When Donald Trump was first elected President of the USA, I wrote that I had a feeling of dread. This time I have that same feeling, but it is mixed with curiosity – Trump is so unpredictable that anything could happen, from World War 3 to World peace. Worrying and intriguing times ahead! A few…
It’s a trend these days for people to loathe their past – especially the past history and culture of their country. There are lots of serious faults with our past in Ireland, but when the past becomes the all-consuming bogeyman, present abuses slip under the radar. Present and ongoing abuses are the ones we can…
Is a crime motivated by hate worse than one motivated by greed, or anger, or lust or indeed any one of the other deadly sins? What if motives are mixed, as they often are? Should the law treat a perpetrator more harshly depending on the motivation? I’m not convinced. Such questions became very pertinent last…
So much of what is on TV is froth, trivia and superficiality, so it’s good to see a programme that goes deeper. The Meaning of Life (RTÉ One, Sunday) returned for a new season last weekend, when the first guest was Sinead Burke, disability rights campaigner, businesswoman, fashion guru and teacher. It was an…
There are many things that make me proud to be Irish – high on the list is our peace keeping service with the United Nations. On The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Tuesday) security expert Declan Power outlined the work our troops do overseas, with particular reference to our peacekeepers in Lebanon, under pressure at the…
The battle between good and evil is a reality in life and a staple source of plots in fiction. The struggle is particularly prominent on the Lord of the Rings universe. The second season of the spin-off Rings of Power (Amazon Prime, Thursday) came to an end last week. I stuck it out to the…
It would be great to live in a world where life was valued. At the moment, the right to life is undermined so often, whether through war, capital punishment, euthanasia or abortion. And that’s not an exhaustive list. The news during the week featured a man, Marcellus Williams, who was executed in the USA despite…
Life in modern times can be fractious, fractured, frustrating… and that’s only the fs! Seeking calm in such an environment can be a very attractive proposition. Last Monday morning on Oliver Callan (RTÉ Radio 1) the host had a timely conversation with Capuchin Brother Richard Hendricks, priest and poet, about the ideas in his new…
In the modern media landscape that is so fragmented it is rare to find a programme that draws huge numbers, but we got one last week. Yes, it was the much-anticipated Harris v Trump the US Debate (Sky News, Wednesday) – too early in the morning. It was a sign of its significance that it…
There are some stories you just can’t ignore, even if you want to because they are so repulsive. And so it was with the release last week of the O’Toole Report into child sexual abuse at schools run by religious orders, effectively Catholic schools. It should be immediately clear that something is wrong here –…
Brendan O’Regan