Michael Moynihan: Modern ‘advances’ lead to accessibility issues

Going to town to do your banking has any number of consequences — for traffic, carbon emissions, and quality of life — all of which are related to accessibility

Some 88  Bank of Ireland branches have closed around the country, with people forced to range far and wide for necessary financial services. Picture: Denis Minihane.

ONE of my research assistants has discovered the concept of the word cloud — a concept that is now dominating the discourse in the house. Whether it’s Squid Game or the later works of Ms T Swift, the idea of recurring terms in a discussion or debate has become part of life here, and I phrase that as neutrally as I can.

A word cloud isn’t an infallible guide to themes, mind you. If one were applied to these columns in recent months, it mightn’t throw up Cork itself, as the location for much of the experiences detailed in the columns is understood and doesn’t have to be spelled out.