One of the most intriguing and enigmatic of great Irish people is a man only known to us as Iohannis Scotti, or Eriugena. Both names merely signify that he was Irish, his real name or what part of Ireland he was born in, are a mystery. He was born here sometime between 800 and 825AD […]
It is not surprising that cultural and political theorists like influential Slovenian philosopher, Salvoj Žizek, are already mapping out the societal changes they believe, or hope, will follow the socio-economic devastation of successive lockdowns. It is clear that governments all over the world have bought time at a cost unprecedented in peacetime. There will be […]
“It was in an English prison that they led him to his death. ‘I’m dying for my country,’ he said with his last breath. He’s buried in a prison yard, far from his native land And the wild waves sing his Requiem on lonely Banna Strand.” The story of Roger Casement’s landing and capture at Banna […]
One of the benefits of engaging with contrarian randomers on social media in the early morning is that you get to cheer yourself up no end at some of the absurdities they share. In that regard I must thank Katrin for sharing the news that the Australian children’s cartoon Bluey has fallen foul of the […]
Escaping the Bunker: Democracy Needs Christianity By Mark Hamilton. So What Imprint, Dublin, 2021. The world before Christ was a savage place. Ancient civilisations were cruel and unforgiving. In this world, despite the benign and wise voices of people like Akhenaten, Zoroaster, Socrates, Cicero and others, Egypt, Persia, Greece and Rome placed very little value […]
Hardly a day passes without new descriptions of killing and dying — both fictional and factual — invading our consciences, and yet so many of us still choose to postpone consideration of our own death. The practical neglect of the obvious fact of our mortality seems to be a distinctively post-modern and Western phenomenon that […]
It never ceases to amaze me that despite all the wealth, experience and tradition of American cinema, it seldom matches the depth and humanity of the best Iranian films. Asghar Farhadi’s family drama A Separation, for instance, won an Oscar in 2012. I can’t think of many films which combine so successfully deep moral issues, intricate […]
PODCAST: Listen to John Aidan Byrne, Irish commentator based in New York, talk with Michael Churchward, mega yacht captain, author God Waits Outside, recalls moment he was sent to prison in Turkey for crimes he never committed. PRISON HELL: After docking in Turkey, Michael Churchward, a celebrated mega yacht captain, was in for […]
Of all the writing where Pearse elucidates his revolutionary conscience, his poem ‘The Rebel’ is clearest. There is a searing sense of righteous pain in its lines, arising from the sense of a denial of destiny -a betrayal of the dignity of humanity formed in God’s image. It harkens back to Robert Emmet’s speech from […]
Easter is perhaps the most important time of the year to remember those who fought for our freedom, and by commemorating the past, we look forward to the future. We celebrate the various battles in the fight for Irish Freedom and recall with pride the ultimate price paid by many of those involved. For Christians, […]
The stark message of Easter is that we don’t have to be locked down in misery, fear, tears or empty promises anymore, because Christ has opened the way to heaven with Him, and all we must do is prepare.
The Decade of Centenaries Programme that was initiated in 2012 and which is set to end in 2023 has allowed us to revisit and to celebrate some of the great milestones of Irish history. These include the foundation of the Irish Volunteers, the Home Rule and Land Bills, the 1913 Lockout, the 1916 Rising, the […]