Occasional Scribbles

An informative and worrying article in the Guardian last week. The similarities between the Germany of the 1930s and Russia today are disqui...

Fifty years in the European Union. Surely we have to recognise that Ireland is in a far better place today than it was 50 years ago. I went ...

The Thinking Anew column in The Irish Times today. Michael Commane Happy New Year. We’re edging out of the Christmas season. Tuesday will se...

Fine  words from a defeated Kylian Mbappé as reported in the Guardian. He comes across as a decent person. The 24-year-old Mbappé earns €90....

On this day, December 29, 1937 the Irish Free State was renamed Ireland and the State adopts a new constitution.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who is archbishop to the US military was elected last month as president of the US Episcopal Conference.  Brogli...

This week’s INM/Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column. Michael Commane It’s a year since Fr Ned Foley died. He died on December 18, 20...

This from the Guardian. Pussy Riot are the bravest of women. Over 10 years ago the band told the world that Putin was another Hitler and the...

This is a powerful reminder of the violent and corrupt behaviour of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The writer of this blog spotted Pussy ...

In out-of-the-way places of the heart, Where your thoughts never think to wander, This beginning has been quietly forming, Waiting until ...

From yesterday’s Guardian. A good read. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/22/sixty-years-cuban-missile-crisis-us-putin-ukra...

The first of Sean O’Rourke’s two part documentary, 'The Two Tribes' on the paths taken by Fianna Fáil and  Fine Gael was aired on RT...

This from Monday’s Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/20/putin-admits-to-complicated-situation-in-russian-occupied-ukraine...

  Anyone who visited Dublin City on Saturday will have noticed the volume of people between the two canals. It was positively dangerous at t...

Looking at how the Tories behave in parliament through the eyes of the Guardian. And Boris Johnson proves an extra treat. If it weren't ...

The link below is a response by Mick Lynch to the interview he did with the BBC on Tuesday morning. It would be difficult to disagree with w...

From yesterday's edition of The Irish Times. So far the Germans have refrained from giving the Ukrainians their Leopard tank. The United...

While the war in Ukraine may no longer be the lead story in the media, the people of the stricken country continue to experience the crueles...

RMT boss Mick Lynch was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 close to 8am yesterday morning.  Whatever one may think of the current UK rail strike thi...

This week’s Independent News & Media/Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column   Michael Commane Up to 20 or 30 years ago it was gener...

This week's INM/Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers' column. Michael Commane Anywhere there are people there will of course be disag...

 Justine McCarthy has an interesting piece on Dónal de Róiste in The Irish Times on Saturday. It’s about how he was fired from the Defence F...

  It's said that Kingsbridge     Station was built close to the Phoenix Park and the nearby British Army barracks so that the British co...

An I nteresting article in yesterday's Guardian. Putin suggests possibility of settlement to end war in Ukraine https://www.theguardian...

While 7.5 million people in the UK are on hospital waiting lists the British prime minister is intent in curtailing the rights of working pe...

On this day, December 8, 1955 the Flag of Europe was adopted by the Council of Europe. Was it a coincidence that it was on the feast of the ...

There was a conference yesterday in UCD titled Spiritual Care Nursing Education to Embrace New Challenges in a Moving World. The day-long co...

This week’s INM/Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column. Michael Commane The killings and bombings in Ukraine are unspeakable crimes and...

Sixty two per cent of Irish people aged between 30 and 34 have a third level qualification, which is the highest percentage in Europe. But w...

Three Nigerians travelled 3,000 kilometres from Lagos to the Canary Islands stowed away on a ship’s rudder. Extraordinary. What must have be...

The Thinking Anew column in The Irish Times today. Michael Commane Homonyms, especially for those whose English is not their first language ...