Understanding the past is a tricky business . A recent commenter (is that the word?) to my blog on Patrick Pearse mentioned Ruth Dudley Edwards’s book on Pearse. I haven’t read it so I can’t be certain as to what it says. But I could guess by looking at Ruthie’s track record, notably her admiring […]
Author Jude Collins
Was Pearse mad?
Among the tens of thousands of words spoken during interviews for my book Whose Past Is It Anyway?, those of Ian Paisley Jr are among the most memorable – particularly his thoughts on the Easter Rising. “I’m an avid student of history, so I’ve absolutely no difficulty in exploring the Easter Rising further. As I […]
Was Pearse mad?
Among the tens of thousands of words spoken during interviews for my book Whose Past Is It Anyway?, those of Ian Paisley Jr are among the most memorable – particularly his thoughts on the Easter Rising. “I’m an avid student of history, so I’ve absolutely no difficulty in exploring the Easter Rising further. As I […]
How to be transparent
Transparency – lovely word, isn’t it? A word without jagged edges, a word that’s almost a sigh, a word that puts nothing between you and its meaning. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of it about. Let’s take two examples – both fairly current at the moment. On 19 March 1988, two British soldiers, Derek Wood […]
How to be transparent
Transparency – lovely word, isn’t it? A word without jagged edges, a word that’s almost a sigh, a word that puts nothing between you and its meaning. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of it about. Let’s take two examples – both fairly current at the moment. On 19 March 1988, two British soldiers, Derek Wood […]
A councillor, his high horse and his withered fig-leaf
Oh dear oh dear. When you’re climbing on your high horse, it’s important to check that your fig-leaf is thick and flourishing. Otherwise people will see, um, through you. I was just at the Rice Krispies stage this morning when the voices of two Belfast City councillors joined me from Raidio Uladh/Radio Ulster. They were […]
A councillor, his high horse and his withered fig-leaf
Oh dear oh dear. When you’re climbing on your high horse, it’s important to check that your fig-leaf is thick and flourishing. Otherwise people will see, um, through you. I was just at the Rice Krispies stage this morning when the voices of two Belfast City councillors joined me from Raidio Uladh/Radio Ulster. They were […]
Nigel Dodds and ‘child abuse’
It’s good to see the DUP’s Nigel Dodds concerned about child abuse. There’s something particularly cowardly and cruel about taking helpless children and submitting them to your selfish desires. Hellish wouldn’t be too strong an adjective to use of such actions. Right? The abuse Nigel is concerned about is the dressing-up of children in dark […]
Nigel Dodds and ‘child abuse’
It’s good to see the DUP’s Nigel Dodds concerned about child abuse. There’s something particularly cowardly and cruel about taking helpless children and submitting them to your selfish desires. Hellish wouldn’t be too strong an adjective to use of such actions. Right? The abuse Nigel is concerned about is the dressing-up of children in dark […]
Mr Edwin Poots and his disagreeable tweet
The DUP’s Edwin Poots may not cut what the Italians call a ‘bella figura’ but that’s no reason to attack him when he opens his mouth to express a view. Although in this case it’s his fingers he’s opened, so to speak, with what has now become a famous tweet. As republicans marked the anniversary […]