent to fight EU or NATO wars,” they said.

Information stands will be held in Drogheda (Aug 9) and Dundalk/Blackrock (Aug 16) to raise awareness of this very real risk to Irish neutrality. A motion defending the Triple Lock will go before Louth County Council on September 15, and citizens are urged to contact their councillors ahead of the vote.

The spokesperson for the group stressed that “neutrality isn’t a weakness — it’s our moral strength. And it was Fianna Fáil, under Frank Aiken, that helped make it a cornerstone of Irish identity. The Fianna Fáil party of today need to decide if they are upholding that tradition — or betraying it.”