Soapbox – The Archives

  • We’re not going to talk about Judy.

    David Lynch, director of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, has died. His death at 78 comes after a short but intense battle with emphysema, diagnosed late last year and undoubtedly the result of eight decades of constant smoking, often straight into the camera during one of his daily weather updates. A musician and…

  • Paediatric care in Ireland : The fight to be heard

    If 2020 and the impact it has had on the world has taught us anything, it is that we are no longer the author of our own lives. We are not even the protagonist of our own story. We have been reduced to a character that is simply dispensable in the grander scheme of things.…

  • Man Talk – Jon Harrison

    Earlier this month saw the launch of http://www.man-talk.ie , a space for men to express any bottled feelings they may be having. Digital design wunderkind and project founder Jon Harrison took a little time with Jimi to talk about the project. What’s the project all about, and how did it start?This project is all about…

  • What an Irish President actually does for a living.

    The 2018 campaign to elect Ireland’s president is well and truly underway, with the electorate set to cast their votes later this October. Despite being one of the most recognisable and important figures in Irish political and cultural life, there remains a fair amount of confusion as to what the purpose of the presidency actually…

  • A Karen Bradley Guide to Northern Irish Politics

      To understand Northern Irish politics, it’s imperative to first understand the history of the country. In the 1600s, beginning in 1609, British Protestants were incentivised (by the promise of guaranteed arable land) to move to Ulster and colonise. Although this was common all over Ireland (which was still one country under British rule), it…

  • I am a Christian, but I am not a Catholic

      I am a Christian, but I am not a Catholic To those of you who left the Church years ago, or those of you who were never part of it, this will seem like a whole lot of agonising over nothing. But the events of the last few years, and the visit of Pope…

  • Language is Important

    As I was reading about the grand jury report on the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal, one particular quote struck me. It refers to how the grand jury described the Church’s methods for covering up abuse. ‘First, make sure to use euphemisms rather than real words to describe the sexual assaults in diocese documents. Never…

  • What We Can Learn From Ireland’s Lost Constitution

    Darragh Roche    RTÉ’s long overdue documentary on the history of women in Ireland, ‘No Country For Women,’ highlighted a reality that everyone already knew but often refused to acknowledge: that Irish laws, and our constitution, treated women like second class citizens. The sexist provisions of the 1937 Bunreacht are so well-known, they hardly need…

  • Bible Ireland

    Darragh Roche    Thank God the Bible is leaving Irish politics U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently cited the Bible in defence of the inhumane policy of separating immigrant children from their parents. Quoting from St. Paul, the pre-eminent early Christian theologian, Sessions reminded sceptics that earthly laws should be obeyed. Since imprisoning children in…

  • Making the switch to new political parties

    Pádraig Lohan     Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are the political equivalent of a major phone company. We’re frustrated with the service they’re providing. We rant and moan that they clearly don’t care about us. Yet somehow, when we reach the end of the contract, we continue to give them our money (okay, votes).…