Picture by Laois Heritage Aaahhhhh. That felt good. I see in my absence my dear friend Ruth Dudley Edwards (gifted with three names while most of us stumble on with two) has been telling children what questions to ask about the Proclamation. It’s always good to see someone who knows that education should be […]
October, 2015
Important Notice
Be yiz forewarned: this blogsite will be in a passive mode, as it were, for the next few days – until at least Sunday, maybe Monday. I’m taking a total electronic-free break (stop blubbing, neill – it’s not becoming in a grown man) so if you post any comments before Sunday/Monday I won’t be […]
I… PROTEST!
Some mornings truly are fabulous …in the real meaning of the word. The sense that they are peerless…matchless even. There was a stillness as I walked by the laggardly flowing water and the morning mist was slowly steaming off the grass as the sun was breaking through the haze. The leaves were a riddle of […]
Compassion and guns
You wait for hours on an idea to come along and then two come together. This morning I find myself thinking about guns and accommodation. Guns first. I watched a clip from the Democratic candidates’ TV debate, which Hillary Clinton won conclusively, it seems. One of the things she mentioned was guns. “There are ninety […]
The importance – and limitations – of trust
Picture by vagawi To have a distrustful nature is to carry a heavy burden. Your partner says they’re going to meet an old school friend, you hire a private detective to check his/her movements. Your doctor tells you to lay off cream buns, you ignore his/her advice because what do medical people know? You stand […]
The loyalist paramilitaries’ initiative: seven points
Picture by Ricky I’ll shortly be heading into the BBC’s Talkback studio to discuss the present unionist paramilitary initiative, along with Winston Ervine. What paths the discussion treads will depend on many unpredictables, but here’s a few things that come into my mind right off. The UVF, the UDA, Red Hand Commando are, as […]
CANCER CURED IN NORNEVERLAND
My, oh my….There’s still no cure for our political burgoo…the hokey, pokey, jokey,tokey, cokey continues to bubble as the bitter spices blend. All that unsaid stuff bubbling just below the surface …like how each side always used a form of political violence in the past and just might use it again ,given the right circumstances […]
The Tight Corner (Part 1).
The Tight Corner. Part 1. By Randall Stephen Hall. What a bloody tight corner we are in at present, regarding politics, procedures, peace, and “pissing in the wind” at Stormont. Excuse my language, I really meant “The People’s Assembly”, for Northern Ireland. The political machine has almost ground to a halt and […]
Reasons for not supporting the NI soccer team
Picture by David Maginness Bloody Ireland – they raise your hopes only to dash them. Since the Irish rugby team won yesterday and the NI soccer team has qualified for the Finals, you’ll correctly infer that I’m talking about the Republic of Ireland soccer team and their defeat yesterday by Poland. On Twitter, I’ve had […]
Thoughts after a London Half-Marathon
I’m in London this weekend . There are those who naturally assumed I was over to be awarded a belated MBE, but that’s not so. I was actually over to run a half-marathon with my daughter. Phoebe did a decent time – just over two hours – while I did a rotten time, and not even […]