Author: Kevin Hargaden

The Irish and UK 2009 snowfall on a car with a smiley face drawn on it

Confronting AMOCalypse

If you trace the lines of longitude on a map of the world, you discover something counter-intuitive about Ireland. Dublin is at 53.3498° N, which means it is further north than Winnipeg. The daily mean temperature in Winnipeg in January is -16.3°C. Introducing the AMOC Every Junior Cert student in the country can explain why… Read more »

Refugees Welcome street art in Dublin

5 Key Things to Learn from the Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Migration

Introduction Last weekend, the Irish Catholic Bishops published their latest pastoral letter, which is entitled ‘A Hundred Thousand Welcomes?’. It seeks to explore what hospitality for migrant people means in contemporary Ireland. A “pastoral letter” is an open letter written by the bishops as a group that seeks to guide and encourage the faithful on… Read more »

Airpods on the laptop with a filtered image of euros raining down

The Forbidden Fruit of Apple’s Taxation

Back in 2016, the EU Commission decided that Ireland had given an unfair advantage to Apple through the provision of tax loopholes. Before Irish people could plan a tunnel to Wales or a 100-metre-tall golden statue of Michael Flatley, the Irish government launched an appeal, costing millions, arguing that they should not be forced to… Read more »

a close up image of band on stage focusing on the guitar in the leads hand. On the right there is a loading bar saying you are 'in the queue'

What Thomas Aquinas has to do with Oasis

It is easy to dismiss the recent furore over surge pricing of tickets for the Oasis reunion gigs. The product for sale is hardly essential, even for people like me, diehard fans from the olden days (who also support Man City). The targeted consumer is hardly oppressed – most Oasis fans are likely to be… Read more »

All the young adults and group leaders from Faith and Politics

Why You Should Want More Religious People in Politics

A report on Faith and Politics 2024 Considering Ireland’s history, the mere suggestion that we need more religious people in politics might seem bizarre. Contrary to the popular narrative that religion should be kept out of the public sphere, there’s a compelling case to be made that religious people bring a unique and desperately needed… Read more »

Citizen Juries: A Way to Restore Ireland’s Hospitality?

In recent years, Ireland has experienced a surge in anti-immigrant protests. These protests are driven in a large part by an organised cohort who are driven by xenophobia, prejudice, and fear. What can we say of Irish “patriots” who march alongside the UDA, except that we have to suspect that they have other more pressing… Read more »

Jason Cullen from Dublin Commuters Coalition leads the protest outside City Hall for the full implementation of the Dublin Transport Plan, July 8th 2024.

Reflections from the Dublin City Transport Plan Protest

The reason we gathered was to demand the full implementation of the Dublin Transport Plan, that has been developed over years by expert engineers and city officials. It has been subject to extensive public consultation. It has been voted on twice by the elected representatives of the city. And it is being held up because the CEO of the Council has capitulated to a small group of business leaders, who have the backing of a junior minister who, new to the job, is quickly exploring just how far she can reach.

“Why we can’t have nice things”: Dublin Edition

Dublin city centre is unusually congested. It is estimated that the extent of traffic in the capital costs hundreds of millions of euros a year in lost productivity. For these very practical reasons, the city council has committed to a new transport plan. Initially will involve a couple of hundred metres of bus gates and… Read more »

Neon Yellow lights against a black wall that say 'You Belong Here'

Ancient Scriptures and Contemporary Problems

I have spent a lot of time in the last month reading and re-reading an odd, short book in the Hebrew Scriptures. Ruth is just 85 verses long, spread over 4 chapters. On the surface it tells a fable so familiar, Netflix could adapt it and market it as a rom-com – it’s a story… Read more »

The signage is removed from the old Anglo Irish Bank building, April 20, 2011

Ireland Remains a Neoliberal State

A certain sector of the Irish population seems to strongly dislike David McWilliams. He is often the butt of jokes where something mean appears to have replaced something witty in the punchline. He’s like our answer to Malcolm Gladwell, someone with a prominent platform that seeks to make complicated things simple, even if that runs… Read more »