Websites can lead us to entangled webs of frustration

This week's column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Are you up to speed with how much you are paying for all your different facilities? Are you computer literate or do you have to ask someone how to guide you through the maze of all the different websites?

How do you manage with passwords? No doubt if you are extremely efficient and with loads of cop on you will have your passwords hidden away somewhere or else you will use the same password for everything. The point about that is we are forever being told not to write down our passwords and never to use the same password across the board. So what actually should we do?

I have had a week of hell trying to navigate my way through a number of websites.

Every teacher in the State has to be registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland in order to be employed in a school. I have no idea how many times I have requested a new password. On my most recent visit to the website I became confused and called the office number to learn that it does not open until midday every working day. That sounds and smells extremely strange to me. 

I eventually managed to get through some days later when I had free time after 12pm. The customer services representative, with whom I spoke, was most helpful.

The following day I ventured to log on to MyGovId. It was the nightmare that broke this camel’s back; part of it was my own fault, once again I had forgotten my password. I now have my new password written down in a diary. Oops, I’m told not to do that.

But I eventually got on to the magic website after many attempts and security numbers popping in and out of my phone.

I tried navigating on to the appropriate section, I failed. Luckily I had a phone number. Have you noticed it is well nigh impossible to find phone numbers on websites.

Many days later and hours wasted being frustrated and annoyed I discovered that how the State now pays Household Benefits has been changed. Until last September the State paid the allowance for your electricity or gas consumption directly to the relevant facility. 

As and from September 2025 all new benefit holders, or people who change their provider, receive the money into their personal account. Is that a good idea, would it not be wiser to stay with the old system? The Department told me the new way is easier and cheaper for the State. 

But what really surprised me about the change was that it all seemed to be done very quietly and I can’t remember seeing any adverts or announcements about it.

Some days later I tried phoning a school textbook company; I spent two days trying to get through, no answer the first day, second day I’m told to leave a message. It’s many days later now, and still no contact from them.

I’ve heard of a case whereby when a student asked to go for a toilet break it had to be registered on the computer.

Honestly, have computers really made it any easier for the ordinary jockser like me?

What’s going to happen when AI takes over? I’m no Luddite but I am scared.

 

Far-right pretends to espouse Christian values

Daniel Thomas, who styles himself on social media as 'Danny Tommo' featured on Sunday in the anti-migrant protests in Portsmouth. 

He wants to take his 'country back'. One might ask back where, to the old imperial colonising ways?

He is a long-time associate of Stephen Yaxley Lennon, otherwise known as Tommy Robinson.

Both men have done time in prison.

Danny Tommo was in prison having been found guilty of kidnapping. He and his associates kidnapped the wrong man and the incident had to do with a drug debt.

On his release from prison Tommo announced that he had found God and become a Christian.

It is spectacularly interesting to observe how many people on the far-right have announced they have become Christian.

From Trump to JD Vance to Putin, Christianity is hip with those who preach hatred.

And within old-fashioned Christianity there are many diehard far-right people who equate Christian mores or principles with a dictatorial/imperious type of rule.

Christianity has nothing to do with far-right ideologies. Alas, far too often it has been hijacked by the far-right to further their own ways of subjugating people; they have centuries of practice.

Farage drinks with the boys, AfD scores over 44% of vote

Laura Kuenssberg's political programme returned from the summer break to BBC 1 yesterday morning.

The main interview was with Nigel Farage; his attire was loud, suit and shoes, the man looked like someone working for Del Boy.

I listened to every word he said, disagreeing with him and finding his words vile and implausible, cheap too.

Yet, he made an impression and I can now recall most of what he said.

Later in the programme Kuenssberg interviewed UK Secretary of State for Business, Science and Trade, Jonathan Reynolds. He came across as a reasonable, knowledgeable minister; what he said made sense to me. But I cannot now recall one idea he expressed at the time.

I know it's cliche and taboo too; people easily remembered what Hitler said.

In Germany the far right AfD has topped the poll in the State election in Saxony Anhalt. It's worth noting it is a tiny State in the former GDR.

They are close to an overall majority but the three main parties have pledged not to coalesce with them.

Both Farage and the AfD claim not to be part of the political elite. Nothing could be further from the truth.

But unfortunately, the more Farage and the AfD are accused of wrong doing the more votes they are assured of winning.

Top mathematician leaves Leaving Cert maths reform group

This opinion piece by Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin is well worth a read. It appears in this weekend's edition of The Irish Times.

Reading it I found myself asking what would the late Dominican priests Canice Murphy and John O'Gorman, both mathematics teachers, have to say about it; I imagine they would be in agreement. As a non-mathematician, I thought her comment that 'handpicked opinions appeared in drafts and input from some members was consistently ignore'.  Ní Shúilleabháin has to be complimented for her observation and courage in saying it.

Such practice is not exclusive to the NCCA.

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As a child in Mayo, I found it fascinating to look at the dark night sky and see light travelling through time from far-flung stars to our tiny planet. I chose to study theoretical physics at university, not because I was the best in class at maths, but because I wanted to learn more about how mathematics explains the world around us. It was a challenging but rewarding degree, which instilled in me a love of the rigour, abstraction and creativity associated with the subject of mathematics.

Game theory, quantum mechanics and modelling traffic flow were all interesting parts of our studies that we grappled with, collaborated on and, eventually, mastered. Most of my classmates are now leaders in global finance and markets, with others spearheading research on gravitational waves. Our Leaving Certificate studies were just the first step on our mathematical journeys but gave us a flavour of the challenge and endeavour we might enjoy in further study.

As a secondary-school teacher, and now teacher educator, I try to ensure all children will have the opportunity to enjoy learning mathematics and see the value of the subject that is so prevalent and important in many aspects of life. Although only a handful might choose to continue their direct study of the subject, most learners entering further or higher education will continue doing mathematics. Others may never write another mathematical equation after secondary school, but they will use their mathematical knowledge and numeracy skills in all aspects of life, from calculating the best energy rates to managing colleagues’ work schedules. Having a mathematically literate society is an important part of empowering people to engage in democratic processes through calling out inaccurate claims and questioning data.

Levels of mathematical achievement correlate with higher incomes in later life but, unfortunately, not all learners have the opportunity to study mathematics at higher level. Schools that are designated as socioeconomically disadvantaged, or Deis, are significantly less likely to offer higher-level maths than non-Deis schools. With 25 bonus points available for those studying higher level, this inequity locks many young people out of further and higher education.

Worryingly, mathematics education in Ireland also seems to exacerbate a gender gap. Historically, girls were as likely as boys to achieve top marks in the subject, but since the curriculum reform of 2012 girls are less likely to achieve a H1 than boys. A similar gap does not exist with the Junior Cycle and work done by the Society of Actuaries of Ireland suggests the Leaving Cert maths exam favours students with more practised spatial-reasoning and problem-solving skills, strengthened through subjects such as applied mathematics (which is studied by twice as many boys as girls). This is not a problem with girls; it’s a problem in how we construct and assess our mathematics curriculum.

It was a privilege to be invited to contribute to a review of the Leaving Certificate mathematics curriculum by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and I looked forward to working with colleagues to design a syllabus that would allow all young people, of all levels of achievement, to develop the knowledge and skills that would benefit their futures.

Conversations within the NCCA group were collegial and professional, with a shared objective in designing curricula that would work for students. While there were disagreements of opinion, these were professional, respectful and constructive. Unfortunately, group decisions were not always recorded, handpicked opinions appeared in drafts and input from some members was consistently ignored.

The potential to design an additional assessment component that would allow students to think more deeply and communicate their mathematical understanding in creative ways was wasted. Decision- making processes were opaque and I found the structures of work to be flawed in design, governance and output. I do not believe these draft curricula serve the mathematical or numeracy needs of students sitting foundation or ordinary level and, even though Ireland already underserves high-achieving students, this proposed curriculum will not enhance student learning at higher level.

While errors in a draft curriculum can be amended, the fact that corrections from separate group members were consistently ignored points to a systems- design issue. Teachers and pedagogy experts are, and should be, involved in curriculum design, as is common practice around the world. Where Ireland differs is the formalised and constant involvement of subject-matter experts. Across the globe research academics and representatives of subject associations are consistently involved in curriculum drafting. This ensures secondary-school subjects can evolve to incorporate new knowledge and skills, engaging young people in subjects that are relevant and that prepare them for an ever-changing world.

A structure for curriculum design that maintains content coherence, makes evidence-informed decisions and supports teachers to translate this to the classroom is necessary. A dilution of such subject expertise in our current system may be why our biology curricula have, in a time of biodiversity crisis, dramatically less plant-based science, why our agricultural science curricula have little mention of forestry, or why academics resigned from the chemistry and construction study groups.

Mathematics is a human endeavour, continually developed and expanded through international collaboration, characterised by rigour, abstraction and proof. In a world where machines increasingly perform routine procedures for us, the value of mathematics in teaching students to reason, abstract, interrogate assumptions, construct arguments and determine whether conclusions are justified becomes more important. Unfortunately, these skills are precisely the aspects of mathematics that the draft curricula are eroding.

Had I studied one of the proposed curricula, it is unlikely I would have continued to do mathematics at third level. Considering another curriculum review may not happen for 15 years, I worry these curricula will discourage students from pursuing Stem.

Our children and young people deserve to learn in ways that are equitable and prepare them for their futures. I believe our current systems of curriculum reform are failing them. In an age where disciplinary knowledge and trusted experience are more necessary than ever, a systems review of how we design and incorporate subject-matter expertise, alongside important pedagogy and teaching practice, is required.

Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin is associate professor of mathematics education at DCU

Little publicity in change of payment of Household Benefits

Since September 8, 2025 all new applicants for the State Household Benefits Package are paid the allowance to their nominated bank account or post office.

Up until that date the allowance was credited to one's gas or electricity account.

Why the change? It seems it works out cheaper and easier for the State to manage.

But did the older system not give better protection to poorer and more vulnerable people? It seems to have been a safer method in helping people with their gas and electricity bills.

Did the change get much publicity? It would appear not. Why?

How can we stop the vacuous 'like'?

It seems in ordinary conversation in Ireland today it is next to impossible for anyone to put a sentence together without saying the word 'like' or the expression, 'like you know'.

It has become nonsensical. Younger people, people of school age, cannot put a sentence together without saying 'like' five or six times; every sentence begins with like. But it is not  exclusively used by younger people.

And it cuts across all classes, indeed its genesis maybe well be with the middle classes.

Someone has said it is a word-filler; what exactly is that? The way it is being used it has no meaning whatsoever, it is vacuous.

Yes, 'I like cycling' or 'he looks like his mother', perfect meaning of the word. But 'Like I went to town today and I bought a book, like. Gosh, the town was busy, like.'

It seems to be the first word foreigners learn when they arrive in Ireland.

How did this madness get such a life and how can it be ridiculed and stopped?

How do level crossings prioritise cars?

The letter below appeared in The Irish Times yesterday and below that the article to which the letter is referring. Anyone who reads the article is sure to ask the same question Peter O'Gorman asks.

The relevant sentence is underlined. 

Sir, – I read the article “Irish Rail seeks to close five level crossings” (August 31st) in a state of some confusion.

That confusion centred on the assertion by the Rail Users Ireland group that the level crossings “prioritise cars”.

When the train is coming, the gates close, and the cars wait. The trains do not wait. Perhaps the group could elaborate and explain exactly how this arrangement favours cars. – Yours, etc,

PETER O’GORMAN,

Sandymount,

Dublin 4.

TIM O’BRIEN

Irish Rail has confirmed it wants to close all five level crossings along the south Co Dublin train line, as recommended by consultants employed to oversee the Dart+ improvement project.

An unpublished report, prepared by Arup for Irish Rail, notes that the “emerging preferred option” for the Coastal South section of Dart+ would involve the permanent closure of the crossings at Lansdowne Road, Serpentine Avenue, Sandymount Avenue, Sydney Parade and Merrion Gates.

It recommended that an underpass for vehicular traffic be built north of the existing Merrion Gates, which link Merrion Road with Strand Road and is regarded as one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in Dublin, along with pedestrian and cycle crossings to replace the other four gated level crossings for vehicles.

The report, which runs to 681 pages, was delivered to Irish Rail in May 2022, but its conclusions have not yet been subject to public consultation. It focuses on Dart+ Coastal South.

The overall project would see the length of electrified rail lines increase from 50km – between Greystones, Co Wicklow, and Malahide, Co Dublin – to 150km. The extended network would serve Drogheda, Co Louth, and Maynooth, Co Kildare, and the M3 Parkway near Dunboyne, Co Meath.

The report acknowledges the closure of the level crossings “in the absence of suitable mitigation may have an impact on traffic in terms of connectivity, additional delays or queuing in the wider area”.

The four-year delay in progressing the report’s recommendations was criticised by the Rail Users Ireland campaign group, which obtained a copy under Freedom of Information laws.

Mark Gleeson, the group’s spokesman, said the closure of the Merrion Gates crossing “was first discussed in the late 1970s”.

Cars over train

“Dart passengers have suffered for 42 years from a compromise which prioritises private cars over the train,” he said. “The proposals from Irish Rail/Arup offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to replace Merrion Gates and to dramatically improve rail performance and capacity.

“While some of the recommendations will clearly raise concerns, Irish Rail sitting on the report for over four years without starting public consultation is ridiculous.”

A spokesman for Irish Rail said Dart+ was a phased project, with the Bray to Greystones element of the Coastal South section progressing first.

“The remainder of the route, including the level crossings element, will not progress until 2030 at the earliest,” he said.

“The long-term goal to include the closure of the road/rail interface at the level crossings on the southside.”

The report notes that the five level crossings are closed to vehicular traffic between 41 per cent and 83 per cent of the time from 8am to 9am. The most frequently closed was Sydney Parade and the least was the Merrion Gates.

It notes that there were 28,000 vehicle movements across the five level crossings in a single day, with almost half of these (11,400) through the Merrion Gates. There were 4,900 at Serpentine Avenue, followed by Sydney Parade Avenue (4,600), Sandymount Avenue (3,900) and Lansdowne Road (3,200).

How many of us blindly follow the prevailing fashions?

This week's column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Over the weekend I visited three people, two with developed stages of dementia and one with a brain tumour.

It depressed and shocked me; I have known two of the people ever before they were struck down with dementia and I know the other person since she was first diagnosed with cancer.

The experience forced me to ask what is it all about. It selfishly prompted me to ask myself how will I end up. 

We prance about thinking we are invincible; at the blink of an eye we can be struck down in myriad ways. We never know what’s around the corner. 

The new school term has begun, I’ve done my first few days of teaching post primary students. It’s most unlikely the ideas I am expressing here cross the students’ minds, that is, unless, they have had to deal with tragedy in their own lives. And at this age most of them have fortunately been spared the vagaries of life.

Why am I being so despondent, maybe even dark?

By chance on Saturday I watched something on YouTube that set my mind in a downward spiral; something that is forever haunting me. It was an interview with Markus Wolf. 

I imagine most readers have never heard of him; he was the chief spymaster in the former German Democratic Republic, better known to us as East Germany. The interview took place in 1990. 

He comes across as an intelligent, articulate, urbane man, whom I can imagine was a loving father and husband, though he did have three wives, not at the same time. 

He was enemy number one to the western world and feared and hated in his own country. Wolf was at the top of the hated East German secret service, known as the Stasi.

I recommend you watch it on YouTube, you can pull down the English subtitles.

John Banville once said that if he had his way he would remove the word evil from the dictionary and replace it with circumstance. How many people we know in management jobs, whether in private industry, state companies, the church, could as easily have found themselves working in similar jobs in Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, Mao Zedong’s China? What would I have done? I think my incompetency would have made me a non-runner from day one; otherwise, I’m scared to think about it.

It’s not just in areas of health that we are fragile, surely that word fragility, maybe circumstances, cuts right across our lives from the day we are born until the moment of our death.

Just think of our school system and the race to score high in the world of CAO points. Our postcode plays a major role; just check the results from the various schools and it’s game set and match who wins and who loses.

And that’s part of the story that keeps me on my toes, even wondering how do we form moral opinions, how do we really decide what is right and wrong. 

How many of us simply follow the prevailing fashions, run along with the crowd. Do we all simply feel comfortable in our own particular bubble?

Whatever about Markus Wolf, who am I? Who are you?

Remembering the first day of six years of barbarity

On this day, September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland; the first day of World War II in Europe. The war lasted six years and one day and in that time between 6o and 75 million people lost their lives as a result of the barbarous conflict.

We are living in dangerous times; each of us has a role to play in making sure we don't drift towards war.

World War II did not happen overnight; conflicts were  breaking out across the world, fascism was on the rise, Germany felt it had been humiliated as a result of the outcome of World War I. Hitler offered them a strong man, he would make Germany 'great again'; the people, rich and poor, fell for his empty, evil words.

While Nasa reaches to the stars Trump behaves as Trump

A new Nasa space telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope was launched on Sunday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.

It will help scientists probe the nature of dark matter, dark energy, and other mysteries of the universe.

The satellite will travel, covering over 1.5 million kilometres in approximately three months.

Some  short few days earlier US President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario Lake America; he did this because of a breakdown on discussions between the US and Canada on tariffs. Once again he threw the toys out of the pram.

Google has already renamed the lake, calling it Lake America; what sycophants, anything for a few extra dollars.

What would have happened had Donald Trump applied for a job at Nasa?

The world becomes a more confusing place every day. Maybe the Nancy Grace Roman telescope will help us get some answers.

The telescope is called after US astronomer Nancy Grace Roman (1925 - 2018), who was the first woman executive at Nasa; she was the chief astronomer at the administration in the 1960s and '70s.

Discover where you might be on the political/social compass

This is well worth a try. It's an interesting questionnaire to discover where you might be on the political/social compass.

It takes less than 10 minutes.

https://www.politicalcompass.org/test/en?page=1 

'Creeping like snail unwilling to school' - Shakespeare

Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.  -   Johann Wolfgang von Goethe  (1749 - 1832)

Saw this on a notice board in an Educate Together school, where I have begun teaching. One week down and impressed with what I've experienced. 

Classes begin in earnest on Monday; happy learning and good fortune to all who are going back to school on Monday and a special word to those, who are beginning in a new school and indeed, to the little ones who are going to school for the first time.

Good luck to all.

An Australian airport chaplain on steroids, good ones

The link below is well worth watching; it's how an airport chaplain does a good job.

https://youtu.be/8nSAV8097Vg?si=rNwCfgRMpPOYF3oX

Back to school, shorter daylight, leaves on the ground

Did we ever think in Ireland we would be relieved to see rain?

It's back to school time; ever before the clock goes back the days are getting shorter, the magic of a 04.30 brightness is gone for another year and it's time to turn on the light shortly after 20.00.

Have you noticed there are far more fallen leaves on the paths this August than in previous years and flowers exhausted.

A Carlow man farming 100 cattle told The Irish Times that he is spending €3,500 per week to feed them due to drought conditions.

It seems the older we get the more difficult it is to face into winter; but at least we have autumn to prepare.

Remembering Warrenpoint and Mullaghmore

On this date, Monday, August 27, 1979 the IRA killed 18 British soldiers near Warrenpoint in County Down. On the same day an IRA bomb killed four people, including Lord Mountbatten, at Mullaghmore in County Sligo.

Thankfully we have come a long way from those dark days; all those who helped stopped the carnage deserve our gratitude.

Bus drivers deserve our praise in both word and deed

This week's column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

The carnage on our roads is appalling; it’s a horror show, and has been for far too long. Are they really accidents? 

When it comes to slaughter on our roads is it not a misnomer to call them accidents? If I get into my car, drive my motorbike or indeed cycle my bicycle having consumed alcohol surely it’s not an accident if I kill or maim someone? Indeed, you might say it was an accident I didn’t kill a person.

Most of us have no time for those who misbehave on our roads; at least we have no trouble expressing those views to friends and neighbours and certainly in public. 

But how often do we actually flagrantly break the rules of the road? Every day I see people on their phones while they are driving their cars. I’m inclined to believe people are so slow to move off when lights change to green because they are occupied with their phones.

And I’m no saint on the road. I believe the story below may have a cathartic role in my telling it and I certainly hope it has.

I have been gifted with the great ability of sound sleeping; alas one night last week I slept for a mere four hours. I spent the night thinking and worrying about something I had done earlier in the day.

I was cycling in Dublin’s city centre, to be precise on Dorset Street, heading towards Mountjoy Jail; I was in a hurry. I had been asked to deliver a book to someone and wanted to catch him during his lunch break. 

When I came to the junction of Dorset Street and Blessington Street the traffic light had turned red for me. I saw a stationary bus on Blesinngton Street and decided I could shoot across before the bus moved. But what I didn’t see was another bus which was moving. 

Had that bus not slowed down most likely I would now be in hospital with broken bones, indeed, I could be dead. It was the careful driving of the bus driver that saved me. He/she beeped their horn but at that stage I was on the far side of the street. I was somewhat shaken for a second or two but brushed it off and got on with my business. Yes, I was in time to make my delivery.

It was later that night in bed I thought of my appalling behaviour. What had I lost my legs and been wheelchair-bound for the rest of my life? It would have been no accident; every moment of it was my fault and no one else’s. And what about the driver, the trauma I would have caused her/him? I can well imagine I did give them a terrible shock.

I often chat with bus drivers and hear first-hand what they have to put up with every day. They do an extraordinary job for the travelling public.

It’s easy to blame everyone else for the road carnage. I hope and pray I’ve learned my lesson and practise what I preach. I wish I were in a position to apologise to the bus driver who was far more careful than I.