Author Jude Collins

I never moved. When Brother Skeehan was teaching us to play the recorder in Fourth Class, like all the other little horrors I stared at the notes, groped for the holes in the recorder and blew. But otherwise we never moved. Same thing when I was butchering Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ in St Columb’s College. My […]

I was on Jeremy Vine’s show on BBC Radio 2 a couple of days ago, with Jim Allister. It was a discussion, as if you hadn’t guessed, about marching. I was all set to raise a key point but fortunately ol’ Jeremy made it for me in his intro: contrary to TV impressions, this isn’t […]

I was on Jeremy Vine’s show on BBC Radio 2 a couple of days ago, with Jim Allister. It was a discussion, as if you hadn’t guessed, about marching. I was all set to raise a key point but fortunately ol’ Jeremy made it for me in his intro: contrary to TV impressions, this isn’t […]

To get to Ciaran Mackel’s office, I have to climb narrow stairs past a barber’s emporium, another flight up to  spacious, well-lit rooms, with pictures of houses and plans for houses on the wall. The man himself when he joins me has something of the – no, not zealot- artist is maybe a better word. […]

To get to Ciaran Mackel’s office, I have to climb narrow stairs past a barber’s emporium, another flight up to  spacious, well-lit rooms, with pictures of houses and plans for houses on the wall. The man himself when he joins me has something of the – no, not zealot- artist is maybe a better word. […]

I spent last week in the US and the culture difference, like the heat, hits you immediately. The number-plate on the car I rent at Boston airport had the unnerving slogan ‘Live Free or Die’. I was half-expecting drivers with the same aggressive mind-set on I-90  to Lenox, but no. Traffic is heavy but orderly, […]

I spent last week in the US and the culture difference, like the heat, hits you immediately. The number-plate on the car I rent at Boston airport had the unnerving slogan ‘Live Free or Die’. I was half-expecting drivers with the same aggressive mind-set on I-90  to Lenox, but no. Traffic is heavy but orderly, […]

I watched Mitt Romney’s speech last night and was impressed by several things. 1*   The man looks as though he’s been dry-cleaned. I don’t just mean his shirt or his suit or his tie. All of him – face, hair, teeth, eyes – everything. I know the PR people take great care with their candidates […]

I watched Mitt Romney’s speech last night and was impressed by several things. 1*   The man looks as though he’s been dry-cleaned. I don’t just mean his shirt or his suit or his tie. All of him – face, hair, teeth, eyes – everything. I know the PR people take great care with their candidates […]

Politicians are good at avoiding the issue, sliding away from under a question and raising another issue entirely. Media people know this, which is why good ones are alert to it and haul the politician, sometimes kicking and screaming, back to the question under consideration. In the past twenty-four hours, I’ve seen two examples of […]