Poem: ‘What comes to mind in Ireland’

What comes to mind in Ireland What is black? An absence of light, the cassocks of parish priests, dark peat in an Irish bog. What is brown? A leather belt, decaying plants, veins of iron in stones, the layered bark of a log. What is grey? Lowering clouds, skies threatening rain over windswept water, the … Read more

What is Freedom?

Last week, the Russia-Ukraine-NATO tensions reached a crescendo when Russia decided to recognize both Luhansk and Donetsk as independent states. Shortly after that, Putin proceeded to launch a full-scale invasion of the Ukraine. The day the news broke I felt great sadness. You see, although I’ve never been to either Russia or Ukraine, I have … Read more

What Next for Aghanistan?

So where do we go from here? Better still how do we even begin to unravel the pain, sorrow and hardship, Afghans have endured over decades? Do we start with the American invasion twenty years ago? Its objective was to end terrorism as part of the ‘War on Terror’ after the September 11 attacks. "The … Read more

Palestine: What happens when the violence ends?

Self-defence, blood lust, ethnic cleansing, disproportionate response, mowing the lawn, genocide, death from the sky. It’s up to you however you wish to describe the unparalleled violence unleashed on Gaza. I describe it as shooting or in this case bombing Palestinians in a barrel. Let’s have a brief resume of what’s happened. The district of … Read more