34 years ago today, Ann Lovett died after giving birth at a grotto in Granard. Ann’s death changed an Ireland which is still trying to escape the long shadow of the 1980s, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
Granard, Co Longford, is a...
Last year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny claimed that ISIS wants to destroy Newgrange and the Rock of Cashel. Given Ireland’s lack of regard for its heritage, it’s a wonder we haven’t beaten them to it, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
A century ago,...
An Irish citizen – a minor at the time of arrest - has been held without trial in an Egyptian jail for almost three years. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that we might be more concerned if he...
Is there such a thing as bad publicity?
In the age of social media, was Oscar Wilde right about the only thing worse than being talked about? If you're a publicity-hungry proprietor using social media to promote your business,...
If you watched This Time with Alan Partridge on BBC1 last week, there’s a good chance you’re still humming “Come Out Ye Black and Tans”, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
Martin Brennan is a middle-aged farmer from Sligo, and a man who...
I’ve been a good tenant for eleven years and now I’m about to be homeless, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
I’m about to be homeless.
I’m not trying to bandwagon what should be – and won’t be because of Fine Gael ideology –...
As Doctor Who actor Tom Baker turns 85, Donal O’Keeffe salutes the man who was probably – with apologies to all the others - the definitive Doctor.
On June 8, 1974, viewers of Doctor Who saw the mysterious alien adventurer...
Character references and courtroom displays of support for convicted sex offenders are worthless, and serve no other purpose than to re-traumatise victims.
They queued up to shake Danny Foley’s hand, that day in the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee, dozens...
The phrase “rape culture” is new enough in public discourse here. What might rape culture look like in Ireland? asks Donal O’Keeffe.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines rape culture as “A society... whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of...
No, the Irish were not slaves, but there’s a reason the worst people want you to think they were, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
For the second year running, US President Donald Trump has declared March 'Irish-American Heritage Month'. That will have gone...
