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Mary Kenny

Mary Kenny

Mary Kenny Opinion ‘Colour-blind casting treads a delicate path between fair employment and plausible drama’

Thandiwe Newton is a terrific actress — and, as it happens, a stunning beauty — who has recently attracted even more renown by changing her name back to its original African composition. When she first began her career, the original Zulu “Thandiwe” was anglicised to “Thandie”. For Ms Newton, now 48, restoring the original is about reclaiming her identity: her father was English, her mother a Zulu princess. She has received overwhelming support from people who applaud the authenticity of the gesture.
Mary Kenny

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Mary Kenny Opinion Is one person’s erotica – and freedom of expression – another person’s offensive pornography?

Saoirse Ronan’s new movie, Ammonite, is about Mary Anning, a shy young woman who was a pioneering fossil-hunter. Her achievements were never credited in her lifetime by male academics, but the value of her work has been rediscovered. The film also introduces an apparently fictional theme in Mary Anning’s life — a same-sex relationship, which is said to be hot stuff, when Kate Winslet as Mary falls for Saoirse’s character, Charlotte.
Mary Kenny

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Mary Kenny Opinion ‘Film star Jane Russell’s transatlantic adoption story illuminates the times she lived in’

Jane Russell was, in her time, a very famous film star — you may have seen her alongside Marilyn Monroe in the classic “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, released in 1953. She first hit notoriety when she starred in Howard Hughes’ “The Outlaw”, as a sulky, sexy, siren lying on a bed of straw: Hughes, an engineer, had designed a special cantilevered bra to the shape of Jane’s voluptuous figure (although she says in her autobiography that she never actually wore it).
UK prime minister Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Micheal Martin greet each other with an elbow bump at Hillsborough Castle in Belfast

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Mary Kenny Opinion Waking up to a new dawn in our dealings with an old neighbour

So what will be the future relationship between Ireland and the United Kingdom look like after Brexit really kicks in? Once the wretched Covid-19 pandemic is under control, the optimistic belief is that travel and much of trade will continue successfully. The Common Travel Area between Ireland and Britain is unaffected by Brexit – it was recognised throughout the EU-UK negotiations as part of the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Mary Kenny, writer and author

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Mary Kenny Opinion More children are at risk of developing myopia because they are glued to a screen

When I was a youngster, it wasn’t considered healthy for children to been seen constantly reading. “Too much time with your nose stuck in a book,” was a reprimand. “Out playing in the fresh air you should be!” The “bookworm”, in cartoon images, was the swotty kid with bottle glasses at home alone. “Specky-four-eyes,” was a common taunt. That was a while ago, but a recent, excellent article by Emily Hourican in this newspaper brought back an echo of those values. More children, eye experts are saying, should be out in the fresh air. Kids are spending way too much time reading on screens and this is having a deleterious effect on their eyes. Myopia — short-sightedness — is increasing at an alarming rate. Globally, a million more people are diagnosed as myopic every week.
Mary Kenny. Photo by Tony Gavin

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Mary Kenny: 'We should tell young people the truth: sex is frequently complicated; often volatile'

Young people, according to the National Youth Council of Ireland, are very confused on the issue of 'consent' in an intimate relationship. Some are not entirely clear what 'consent' is. Some aren't sure if it's ongoing, or temporary. Some feel unable to voice their consent, or lack of consent, within a relationship. Some lack the confidence to express their "desires and dislikes". Some are worried about feeling bullied or forced into sexual relationships, or acts. Some are afraid of repercussions if they refuse to yield. Some are afraid of being judged, rejected or described as "frigid".

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