April, 2020

 This blog originally appeared in the Andersonstown News I was talking to a former journalist the other day (of course it was a  virtual conversation, Virginia) and he said he’d been out for a short walk, in the course of which a man had passed him, rolled his eyes and  asked “Don’t you miss Brexit?” You could see the man’s point. There was a […]

On Monday April 20 THE TIMES reported that 80% of Britons, polled by the Henry Jackson society, want China to face enquiry  over the outbreak of the Corona Virus. I reckon that 99% of Britons have never heard of the Henry Jackson Society and would think that 80% of readers of THE TIMES have no […]

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I found Pat McArt’s recent article about the Church’s treatment of the poor children as highlighted by the story of Peggy McFadden in Derry in the 1940s quite harrowing. I found his description of the response of the late Bishop Daly depressing. The treatment of poor children in the Church -run institutions and the […]

 The framework document for government, concerning which Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have launched a support-hunt among smaller-party TDs, has been dissed big time  in The Irish Times in recent days. Columnist Una Mullally has  declared that the plan is “intellectually dead.” Columnist Fintan O’Toole has dismissed it as “a colouring book”. But this morning, […]

 It all starts with the clapping thing – all of Britain out at their front-doors acclaiming the heroism of health workers. Without them we’d be lost – literally. Then we think and add “And the ancillary staff” – porters, cleaners,  phone-answerers.  Then we realize that, as we’re in lock-down, we clearly would starve to death […]

This is my latest link-up with Pat, former editor of the Derry Journal. As always, I welcome comment. I had intended this to be much shorter, but when you get talking with Pat, it’s hard to set a firm clock on it. We agreed that we both had enjoyed the chat – reaching out from our respective house-arrest cells – but whether viewers have been infected by our […]

Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus “On April 9, 2010, our Briefing consisted of a report by the Irish News of Belfast on ‘CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF NORTHERN IRELAND EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT BRITISH LEGACY PLANS.’ (http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/catholic-bishops-of-northern-ireland-express-concern-about-british-legacy-plans/). We now  include the Bishops’ statement in full—http://www.irishnationalcaucus.org/catholic-bishops-in-northern-ireland-criticize-uk-governments-approach-to-legacy-of-the-past/ We ask Members of Congress to regard this statement as an essential reference in their understanding […]

I I did this Zoom chat with Pádraig Mac Lochlainn on Sunday evening. I was keen to find out what Sinn Féin’s views were on the current  negotiations between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, and whether it could     be described as the normal alliances and/or clashes between political   parties or a refusal to accept the electorate’s appetite for change. There are, on reflection, some further questions I think I might have put, but view the chat and let me know what you think. I’ve deliberately kept  thechat length to fifteen minutes approximately. Is that long enough,  do you think? Should it have been shorter/longer? Any and every    constructive comment welcome. Email: judejcollins@gmail.com, or message on Facebook or Twitter.     Here’s the interview link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seR6d_62Bzw     

Life, it has been remarked ,is one damned thing after another. Love, two damned things after each other. History, many damned things after each other. Unfortunately, too many interpreters,trusted as guides for the populace, have neglected the order in which historical events unfolded. Thus devotees of Ruth Dudley Edwards, for instance, may believe that Pearse, […]

Peggy McFadden was about ten when she was sent to Australia as a child migrant in the late 1940’s. Strictly speaking it should only have been orphans who could legally be sent on the Migrant Scheme but Peggy’s father was still alive and she had an older brother. Whatever sleight of hand was used by the […]