A reporter’s occupation is never dull – every day is an adventure. One day I found myself at the Moynalty Horse Chase, assessing public sentiment pertaining to the impending general election, the next day I joined a retail movement committed to combating the rampant crime that shop owners confront daily.
Recently, I navigated my way to Dundalk, to engage with locals concerning the bewildering disappearance of a young boy named Kyran Durnin. An employee of a nearby charity shop likened the bewilderment to a drama series plot – incredibly surreal. The case has commandeered the news since midweek, leaving people grappling with numerous unresolved inquiries. If Kyran, only eight, disappeared in June 2022, why wasn’t this reported sooner? Detective Superintendent Drew Harris referred to this as one of the most peculiar cases in his extensive 40-year career. We remain in anticipation for clarification on these lingering issues.
I trust you’ll appreciate my array of narratives collated this week.
Half a decade prior, I ventured to Tuam with one aim – to identify the fathers of the infants whose bodies were discovered beneath the Bon Secours house. A prominent local, rather bemused, informed me that the babies’ fathers belonged to Tuam’s most respected families. A confession from them, however, remains unlikely. Presently, efforts are underway to unearth the bodies beneath the ex-house, instigated by a discrepancy exposed by local historian Catherine Corless – 798 baby death records with no corresponding burial documentation.
Interestingly, the passionate outrage found in response to our abusive clergy seems to evaporate when dealing with our own who’ve wronged women, often through authority misuse and acts of violence.
Rarely does a day pass without men’s actions causing me a degree of embarrassment. The recent events in Mazan, France, involving the collective sexual assault of Giséle Pelicot, a local woman, have horrified the globe.
In a separate issue, Anthony Coughlan’s piece debunks the harmful falsification that the Provisional IRA’s violent streak, leading to the demise of 1,800 individuals and injuring many more, was a necessary evil. Coughlan has personal knowledge of the matter, having been present during the civil rights movement and bearing witness to the events as they unfolded.
Coughlan criticises Sinn Féin’s current attempt to construct a dignified ‘origin myth’, suggesting that the Provisional IRA was somehow a continuation of the 1960s Northern Ireland civil rights movement. He opines that the public in Britain and worldwide were largely supportive of the nationalist community in the north of Ireland, with civil rights demands being recognised. Coughlan’s view is that both nationalists and unionists in the North would have been in a significantly progressive political position today if the peaceful civil rights tactics had been maintained from 1969. This piece is vital reading for anyone intrigued by the Troubles’ roots.
Dave Hannigan’s US sports columns are regularly of high quality, with this particular one standing out. Mark Cuban is the polar opposite of Donald Trump, being a self-made billionaire born into a blue-collar family in Pittsburgh. Contrary to Trump, who inherited wealth from his father, Cuban built his wealth himself. Despite being a billionaire, Cuban is no Republican and is instead an outspoken critic of Trump. His criticisms carry weight as he knows what being a successful entrepreneur entails, a quality Trump lacks. As Hannigan notes, Cuban, a sports tycoon and frequent investor, boasts a resume brimming with financial successes which starkly oppose Trump’s record filled with grand failures and scandalous behaviour.
Those who have ventured into the hub of Dublin since the COVID-19 crisis took hold will have no illusions about the city’s dire straits. Indications of decay and countless empty premises abound. Furthermore, an undercurrent of threat, coupled with ongoing issues of antisocial behaviour, casts a shadow over the city.
Despite clear cognizance of these problems by the authorities, a tangible plan of action remains elusive. A ten-point rescue plan proposed by the Taskforce for Dublin, established last May, has been met with scepticism. Olivia Kelly, our Dublin editor, has underscored that these recommendations are redundant – the real conundrum is turning them into action.
The weekly podcast recommendation
Sally Rooney’s latest literary offering, ‘Intermezzo,’ has created a buzz akin to the frenzy that surrounded the Harry Potter series in its heyday. Does the novel merit such acclaim? Public Enemy’s famous proclamation “Don’t believe the hype,” echoes here. While I haven’t delved into it yet, I thoroughly appreciated the critical analysis offered during the Women’s Podcast Book Club that included Róisín Ingle, Ann Ingle, and the duo of Niamh Towey and Bernice Harrison. While agreeing on its superb language usage, they displayed contrasting views on the novel’s worth, with some even labelling it ‘genius.’
A noteworthy mention
As a writer, I am intrigued, yet taken aback, by the enormous £2 million advance that Boris Johnson secured for his political memoir, ‘Unleashed.’ It leaves one pondering – what were they envisaging? HarperCollins assumed Johnson’s work would outsell Prince Harry’s ‘Spare,’ which witnessed a staggering sale of 400,000 copies in the UK on its first release day. Contrary to expectations, as highlighted by an article in the UK Independent, Johnson’s memoir lagged far behind, notching up sales that were merely a fraction of what Prince Harry managed. Prolific author Richard Osman even reported ‘stacks’ of unsold copies of ‘Unleashed’ occupying space in British bookstores.
While the story Johnson had to narrate would undoubtedly have been interesting, it appears that the tale he ended up presenting in his book didn’t quite hit the mark.
Ryanair has stated that passengers stranded for as long as 15 hours during Storm Ashley won’t be provided complimentary water. Additionally, a Ryanair plane flying from Faro struggled to land in Dublin after multiple failed attempts.