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# read-mes - Today’s News
Column: No woman has an abortion on a whim
Stitch up the X Case’s dangling loopholes and then hold a referendum to legalise abortion in Ireland – because no woman wants an abortion just for the hell of it, writes Carol Redmond.
# read-mes - Yesterday’s News
Column: The reality of unemployment is being masked by emigration
With youth unemployment at 23 per cent, the European Union and policy makers have a collective responsibility and obligation to help the “Lost Generation”, writes Liam Aylward.
# read-mes - Sunday 19 May, 2013
Hillsborough revisited in ‘The Real Thing’ short story
As Hillsborough families continue to strive for truth about how 96 people died, Irish writer Niamh Cooper O’Sullivan shares a fictional depiction of the horror of 15 April 1989.
Column: Here’s how to protect your bank deposits in this unsettled economy
Many sensible individuals are now rightly worried about the security of their savings and investments, writes David Quinn who says diversification is key.
# read-mes - Saturday 18 May, 2013
Column: Here’s why I decided to make a graphic novel about Jim Larkin
Jim Larkin is an iconic figure in Irish history, yet when I was in school the Lockout only received a minor mention on the history syllabus – we wanted to make him more accessible, says Rory McConville.
# read-mes - Thursday 16 May, 2013
Column: You can get a tan from a bottle, so save your skin
People in Ireland seem to be obsessed with getting a tan – but this country has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the entire world. It’s time to wake up to the real danger sun of exposure, says Pauline Power, who was diagnosed with a melanoma at 29.
# read-mes - Wednesday 15 May, 2013
Column: We have a president with an opinion, what’s the big deal?
Michael D Higgins won the Irish presidential elections based on his vision of a ‘radically inclusive Republic’. So how could anyone be surprised about him elaborating on that vision, asks Maura Adshead.
# read-mes - Monday 13 May, 2013
Column: Insinuating that young people ‘aren’t bothered’ with politics is insulting and false
Various political scandals and our current economic woes have increased levels of mistrust in politicians among young people. This does not mean we are apathetic, we just need to be engaged, writes Órla Ryan.
# read-mes - Sunday 12 May, 2013
Column: You can often tell what is troubling America by looking to the blockbusters
Movies are often a reflection of current affairs what’s going on in the world, and even the unlikely genre of mass-market US action movies can deal with the fears and uncertainties felt by the American people at any given time, writes Darren Mooney.
Column: Are political families healthy for democracy?
Name recognition surely benefits politically candidacy both here and abroad, but it shouldn’t just be the Kennys, McEntees or the Clintons that are getting involved in the politics of shaping nations – we all should be, writes Larry Donnelly.
# read-mes - Saturday 11 May, 2013
Column: Gossiping isn’t harmless fun – the damage it causes can be irreversible
Even if you pride yourself on your principles, you may well have been an unsuspecting participant in gossip by repeating other people’s options as fact. It’s hard to overstate how damaging rumours can be, writes counsellor Tony Moore.
# read-mes - Friday 10 May, 2013
Column: The Ohio kidnappings bring the issue of ‘missing persons’ into sharp focus
About 4,000 people go missing for a time in Ireland each year – and the emotional impact on their loved ones, who live with ongoing uncertainty and questions, is immense. They must be given proper support, writes, Dermot Browne.
# read-mes - Thursday 9 May, 2013
Column: Are we proud that Ireland is the poster child of austerity?
Austerity has not worked in Ireland or across the eurozone, writes Joan Collins, who points out that even the architects of our bailout admit it was the wrong path.
# read-mes - Wednesday 8 May, 2013
Column: There is a troubling disjuncture between politics and civil society
Our political systems have declined to a point where they cannot introduce profound change in the social order – this needs to change in order for society to flourish, writes Niall Crowley.
# read-mes - Tuesday 7 May, 2013
Column: We need to produce a generation of independent thinkers – history is the key
TV shows like ‘The Tudors’ and ‘Rome’ show that history is more popular than ever – yet, under proposed changes to the Junior Certificate, history could become an optional subject or short course. It makes no sense, writes teacher Christian O’Connor.
Column: What role does oil play in modern day wars?
While we can’t definitively rule out the possibility that the US attacking Iraq and Libya to seize control of their oil supplies, when all factors are considered one thing is missing from this hypothesis: a compelling reason, writes Scott Fitzsimons.
# read-mes - Monday 6 May, 2013
Column: It’s challenging to get Irish people to go and see Irish movies
Director Kieron J Walsh says it can be difficult to get Irish people to watch Irish movies, but this is changing. Here, he discusses shining a light on suicide, how Northern Ireland is not all about the the Troubles, and why Irish cinema is on the up.
Lisa McInerney: Fianna Fáil doesn’t deserve our ear…
…not when the party still owe us a tooth and an eye. So why are many people perversely choosing to drift back=?
# read-mes - Sunday 5 May, 2013
Column: It’s fanciful to think a wealth tax would make the rich leave Ireland
A former IMF head of the mission for Ireland has said an entire reliance on austerity was not the right move – yet we’re still following that road. David Cronin asks why.
Extract: How I got back in the driving seat with the banks
Revealing personal and confidential details in his new book, George Mordaunt talks about his own debt recovery programme and his struggle with the banks. He says debt resolution exists and questions why more don’t know about it.
# read-mes - Saturday 4 May, 2013
Column: The Bangladesh factory collapse shows us the deadly cost of cheap fashion
Following the tragic accident at a Bangladesh clothing factory, Penneys has said it will give money to people who lost family members in the collapse – but we as consumers have a responsibility too, says Ruth Tanner.
# read-mes - Wednesday 1 May, 2013
Column: Hunger and the horsemeat scandal, both the consequences of inequality
We produce enough food for 10 times our population, but the horsemeat scandal shows just how inequality has forced people to low-price, low-quality food, writes Richard Manton.
# read-mes - Tuesday 30 April, 2013
Column: Micheál Martin’s response to anti-immigrant rhetoric was lily-livered
Kevin Sheahan sparked anger in Limerick’s council chamber when he demanded an ‘Irish first’ housing policy, but Micheál Martin has refused to properly sanction these anti-immigrant statements, writes Dr Matt Cannon.
# read-mes - Monday 29 April, 2013
Column: Assisted suicide not permitted, but we still must find a humane path for these people
Today, seven judges from the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Marie Fleming, who had sought to be allowed an assisted suicide without the risk of prosecution for anyone who helped her, but where to next with this contentious debate, asks Dr Eimear Spain.
# read-mes - Sunday 28 April, 2013
Interview: ‘I just want to be seen as an actor, not a Traveller actor’
Starring in the new movie, King of the Travellers, Michael Collins says he wanted the film to be realistic of the Travelling community. Here he tells us about being refused from Dublin pubs, not getting roles in movies, and coming up against everyday prejudices.
Column: Young people should leave school financially literate
How pensions work, how to read a payslip, dealing with personal taxes, how to choose and take out a loan (and how to pay it back), these should all be taught in school, writes Sinead Doherty.
# read-mes - Saturday 27 April, 2013
Column: Does age really matter in a relationship?
While an age difference doesn’t matter initially it can eventually cause problems, writes Tony Moore, who says being in different stages in our lives can be difficult to deal with.
Column: Why are people disengaging with politics in Northern Ireland?
Following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, more than 70 per cent of people turned out to elect the first assembly. Fast forward 15 years and the people seem disenchanted, but why, asks David McCann.
# read-mes - Friday 26 April, 2013
Column: Is Ireland a nation of á la carte Catholics?
Ireland was traditionally a nation ruled by the Catholic Church. Now that people are drifting away, it’s important to examine why, writes Brian Conway.
Column: To restore our financial credibility, tough decisions must be taken on Croke Park 2
You can’t spend money you don’t have, writes Seán Murphy, who says Jack O’Connor’s proposal to use the €1 billion promissory note savings and taxing the wealthy is not a viable solution.
# read-mes - Thursday 25 April, 2013
# read-mes - Wednesday 24 April, 2013
Column: Straight talk on Bosnia has been sadly lacking during Ireland’s EU presidency
Ireland can no longer afford, financially or morally, to go along with the EU’s current hopeless policy in Bosnia. Now is an opportune time for a fundamental rethink of how the EU should deal with the political situation there, writes Patrick Nulty.
# read-mes - Tuesday 23 April, 2013
Extract: The 5 emotional stages of debt
Determination, resolve and belief is what you need to overcome your debt problems, says financial expert Liam Croke who has some tips to help.
# read-mes - Monday 22 April, 2013
Lisa McInerney: How can you be a woman and Catholic?
This question is not born out of contempt, says TheJournal.ie columnist, but is out of genuine bewilderment when you consider the status of women in Catholic doctrine.
# read-mes - Sunday 21 April, 2013
Nick Leeson: I’ve observed the need for debt solution – now I’m acting on it
Former trader Nick Leeson explains why he has begun to work as a mediator between indebted people and the banks…
Column: The same-sex marriage debate shows ‘non-traditional’ families aren’t really accepted
As a single parent family, I realise we’ve only been tolerated as opposed to accepted as a proper family unit and because of the absence of the traditional set up we are somehow ‘less than’, writes Carol Redmond, who says same-sex unions are being treated in the same way.
Column: I’ll never forget the moment I heard the news of the explosions in my hometown
Boston native, Larry Donnelly reflects on the the horrific events that happened at the Boston Marathon this week, saying he’s been heartened by the expressions of solidarity from countless Irish people who have such a special affinity with the most Irish city in the US.
# read-mes - Saturday 20 April, 2013
Column: I’m running in the London marathon and I’m proud I’ll be able to pay my respect to the Boston runners
Jenny Conlon says it’s difficult to understand why an event of achievement like the Boston Marathon would be targeted in such a way. Training for a marathon is one of the most challenging things you can do and it makes you realise that life is for living, she writes.
Aaron McKenna: We must sacrifice industrial peace to save the nation
We have been treating nurses and gardai as equal in importance to receptionists and quango directors, they are not equal in importance, writes Aaron McKenna.


























































