February, 2016

OR MERELY TAKING THE WHATSIT? I refer to a visiting professor of war studies at Kings College London who wrote in THE SUNDAY TIMES last January on the 1916 Insurrection in Dublin. He accused the Insurgents of “stabbing Britain in the back”.  It seems to me that wearing uniforms, flying flags, seizing buildings in the […]

First , the north. Did you watch The Nolan Show last night? I watched about twenty-five minutes of it: the part where Nelson McCausland and Danny Morrison were debating the publication of a graphic novel titled Bobby Sands – Freedom Fighter. There are a range of points regarding this work that could be debated, but […]

There much talk at the moment on local radio concerning a “graphic novel” about the life of Bobby Sands the Irish republican hunger -striker, so before we go any further I’ll lay out my stall.For one thing I’ve never liked the term “graphic novel” and I’ll explain in more detail presently. The first thing I’d […]

  Well, we all knew it’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Those of us who were looking for a scintillating debate on RTÉ last night between the leaders of the four main political parties probably had a better time reading the various tweets than watching and listening to the speakers. (Sudden thought: why […]

Although the most celebrated recruiting posters of World War 1 featured the Listowel-born Herbert Kitchener, it seems they didn’t feature prominently in Kerry or Ireland generally. It seems too that Kitchener did not regard the Irish as his countrymen or women. From what I can gather, a different approach was adopted by the “United Kingdom’s […]

As tonight’s  leaders debate on RTÉ draws near, let me tell you a little story from the Irish Civil War. In March 1923, nine prisoners from Kerry No 1 Brigade (Anti-Treaty)  were taken from Ballymullen gaol in Tralee to Ballyseedy crossroads, ostensibly to clear landmined roads. The Free State troops made sure that they were, “all fairly […]

Why are Nationalists and Unionists on opposite sides in relation to Europe? What’s going on there? Why do the most dyed- in -the -wool conservatives want to get away from the institutions of the European Union and why do they appear to be all of a unionist or “Little Englander” persuasion? That’s a question worth […]

If the British people vote to leave the European Union will the EU have the right to: i.   Declare the British Parliament an illegal assembly? ii)   Arrest and imprison British MPs? iii)  Murder the Mayors and Councillors of British cities? iv)  Murder British journalists and suppress British Newspapers? v)  Imprison people who give […]

  In any major decision we make, there are usually two thoughts bouncing around in our minds: what effect will this have on my contentment/welfare/progress, and to what extent is it the right thing to do. The first is an instinctive thing. We can’t help wishing that we ourselves, our families, those we care about, will […]

People choose to believe some very odd things and then go to great lengths to prove to themselves the truth of their need to believe them. All the better if there is a glamorous “supernatural” slant involved or a dream of wish-fulfillment.There is a need to enjoy a little of that kind of colourful theatre […]