The sense of justice must be tempered, of course, by acknowledging that a wait of 43 years is the very definition of justice delayed, but the reaction of the families at the events of last week and yesterday suggested they have found some closure at least.

In that context, it was interesting to see the letter sent to the Taoiseach by Michael Kingston, whose father Tim was killed in the Whiddy Island disaster in 1979.

Mr Kingston is the vice president of the French-Irish Association of Relatives and Friends of the Betelgeuse, which was the ship which exploded at the Whiddy oil terminal, killing 50 people.

In his letter, he stated that the apology to the families of the Stardust victims “will be void of any iota of moral authority” if the State doesn’t engage in “any meaningful way” with the Whiddy families.

As happened with the Stardust, an official inquiry was held after the Whiddy disaster which left many people dissatisfied, and Mr Kingston and the families want fresh inquests conducted.

In his letter, he pointed out that two of the bodies recovered after the explosion remain unidentified to this day, with “the State never employing modern techniques to identify them and give solace to two French families”.

It is difficult to argue against Mr Kingston’s points when comparing Whiddy with the Stardust. In the case of the latter disaster, the fact that it occurred in the capital city surely contributed in some way to keeping it in the public eye. That cannot be said of a small town over 300km from Dublin.

The Betelgeuse explosion claimed more lives than the Stardust tragedy and happened years earlier. Where is the focus on Whiddy?

Threat from far-right escalates

The increasing number of far-right demonstrations on Irish streets is a growing concern for all. It speaks to a growing lawlessness that can only have serious consequences if it is not addressed.

There is sympathy for members of An Garda Síochána trying to deal with criminals intent on intimidation, and Garda representatives have pointed to a lack of training and support when handling this threat to law and order.

There have also been legitimate questions about the softly-softly approach to many far-right demonstrations, with some observers making a reasonable point. 

If ordinary members of the public stopped traffic, for instance, they would be dealt with by the gardaí immediately, yet there seems to be a reluctance to deal with those imposing road blocks and checkpoints on others for their own ends.

In that light, comments by the Garda Representative Association that video footage of masked men gathering outside the home of Integration Minister Roderic O’Gorman had been “sensationalised” struck an unconvincing tone. 

Up to 12 masked men gathered outside Mr O’Gorman’s house last Thursday evening but, while gardaí were present, no arrests were made.

It is worth considering that when Taoiseach Simon Harris aired his concerns about the incident, he mentioned his own home being picketed — an incident that took place seven years ago.

That is more than enough time for the Government to enact specific legislation to deal with such cases of intimidation, and for An Garda Síochána to train its members to meet the specific challenges posed by such intimidation.

The fact that such protests have been going on for almost a decade is hugely disappointing and has contributed to a sense of public representatives feeling threatened, which is unacceptable in any democracy.

It also raises pressing questions of public safety. The failure to address this specific problem has allowed it to become worse over the years, with light-touch policing emboldening mobs bent on intimidation by giving them a sense of impunity.

Police and politicians must work together to resolve this situation before it escalates further.

Sweet music

The popular music charts have been devalued over the years, with the Spotify online streaming system replacing the old physical media model. Record or compact disc sales count for little when the majority of people consume music digitally and never see anything like a record sleeve or CD cover.

However, the news from the US this week is still worth noting: Wicklow native Hozier became the first Irish artist since Sinéad O’Connor to have a No 1 in America on the Billboard 100 charts, and only the fourth Irish artist ever to do so. 

His song ‘Too Sweet’ reached the top slot, up from No 2 last week just three weeks after it entered the charts at No 5.

It is a significant achievement for Hozier, whose real name is Andrew Hozier-Byrne, one which keeps Ireland’s artistic prowess in the headlines, along with achievements such as the literary success of Paul Lynch and Sally Rooney, not to mention Cillian Murphy’s Oscar win.

It may also spark some trivia questions: The other Irish artists to top the US charts were Sinéad O’Connor and U2, which many casual fans would have guessed, but the third?

Gilbert O’Sullivan, back in 1972, with ‘Alone Again (Naturally)’.