January, 2019

In 1906 John Redmond’s party secured 82 Parliamentary seats. Only 5 of them had been contested and 77 of them had been uncontested. More votes in Ireland were given to Unionists than to Redmond’s Party. Unionists were not short of funds nor rich friends in comparison to Redmond’s Party. Some questions might be asked:- Why […]

Irish Times Letters 8 Jan 2019 Sir, – In the obituary of Paddy Ashdown (January 5th, 2019) it is stated that, “he was once required to arrest the Catholic civil rights activist and future fellow MP John Hume on the streets of Belfast”. How absolving – “was once required”. How inaccurate – “streets of Belfast”. The facts […]

Pics 1 and 2 are by Perkin Warbeck Pic 1 Pic 2                           CÉAD  MÍLE  MALTA    chuig    LOS   MEXICANOS Malta welcomes dogs of all breeds, sizes and sounds. Including bite-sized chihuahuas of which at least umpteen would be needed to make up  […]

The new year coaxes us to reflect.  We look back at what’s gone, we ponder (or in 2019, fear) what the future holds in its fist. We sometimes wonder what it’s all about, or why  things are the way they are. So try pondering this. In 1995 Queen Elizabeth wrote a letter. Of course she […]

Why do the British know so little about Irish history? The question is posed in History Today Vol 69 Issue 1 2019.  Perhaps some answers may be found in the following statements: “Divided countries are not successful countries.”  Chancellor of the Exchequer 5 December 2018 “The northern Ireland backstop shows the predatory nature of the […]

Cead mile fáilte.  Ireland of the welcomes. If you’re Irish, come into the parlour. It’s really good to be part of a warm-hearted people, isn’t it? But hold. What’s this I see in the papers this morning? On the border between Leitrim and Roscommon, there’s a hotel called the Shannon Key West Hotel. Actually they’d […]

January 9, 2019   The American Brexit Committee released a letter today appealing to the leaders of the House Ways & Means Committee to work together to evaluate any US-UK trade proposals post-Brexit and their impact on Ireland and the peace process established in 1998.  “The prospect of a UK crash out from the EU,” stated ABC […]

‘Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?’ So asked the Roman poet Juvenal, which can be rendered “Who will guard the guardians themselves?” My  BLOG “Thundering Liars”  starred “THE TIMES” of London and the BLOG “Thundering Liars – Part 2 starred Titus Oates, both monstrous delinquents. I would not put the  The Guardian or the old Manchester Guardian […]

In recent days, there’s been something of a kerfuffle in the Letters page of The Irish Times, about the notion of male-only organisations. The group under the gun at the moment is an Irish-American one called the Society of the Friendly Sons of St Patrick (SFSSP), with its name clearly indicating it’s for men only.  […]

The real leader of the DUP, Nigel Dodds, was yesterday  busy explaining his party’s stance as the Brexit thunderclouds rolled ever nearer. As he tells it, a hard Brexit will be all the fault of the EU. The DUP, which voted Leave in the EU referendum, is all for Brexit but simply cannot have Theresa […]