They say the Scottish independence movement is having success on at least one front: they’re rounding up people who haven’t bothered to register to vote or who normally wouldn’t vote. Having found them, they’re hopeful they can persuade them to vote Yes in September. It’s expected that voter turn-out on 18 September will […]
July, 2014
Guest blog: WHEN DID MARTY BECOME SUCH A STATESMAN? by Harry McAvinchey
When did Martin McGuinness become such a statesman? Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t go jumping all over my bones just yet.You know I don’t really give a tuppenny damn about any of our politicians of any stripe.Well..I may have a soft spot for the odd “face”. The odd one who may have a bit […]
THE WEE WEE MAN by Randall Stephen Hall
I grew up in North Belfast, close to a fairy fort, though I didn’t realise it at the time. Beyond The Troubles, the violence and the social upheaval. This significant memory, a sighting, of a wee fairy man, still caught in the memory, like a gentle spider’s web. As processed by a six year […]
Five questions for unionist ‘leaders’
1. The Parades Commission was set up as an independent body by the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998 and its members are appointed by the British Secretary of State. If unionist ‘leaders’ like Peter Robinson and Mike Nesbitt are going to organise resistance to a ruling by the Parades Commission, does this mean that they reject […]
PATIENCE AND AGE by Harry McAvinchey
Patience. That’s the thing . If you were to ask what benefits Old Age brings, that would be my current answer. It’s not that I feel remotely old, you understand …but…The thing is that time moves so quickly from the moment I arise in the morning and flies by throughout the day that it sometimes […]
Big Merv and Emma Little send a message
You don’t have to open your mouth or tap computer keys to send a message. If the next-door neighbours are claiming we’re rowdy and it’s agreed to meet and talk things over, I could skip the first meeting and send in my place my big cousin with the boxer’s nose and the bulging biceps. No words, […]
PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF EVERYTHING by Harry McAvinchey
People are afraid of everything.The fear stops them from doing all sorts of new things that they might fail at. People might make fun of their useless efforts. There’d be hoots of unholy belly laughs at their efforts to make a chair, write the great novel, learn to play an instrument or put up a […]
John Bruton puts Easter 1916 in its place
When John Bruton gasped that the visit of Prince Charles to the twenty-six counties was the happiest day in his life, he was of course speaking for tens of thousands of us. And now that he’s spoken out about Easter 1916, you may be sure tens of thousands of us will pump the air and […]
HOW THE HIPPIES MADE NATIONALITY AN IRRELEVANCE by Harry McAvinchey
It’s a curious turn of events but it is nonetheless very real . The reason you are reading this at all is in large part the result of a bunch of hippies in the 1960s .These words on that little electronic screen are their legacy. I suppose if you are young enough to have […]
Gerard Cappa review: ‘The Black-eyed Blonde: A Philip Marlowe Novel’ by Benjamin Black
I was determined to enjoy this from the moment I heard about it. John Banville has been my favourite living writer since the 80’s, when my reading diet was almost completely restricted to an Irish menu, and before I got the noir bug. Then, when I converted to noir as an eager disciple, Chandler was […]