July, 2012

It’s an inexact comparison but it’s worth making. When Stephen Roche won the Tour de France, Charlie Haughey hurried to France to be photographed with him. When the fortieth anniversary of Bloody Friday came round, Nigel Dodds and Alban Maginness hurried to the radio microphone.I’ve just finished listening to both. Nigel said that anyone – […]

It’s an inexact comparison but it’s worth making. When Stephen Roche won the Tour de France, Charlie Haughey hurried to France to be photographed with him. When the fortieth anniversary of Bloody Friday came round, Nigel Dodds and Alban Maginness hurried to the radio microphone.I’ve just finished listening to both. Nigel said that anyone – […]

It’s odd what you hear on the radio. And what you don’t hear.  This morning on BBC Radio Uladh they had a man from the Polish community, talking about the burning of Polish flags on top of Twelfth bonfires. Naturally it was something he felt fairly strongly about and he urged that action should be […]

It’s odd what you hear on the radio. And what you don’t hear.  This morning on BBC Radio Uladh they had a man from the Polish community, talking about the burning of Polish flags on top of Twelfth bonfires. Naturally it was something he felt fairly strongly about and he urged that action should be […]

Some subjects you get so much of, you feel like cutting off your ears and having the holes cemented over.  Orange marching falls into this category, although you can forgive the frequency of discussion, considering the thousands of marches. One thing we’ve been hearing surprisingly little about is the 2011 census. Those of us who […]

Some subjects you get so much of, you feel like cutting off your ears and having the holes cemented over.  Orange marching falls into this category, although you can forgive the frequency of discussion, considering the thousands of marches. One thing we’ve been hearing surprisingly little about is the 2011 census. Those of us who […]

Of all the people who were killed in the course of our Troubles, why is it that everyone knows  and most feel deep sympathy with the violent death of Jean McConville? Well,  because she was a mother of ten children and her violent death  had a seriously damaging effect on the family. This sympathy is […]

Of all the people who were killed in the course of our Troubles, why is it that everyone knows  and most feel deep sympathy with the violent death of Jean McConville? Well,  because she was a mother of ten children and her violent death  had a seriously damaging effect on the family. This sympathy is […]

There’s something a bit sickening and a bit familiar about the McAreavey judgement.  I say ‘the McAreavey judgement’, although of course it was the judgement on the innocence of the two accused men that got Irish attention, from the Taoiseach on down (or up). Just when it seemed that the death of Michaela McAreavey couldn’t […]

There’s something a bit sickening and a bit familiar about the McAreavey judgement.  I say ‘the McAreavey judgement’, although of course it was the judgement on the innocence of the two accused men that got Irish attention, from the Taoiseach on down (or up). Just when it seemed that the death of Michaela McAreavey couldn’t […]