AT the end of a year when the start of the First World War was remembered there is one puzzle yet to be resolved, even to be faced: Why did political and military leaders so readily accept the deaths of tens of thousands of people in the space of a few hours and repeat that […]
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Count your starling blessings
It’s a bird that many people have in their gardens, but to be truthful, few appreciate. Starlings are noisy, aggressive and certainly aren’t house-proud when it comes to building a nest. They’re common – at the last count there were half a million of them in Ireland – but for some reason they have just […]
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Now it’s curry my Gregory after years of quotable fun
GREGORY Campbell’s ‘Curry my yoghurt’ outburst in the Assembly was as unsurprising as it was unfunny. The line was spoken with all the confidence and panache of Willie Frazer reading a prepared statement, but regardless of the ham-fisted delivery, it had the desired effect of copperfastening Gregory’s unassailable position as the DUP’s sneerer-in-chief. It’s a […]
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Justice came late for scapegoat airman
The murder of Patricia Curran (19) in November 1952 sent shockwaves all over Ireland and beyond. By the end of the year the RUC were being criticised for lack of progress in finding the killer and by this time had enlisted the help of Scotland Yard who sent over Superintendent John Capstick – known as […]
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Halloween horror at Camp Twaddell
CONCLUDING PART Big Geordie flexed his pudgy fingers furiously. The pyjama cord that bound his wrists behind his back had cut the blood flow until his hands were white and numb. From across the tiny caravan table scarred with cigarette burns and UVF graffiti, the stranger studied his face silently and intently by the soft […]
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Abuse a challenge for all our society
The recent allegations made by Maíria Cahill are of serious concern to myself and Sinn Féin. While I refute completely Maíria’s allegations against myself and Sinn Féin it does raise the significant issue of how allegations of abuse had been handled in the past by republicans. Abuse respects no political boundaries. It affects all classes, […]
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