March, 2010

Peter’s pence of profit

Sometimes I feel sorry for Peter Robinson. I felt sorry for him when he did his famous Clontibret raid, swooping over the border to break windows on the main street of that little village, only to get caught. Next he knows he’s white-faced and staring down the throat of a jail sentence in the priest-ridden […]

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Peter’s pence of profit

Sometimes I feel sorry for Peter Robinson. I felt sorry for him when he did his famous Clontibret raid, swooping over the border to break windows on the main street of that little village, only to get caught. Next he knows he’s white-faced and staring down the throat of a jail sentence in the priest-ridden […]

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Cruelty, betrayal and truth

Consider this: what if Jean McConville had been a man? A single man, say, in his late thirties or early forties. And what if that man, let’s call him John McConville, had been passing information to the British army and/or the RUC, during a period when the IRA was at war with those forces. And […]

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Cruelty, betrayal and truth

Consider this: what if Jean McConville had been a man? A single man, say, in his late thirties or early forties. And what if that man, let’s call him John McConville, had been passing information to the British army and/or the RUC, during a period when the IRA was at war with those forces. And […]

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Quis custodiet?

It’s hardly good news for any Catholic that so many revelations of child abuse are tumbling out of the closets these days. One thing is good, though: the Church has finally got round to pointing out that there are media people who are less concerned for victims of abuse and more concerned to put the […]

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Quis custodiet?

It’s hardly good news for any Catholic that so many revelations of child abuse are tumbling out of the closets these days. One thing is good, though: the Church has finally got round to pointing out that there are media people who are less concerned for victims of abuse and more concerned to put the […]

Continue Reading

I’ve just come from a walk round the revamped Ulster Museum beside Botanic Gardens in Belfast. There’s a lot of glass and chrome, a heavily-populated gift shop and cafe (always the most attractive places in museums and art galleries), some impressive displays of Irish silver from the eighteenth century, Ming dynasty-style pottery stuff from as […]

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I’ve just come from a walk round the revamped Ulster Museum beside Botanic Gardens in Belfast. There’s a lot of glass and chrome, a heavily-populated gift shop and cafe (always the most attractive places in museums and art galleries), some impressive displays of Irish silver from the eighteenth century, Ming dynasty-style pottery stuff from as […]

Continue Reading

Cream for top cats

I wouldn’t describe it as a dog returning to its own vomit but I find myself drawn to news items about the University of Ulster, especially the Jordanstown campus. This morning they’re in the news because they’ve launched a Gaelic games academy. Martin McGuinness was there, praising UUJ for its advanced facilities and opportunities ‘not […]

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Cream for top cats

I wouldn’t describe it as a dog returning to its own vomit but I find myself drawn to news items about the University of Ulster, especially the Jordanstown campus. This morning they’re in the news because they’ve launched a Gaelic games academy. Martin McGuinness was there, praising UUJ for its advanced facilities and opportunities ‘not […]

Continue Reading