TP O'Mahony: Will Covid-19 prompt an acceleration in real social change?

Ireland has undergone seismic change in recent decades — but the tide has not lifted all boats. Will Covid-19 be an accelerator for broader social change, asks TP O'Mahony.

Ireland has undergone some seismic social change in recent decades but this has not translated into a fairer society for all. Will this change after Covid-19? File Picture. 

When Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats released their single 'Banana Republic' early in 1981, it was a caustic and searing indictment of an Ireland that had never undergone a genuine social revolution. The Rats were mocking a society that prized cupidity over social justice.

Nearly 40 years on, that remains the case, though during that period Ireland has certainly experienced a socio-moral revolution. We now have divorce, legalised abortion and same-sex marriage. And condoms are as readily available today as corn flakes.