When her case was raised in the Dáil recently, there were strong statements of support for her, but a good deal of hard work also had to be done to secure her release. Ms Towey was full of praise for those who had done that work, crediting the Irish embassy in the United Arab Emirates specifically as well as her family, politicians, media, and the Irish people.

“I feel bad for people who don’t have the support that we have,” Ms Towey said. 

We’re such a tight country and we have each other’s backs. I can’t believe how fast things got going. 

The power of State support for an Irish citizen in a very difficult situation should not be underestimated. Radha Stirling of the human rights organisation Detained in Dubai, who has been helping the Toweys, said on Thursday: “When a government gets behind their citizens, when they go the extra mile, they are successful in getting citizens home.”

It should also be pointed out that Ireland’s standing as an honest broker in international affairs is another major advantage in cases such as Ms Towey’s. That standing stems in part from a stubborn independence which leads to decisions such as recognising Palestine rather than slavishly following the line adopted by larger nations.

Such decisions lend an extra power to Irish negotiations in cases such as Ms Towey’s. 

They show clearly that Ireland’s foreign policy is driven by principle rather than expediency, a difference which many other states appreciate.

Shark shock in Irish waters

Mid-July approaches and we have yet to see true summer weather settle over the country. Notwithstanding the variable temperatures and scant sunlight, Irish holidaymakers are making the most of the country’s beaches — or at least they were until this week’s news of sharks off the coast.

And not just any sharks. Those in the frame are great whites, the apex predators made infamous by Jaws almost 50 years ago.

Shivers ran down spines when footage surfaced purporting to show a great white lurking off the Galway coast. That footage has been widely questioned since, with doubts emerging about the real location.

However, a group of research scientists is preparing an expedition to seek out great whites off the Irish coast in the coming months.

In a curious choice of words, one of the researchers said he was “optimistic” about finding them in Irish waters, adding: “There’s really nothing about the water temperatures, food options or habitat that makes me think they aren’t here.” 

(The researcher is Nick Payne. It is not clear if any of the other crew members are called Brody, Hooper, or Quint.)

The poor weather has been challenging enough for all of us hoping for respite after a long winter. Now we have to contend with man-eating sharks as well?