For nearly 70 years I have been inspired by Frank Gallagher, alias David Hogan since reading his “THE FOUR GLORIOUS YEARS” From 1919 t0 1921 he was the main compiler of Dail Eireann’s IRISH BULLETIN, part of a team of brilliant writers including Lawrence Ginnell, Robert Brennan, Desmond Fitzgerald, and Erskine Childers. The British […]
Five things to think about after you throw your radio out the window
‘It’s very complicated, nuanced’ William Crawley explained, talking about the violence of the Troubles. No it’s not. I’ve never met anyone who was opposed to political violence. That is to say, I’ve never met anyone belonging to a country which maintained an army, who didn’t pay their taxes. Armed forces maintenance is only possible […]
That speech of Michelle O’Neill: Ian and Jeffrey grab a bit
I had a choice. The car radio was set to Raidio Uladh when I started the engine and I could have switched it off. I made the decision not to. Nolan was waxing indignant, echoing Ian Paisley Og who I gathered had been outraged ( what else?) that Michelle O’Neill, in the course of an […]
On being a fully integrated part of the UK
So today again, efforts to revive Stormont with mouth-to -mouth resuscitation failed. That’s because the DUP won’t agree to resuscitation, even though all the other parties are enthusiastic for it. Why won’t the DUP agree? Because it’d mean accepting a border down the Irish Sea, and the DUP sees that as a part of the […]
United Ireland is an essential precondition for achieving the society we want – by Carl Duffy
Arguing in favour of a United Ireland often feels like an uphill battle. At best it can become an incredibly complicated affair and at worst it can invoke accusations of being divisive. However, it does not have to be this way. Support for a United Ireland can in fact be a simple and logical position […]
PAT + JUDE TALK ABOUT SABINA’S LETTER, THE LIONESSES’ VICTORY, TRIMBLE, NOAH, TRUMP AND IRISH PRICES…
Sabina Higgins, wife of President Higgins, is caught up in a row over a letter she sent to the Irish Times. In it, she called for a negotiated end to the bloodshed in Ukraine. A lot of southern politicians and a fair number of Ukrainians aren’t one bit happy with that. We probe the matter […]
Unionism’s selective condemnation of certain behaviour – by Carl Duffy
After a video emerged of ‘’chants referencing the IRA’’ at the recent Ulster Fleadh, there has been condemnation from politicians, public figures, and the event organisers. The Ulster Fleadh have stressed in their official statement that they wish to build relationships across all communities and in this respect, I can fully understand their public denunciation […]
Sabina Higgins and that letter
Sabina Higgins, wife of President Michael D Higgins, is in hot water. She recently wrote a letter to The Irish Times, calling for a negotiated settlement of the war in Ukraine. In the absence of negotiation, she said, “the long haul of terrible war will go on”. The Ukrainians weren’t pleased. Kira Rudik, a member […]
Respect and Respectability – by Michael Lagan
“Respect our culture”. It’s a cry we hear most years around July time regarding bonfires and the like. How respectable is Loyalist culture though? I’m a firm believer that everyone has a right to culture, a right to practice and enjoy their culture. However, what I do not find acceptable is a culture which […]
The Commonwealth Games – good clean fun?
As I write this, thousands of people are having a whale of a time in Birmingham. They are the Commonwealth athletes, and there are over 5,000 of them. Add to that the supporters of the 72 teams involved, either arriving with their team or living in Britain, and you’ve got an awful lot of happy, […]