(This is an edited version of an article in Village Magazine by Mark Malone & Andy Storey from Anglo: Not Our Debt with which Partners in Faith is aligned.)

Michael Noonan could have “walked on water across the Liffey” to the recent Fine Gael Árd Fheis. That was the view of one political commentator on RTÉ, following the “miracle” the Finance Minister had performed in relation to the Anglo Irish Bank promissory note, due for payment that day. This opinion was typical of mainstream media interpretation of the “deal” announced by Noonan.

In reality, the deal was a mirage, not a miracle. The Department of Finance, it is true, did not write out a cheque to the Irish Central Bank on March 31st. However, NAMA did. And who owns NAMA? That’s right, we do. So Ireland did pay the bill, in full and on time. We simply paid it out of one of our accounts rather than another. In the film Scarface, Al Pacino’s gangster responds to a rival’s pleas for mercy by saying, “Don’t worry, Frank, I’m not going to kill you”, then turns to a henchman and says “Manolo, kill this piece of shit”. Frank still ends up dead. We still ended up paying the money.

We are delighted to announce that this year's Partners in Faith Summer School will be led by Mary T. Malone the renowned Feminist Theologian and Author. She returned to her native Wexford in 1998 after living in Canada for over thirty years where she taught Feminist Theology and Women's Christian History in Roman Catholic seminaries and universities in the Toronto area. She is a prolific writer and author of the three volume Women and Christianity (2000 – 2004) and Praying with the Women Mystics (2007). Details of time and place will be announced in the coming weeks.

A community group in Granard, Co.Longford (pictured left at a protest) led by the local parish priest Fr.Simon Cadam have challenged NAMA to do what it was set up to do and "contribute to the social and economic development of the State" section 2, NAMA Act. The group wants NAMA to sell the 15 acres of land, known locally as The Motte Field to the group for development as an Interpretative Centre which they say will employ 10. The issue highlights the issue of placing property price speculation above the needs of the community.

Link: NAMA Seeks Best Price For Granard Land - Longford Leader