Time the so called Republican Movement apologised and compensated

Thu, Sep 27, 2018

Insider has been a keen observer of the political scene for well over 40 years, and, up until recently, thought he had seen and heard it all. There were many contenders for the ‘Brass Neck’ award over the years - from Charlie Haughey’s ‘doing the State some service’ to Ray Burke’s ‘line in the sand’ to Bertie Aherne's ‘won it on the horses’.

Soc Dems pick their candidates for local elections

Thu, Sep 27, 2018

Sharon Nolan, one of Galway's leading campaigners on LGBTQ+ rights, gender recognition, and better trans healthcare, will be running for the Social Democrats in the 2019 Local Elections on a platform of "engaging younger and underrepresented voices in Galway".

Scrap the presidency or sell it to the highest bidder

Thu, Sep 20, 2018

On August 28, the St Vincent de Paul reported a 20 per cent increase in calls for “back to school help”. The same day, the man presiding over the housing crisis, Minister Eoghan Murphy, announced the election date for the most lucrative Irish political post - the presidency - with a salary of €325,507 plus untold expenses.

'I am determined, as Taoiseach, to break this country out of this boom and bust cycle'

Thu, Sep 13, 2018

Last week Fine Gael held its annual party think-in at the Galway Bay Hotel and, on Thursday morning, I had a sit-down with An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to hear his thoughts on a range of local and national issues.

The housing crisis is also a crisis of student accommodation

Thu, Sep 13, 2018

Galway mayor, Labour city councillor, and the party's Galway West General Election candidate, Níall McNelis, grabbed national headlines early this week, intervening to prevent an assault in the city centre. Yet Galwegians will not have been surprised by his instinct to 'step up' when witnessing someone in need.

An autumn of political challenges and discontent awaits

Thu, Sep 06, 2018

The sight of the politicians gathering for their annual ‘think-ins’ is one of the signs the summer is over. As with the country as a whole, the Government has had a generally good summer with a post-referendum boost and generally strong economic performance to buoy it. However, the autumn will bring its challenges and it may not all be plain sailing.

Presidential candidates to address City Hall today

Thu, Sep 06, 2018

Ten of the 11 candidates seeking a nomination to stand for the presidential election, will be in Galway tomorrow to address a special meeting of the Galway City Council, which takes place in City Hall at 2pm.

Islanders could vote on same day as rest of the State in 2019

Thu, Jul 19, 2018

Voters on Galway's inhabited islands could vote on the same day as voters on the mainland during the various elections in 2019, instead of a day ahead, as has been the traditional practice.

2018 - an action packed year...with more still to come

Thu, Jul 12, 2018

As the Dáil heads off on its summer holidays there is much to contemplate after a busy and interesting first half to 2018, with the promise of more tumult to come in the autumn.

The EU demands 'more Europe' as continent drifts more to the right

Thu, Jun 28, 2018

It is two years almost to the day since the people of the UK dramatically voted to leave the EU. Since then Brexit has been a constant backdrop to political discourse in these islands, and a dominant one when it comes to the discussion of international affairs.

Why Wolfe Tone and the 1798 Rebellion still matter

Thu, Jun 21, 2018

If you happen to cross Galway’s Wolfe Tone Bridge, spare a thought for the man whose name it carries, especially as this month - yesterday, June 20, to be precise - marks the 255th anniversary of Tone’s birth.

Keane v Ó Tuathail - there can only be one winner

Thu, Jun 14, 2018

If Micheál Martin wants to avoid becoming the first leader of Fianna Fáil not to become Taoiseach, then a second seat for his party in Galway West is key to avoiding this.

'Ulysses is a big, democratic book...and Joyce has a tonic sense of humour'

Thu, Jun 14, 2018

This Saturday, June 16, is Bloomsday and the Town Hall Theatre marks the occasion with a superb exhibition, Nighttown, featuring Joyce-inspired prints and drawings by Charles Cullen, which runs until the end of July.

James Connolly and why he still matters in 2018

Thu, May 31, 2018

“Socialism will confiscate the property of the capitalist and in return will secure the individual against poverty and oppression; it, in return for so confiscating, will assure to all men and women a free, happy, and unanxious human life. And that is more than capitalism can assure anyone today.”

Ireland's role in America's middle-east military adventures

Thu, May 24, 2018

Irish Special Forces (the Army Ranger Wing) operated in Western-occupied Afghanistan under NATO command, it was revealed last month, thanks to TD Clare Daly’s parliamentary question. The story received no media coverage. The operational purpose of these troops was not revealed. However, like Special Forces the world over, it was not pencils they were sharpening.

Anyone who thinks the Tories are mindful of Irish interests is guilty of grand delusion

Thu, May 10, 2018

The abortion referendum at the end of the month may be dominating political discourse at the moment, but behind the scenes the issue really vexing, and increasingly troubling, the Government is the ongoing saga of Brexit.

Don’t copy the British – vote no to abortion on demand

Tue, May 08, 2018

At the heart of the current debate about removing the right to life of the unborn child from the Constitution is a question about what kind of society we want to be. We do not have to look far in order to see the country where they have long ago removed the right to life for the unborn child. Our nearest neighbours in Britain have made that mistake, and we are being asked to copy them.

Disability should not become a death sentence in Ireland

Tue, May 08, 2018

I am the parent of a child with a disability. Persons with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else, regardless of their age. Yet in England and Wales, 90 per cent of pregnancies where the unborn baby has Down syndrome are aborted. This is a tragic reality in our nearest neighbouring country.

Every human life is valuable, and our Constitution currently protects all members of the human family regardless of their age or abilities. The Government and Minister Simon Harris plan to change the law to allow implicit discrimination against people with disabilities by allowing medical professionals to end the life of a child for no reason up to three months or when that child may die “shortly” after birth.

Should the Labour Party be disbanded?

Thu, May 03, 2018

In recent polls, the Labour Party has been bumping along at five or six per cent, slightly down from its catastrophic performance in the 2016 General Election, when the party achieved just 6.6 per cent, and held only seven of the 37 seats it had won in 2011.

Keane has the hunger, but does Fianna Fáil have the appetite?

Thu, Apr 26, 2018

When was the last time Fianna Fáil won two seats in Galway West? The 2007 General Election - now more than a decade ago. Older party activists will sigh with nostalgia for the days when FF could take three out of five. The last time that happened was in November 1982 - 36 years ago.

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