September, 2016

On 29 August 2016 my BLOG “HISTORICAL LETTER FROM HISTORY IRELAND” carried a letter of mine published in that magazine in MAY/JUNE 2009. It is a detailed letter covering the General Election Results in Ireland in 1918, previous general elections, the phenomenon and significance of uncontested seats, and municipal, county council and other local elections in […]

  ‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.’ (Aristotle) I have always been interested in education and the opportunities that education presents to young and not so young. Since the 1940s a good education has been regarded by most people here as most important. The standards here in the north […]

All right, children – sit up straight, arms folded, pay attention. My name is Peter Weir and I’m in charge of all the schools in Ulster. Since you are the people who will be mainly affected by the plans I have, I want you to be the first to know what they are. Everyone listening? First […]

I suppose five stings wasn’t too bad , all things considered.I blame a momentary compulsion on my part. I could have simply been patient and waited. Two honeybees managed to sting me twice on the right arm, just above my gauntlet.It’s funny how they know exactly where to strike the most vulnerable areas. Another angry […]

  “You’re a nothing. Just a nothing.” No, I won’t be having that. No, I won’t be having that at all. I’ve been met by a wall at times. A wall to keep me out. A wall to keep me in. But my sin My very sin, is to merely confirm That no, I’ll not be having […]

    After the BREXIT vote a friend of Ireland’s re-unification remarked: This changes everything! Perhaps. But having observed   Ireland’s conflict for some time and how much British bias and arrogance, United States ignorance and the Irish governments resignation have plagued   resolution, I was not optimistic. Let me posit a few recent examples which inspire […]

I was listening to Fr Peter McVerry SJ being interviewed on RTE radio yesterday (2 Sept). He was talking about the homeless situation in Dublin where there are now more than 2000 children homeless, many living in hostels and hotels. This is a serious indictment of Enda Kenny and his Fine Gael tribe who have allowed […]

The Irish Examiner carried an Opinion piece by Maurice Manning taken from his address to the Parnell Summer School. He (Manning) criticized SF for hi-jacking the centenary commemorations for their own agenda. I believe he thought that the Reclaim the Vision parade was a SF initiative, which it wasn’t. I was on the committee which […]

The Titanic Centre in Belfast has surprised me. Even the briefest look at the building tells you a lot of time, thought and expense has been invested in it. Frankly, I couldn’t see how visitor interest in the Centre would recoup the investment. I was wrong. The number of visitors has been huge, those visiting […]

  You’ve probably seen this already but I thought you might like a second viewing. It’s good…