Place: Ranelagh Dublin 6

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

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Readers' Blog: Disgust at Limerick’s IRA song

I am a lifelong hurling fan, the finest game ever invented, as well as a supporter of our gardaí, and proud of my several relations who served in it, including my late father.

Readers' Blog: Neoliberal policies create the homeless crises

Latest horror in Palestine again ignored by Israel

Remembering those who were executed

Sudden U-turn on 18 Moore Street purchase

We should change how we elect a Taoiseach

Some Palestinian families only have running water three days a month

I have just returned from two weeks in the Bethlehem area of the Palestinian West Bank, where I travelled as part of a fact finding tour with the YMCA.

Mon, 02 Nov, 2015

Studies link poor diets to mental health problems

Your recent focus on complementary approaches to mental health is to be commended. One important variable that is often overlooked is maintaining a healthy lifestyle in terms of food, exercise and sleep.

Fri, 25 Sep, 2015

Corbyn isn’t seeking obscene bailouts or war

Anyone concerned about the dangers of the “hard left” to the economy might reflect on the fact that the greatest economic catastrophe of our lifetime, the banking collapse of 2008, was the direct result result of hard-right, unregulated free-market policies.

Tue, 22 Sep, 2015

Off the rails: train fares in Britain have trebled since privatisation

Demands for the privatisation of Irish rail services should be seen in the context of the privatisation of British Rail, between 1994 and 1997.

Tue, 04 Aug, 2015

NAMA are choosing to denigrate history

The 1916 relatives are still seeking a meeting with NAMA regarding the derelict state of the 1916 national monument at 14-17 Moore Street, Dublin and their financial backing for a planning application to destroy its surrounding 1916 battlefield. To date, NAMA has refused to meet us citing the confidentiality of clients’ business affairs.

Wed, 08 Jul, 2015

Removal of water charges from welfare is new low

The threat to take water charges directly from wages and welfare payments (Irish Examiner, Fri May 8) surely marks a new low in the extortion of money from citizens by private and quasi-private corporations.

Sat, 16 May, 2015

Immoral use of artificial insemination, surrogacy

I have read and reflected on the thoughts of Church of Ireland Bishop Burrows of Ossory supporting the Government’s marriage referendum proposals. I see four moral principles as key to analysing the referendum choice:

Thu, 16 Apr, 2015

Equal rights are sacred, but ideas are fair game

Changing any law, or Constitution, or State policy, like an election, means an open political debate, no matter what the content.

Tue, 31 Mar, 2015

The Leaving Cert lays foundation for third level

Google Scientist winner Sophie Healy-Thow was most unscientific in her “Leaving should be more than just a memory test” article (Irish Examiner, December 3).

Mon, 08 Dec, 2014

Water protestors are just trying to re-balance our unequal society

So despite the best efforts of the great and the good, the Eurozone economy remains stubbornly stagnant (Irish Examiner, Novermber 18).

Mon, 01 Dec, 2014

Mayo loss shows GAA referees need assistance

In last weekend’s GAA All-Ireland football semi-final, Mayo were robbed by at least two close-in frees and a penalty that shouldn’t have been awarded to Kerry, and by frees that should have been awarded to Mayo. It wasn’t the referee’s fault. He was unsighted, and suffering from fatigue and cramp towards the end.

Wed, 03 Sep, 2014

Emigration always a lifestyle choice

The imprecision of Dr Piaras MacEinri (Irish Examiner, Sept 27), who headed a UCC study into recent Irish emigration, is strange. He “warned against using the findings to back the idea that emigration was mainly a lifestyle choice, as Finance Minister Michael Noonan claimed”.

Thu, 03 Oct, 2013

Look to Wales to solve our garda numbers problem

Discussion about garda numbers is never related to international comparisons.

Fri, 01 Feb, 2013

Recommendations on politicians’ allowances have scope for abuse

Last week, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) published a Report on Public Sector Allowances, with recommendations on politicians’ allowances.

Tue, 04 Dec, 2012

Concern over Moore Street monument

The naming of property developer Joe O’Reilly, owner of the Moore Street/Moore Lane 1916 National Monument, as one of ‘The Maple 10’ developers linked to the Anglo banking scandal, is a matter of great concern.

Sat, 28 Jul, 2012

Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, so why would our politicians?

Brendan Casserly (Letters, May 4) suggests that TDs should receive an annual travel allowance (paid monthly) based on the distance from the Dáil to their constituency.

Wed, 09 May, 2012

‘Reformed’ expenses are really a second salary

DESMOND Fitzgerald (Letters, December 28) does not understand the “reformed” system of expenses for our politicians introduced in March 2010.

Sat, 31 Dec, 2011

Society must help these begging children

NUMEROUSLY in recent times, I have encountered the same pair of children begging in Dublin city.

Sat, 29 Oct, 2011

Oath of allegiance needs explanation

NOTING the extensive coverage of an oath taken by Dana on acquiring US citizenship, in addition to her ongoing Irish citizenship, can we expect to see at least as much space devoted to the oath taken not to a democratic, law-based, state, but to an illegal, secret, armed, criminal conspiracy, taken by Martin McGuinness when, as he admits, he joined the IRA?

Tue, 11 Oct, 2011

Spell out consequences

It may be but, also, it may not be.

Wed, 17 Aug, 2011

Appalling attack on Norris reflects badly on us

IT’S bad enough to belong to a nation that is engulfed by economic disaster; a nation that has mostly passively accepted what has befallen it; a nation that does not seem to expect or demand retribution from those who orchestrated its downfall; a nation that is self congratulatory without reason, but now to know that it is also a nation prepared to allow bigotry to come before innate ability, is unconscionable.

Sat, 04 Jun, 2011

Peace no more

THE fools, the fools, they have lent us their German euros, they have pushed their billions upon us.

Thu, 09 Dec, 2010

Chasing our heritage

FOLLOWING two wonderful weekends of Grand National activity in Aintree and Fairyhouse, is the Minister for Environment and Heritage, John Gormley, aware that the Irish Grand National was originally the Ward Union Hunt Steeplechase?

Sat, 24 Apr, 2010

Why ice victims are getting a bad break from the government – twice

MANY people who slipped on ice and ended up in A&E with broken bones will need physiotherapy to ensure they return to normal mobility. We are all entitled to physiotherapy in public outpatients’ departments without charge.

Sat, 16 Jan, 2010

Vatican Council III would be just ‘speculation fodder’ for media

IN calling for a Vatican Council III, my old sparring partner TP O’Mahony (‘Vatican must change’, January 2) shows that more than 40 years later he still hankers for the 1960s when the speculations of German theologians at Vatican II press briefings prompted Irish reporters to be commentators playing the speculation game.

Mon, 11 Jan, 2010

TDs’ expenses are higher than the dole

I COULD find no mention in the budget of the promised reform of TDs’ expenses.

Tue, 29 Dec, 2009

Are we a narrow tribe or a broad family?

I BELIEVE passionately in a “pluralist” Ireland.

Fri, 23 Oct, 2009

Duplicating the case for a Yes vote

RECENTLY, along with pizza promotional and other commercial literature, I received from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) a leaflet entitled ‘The Lisbon Treaty 2009’.

Mon, 21 Sep, 2009

Young ‘pensioner’

SOME of your readers have expressed dismay that it requires legislation to amend the excessive salary and benefits paid to ministers and TDs.

Thu, 25 Jun, 2009

Old problem

AGEISM is rife in media coverage of the upcoming elections.

Sat, 16 May, 2009

We’ve screened out our mathematical mind

OUR current problem with maths has been predictable for going on 40 years.

Fri, 15 Aug, 2008

Physiotherapy schools should be scrapped

THE Minister for Education has asked universities to cut 3% off their salary budgets.

Sat, 02 Aug, 2008

Cover for rainy day

SURELY there’s only one answer to a recession — bring back the Galway tent.

Sat, 28 Jun, 2008

Irish high-fliers in US uniforms

THE Irish presence is very strong in the US security field — as we are reminded by the recent story that US Central Command chief (covering the Middle East), Adm William J Fallon, is resigning and the acting chief will be Army Lt-Gen Martin Dempsey.

Wed, 19 Mar, 2008

Driven to distraction: a conspiracy theory

IS there not something curious about the way in which the driving licence law was introduced? It was rushed in to operate with only a few days’ notice.

Fri, 02 Nov, 2007

Three good reasons to recall bank lodgements

MAYBE I have failed to notice the relevant information in the copious reports, but surely the Mahon Tribunal could have established — or still could establish — the truth in relation of the two disputed AIB bank lodgements in 1994, without having to resort to conjecture.

Thu, 20 Sep, 2007

Harris is no armchair traveller

THE reaction to the Taoiseach’s unpredictable nomination of the indomitable Eoghan Harris to the Seanad was so, well, predictable.

Sat, 11 Aug, 2007

10 reasons why Tallaght should be the site for new children’s hospital

THERE are 10 reasons to shift the planned new National Children’s Hospital from the Mater site specifically to Tallaght, and to have only one advanced tertiary facility in the State for children.

Sat, 17 Feb, 2007

Right or left, practice makes perfect and gives you a balanced approach

IN his interesting column headlined ‘Right versus Left: Politics of the Body’ (Irish Examiner, January 1), Richard Collins shows that the issues raised by right/left dominance apply to animals as well as humans.

Sat, 06 Jan, 2007

Churchgoers should not have to pay for another layer of bureauracy

I WAS puzzled by the one-page feature (Irish Examiner, October 23) in which Seán McCárthaigh uncritically took on board the faulting by Colm O’Gorman of our clergy for not having mandatory reporting of sex-abuse allegations against priests and other church workers.

Mon, 30 Oct, 2006

Islamic leaders see intolerance in the west, but not closer to home

THE following statement was made recently on behalf of the 57-member Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC): “Muslims have noted with concern that the values of tolerance are eroding and there is now shrinking space for others’ religious, social and cultural values in the west”.

Mon, 16 Oct, 2006

Hezbollah’s concealment tactics are the real cause of civilian casualties

IN this era, unlike World War II, with GPS, laser, high-speed data transmission, unmanned aerial vehicles and high-resolution aircraft photo-recce, in addition to instant radio communications, it should be apparent that the civilian casualties in Lebanon are not the result of inaccurate Israeli weapons, carelessness or malice, but of the genocidal Hezbollah freely engaging in the war crimes of firing and concealing their weapons among civilians.

Fri, 08 Sep, 2006

Leading ladies

AS I got through your six pages of advice from ‘leading ladies’ for Irish ladies generally, I began to feel something was missing (Irish Examiner, August 1-3).

Fri, 08 Sep, 2006

Irish MEPs challenged on aviation fuel tax vote

THE European Parliament recently voted by 439 to 74, with 102 abstaining, for tax on aviation fuel.

Thu, 13 Jul, 2006