By far, the most slippery phrase in Irish politics is “issues of conscience”. We regularly hear that TDs should be allowed a free vote on “issues of conscience”. We all know straight-away that “issues of conscience” doesn’t mean –...
In January, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald appointed Mr Justice John Murray to review data retention legislation. His report was expected within three months. Six months on, the Department of Justice tells Donal O’Keeffe “it is not possible to say...
We have heard stories of children being bullied online – in the exceptional case, with even tragic consequences. In the great majority of cases, the result was due exclusively to the aggressive intent of the bullies.
But could there not...
I got some great news last week. The kind of news that - even though it doesn’t affect you directly – cheers you up for the day.
I’ll come back to that in a bit.
Two years ago, I interviewed a...
A Catholic bishop this week said the Catholic Church had probably gone too far in its apologies but is in a better place now for the abuse scandals which destroyed so many lives.
Bishop Kevin Doran, who was appointed to...
Tá a lán buanna ag baint leis an tsaol seo,má thogaimid sos chun taithneamh a bhaint astu agus ag feachaint amach ar iontaisí an tSamhraidh, ba cheart dúinn ár scíth a ligint o am go h-am agus ailleacht timpeallachta...
Life in an apartment building is seldom uneventful but it’s far from all bad, writes Donal O’Keeffe
"It's just apartment house rules so all you 'partment fools, remember one man's ceiling is another man's floor"
- Paul Simon – One Man’s Ceiling Is...
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...
What exactly is it about Irish Catholics that makes them think their Church doesn’t really mean the things it says? Donal O’Keeffe takes to the pulpit.
Last week, the Evening Echo reported that Ken Curtin, a Social Democrat candidate in...
He has served in the army. He has led dare-devil expeditions. He has taught extreme survival skills – appearing with celebrities in his ‘Mission Survive’ TV programme.
But all the while he knows how to turn these same confrontation skills...
