Cardinal Vincent Nicols writes (Sunday 23 April) “This Easter there is a particular occasion for joy in our land as we shall see King Charles III crowned. Much will be written about the Coronation in the days to come. As Catholic Christians, we do well to bear in mind that the Coronation […]
April, 2023
Diane Abbott and speaking out of turn
So now that SIR Keir Starmer has finished kicking Jeremy Corbyn out of the party for being anti-Semitic (I always think a lie should at least resemble a possible truth, but there you go), now Diane Abbott, an ally of Corbyn, has been hauled over the coals because…Give me a minute, we’ll think of […]
Conferences don’t come free
The recent conference at Queen’s, involving the Clintons, Senator George Mitchell, Tony Blair, Bertie Ahern, Jonathan Powell and whatever you’re having yourself was a joyous occasion in more than one way. The most obvious was that it presented a feel-good factor, a happy climax (they worked all night!) and an ensuing 25 […]
THREE STAR PUBLIC COMMENTATORS IN THE IRISH TIMES DON’T SMELL OF ROSES – by Donal Kennedy
Three stars of the Irish Times set my teeth on edge. One is a bigoted Atheist, raised a Catholic who vents his spleen on Catholicism. The second, no less insufferable, is a Jesuit Priest. The third the paper’s Political Editor, Jesuit-schooled and a contributor to “STUDIES” a reputedly […]
TORTURED, SENTENCED TO DEATH, IMPRISONED FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS IN FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT – by Donal Kennedy
Inbox In 1972 Belfast man Liam Holden, a civilian, innocent of violence, was tortured into confessing to killing a British soldier and condemned to death by a British Court, after which he was imprisoned for seventeen years. Mr Holden died last year aged 68, a decade after his conviction was quashed. […]
Twitter, Tweets and Historical Similarities – by Michael Lagan
How many times have nationalists and Republicans and indeed ‘other’ and none asked Unionism in NEI to respect our rights both within and without the GFA? An underestimation would be thousands of times over decades on many and varied issues ranging from housing rights and identity to the right not to be tortured during […]
Joe Biden’s visit: the Irish Times verdicts
You like your media balanced? You got it in today’s Irish Times. Justine McCarthy laments the shamrockery and Ireland-50-years-ago tone of Joe Biden’s visit here; Stephen Collins said it didn’t do him or us a bit of harm. Collins defends the president for being a traditional Catholic – but thanks be to God, Collins suggests, […]
RUC: The Force Within a Force – by Michael Lagan
“It has been the RUC who have held the fabric of this society together for the past 30 years” – Mo Mowlam on the RUC, 9th of September 1999. The words of Mo Mowlam on that day will ring hollow to many a Catholic, nationalist and Republican who through no fault […]
PIMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY – A CHERISHED BRITISH TRADITION – by Donal Kennedy
Britain’s Lord Great Chamberlain, Rupert Francis John, the 7th Baron Carrington, will play a key role in the Coronation of Charles III. THE TIMES (April 20) devotes most of a page to the man, the family and the duties involved. The First Baron was the best friend of King Edward VII and introduced […]
All Roads Lead To Stormont – by Michael Lagan
Northern Irish Unionism and the DUP stands at a crossroads and all roads lead to Stormont. It’s not just any crossroads, but one strewn with the political fallout and debris they have left during their recent misguided, misinformed journey. Some might say the DUP have every right to drop the entirety of NEI in the […]