Was Jeffrey Archer a hugely successful author who gave harmless pleasure to millions – or an evil rogue who swindled and conned his way through life? On the death of the author on October 5, both claims have been made. Britain’s Queen Camilla expressed gratitude for the “pleasure Jeffrey brought to me and to so…
There will be, no doubt, many sequelae to the Garvaghy Road events last weekend. Perhaps some will be good – a renewed desire for peace, and a resolve to make the shaky Stormont arrangements work. Perhaps some will be unintended – affecting the reputation of politicians in Dublin as well as in the North. There…
Now we come to a subject which is both personal and public, individual and political; impolite to mention and yet relevant to perception and communication. And possibly linked, also, to vanity. This concerns a person’s – most often a woman’s – face. It is a matter of obvious commentary that the Leader of the Opposition,…
Ever since Vatican II, and maybe even before that, we have been enjoined to be ecumenical towards all Christians, and indeed to people of other faiths as well. And quite right too. Respect for other believers, and building bridges of communication and peace are of the essence. But when do such well-meaning intentions spill over…
I wouldn’t dream of expressing an opinion over the current spat between Mary McAleese and the GAA supremo Jarlath Burns. I merely follow with interest Mrs McAleese’s claim that the Gaelic Athletic Association is showing a tincture of misogyny by not expediting integration between the men’s and women’s sports. Mr Burns, for his part, finds…
Sometimes a small incident can provide a sudden insight into a big issue. Thus, I was struck by a personal dilemma recently published about having a baby. “My best friend told me recently that she’s trying for a baby with her boyfriend,” wrote a young woman to Katie Byrne, the ‘Modern Morals’ counsellor for the…
Who would have imagined that one of the biggest celebrities associated with Christian faith would be a country and western singer in an exaggerated blonde wig, glittering rhinestone costumes and teetering high heels? But yes, the late Dolly Parton always openly proclaimed her Christianity, said she started each day with a prayer, and asked God,…
In times gone by, most politicians were savvy enough not to attack motherhood. There was even a jokey phrase to allude to the sweetest things in life: “motherhood and apple pie”. Everything else had a dubious side, but mom and apple pie occupied a specially valued zone. Politicians of old grasped the point that everyone…
There’s to be a new strategy to protect and preserve the cultural heritage of the Travelling community, announced as part of National Heritage Week, just coming to a close. It’s made me reflect on historic attitudes to Travellers, which many of us may have inherited. I grew up with several mixed attitudes to Travellers, who’d…
I’m not much interested in crime, so the vast literature – and screen dramas – on ‘true crime’, and the even vaster canon on fictitious murder and gangsterism – have mostly passed me by. So I have only recently become aware of the existence of Daniel Kinahan, widely described as the boss of ‘the Kinahan…