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This endless talk of water charges is tiring. Here are 10 things we should focus on instead
Of all the things urgently, dangerously and unfairly wrong with this country, Irish Water isn’t even in the top 10, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Apr 27th 2016, 3:49 PM
Given up on Catholicism? Why you should tick 'no religion' on the census tomorrow
Religion is all of our business when over 90% of state-funded schools remain in church hands, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Apr 23rd 2016, 7:30 PM
"I should have told my friend his 'rape joke' was inappropriate. Why didn't I?"
Men need to start feeling more than a little uncomfortable about the issue of consent, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Apr 9th 2016, 7:30 PM
'A victory for Isis would be a Europe crippled by fear and suspicion'
A victory for Isis would see Muslim citizens even further reviled, harassed and ghettoised in European cities, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Mar 26th 2016, 7:30 PM
Why are parents entrusting their child’s wellbeing to someone they are paying buttons to?
The issue of au pairs is a direct result of ridiculous childcare costs, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Mar 11th 2016, 5:00 PM
The Catholic Church still doesn't get the horror of child abuse
The Church – to quote the brilliant film “Spotlight” – thinks in centuries, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Feb 29th 2016, 7:30 PM
'Men don’t talk face to face. They talk shoulder to shoulder'
Maybe we don’t talk face to face, us men. But then, as the Men’s Sheds movement surely proves, it’s the talking which counts, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Jan 9th 2016, 7:15 PM
'Sometimes you’d despair for humanity. And sometimes you’d be wrong'
This story about a young girl shows there are kind people out there, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Dec 24th 2015, 8:00 PM
I'm not a AAA fan but we shouldn't be able to restrict funding because we don’t like the look of them
To restrict the fundraising ability because some members might theoretically commit public order offences is a disturbing development, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Dec 6th 2015, 10:00 AM
A soup kitchen founded in Victorian times is feeding the working poor. That’s some centenary
Donal O’Keeffe reflects on a visit to Cork Penny Dinners, one of the country’s oldest soup kitchens.
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Nov 29th 2015, 8:00 AM
‘I remember feeling washed up and fearing I would never work again’
It’s time to change our attitude toward unemployed people, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Nov 1st 2015, 8:00 AM
Carrickmines tragedy shows we all have empathy, but it gives way when it comes close to our backyard
Ireland’s dirty secret is that the Carrickmines tragedy could happen in any parish in the country, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Oct 19th 2015, 5:36 PM
'My religion lapsed three decades ago, but I am irritated by a-la-carte Catholics'
By staying Catholic I feel liberals hypocritically give tacit approval to behaviour and attitudes they find offensive, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Oct 8th 2015, 8:00 AM
Imagine living in a 20’ x 10’ room, your belongings are in one cupboard and you don't know if you'll be there a year or a decade
The sight of little Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body shamed us all into reluctant action by accepting 4,000 people into Ireland, but now we’re going to put traumatised people into a seriously flawed system, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Sep 25th 2015, 8:00 AM
'Germany is taking in 800,000 refugees, were Ireland proportionally as welcoming, we would take in 40,000'
Donal O’Keeffe writes about ‘The week since Aylan Kurdi’s death woke the world and shamed us all’.
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Sep 7th 2015, 3:45 PM
The story of the Cork 4-year-old who is the reason First Communion age is now 7
“All I can see is a highly intelligent little girl who had a short, painful life and who has been exploited in death by the Catholic Church”, writes Donal O’Keeffe.
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Aug 30th 2015, 3:00 PM
Do we need another Jonathan Corrie to die before our government will take the homeless crisis seriously?
The homeless crisis in Ireland is crying out for politicians to do the right thing, not the political thing, writes Donal O’Keeffe
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Aug 16th 2015, 12:00 PM
Time for Ireland's new anti-immigration party to answer difficult questions about its members
Anyone tweeting criticism of Identity Ireland will find out pretty quickly who – and what – their supporters are. And boy, don’t they like their St Brigid’s Cross swastika avatars.
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Aug 4th 2015, 8:00 AM
We’re playing God with the lives of the poorest people on Earth
When it comes to climate change, we can’t blame ‘Acts of God’ for destroying our planet. We can only blame ourselves.
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Jul 21st 2015, 1:30 PM
In Ireland, a man can actually confess to rape and still serve no time in prison
Yesterday Magnus Meyer Hustveit walked free from court after admitting that he had repeatedly raped his former girlfriend when she was unconscious.
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Jul 15th 2015, 6:00 PM
Some kids have lived their whole lives in Direct Provision. It's time to do the right thing.
Ireland has been warehousing asylum-seekers in Direct Provision since 2000. How can we stand by and allow children to live in these conditions?
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Jul 1st 2015, 4:10 PM
Is Ireland a 'genuinely filthy nation'?
We’re fond of saying that, when the sun shines, there is nowhere in the world more beautiful than Ireland… But what about our growing litter problem?
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Jun 29th 2015, 6:30 PM
Death is a constant companion through life. So why are we afraid of discussing it?
Death is the one constant which unites us all.
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Jun 15th 2015, 12:03 AM
Whatever about What Averil Did Next, what about the future of the Soldiers of Destiny?
How will the party cope with the sudden loss of Averil Power – aka 50% of its female parliamentarians?
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May 27th 2015, 8:00 AM
Whatever happens, government may regret activating so many young, idealistic voters
The result of the marriage referendum is far from a foregone conclusion. But one thing’s certain: we now have many more young and passionate voters in this country.
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May 15th 2015, 8:00 AM
An Irish citizen has been held without trial for 620 days – how can we look the other way?
Would we care more if his name was, say, Sean Murphy and not Ibrahim Halawa?
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Apr 30th 2015, 3:00 PM
If Irish politicians are incompetent, can we really plead ignorance?
In a country where few TDs would dare miss a funeral, do we really have a closer connection with our representatives… or do we just make them work harder at fooling us?
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Apr 19th 2015, 7:30 PM
Do we care enough about Irish to keep it alive?
I have next to no Irish and I’m embarrassed by that… yet I don’t think I’ll ever learn.
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Apr 6th 2015, 1:00 PM
IRA abuse claims show – once again – how the institution is always placed before the victim
There are parallels between Sinn Féin’s reaction to allegations by Paudie McGahon and Maíria Cahill and the Catholic Church’s pursuit of its own institutional safety.
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Mar 23rd 2015, 8:15 PM
Enda thinks his €185k salary is 'cut to the bone'? Don't tell him about zero hour contracts...
… or what it’s like living on the minimum wage.
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Mar 2nd 2015, 10:57 PM
Column: Why does this Government refuse to hold a referendum on abortion?
81% of respondents to a recent poll indicated they wanted abortion allowed in cases of fatal foetal abnormality. Yet 88% of TDs abstained or voted no on the issue.
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Feb 13th 2015, 4:00 PM
Opinion: I've just signed up to Irish Water. I don't think that makes me a traitor.
Reluctantly and unhappily, I’ve decided I can no more pick the taxes I pay than the laws I obey.
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Jan 30th 2015, 1:00 PM
Opinion: This year's Oscars were a decidedly white affair
The Academy’s (94% white) voters indisputably snubbed creative talent by non-white actors and directors this year.
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Jan 16th 2015, 1:00 PM
Opinion: Dear Lucinda and Reboot Ireland, aren't ALL votes issues of conscience?
Decisions that impact taxes or spending have at least as dramatic an effect upon day-to-day lives of Irish people as issues like abortion.
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Jan 7th 2015, 6:30 PM
Opinion: Tragic case of clinically dead pregnant woman highlights our unworkable approach to abortion
Following the burial today of a young woman, who was kept on life support while clinically dead due to legal considerations about her pregnancy, we must consider the legacy of the Eighth Amendment.
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Dec 29th 2014, 8:15 PM
Opinion: The simple, powerful gesture you can make to balance the sadness of the past week
Anyone who keeps up with current affairs in Ireland would be hard-pressed to find a smile these days. I’ve decided what I need to do to change things – if even in a small way.
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Dec 15th 2014, 1:18 PM
Opinion: The 1916 centenary is coming... but are we honouring the ideal of equality for all?
Is becoming ‘The Best Small Country In The World In Which To Do Business By 2016′ really the best ambition Ireland can have for the centenary year of the Rising?
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Dec 3rd 2014, 8:00 AM
Opinion: We have every right to be angry over water charges – but not to be violent
Violence and intimidation against elected representatives – or anyone else – is not the way to agitate for fair treatment.
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Nov 18th 2014, 1:00 PM
Opinion: Sinn Féin continues its Stand By Your Man policy... but will it sour public opinion?
Sinn Féin prides itself on its militaristic discipline in staying on-message – but that Stepford uniformity could eventually turn voters against it.
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Nov 5th 2014, 6:20 PM
Opinion: Driving home on a stormy night, I saw a distressed young man on a bridge wall
I hope I did the right thing in that situation. To tell you the truth, I haven’t really slept properly since.
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Oct 22nd 2014, 1:20 PM
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