Tom Humphries deserves equal and fair treatment from the judicial system. This has not happened. The very things that mitigated him getting a soft sentence, ie. being a pillar of society, his...
Dr Peter Boylan's contribution to the Oireachtas committee on the Eighth Amendment appears to have been one of the more aggressive and arrogant versions of the recent 'Trust me, I'm a doctor'...
There has been a lot of talk recently about "the homeless" or "the rough sleepers", and at first I thought this was good sign. We are becoming more aware, I thought. But using labels and numbers...
"It blowed away, it blowed away; All the crops that I've planted blowed away; You can't grow any grain if you ain't got any rain; All except the mortgage blowed away." Pete Seeger wrote the...
Michael Kelly's article on the state of the Catholic Church in Ireland (Irish Independent, October 13), arising from Paul Melia's analysis of the Census 2016, is concise and, in some respects, hits the...
TD Clare Daly stated a simple and undeniable fact when she said: "No one of a present reproductive age has had a chance to vote on this matter."
As I walk around my home town my gaze falls upon the many empty and derelict buildings which line our Main Street; to which I am both horrified and angry. Those idle buildings once laid foundation...
The 'bonkers' situation in which women lose out on their pensions because they stayed at home rearing their families is down to "downright misogyny of the State", according to Ann Cahill in her...
Our former Taoiseach John Bruton appears to see himself as the Irish version of Tony Blair, telling everyone in Britain they "must" stay inside the EU, regardless of the democratic vote which told...
The American penchant for the possession and use of guns is underpinned by the so-called 'right' to bear arms. This 'right' is given a quasi-religious ring to it in the suggestion that it is enshrined in the...
While discussing the Las Vegas mass murders with a friend during the week, I stated that it was beyond belief that Stephen Paddock was able to stockpile so many weapons without needing a gun licence...
Sir - Tommy Tiernan's article (LIFE, Sunday Independent, October 1) reminded me of an encounter I had last week. I was buzzing around my local supermarket. The last item on my list was unsalted butter; no sign of it anywhere.
Sir - Returning from a mission overseas, I heard of the tragic death of a child. One of the youngest of a large family. The father of this child had also died tragically while on overseas duty with United Nations the previous year. He died on Christmas Eve.
One Sunday in August 1969, when tensions were rising in Northern Ireland, British PM Harold Wilson "imagined" he had the immediate answer to end British involvement there.
Yesterday's independence vote in Catalonia resulted in over 700 people being injured due to the Spanish government's heavy-handed prevention of voting stations being used by the Catalan public.
Sir - As someone who was involved in Gaelic football most of my life, I completely disagree with Alan Brogan's article (Sport, Sunday Independent, September 24) which condoned the behaviour of the Dublin players in the last minutes of their All-Ireland final against Mayo.
Donald Trump has plans to reduce the tax rates of US corporations and wealthy individuals.
For many Irish people and for the wider Irish diaspora, the All-Ireland finals, hurling or football, will be the highlight of their sporting year - filled with excitement, expectation and anticipation.
Sir - Congratulations on publishing your front cover story and full-length feature (Sunday Independent, September 17) on extra charges levied by many nursing homes on ''Fair Deal'' (FD) residents.
I must respond to your columnist Ian O'Doherty's absurd claim that Amnesty International has somehow been quiet about the serious human rights abuses taking place in Myanmar.
It is hard to let go of the Hook fiasco. The subject matter is as meaty as an Easter feast. My head is swirling with conflicting opinions and I am anxious to sort this miasma to the satisfaction of my...
If an airline escapes having to pay compensation provided it gives passengers two weeks' notice of cancellation, this is clearly unsatisfactory from a number of points of view:
There is a sign at a swimming cove in Tramore that says "Men Only". This sign comes with an apology underneath that it does not intend to cause offence, only remind us of a time, long since...
Sir - I read that ex-Garda Commissioner Noirin O'Sullivan is to receive a €300,000 lump sum and then €90,000 a year for the rest of her life as a pension.
I was driving out of Dublin on Saturday evening around 8pm on the M7 at 120kph, and suddenly I had to drop anchor and hope to God the car would stop in time.
A policeman's lot is not a happy one, went a line in a famed Gilbert and Sullivan opera. A catchy tune and a sentiment shared by many.
Sir - It was with surprise, and pleasure, to see Ruth Dudley Edwards begin her column (Sunday Independent, September 3) by reprinting some lines of my 1991 poem, The Dull Familiar Drumming.
Dear Brendan, If only I'd known what you were going through at the time... but you must remember I had just started in that job and the role of community welfare officer was difficult.
Kim Bielenberg ('Embracing our own horrible history with pillars of the past', Irish Independent, August 29) is not the first to question memorials to the 'Iron Duke' of Wellington, principally because of...
Sir - Over the past few weeks there have been a number of programmes on TV coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
I am surprised by the criticism towards national identity cards that was shown throughout your paper (Irish Independent, August 30), with the issue not helped with error given as fact.
It's time that the ridiculous, if not also patronising and ignorant, response of Regina Doherty was thrown back in her face and a literate answer be demanded of her; if she is not capable of this,...
Recently I tweeted: "Does anything work in Ireland?" I cited banking, building, political and police scandals. I didn't count the HSE, hospitals, and housing. I was shocked by the reaction and...
Seated in Dublin Airport, I reflect upon the past eight days spent in Ireland.
Sir - Teenagers keep their distance in the cautious new world of dating and sex, writes Niamh Horan (Sunday Independent, August 20).
I was pleased to read Dan O'Brien's debunking of your regular contributor Padraig Neary's theory of finite economic growth (Irish Independent, August 24). Mr Neary has submitted well written...
As we know the Assembly was disestablished in the North by the withdrawal of Sinn Féin. This situation was engineered by the DUP by the refusal of its leader to stand down during the investigation of...
Would some kind soul try to answer the conundrum of the Border issue in the minds of the politicians of Ireland, the UK and the EU?
The cancellation of our medical cards has made it clear to my wife and I that the onset of major illness, necessitating hospitalisation or expensive medication to be paid for in full, would...
Sir - Back in the 1990s, I remember seeing the Stars and Bars flying in batches from the Blackrock End of Pairc Ui Chaoimh to Hill 16 in Croke Park. No one uttered their disgust. Throughout the 2000s...
On Saturday evening, I was privileged to be in St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, as Eva Hoffman - philosopher, scholar, novelist and the Polish-born daughter of Holocaust survivors - addressed an...
I am disappointed that there has been such a huge backlash against the proposed capital gains tax (CGT) on the family home. The individual person should not expect to reap the financial reward...
Sir - I guess Bruce Arnold (Sunday Independent, August 6) has a point regarding the amount of talk which dominates the RTE radio schedule, but he forgets that the current culture and celebrity...
The threats being issued by the leaders of US and North Korean governments indicate that the risk of nuclear war is now possibly greater that during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.
Sir - With no possibility of Sinn Fein moving from its policy of abstention, is it not time for it to consider vacating its seven seats at Westminster, allowing for seven by-elections in Northern Ireland?
May I, through the medium of your widely read newspaper, congratulate RTÉ on their re-run on Wednesday night of the film 'Veronica Guerin' and, more importantly, on the follow-up programme...
With the recent announcements of the reduction and withdrawal of services by the banking sector in the regions, the decline of rural Ireland continues unabated.
I am writing in relation to the recent controversy regarding journalist Kevin Myers. Much ink has been spilled on the topic and I am simply adding to the copious amounts already written.
It is exhausting to have to read through David Quinn's article defending the indefensible.
It is amusing to read of the public anger and bile arising from the conferring of an honorary degree on former Taoiseach Brian Cowen. Irrespective of his role in the faux Celtic Tiger, it has been a...
