September, 2016

Last nights BBC Spotlight showed no consideration whatsoever for the families of those bereaved when flashing images of bodies at roadsides – or to the family of Denis Donaldson. The showing of this gratuitous imagery was unnecessary and has upset several families who contacted RFJ last night and this morning with some deeply distressed. The […]

A new book, promoted by Cork Public Libraries, carries an anonymous  verse blaming Republicans for the burning down of the City’s pride and joy, its Opera House, in 1955. No such allegation was made at the time and an enquiry established that the fire resulted from an electrical fault. You may recall a BLOG of mine mentioning Sir […]

Few countries in the world have such close links as Ireland does with Britain. Many of these are real, tangible and positive, and are to be celebrated, yet they also involve unhealthy relationships. I have been to Old Trafford and love the Proms. I like English people but… A former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig […]

Pádraig Pearse’s well-known catch-phrase ‘A country without a language is a country without a soul’ still rings true and many have taken these words to heart and devoted their time and energy to making the Irish language a living language. Pearse and others in his day wanted to alert the people to the importance of […]

I’m indebted to Dermot Curran in the Irish Times (An Irishman’s Diary September 19) for recalling the deaths of 1,200 and the wounding of another 4,000 Irishmen whom their country could ill spare, in the battles of Guillemont and Ginchy in September 1916. Though local victories for the Irish units in Britain’sarmy, they achieved negligible […]

To quote David Dunseith once again: here, people hear what they want to hear, regardless of what you say. I was on Nolan on BBC Radio Ulster/Raidio Uladh and the topic was the legacy of the past. As you’ll probably know, the Ballymurphy families were bitterly disappointed when they met the British Secretary of State […]

SOS: Would any of the many here who disagree with me on this – and I promise you I don’t mind that at all – but would any of you like/ be in a position to talk on Talkback today? I’m going to be on at 12.30 pm and they would like someone who has […]

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It is estimated that the average person speaks 18,000 words a day. That is what I read and I cannot dispute it because I have never checked it. I suppose that, if it is true, most of us would indulge in some kind of gossip. It might be harmless or it could be malicious. Harmless […]