Ireland - now considered one of most vulnerable countries in the EU (defense wise)

We would still have to soend more in NATO. Anyway this is the organazation Trump was threatening to pull out of!

I agree we are totally exposed. At the moment a private army could take us over before we knew what was happening. At least have a credible deterrence force i.e. a squardon of modern aircraft, modern ships and well equipped army prepared to fight a guerilla war.

Well I don't believe we are under some threat from Trump, but it is all just reflective of the way the world is trending towards more instability, chaos, and violence (which suggests a need to put insurance policies in place, like actually having some kind of military forces of your very own…).

It's nuts (and frightening) to see him normalising this kind of fascist rhetoric before he even takes power again, but I suppose the warning signs were there. I remember being a bit gobsmacked when he said the invasion of Ukraine by Russia was "savvy" and a "genius" move on Putin's part (before initial Russian force got mauled very badly, and forced back from Kyiv of course).

He is just "joking" in his typical way (i.e. being nasty and insulting) about making Canada a US state, but they can expect US bullying, threats, and cooercion is coming fast down the tracks at them (same with all other US "friends", under a Trump admin. incl. us).

I think he is not joking about using military force in Mexico (on the cartels). With Greenland and Panama I think he is serious about asserting US power there too, but any "attacks" will again be more diplomatic and economic bullying to try and obtain what he wants I expect.

With Trump no one knows what to expect but whatever it is every country needs to look after its own back yard.

Orangeman just decided greenland is his.

and there goes any silly talk of us joining nato.

yes but one of them has the means to cause ww3.

I support Michael D’s comments and I am delighted to have him represent my nation.

got any source(s) for that bizarre quote? If not, it’s probably just not his. The fact that it’s un-googleable would suggest nobody else of note said it either.

I see that first quote in a comment on a journal.ie article, and a post on "politics.ie". That's all I can find so far.

I see the other form of it in a Irish Daily Mail article which says he "apparently remarked" (where/when? - i'd suspect they Brits made transcripts of his broadcasts) "When the Reich's Panzers roll through the Irish Free State, De Valera will have no more power to resist them than the tinkers of the Ballygaddy Road in Tuam."

https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/irish-daily-mail/20140424/281754152319544?srsltid=AfmBOorpaVT_rV2RkicJSzveSStnr2JqMrpeEFhPoKpLz0qYtFH98l4p

The EU’s first defence commissioner is drawing up plans to protect vital transatlantic undersea cables — and following a warning that Ireland does not have the resources to adequately protect them — he has been asked into talks to draft in European and British navies to help do the job

Looks like the continentals and the Brits might be officially doing what we can't be arsed to do in our own waters soon.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41560885.html

I presume we'll be charged for these services in some way but it's cringingly embarrassing all the same.

Who exactly is embarrassed and in front of whom are they embarrassed?

I certainly amn't embarrassed.....

what are we supposed to patrol the atlantic for europe now or something?

theres 5 million of us. the benefit of the cables is shared by the whole eu of 445 million. with us being a minor beneficiary.

why is it our job?

Well it is our backyard. I take your point about so few of us but we could enter an agreement with an EU country to have a naval base in the West run on a joint basis. France perhaps as historically the UK wouldn't be acceptable.

For all the talk about us being unable to defend transatlantic cables (which I'm not sure who actually owns them, companies or countries?) There's another cable damaged:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/26/latvia-investigating-significant-damage-to-undersea-fibre-optic-cable

These are cables not in the vast deep Atlantic but within territorial waters of NATO countries and they can't even defend them.
It's not the first cable damaged either. How could we defend half of the Atlantic if NATO cannot defend coastal waters?

I do believe we should have a decent navy to defend the coast, carry out rescue missions (it's such a large fishing area) and intercept boats carrying drugs etc…