Peace activist, 91, walks across Ireland in protest against US military stopovers

Lelia Doolan, who finished 220km trek at parliament gates, says use of Shannon airport violates Irish neutrality A 91-year-old peace activist has crossed Ireland on foot and arrived in Dublin to petition the government to bar US military flights. Lelia Doolan completed a two-week, 220km (138 mile) trek on Wednesday, ending at the gates of parliament accompanied by throngs of supporters. The film producer and activist made the journey to protest against the US military’s use of Shannon airport in County Clare. “US military planes are landing without anybody ever agreeing in government to search them or see what’s in them. Shannon is a civilian airport. It’s not a military airport.” US personnel with sidearms pass through Shannon but the government says the airport is not used in US combat operations and that there is no evidence that weapons and supplies for US attacks enter Irish airspace. Doolan, however, said the agreement to permit some US military flights violated Irish neutrality and that people had been “fooled” into thinking the practice had to continue. “It doesn’t have to continue.” She started from the airport on 31 March and met supporters in Limerick, Nenagh, Roscrea, P