Imagine the Union Flag flying proudly again atop buildings in Ireland, north and south, below the new flag of a United Ireland, a United Ireland that looks a lot more unionist than the Republic. When Prince Charles visited Cork two...
Brian Stanley TD’s misfortunes are only the latest example of Sinn Féin’s tortuous balancing act, rewriting history, laundering the past, and keeping the hard men onboard without frightening the voters. Few in Sinn Fein mention Pearse McAuley nowadays, but until...
In 2015, a fire tore through a temporary halting site in Carrickmines, Co Dublin, killing five adults, five children, and an unborn baby. Five years on, Martin Collins of Pavee Point says little has improved for Ireland’s Traveller community....
There is much symbolism to the way the Magdalene dead have been mistreated in Cork’s Good Shepherd Magdalene Laundry (also an orphanage and industrial school) but former inmate Mary Harney’s harrowing testimony is a timely reminder of just how...
Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s promise to help homeless victims of rape and sexual violence is significant. Those to whom he made that pledge say he is a man of his word. Last Saturday afternoon in Cork Penny Dinners, Taoiseach Micheál Martin...
When Teddy Roosevelt referred to the US presidency as “a bully pulpit”, he didn’t mean the word bully as we use it now. These past four years it’s been easy to forget that. Theodore Roosevelt Jr took office as the...
David McCullagh, fan of Bruce Springsteen, and RTÉ Six-One News co-presenter, talks about the Boss’ new album, and his own new gig. Donal O’Keeffe: David, it’s great to have you in The Avondhu. Thanks a million for doing this. David McCullagh:...
With the bodies and burial records of more than 800 babies missing at Bessborough, the sealing for thirty years of survivor testimony reveals the State’s perverse priorities almost a century after the mother and baby home opened. Twenty-six women...
There’s a lovely piece of street art on Cork’s Grand Parade, on the electrical box outside Lloyd’s Pharmacy, featuring a striking portrait in blue of Frederick Douglass against a bright pink background. The mural bears a famous quote from...
If we are forced into a Level Five lockdown after all, the Tánaiste’s attack on Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan will seem ill-advised indeed. When Leo Varadkar left RTÉ last Monday night week after his extraordinary performance on...

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