An inquest into the death of Denis McKennedy, a labourer working on a relief scheme at Caheragh near Skibbereen, found that he had ‘died of starvation due to the gross negligence of the Board of Works” He had been owed three weeks wages when he died at the side of the Road and the results […]
What was to be a few weeks of removal of all of our civil liberties to “flatten the curve” and “protect the NHS” has now eight months later morphed into a dystopian police state. Humans, that most social of species, seem isolated in a laboratory which used to be their lives, in terror of an […]
The recent statement from the World Health Organisation’s Special Envoy on Covid-19 criticising lockdown as a primary means of tackling the Corona virus was a surprise. Not least because it seems to validate the beleaguered positions of those bucking the international consensus. In relation to the biggest issue in the US Presidential election it looks like […]
ON THIS DAY: 12 OCTOBER 1645: Archbishop Rinuccini arrives in Ireland to offer assistance to O’Neill and the Irish Confederate Catholics in their war against English Protestant rule He wrote this letter to his brother, describing the Irish he met: “The men are fine-looking and of incredible strength, swift runners, and ready to bear every […]
Following a Catholic uprising in 1641, Cromwell and the New Model Army set sail to Ireland to defeat this coalition and reclaim Ireland for parliament. This proved to be a bloody and brutal affair, forever remembered for a series of controversial massacres. The Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland had begun, which included the destruction of Drogheda […]
Constitutional questions are unlikely to be uppermost in our minds now, when we feel concerned both about those most vulnerable to Covid-19 and about those most severely affected by past and present measures responding to it. In terms of the collateral damage caused by those measures, we think of things like physical and mental health, […]
Among the roadside billboards canvassing votes for political parties and their candidates in New Zealand’s triennial election on October 17 is one announcing starkly: “LETHAL DOSE with NO assessment for coercion required.” Below that it asks: “Is the End of Life Choice Act safe?” It’s the kind of silly question you have to ask when […]
In the eyes of many around the world the COVID experience of Australia and New Zealand has been a relatively benign one. But as I mentioned last week (here and here) New Zealand is going to have to deal with some significant demographic headwinds in the years ahead due to the pandemic. Now, it seems as if […]
Many parents these days find that their family routines have been totally disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases children are “in school” from their homes, and sports and other activities outside the home have been curtailed or canceled altogether. This means more family time together at home, which can be a mixed blessing! […]
As the New Zealand euthanasia referendum approaches, voters could be helped by looking at the experience in other countries before making up their minds on this complex topic. At the end of July, Czechia became the latest country to reject the legalisation of euthanasia following similar rejections in Portugal and Finland. The opposition to the […]
You have to hand it New York Orthodox Jewish community: the Irish Church leadership could learn a lot from them. When the Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio – taking time off from marching in massive crowds against imagined rascism – decided to weld shut the gates of public parks and close down synagogues, […]
Ten Fine Gael TDs and four from Fianna Fáil joined liberal and left-wing TDs last night to ensure the Assisted Suicide bill passed its second stage in the Dáil by 81 votes to 71. The bill will now go to the Committee Stage for examination. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Simon Harris and […]