Category Archives: General

Is it time to reconvene the 1994-1996 Forum for Peace and Reconciliation?

Posted on Tuesday, 4 February, 2025 by andypollak

Last week on the same day I was involved in two very interesting conversations about the way forward for this island. I had lunch with a young Belfast-born, Dublin-resident solicitor called Ross Neill. Neill is that rare thing: somebody from … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Alliance leader Naomi Long talks a lot of sense (including about a Border poll)

Posted on Monday, 13 January, 2025 by andypollak

Alliance Party leader and Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long is somebody who is rarely interviewed or profiled by the Southern media, and almost never appears on public platforms in the Republic. But she is an impressive woman. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Northern Ireland | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A rare story of mercy and forgiveness between former combatants in Northern Ireland

Posted on Saturday, 28 December, 2024 by andypollak

At year’s end, and in the spirit of my last blog about the need for hope, I am once again going to shamelessly lift a whole column from another writer, and once again it’s from the superb Belfast Telegraph journalist … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Northern Ireland | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The need for hope in a hope-challenged world (according to Heaney and Havel)

Posted on Wednesday, 18 December, 2024 by andypollak

Hope is in short supply in the world at Christmas 2024. We are seeing the second coming of the megalomaniac Donald Trump to the American presidency; the genocidal war of Israel in Gaza; the brutal war of Russia in Ukraine; … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

One reason to vote Sinn Fein in this week’s election, and six reasons not to

Posted on Sunday, 24 November, 2024 by andypollak

We in the South have a general election this week. The campaign has been an uninspiring one, with the three expected topics dominating debate: housing, the cost of living and (to a lesser extent) immigration. If you are under 35 … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Republic of Ireland, Sinn Fein | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Four wise voices from moderate nationalism and sensible unionism

Posted on Monday, 28 October, 2024 by andypollak

Moderate, sensible, cautionary voices from Irish nationalism and Ulster unionism are rare enough. But they are still out there. In the past month I have been reading or listening to four of them: a former Tánaiste, a Southern Protestant, a … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Irish reunification, Protestantism, unionism and loyalism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Talking to a Northern Protestant woman who is passionate about Irish language and culture

Posted on Wednesday, 2 October, 2024 by andypollak

Catherine Pollock (no relation – different spelling) from Derry is an unusual and remarkable woman. From a working class unionist background, she now works for the Irish language and cultural organisation Cultúrlann. She says of herself: “I’m not a unionist, … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Protestantism, unionism and loyalism | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

As immigration issue becomes toxic, beware the hatred and cruelty of the European far right

Posted on Tuesday, 17 September, 2024 by andypollak

I have just returned from a holiday in Spain. The main news story while I was there was an argument between the central government in Madrid and the regional government in the Canary Islands about who should take responsibility for … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Ireland, Europe and the world, Republic of Ireland, Views from abroad | 2 Comments

‘Oh, ah, up the Ra’: they killed 1,771 people in the North and some gardaí too. Was it all worth it?

Posted on Thursday, 29 August, 2024 by andypollak

Young people chanting ‘Oh, ah, up the Ra’ is becoming commonplace in nationalist – and not-so-nationalist – Ireland. Primary age children were at it during the big homecoming parade for the Olympic team in Dublin earlier this month. And it … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Republic of Ireland, Sinn Fein | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Is Olympic success a sign that Ireland can be made attractive to Northern Protestants?

Posted on Wednesday, 14 August, 2024 by andypollak

In all the wonderful hype about Ireland’s four Olympic gold medallists, there was one aspect that went relatively unreported – at least here in the republic. The fact that two of them – Daniel Wiffen in the 800 metres swimming … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Ireland, Europe and the world, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | 2 Comments