Well, this will come as a relief to the hundreds of thousands of voters up and down the country who are presently losing sleep at the prospect of the election depriving the nation of its finest politician: “Children’s minister Katherine Zappone has said she would be willing to work in a government led by Micheál […]
It might be hard to remember, in the full flush of this morning’s feeding frenzy around her, that Senator Catherine Noone has been widely regarded, for the past few years, as one of the brightest stars in the Fine Gael heavens. On paper, she is the perfect candidate, and the perfect politician, for the new […]
In ancient Rome, a victorious General returning to the city in triumph always had a slave walking behind him through the cheering crowds, whispering, again and again, into his ears the words “memento mori” – remember, you are a mortal. It might be a good idea to revive the practice for men in general, and […]
Next week, just days before the general election, secondary school teachers across the country will go on strike to protest against continued pay inequality for their profession. In Ireland in 2020, we still have the objectively absurd situation where two people, teaching the same subject, in the same school, for the same number of hours, […]
The election campaign appears to be heating up in more ways than one, with, according to Solidarity People Before Profit Socialist Party RISE TD (yes, those are all his titles) Paul Murphy, at least two election posters being set alight overnight in Dublin: Posters of Solidarity-People Before Profit candidates Michael O'Brien and Gillien Brien were […]
Because of our proportional election system, Ireland is nearly always governed by a coalition between at least two political parties. The last majority, one party Government was elected in 1977, when Jack Lynch promised everything short of Nirvana to win the election, and then fell from power shortly thereafter when it became apparent that he […]
With all the talk of centenaries recently, it might be hard to imagine that this decade will feature a centenary much more important than the war against the Black and Tans, or the civil war, though it will be much less commemorated. In 1926, the flu – yes, the flu – killed 100,000 people in […]
This is Elisha Mysin. He is from Russia, and he is five years old. He is so small still that when he sits down at the Piano, his feet do not reach the pedals. Elisha is from Stavropol, Russia, but his fame is growing, as he takes his talent on concerts right across Russia. What […]
On the one hand, you have to feel a little sorry for Greta Thunberg. She doesn’t seem to realise that she’s not at Davos because the kinds of people who go to Davos are very eager to tackle climate change. She’s there because the kinds of people who go to Davos are very eager to […]
The most extraordinary thing about this story is not that the Abortion Rights Campaign has produced a booklet telling journalists how they must talk about stories about abortion; it’s that they apparently feel that there’s a problem for their side in the media that requires correction. Is there? The decision to produce a whole booklet […]
It’s probably not a well-known fact that bulletproof vests have a use-by date, and that after that date passes, they cannot be trusted to stop a bullet. But it’s the absolute truth. This is because most bulletproof vests are made using Kevlar, which is a chemical compound like any other, and can degrade: “Like any […]
Good news for President Trump today as he receives praise from a well-known Irish sports star, who obviously recognises greatness when he sees it: Phenomenal President. Quite possibly the USA 🐐. Most certainly one of them anyway, as he sits atop the shoulders of many amazing giants that came before him. No easy feet.Early stages […]