Opinion
# opinion - Today’s News
# opinion - Saturday 30 March, 2013
Column: What a week in the life of a backbench TD looks like
Debates, meetings, touching base with constituents, heading up to Meath East by-election, organising sand bags, reading the newspapers and having words with his colleagues – Kevin Humphreys recounts his busy schedule this week.
Aaron McKenna: Is this the new party we’ve been waiting for?
Running in its first ever election, Direct Democracy Ireland came fourth with 6.5 per cent of the vote in Meath East, which could show the Irish people desire for a real change in how the country works, writes Aaron McKenna.
# opinion - Friday 29 March, 2013
Column: What is it about Good Friday? Can we not enjoy one night without alcohol?
Today is one of two days of the year when alcohol cannot be sold or purchased. In an almost post-apocalyptic scene, people rush to stock up the day before so that they aren’t left short and so they can get through their Friday night, but what’s that say about us as a society, asks Kathryn Reilly.
Column: Not enough has been done to uphold the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement
It’s true Northern Ireland has come a long way over the last fifteen years, but we cannot afford to hang the ‘mission accomplished’ banner over the peace process, writes David McCann.
Column: EU unity is little more than fiction in the wake of Cyprus being hung out to dry
The Cypriot case demonstrates that the European authorities are now prepared to cross the rubicon into the appropriation of deposits. It seems clear that this crisis has seen the Eurozone enter a new and dangerous phase, writes John O’Brennan.
# opinion - Thursday 28 March, 2013
Column: The cost of childcare is already forcing some parents to give up their jobs
Enda Kenny’s attempt to reassure women over the insolvency controversy does not go far enough, writes Irene Gunning, who says without any form of subsidy, supports or tax relief, childcare costs are borne fully by parents, limiting job options.
Column: It’s time to tackle decline in rural Ireland
Rural Ireland is experiencing a demise, with empty shop buildings, damaged roads and a lack of essential services. Action needs to be taken now or we could see whole parts of the country uninhabited, writes John Verling.
# opinion - Wednesday 27 March, 2013
Column: Should we increase school inspections?
The reality is that inspections only offer a momentary window into a teacher’s classroom as an educator. I would challenge the very notion that increasing inspections and appraisals is necessary to help develop better education standards, writes Aodhán Ó Ríordáin.
Column: ‘Sleeping sickness’ is devastating small African communities – I need to show them they’re not forgotten
Barrie Rooney, a biomedical analyst from Co Leitrim, explains what motivates her to travel to remote areas of Africa to treat patients suffering from sleeping sickness – and how her Irish culture helps her connect with the people she helps.
Column: How can lay juries cope with serious fraud cases, like that of Anglo Irish Bank?
With over 24 million documents and a court case that could take over six months, the availability of jurors and their understanding of this complex trial is being flagged by legal professionals. Nuala Haughey explores the future of juries in white collar crime cases.
# opinion - Tuesday 26 March, 2013
Column: Easy access to pornographic images is adversely affecting young people
Early exposure to online pornography – much of which is violent or degrading – is desensitising young people and contributing to the normalisation of rape and domestic violence, writes Joanna Fortune.
Column: The arms trade is global, deadly and very poorly regulated
A global arms trade treaty could save some of the estimated 200,000 people killed every year as a result of armed conflict – but its success depends on the US President holding his nerve, writes Colm O’Gorman. If President Obama can hold his nerve.
Column: Competition in our health system – it’s time for that debate
There are many reasons why competition in the healthcare sector will not work in the same way as it does in markets for other goods and services, says Brian Turner – who asks if more competition would mean better value.
# opinion - Monday 25 March, 2013
Column: It’s been an emotional upheaval but at least Cypriots are standing united
The people of Cyprus are no strangers to losing their belongings, as history has shown, writes Yiota Demetriou – who questions why her country is getting the short end of the stick.
Column: Young people deserve education on all sorts of relationships – threesomes included
Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin has expressed outrage over a youth health charity offering advice on threesomes – but young people deserve access to open, balanced information on all types of sexual relationships, writes Genevieve Shanahan.
Lisa McInerney: Rape culture is a stupid, cruel response to a dark reality
Blaming sexual assault victims for their ordeals – such as in the recent case in Steubenville, Ohio – is retrograde and wrong.
# opinion - Sunday 24 March, 2013
Column: Ladies, can we please get over this old-fashioned obsession with older men?
A recent study claiming that men should ideally be “four years and four months older” than their female companions reveals laughably antiquated views about relationships, writes Molly Garboden.
Gerrard: Fans have right to blast Ferdinand
The United player worked as a television pundit during England’s 8-0 victory over San Marino.
Column: Discrimination of workers in state funded bodies should not be allowed anymore
Protecting the staff of religious-run medical and educational institutions who are members of the LGBT community or those who are single parents should be a priority, especially if they receive state funding, says Ivana Bacik.
# opinion - Saturday 23 March, 2013
Column: What lessons have been learned from the Iraq War?
Ten years ago this week the United States-led “coalition of the willing” launched the Iraq War. If we’ve learned anything from the Iraq experience it’s that governments should refrain from biting off more than they can chew, says Scott Fitzsimmons.
Column: Get ‘white smoked’ for the top job
Trying to move up the corporate ladder is always a competitive process – use professional social networking to help yourself stand out, writes Robert Mac Giolla Phadrig.
Column: The UK is exploring its shale gas future, we should do the same
Fracking is an emotively driven environmental issue – but the Irish government could do worse than follow the UK in opening up the market here for exploration, writes Aaron McKenna.
# opinion - Friday 22 March, 2013
Column: My disastrous sober night out in Dublin makes me question Irish drinking culture
Non-drinker Claire Roche says it is “simply a game of chance” to try and make it home physically unscathed after a night out in Dublin City due to widespread binge-drinking culture.
Column: Everyone can make a positive contribution to the economy by shopping locally
Significant opportunity exists within the indigenous retail sector to generate local spend that would have a powerful impact on our local communities and the economy as a whole, writes Seán Kelly MEP.
Column: Battling cancer can be a very lonely time – we’re here to talk people through it
Daffodil Centres offer a free, walk-in service to anyone who needs to know more about cancer – whether they have lifestyle questions or have received a diagnosis. Nurse Fionnuala Keane explains more about this invaluable service.
‘All we’re looking for is a fair deal’ – An IBRC worker on the impact of liquidation
Since the bank formerly known as Anglo Irish Bank was liquidated last month ordinary workers have been left in the dark as to their fate and that of redundancy packages they’d agreed prior to ‘promnight’. Here, an employee speaks out…
# opinion - Thursday 21 March, 2013
Column: Despite the Newtown massacre, America’s sickening gun culture lives on
After Newtown, Larry Donnelly was optimistic that the US might work towards stricter gun laws – but news that a ban on assault weapons has been removed from the legislation currently being considered has caused him to lose hope.
Column: Sports can play a positive role in combating racism
Racism exists in Ireland, but sports groups – and individual players – are well placed to tackle it, writes Garrett Mullan, Coordinator of Show Racism the Red Card.
# opinion - Wednesday 20 March, 2013
Column: Women can’t keep up with men when it comes to alcohol and they shouldn’t try
Women should be aware that they are more at risk from the effects of alcohol than men, writes Anne Timony Meehan.
Comment: O’Neill and Cork face up to familiar injured feeling
The Rebels attacker has shown a capacity to reinvent himself before after suffering cruciate ligament injuries.
Column: Is a fairer society a happier one?
To mark International Happiness Day, Karen Hand says Irish peoples’ happiness depends on a sense of fair play and accountability, which is why making fairness a priority will boost the happiness of the nation.
Column: The success or failure of the UK’s economic strategy matters greatly to Ireland
The UK budget being announced today has implications for Ireland too, writes James Kilcourse, who says as well as being a crucial trading partner, the UK is Ireland’s biggest rival for attracting foreign direct investment.
# opinion - Tuesday 19 March, 2013
Column: Keeping my faith can be challenging at times, but it’s my safe haven
The choosing of a new pope has brought a positive feeling about the Roman Catholic Church and a sense of new beginnings, says Patricia McNally, who explains why her faith is so important to her.
Column: Gaeilge is a part of our culture – how it’s taught matters
The poetry, prose and history of the Irish language should be taken out of the current course and put into a separate, optional subject for advanced students – while “Irish Language” should be taught to every student as a core subject, writes Aodhán Ó Deá.
# opinion - Monday 18 March, 2013
Column: Underage drinking and peer-pressure – a second-level student’s perspective
A few drinks now and then does little harm – but just because everybody else is doing it, doesn’t mean you have to, writes Dónal Keane.
Opinion: Ireland’s fall down to more than just injuries and ‘atrocious’ Kidney
‘When even your strengths turn into weaknesses, it exposes your limitations in a very cruel way’, writes Emmet O’Rafferty.
Opinion: Professional sport doesn’t need a gay Jackie Robinson
A player’s sexuality has no impact on performance so shouldn’t be a concern.





























































‘We are not England’ – Trap showed he doesn’t speak our language and doesn’t get us
The manager’s post-match comments spoke volumes.
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