Notebook   We buried him today in Culmore 10, 15 people there, no more; for we are told that is the way to keep the deadly virus at bay. But it’s sad for sure and lonely too far removed from what we do, when parish stops to bow its head and mourn a neighbour who…

Historic memories of the Spanish flu of 1918-20 have been frequently invoked during the present pandemic – the novelist Emma O’Donoghue, who wrote Room, will be publishing a new novel in July based on the so-called Spanish flu. (Unfair to blame the Spanish for that pandemic: Spain’s press simply reported it, being free of wartime…

The View   At the beginning of Lent we heard the words: “Memento homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.” Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return. In the two months since then – has it really only been two months? – a tiny virus has brought the world to…

It is untenable for the Government to refuse to admit mistakes and we need a public inquiry, writes David Quinn   Nursing homes in Ireland, whether private or HSE-run, look after about 30,000 elderly people. That comes to roughly 0.6% of our population. Yet these homes account for around 50% of all Covid-19 related deaths…

Notebook   I have been live-streaming Sunday Mass onto our parish Facebook page since March 15, so I feel like a hardened cyber-veteran at this stage. But even with nine broadcast Masses under my belt, the Sunday morning liturgical adventure is always preceded by a sleepless Saturday night. Maybe after a year, when this becomes…

It is said that time heals all wounds, although the motto doesn’t specify just how much time may be required. Still, it happens. Just look at Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and their plans to govern together during this time of crisis. The plans may not run smoothly, and there may be arguments over the…

The View   For many years past, there have been warnings of the danger of a pandemic, which mostly went unheeded. Now it is upon us. We were quickly reminded of the great influenza epidemic of 
1918-19, which carried off millions of people, young adults in particular. Throughout history, and to this day in many…

Political and ideological biases have often poisoned the facts, writes David Quinn   Do you remember the case of Fr Kevin Reynolds? He was the priest RTÉ wrongly accused of fathering a child through rape, one of the most serious allegations you can make against someone. The allegation was made on an edition of Prime…

With some honourable exceptions, we don’t have journalists in Ireland, we have 
 cheerleaders, writes John McGuirk   “Excellent investigative Journalism in the Sunday Times”, tweeted Irish Independent columnist Colette Browne on Sunday morning, in response to the extensive report the London-based paper had just published laying out the multiple alleged failures of Boris Johnson’s…