AN irreplaceable part of Ireland’s patrimony is to be auctioned off in London, though last Saturday President Michael D Higgins presided at the 20th anniversary celebration of the Heritage Council, writes Gerard Howlin.

It is an essential public interest that the proceedings of the Oireachtas are reported, writes Gerard Howlin

THE Government knows that selling its share in Aer Lingus will be politically tricky, and will require careful handling. In holding the issue over to yesterday’s cabinet meeting, and in moving on in the afterglow of last weekend’s same-sex marriage referendum win, it is managing its exit from the airline business with as little political hassle as can be hoped for.

Micheál Martin’s party lacks the numbers and, with only a few exceptions, lacks the passion to impact in Leinster House and the vision to reinvent itself, writes Gerard Howlin

Marriage equality will perform a function of socially anchoring those who although previously criminalised, must now be anchored effectively within society, writes Gerard Howlin

ONE WEEK from Friday, we’ll have the chance to amend the constitution and allow marriage equality for all.

Next week, social partnership, under a different name, will be resurrected and restarted writes Gerard Howlin

ONE of the funniest things about the Siteserv kerfuffle is the public indignation that the votes of shareholders in a banjaxed, bust company had to be ‘bought’ for €5m, before its sale could proceed. Imagine that; buying votes! The very thought.

Syriza wants to break the rules of a political association that it cannot afford to leave, writes Gerard Howlin

FUNNY thing about Enda Kenny is that the attempt to take him out in 2010 was the making of him. Till then, for eight years since his election as party leader in 2002, he endured slights, put-downs and was at best just patronised by some of his own colleagues in Fine Gael.