On Art and Healing

“The artist is not a special type of human being, but every human being is a special type of artist.” (Art Scholar Ananda Coomaraswamy) Jonny Watson’s PS article ( Sept 2014) nails the problem with regard to ‘education’ in general. The...

Sacrificial Voting

“Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” -Proverbs 31:9 “Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” (Plato) My polling card dropped through the...

Sticks and Stones

Whether politics is an art or a science may intrigue the academics, but for many of us in Northern Ireland it is a deeply dispiriting and often quite ugly spectacle.  Let me balance that by saying unequivocally that our leaders deserve a great deal of respect and...

Does Reconciliation Require Joint Worship?

In her chapter in Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims: Irish “Religious” Conflict in Comparative Perspective Gladys Ganiel asks if churches in Northern Ireland can contribute to post-violence reconciliation and reconstruction. She cites the role of ECONI and, more...

Why Ireland Needs Answers

Notoriously, some generals have prepared to win the battles fought by the previous generation. British armies from 1939 to 1941 used the tactics of 1918. As a result, UK forces were routed by the Wermacht in the Battle of France. Two years later, General Percival...