The pro-Palestinian disturbances on American – and other campuses – have been widely compared to the youthful demonstrations which helped to bring an end to the Vietnam war in the 1960s. Certainly, the protests against the American involvement in the Vietnam war were momentous (Australia and other allies also took part). Two Irish-American Catholic priests,…
What is ‘the far right’ in the political – or social – sphere? We hear this phrase from various authorities, but when the admirable Senator Sharon Keogan asked Justice Minister Helen McEntee for a definition, the minister dithered over her response. She was “not sure there is a definition,” said Ms McEntee. It was, she…
It won’t be surprise to learn that Ireland is growing richer, and there are, in the words of a leading accountant, “an awful lot of people making money” in Ireland today. The number of ‘super-rich’ individuals – those with over €20 million in their possession – has increased by 200 over the past two years,…
The price of Irish unification has now been put at €20 billion over twenty years – the bill to be picked up by the Irish taxpayer. (Although these figures, as estimated by economist John FitzGerald, son of Garret, are disputed by some.) But as Ireland is reckoned to be one of the richest countries in…
Two things especially struck me on my recent visit to Jordan: one was the respect, even reverence, accorded to Christian holy places. And the other was the way in which the Muslim people in Jordan observed their own Ramadan traditions. Fasting Most people my son Ed and I encountered when travelling in this peaceful, stable…
One of the problems with ‘assisted dying’ – now under parliamentary discussion in both Ireland and Britain – is the very phrase itself. In truth, a proper opportunity for ‘assisted dying’ can be entirely Christian and supportive. I mean in the sense that a dying person should have someone with them, to calm and care,…
There has been, obviously, much discussion about the role of women in the national sphere recently; but one of the groups drawing least attention is what we might call ‘the tribe of widows’. When I was involved, with others, in forming the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement in 1970, the position of widows was one of…
“Thankfully, it’s not my field of expertise, so I don’t have to write about it,” I heard a journalist remark last week, in relief. He was referring to the Gaza-Israel conflict, how agonising it is, and how difficult it would be to produce a balanced commentary on these terrible events. On the one hand, the…
So, my cousin and I fell to talking about how differently children are brought up these days in contrast to our childhood, or even to our time as younger mothers – a perennial topic among grandmothers. Modern parenthood focuses on giving children choices, and letting them voice their needs freely. Children should not be coerced…
The Hollywood mogul, Sam Goldwyn, coined many amusing quotations still in currency – his way of declining an invitation was “Include me out!” He most famously set a maxim for our age when he suggested that public attention is always helpful – “Any publicity is good publicity.” It doesn’t turn out to be true in…