Freud famously said that “anatomy is destiny” – perhaps challenged, now, in our transgender era – but for nations, geography surely can be destiny. Italy currently feels this acutely, as it bears the brunt of the great numbers of migrants brought to its shores. The number crossing the Med, mainly from Libya, is currently at…
I’m a great admirer of temperance movements and the positive message they have to impart: you can have the greatest fun without getting plastered. Not only can you enjoy life to the fullest – you can even remember what you enjoyed! And yet I also learned from a tolerant point made by Alcoholics Anonymous: most…
The choice of language, as I’ve often observed, is a hugely significant element of politics and culture. An example worth noting emerged over last weekend in the wake of the British General Election: the use of the toxic phrase “socially conservative”. As it became clear that the Democratic Unionist Party would be the new kingmakers…
“Tolerance and esteem for other cultures should be automatically part of a decent education”, writes Mary Kenny According to Dr Victoria Showunmi at Maynooth University, the teaching of history and other subjects in Ireland should be adjusted to reflect the cultures and experiences of new immigrants. Schools and colleges should offer a curriculum that doesn’t…
“if an older person feels that their sons and daughters haven’t been particularly caring, I think they should be entitled to distribute their worldly goods as they see fit”, writes Mary Kenny I don’t imagine that most of us older people will be rushing off to our solicitors to alter our wills in the wake…
“With abortion legislation, he did not permit deputies to vote according to their consciences”, writes Mary Kenny Europe is this year marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s famous first protest, in 1517, which became in effect, the beginning of what is sometimes called the Protestant Revolution, and sometimes the Reformation. The Catholic Church has,…
“To say that he suffered from a ‘mental illness’ is to suggest that people with a mental illness are inclined to be psychopathic killers”, writes Mary Kenny I’ll never forget Michael Parkinson, the television host, telling me about his experiences as a young reporter in the north of England during 1966, when he was sent…
“Because food is constantly available to us, through refrigeration and instant convenience, we have no disciplinary restraints on our appetites and snacking is ubiquitous”, writes Mary Kenny Like a lot of women (and many men), I’m an episodic dieter. There’s always an ongoing battle of ‘fighting the flab’, as the late Sir Terry Wogan put…
“Awareness of technological innovation and change can make us alert to cultural and social change”, writes Mary Kenny It is well known that the greatest political changes often occur through ‘events’, rather than through the carefully-laid plans and projects of politicians. And perhaps the biggest changes to our social and cultural lives often occur through…
“…you must stand up for your faith, be unafraid”, writes Mary Kenny I encountered a nun in a Dublin shopping mall last week – she identified me through a mutual acquaintance of schooldays. It took me a few minutes to clock that she was a religious sister, as she was dressed in civvies – indeed,…