Category: Articles
James “Lugs” Branigan: Lessons from An Era of Paternal Policing
At his retirement dinner in 1973, Chief Superintendent of the Gardaí Patrick Malone — a man not known for exaggerated statements — described Branigan as “one of those people who become a legend in their own time”. Born in 1910...
Galway People Before Profit Embroiled in Yet Another MeToo Scandal
Note: This article was amended on the 8th of April to clarify aspects of the legal disputes which have and are occurring as well as individuals involved. The world and NUIG in particular woke up to yet another MeToo scandal...
Reflections on the Resurrection: An Easter Musing-Michael Sonne
I recently had a Zoom meeting with a Dominican priest who serves the parishioners of St Saviour’s in Dominick street. We touched upon the events leading up to Christ’s imprisonment, in which the proposed God of the universe commands his...
Seanad By-Elections 2021: Dáil Éireann’s Rotten Borough
The Seanad has very few powers in Ireland, and generally serves nowadays as less of a meritocratic chamber to scrutinise legislation or to represent Southern Unionists, and more as a placeholder for those with ambitions to be kept on life...
An Rabharta Glas — Green Left: Ireland’s Latest Radlib Monstrosity
“Radlib: Short for Radical Liberal. Used as an insult among leftist groups for people who claim to be radicals or leftists, often to feel good about themselves, but express liberal, uninformed or otherwise non-leftist views about important topics such as...
The North : Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Republican activist Des Dalton recently drew both praise and ire from active Republicans for his statement regarding the continuing armed campaign by various groups. And while there has been some discussion on the topic of the justification (or lack thereof)...
Hazel Chu: Has Diversity Politics Come Back to Haunt the Greens?
Has Hazel Chu reached too far and tipped over the boat? Or was there some other motive to her gambit to which we are not privy? Despite the rancour from some elements of the Green Parliamentary Party at her attempt...
Guess Who’s On the State’s New Diversity Quango?
As part of an ongoing push to solidify the diversity agenda at a state level, the Department of Justice announced the formation of a 16-strong committee to dictate the government’s attitude on dealing with racism into the next decade. The...
Command and Control: Ireland’s Centralised Media Model
The ruling ideology in Ireland is one which promotes and uses a top-down command structure, a structure which entails the creation of artificial structures in order to supplant ordinary civil society. For example, among public affairs organisations, there is an...
Inside the Garda Hate Speech Unit
A freedom of information request was recently answered An Garda Síochána’s National Diversity and Integration Unit (GNDIU), the unit tasked with the implementation of hate speech laws in Ireland. The request sought to understand the financial upkeep, organisational role, and...