February, 2019

In 1634  Seathrun  Ceitinn completed  Foras Feasa ar Eirinn,  (A Foundation of Knowledge on Ireland), a narrative covering the days from the creation of the Earth to the arrival of the Normans in the 12th Century of the Christian Era. Ceitinn had been born about 1570 during Elizabeth’s reign, left Ireland about 1603 after the Battle of Kinsale, […]

There are two unhappy women occupying newspaper space this morning – one English, the other Irish. Both are politicians and the political road ahead of both looks full of pot-holes and maybe bottomless pits into which they could easily fall.If I’m honest, I have more sympathy for the Irishwoman than I do for the English […]

“Words, words, words!”  Eliza Doolittle sang in My Fair Lady. “I’m so sick of words!” There were a lot of people at Westminster sick of words yesterday, especially those words which came from the lips of Donald Tusk, the Polish President of the European Council.  Snowflakes like Sammy Wilson got really ill,  effectively calling Donald […]

Liam Neeson has made a reputation as an actor in many well known movies during the last 20 years or more. I never rated him as an actor. I also have problems with his well publicised support for the integrated education system here in the six counties. He had chosen to live in New York far away […]

Contrary to opinion in some quarters, I’m a softie.  When some guy knocks on my door and offers to do my drive-way for a laughable price of £5000,  despite the fact that he’s clearly a chancer I want to say “Yes, sure, fire ahead, I’ll get the money out for you.” When Liam Neeson explains […]

There is no situation so bad that the addition of a policeman doesn’t make it worse, Brendan Behan believed. If he were around today he might well have added “Or David Trimble.” According to some accounts of the negotiations leading up to the Good Friday Agreement, the one constant appears to have been that David […]

I only twice set eyes on Jeremy Hardy. When the Birmingham Six were released he was the MC at the London Concert celebrating their release and his wit amazed me. There was nothing showy about it, no prepared gags, blue jokes nor gimmicks, but spontaneous intelligence. The next time I saw him was at a […]

                                                   A Meathman of one’s acquaintance was once bushwhacked  at a  clambake  in the backyard of a suburban  hacienda in Dallas, Tx by a local good ole boy  whose only criticism […]

When a witness testifies in court, the oath they take is that they will tell “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”  “Nothing but the truth” seems to me a repetition of  “the truth”, although I’m sure there are lawyers who, for a hefty fee, would explain it to me. But  the […]

 I’ve just watched a short video which shows Theresa May giving a speech on Brexit (I’ve put it up on Facebook). In it, she details the many ways in which it makes sense to stay in the EU. Among other things, she notes that trade from Britain to the EU is 44%,  the other direction […]