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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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.

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 »

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 »

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 »

It is National Bike Week and the transport news is dominated by escooters. On Monday next, they finally become legal in Ireland, albeit with a range of restrictions that would never be countenanced for motor vehicles. The five kg of an escooter seems to elicit more fear in the Road Safety Authority than the two-thousand… Read more »

Last weekend, students from Trinity College, Dublin blockaded the library where the Book of Kells is on display and established an encampment of tents on the lawn in front of the Arts block. They were protesting the fact that the university has investments in three firms that are blacklisted by the UN for their involvement… Read more »