February, 2010

If you want a good laugh, it’s sometimes worth listening to Stephen Nolan, especially around 10.30 a.m., when Gerry Anderson comes on and says outrageous things about him. This morning, though, Nolan was less laughable than lamentable. He had a man called Damian on the line, talking about last night’s bomb outside Newry court-house, presumably […]

If you want a good laugh, it’s sometimes worth listening to Stephen Nolan, especially around 10.30 a.m., when Gerry Anderson comes on and says outrageous things about him. This morning, though, Nolan was less laughable than lamentable. He had a man called Damian on the line, talking about last night’s bomb outside Newry court-house, presumably […]

What kind of Christians would be offended by a television programme exploring the life and teachings of Jesus? Well, some unionist Christians would be, if the programme in question was called ‘The Bible: A History’ and presented by Gerry Adams. The day after the programme was shown, one woman contacted a radio phone-in. “That man […]

What kind of Christians would be offended by a television programme exploring the life and teachings of Jesus? Well, some unionist Christians would be, if the programme in question was called ‘The Bible: A History’ and presented by Gerry Adams. The day after the programme was shown, one woman contacted a radio phone-in. “That man […]

I was in at the BBC breezy if not bright this morning. The occasion was a discussion organized for the Radio Ulster religious programme ‘Sunday Sequence’, involving some twenty-five people. Bishop Noel Treanor was the main figure present, closely followed by (Baroness) Nuala O’Loan (yes, she of the nemesis-of-Ronnie-Flanagan fame) and a range of other […]

I was in at the BBC breezy if not bright this morning. The occasion was a discussion organized for the Radio Ulster religious programme ‘Sunday Sequence’, involving some twenty-five people. Bishop Noel Treanor was the main figure present, closely followed by (Baroness) Nuala O’Loan (yes, she of the nemesis-of-Ronnie-Flanagan fame) and a range of other […]

Jackie McDonald telling Orangemen to not bother their heads trying to march down the Garvaghy Road, Edwin Poots or was it Nelson McCausland attending or was it talking about attending a GAA football match, the coldest winter in years in the midst of global warming – is there nothing constant, rock-like, onto which we can […]

Jackie McDonald telling Orangemen to not bother their heads trying to march down the Garvaghy Road, Edwin Poots or was it Nelson McCausland attending or was it talking about attending a GAA football match, the coldest winter in years in the midst of global warming – is there nothing constant, rock-like, onto which we can […]

Dear Willie O’Dea – I’m going to miss him. Remember the time he was filmed pointing a huge Defence-forces gun with the caption ‘Go ahead, punk, make my day!’? How we laughed. Or the time in Europe when he’d been speaking to some mainland MEPs for several minutes before one of them asked if they […]

Dear Willie O’Dea – I’m going to miss him. Remember the time he was filmed pointing a huge Defence-forces gun with the caption ‘Go ahead, punk, make my day!’? How we laughed. Or the time in Europe when he’d been speaking to some mainland MEPs for several minutes before one of them asked if they […]