Author Jude Collins

The sad and stupid fate of Jason Arday

There is a man lying dead in England this morning, and most of us assume he took his own life. He was famous, forty-one years of age, and very clever. How and why did this appalling waste of a human being happen? Jason Arday was black, with long dreadlocks and a strong, intelligent face. He […]

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Jim, Thomas, Francie and the A5

Francie Molloy, former Sinn Féin MP, has done a very daring thing: he has linked the failure to complete the A5 with the Ulster Plantation. “It hasn’t delivered the A5 because courts have come in the way and people using the courts to obstruct a political process,” he said. “In the A5 you have an […]

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Gordon Lyons and the horrors of the Feile

Gordon Lyons,DUP MLA, is a big,open -hearted man. Listen to this: “While the Fleadh brought people together in a spirit of celebration that was open and welcoming, Féile has too often featured elements that divide and offend. Public tributes to convicted terrorists and the platforming of those who glorify a campaign of violence have no […]

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Daniel Kinehan is innocent

Daniel Kinehan – you know him. The one they sent the Irish government jet to Dubai to arrest and bring to Ireland? Well, here’s something you don’t know: Kinehan is innocent. He has been charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation. He hasn’t been charged with murder or drug-trafficking. So what do you […]

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Alternative Alternative Protestants: The Different Strands of Contemporary Protestant Irish Nationalism – BY Peter Irvine

    Discussion of northern Protestant support for Irish unity often centres on a particular type: the liberal or civic-minded former unionist who retains a largely British identity but has gradually concluded that a united Ireland might offer a better future. Such people certainly exist and their voices are often worth listening to. But they […]

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Mairia and the tainted Fleadh and Feile

If you’re a supporter of the SDLP, you may be conducting a victory dance around your living room at the news that Mairia Cahill has joined the party. If you are not a supporter of the SDLP or are in fact critical of that party, you may be conducting a victory dance around your living […]

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Is it OK to be a Catholic and believe in nuclear deterrence:

If you are a Catholic – and maybe even if you’re not – you’re probably pleased to hear that Andy Burnham is a Catholic who, apparently, takes his Catholicism seriously. He may not attend Mass every Sunday but as everyone except right-wing recidivist Catholics know, attending Mass every Sunday  says practically nothing about the quality […]

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