As the World Cup kicks off, the Brazilian government and FIFA will be hoping that the world’s attention turns to the soccer field, and away from the strikes and complaints about the organisers’ ineffectiveness.

On Sunday, June 8, spectators and TV viewers were subjected to scenes of violence when members of two county teams, prior to commencement of game, became involved in scuffles.

Both Labour (Joan Burton) and Fianna Fáil (Éamon Ó Cuiv) recently made their views known about a possible coalition with Sinn Féin.

Can one express with deep sorrow and regret what has happened in Ireland since it gained its independence.

We Irish are surely a strange race of people, always craving some horrible aspect of our past or present with which to make a spectacle of ourselves before the world.

It is with great disappointment that I learned recently that RTÉ has no plans to provide any live coverage of the Special Olympics National finals.

I refer to the latest revelations concerning the appalling discovery of a mass grave in Tuam, and the cruel and humiliating treatment of young women and their babies in Bessborough.

One opinion I have seen written since the dreadful Tuam story broke in the media is: That the public must consider the tragedy in the context of the country’s economic and social profile of the time.

I wrote to Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin, calling on them not to take the positions of Lord Mayor on councils around the country.

In the rush to fix yet another outrage on the Catholic Church and rush to judgement across the global press it is clear the usual commentariat have learned nothing from the Fr Reynolds debacle.