Parts of Cork city have become no-go zones due to serious anti-social behaviour and violent crime: what the hell is going on with youth violence in Ireland? Ben Scallan comments. #gript
Two members of An Garda Siochána suffered gunshot wounds during a siege situation in Blanchardstown this evening. It is understood that one Garda was shot in the hand, while another member of the force was wounded in the foot. A media blackout that was put in place for the duration of the event has now […]
It is not really the done thing, in Ireland, to criticise Judges. When, in December of 2019, this writer published a piece arguing that it was time to impeach Judge Martin Nolan, and remove him from the bench, legally minded friends warned that the article had gone too far. Judicial discretion and independence, after all, […]
The sheer amount of data held by the HSE on Irish citizens is not something that we think about, most of the time. The information, after all, is held for good reason, and most of us trust our doctors and hospitals. Nonetheless, it is worth considering just how much information hackers can potentially access, if […]
It is an extraordinary thing, in a modern western democracy, to hear a mainstream politician openly suggesting a complete ban on all immigration. Such calls, after all, are usually reserved to the fringes of the political fringe. Even Donald Trump, the most openly anti-immigration world leader of recent times, never went so far as to […]
There have been calls for an increase in the presence of Garda Public Order Units as video continues to emerge of gangs of youths causing havoc – and sometimes endangering lives – in Dublin city suburbs. Footage of gangs brawling and attacking people in Malahide at the weekend shocked both locals and commentators on social media. […]
As an instinctive authoritarian with a healthy degree of scepticism about “the youth”, let me just say this: Is it time for a second look at the Social Democrats? A Dublin councillor says a change to drinking laws, and curfews on younger people, could be a solution to anti-social behaviour. Social Democrats councillor for Howth […]
New legislation published by the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will ensure that all persons convicted for a second or subsequent offence for possession of firearms with intent to endanger life will no longer face a mandatory minimum 10-year sentence. The new legislation will also ensure that anyone convicted of carrying a firearm with […]
A Irish woman living in Gran Canaria was gang-raped by four North African migrants after she stopped to express concern for their plight, it has been reported. Local papers said that the woman was 36-years old and had lived on the island for several years with her family. She was walking through the Agua La Perra […]
Illegal drug use is the scourge of cities, towns and rural villages right across the state. Gone are the days when the problem was confined to major urban areas. In fact, nowadays hard-core drug use is approaching something like routine. It is also the source of endless heartbreak for families, parents and children whose […]
The Gardai are very busy at the moment, of course, with Covid 19 duties meaning that their force is spread thin across the country stopping people in their cars to ask them where they are going, as well as fining people at the airports, and on the beaches, and just about anywhere else you can […]
Lisa Montgomery was born with permanent brain damage, because of her mother’s drinking during pregnancy. When little Lisa was three years old, her stepfather slipped into the room she shared with her eight year old half-sister, Diane. Lisa, according to evidence presented years later, held her sister’s hand while the older girl was raped by […]