Category Archives: Northern Ireland

Storm in a teacup over the mad Trump’s declaration that Irish unity would be a “fantastic thing”

Posted on Wednesday, 23 September, 2026 by andypollak

What a kerfuffle about the mad Trump saying he would like to see a united Ireland! On the first day of his private, golf-watching visit to Ireland earlier this month he said it would be a “fantastic thing”, a “great … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Views from abroad | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The mountains and beaches which are among my favourite places on this beloved island

Posted on Thursday, 27 August, 2026 by andypollak

For more than 60 years I have cycled and walked all over Ireland. This year I was barred by doctor’s orders from my usual week’s cycling, this time in Kerry (again). So I am going to write about 14 of … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, The island environment | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

The Truth Recovery Process and its ‘conditional amnesty’ campaign come to an end

Posted on Monday, 3 August, 2026 by andypollak

For the past eight years I have been involved with a group of people called the Truth Recovery Process (TRP) which has been campaigning for ‘conditional amnesties’ for those former combatants in the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’ – from state and … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Northern Ireland | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Could the Jeffrey Donaldson case change the course of Northern Ireland’s history?

Posted on Wednesday, 15 July, 2026 by andypollak

I have been listening to a most interesting Irish Times podcast with the Northern Ireland commentator and former Ulster Unionist press officer, Alex Kane, about the political impact of the court judgement last month that found former DUP leader Jeffrey … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Northern Ireland, Protestantism, unionism and loyalism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Why Shared Island, not ‘Brits out’, is the way forward for Ireland

Posted on Sunday, 14 June, 2026 by andypollak

I have just come out from two and a half weeks in hospital, which means I haven’t closely followed the anti-immigration riots in Belfast, except to feel – as someone from a Northern Protestant background – horrified and ashamed once … Continue reading →

Posted in Cross-border cooperation, General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The British identity of Northern unionists must be respected and protected in a new Ireland

Posted on Wednesday, 1 April, 2026 by andypollak

I’m going to return this month to the theme of my last blog on Northern Ireland’s continued existence in a new or united Ireland, as outlined by SDLP leader Clare Hanna in her essay in the recent publication What Northern … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Protestantism, unionism and loyalism, Republic of Ireland | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

China, Venezuela, Minneapolis and the familiar small divisions of Northern Ireland

Posted on Tuesday, 13 January, 2026 by andypollak

I never thought I’d be quoting the state-run China Daily for an accurate picture of the sorry state of the world following the US government’s kidnap of autocratic Venezuelan president Nicholás Maduro. But here I go. “From fabricated charges to … Continue reading →

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

A wise and balanced examination of unity by two of Ireland’s finest journalists

Posted on Wednesday, 12 November, 2025 by andypollak

Fintan O’Toole is the nearest thing Ireland gets to a public intellectual: a writer of erudition and intellect who tackles the political and cultural issues of the day and of the nation through a widely read column in a prestigious … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Irish reunification, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Heather Humphreys’ big missed opportunity: to be the candidate of the whole Irish people

Posted on Thursday, 23 October, 2025 by andypollak

If the opinion polls are right, it looks as though Catherine Connolly will win tomorrow’s Irish presidential election by a distance. I believe Heather Humphreys missed a big opportunity: to take on some of John Hume’s mantle and put herself … Continue reading →

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

Belfast is not Gaza: we should be grateful for our extraordinary and hard-won peace

Posted on Monday, 13 October, 2025 by andypollak

As I write, we are waiting for Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the first phase of the miraculous peace agreement in Gaza brokered triumphantly by President Donald Trump. And I am reading a New … Continue reading →

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