Author Jude Collins

Did you see the coverage of Dutch fans attacking those away fans from Israel? Maybe you did – so did you see the bit where the Israeli fans ripped down a Palestinian flag, or where they chanted obscenities about Gaza? The southern election is up and running, and already we’ve had that booboo from Michael […]

  My BLOG here arises from AN IRISH DIARY piece by Ronan McGreevy “Geography and Destiny” on November 4th, Cormac Moore’s long chapter “The Convening of the Irish Boundary Commission” in the current November/December issue of HISTORYIRELAND.    It has long been clear that the prospect of a Commission was dangled before the Irish Delegates […]

  One man remonstrates with another . . .(Read in the voice of Christy Moore.) “Hold your breathAnd mind your tongue.Put away the FacebookFor the day has just begun. Not another rant before breakfast?Surely not?Ah, come on now, steady yourself!It would be easier if you just took upPuffin’ on the fags again, friend.Come on man, […]

                      Under the headline were photographs of the victorious party’s posters in Ennis which  Ennis which, if examined, take some of the gilt off its gingerbread.   They claimed they had questions to ask Eamon de Valera. But when he appeared in Ennis, to address […]

I went to see the movie ‘Small Things like These’ which was released last week. The movie is based on a novel by Claire Keegan who is a brilliant writer and observer of real life in a small community. Her first novel ‘Foster’ was translated to film as ‘An Cailín Ciúin’ and  received a number of awards. […]

  The world right now is stumbling around or sitting with its head in its hands, not knowing quite what to think. That’s the effect D J Trump’s election as American President has had on the world. Here are a few rallying-points that might make the pain more bearable.   We’ve been here before. Trump […]

    The late Albert Nolan was a priest and theologian from South Africa who has written a lot about Christian responsibility to take sides in any conflict. He emerged as an activist during the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. He is one of my favourite writers and theologians because he writes from the […]

    Addressing Dail Eireann in 1963 JFK quoted a speech by Lloyd George which I recognised at the time and wondered why it didn’t provoke a near riot. For Lloyd George had given great praise to the small, I think “five foot four nation” of Belgium. Belgium is not a nation, but a state […]

We were young onceWhen the sun shone upon us.We have witnessed every mistakeEvery battle, every cart and wattle fence.And all you rabbleSquabble, possessive of goodsGrain and meat.We are rarely welcomed inWe wait outside.We all live togetherBut rarely collide, with you.We are never too far wayUnder your feet.And each day we are rarelySix feet away from […]

The new leader of the Tories is Kemi Badenoch, who was born in London but brought up in Nigeria until she was sixteen. Grand to see another glass ceiling smashed, but Kemi is an ardent Brexiteer and she thinks Maggie Thatcher was terrific and hopes to model herself on that wretched woman. Tough times ahead. […]