Colin Murphy: We speak the language of inclusion about Travellers, but inaction speaks louder
Six decades on from the days when NSPCA inspectors could have Traveller children placed in institutions, they are still subject to discrimination, as the Pontins scandal showed last week
Colin Murphy: In law, we are closer to house arrest than a 5km limit
Covid-19 restrictions say you should not leave home at all ‘without reasonable excuse’ – a rule that‘s broader than it need be, is widely misunderstood and of dubious effectiveness
Colin Murphy: Beating Drumm ignores how crash not just the fault of a cartoon villain bank
As the former Anglo boss walked free from prison last week, it became apparent that every time we focus on the sins of his bank, we lose sight of where else to lay blame
Colin Murphy: Time for the government to take the DPC seriously and prevent a ‘Wild West’ of data protection
The Data Protection Commission is now the primary data protection authority for half a billion European social media users. It needs extra resources, and quickly
Tommy Tiernan: ‘There’s a pressure to have phenomenal erections all the time’
The comedian’s unorthodox chat show has been a sensational success. With an extended run continuing this month, the host, writer and stand-up shares his meditations on life, sex, and not following the money
Colin Murphy: The west’s vaccine greed could come back to haunt it
So-called ‘vaccine nationalism’ means richer countries have a surplus at the expense of poorer nations
Colin Murphy: Special needs education falls victim to state‘s scare tactics
An unintended consequence of the government’s ‘hammer and dance’ pandemic strategy is that our educators no longer trust the state to keep them safe
Colin Murphy: Ireland was abusing its unwed mothers even before there was Church and state collusion
Twentieth-century Ireland was one of the most repressive sexual cultures in the world. Much of that is on the Catholic Church, but not all of it
Colin Murphy: Second place is a great achievement, so why don’t we celebrate it more?
The media tend to ignore good news in favour of bad, and to focus on human drama, neglecting the slower, more subtle stories that really matter
Colin Murphy: Santa knows what’s good and bad about devices for children
Concerns about kids spending too much time on screen devices go back to the 1970s, but there’s no reason to panic
Ireland has rare opportunity to help cause of Sahara’s ‘forgotten people’
The selling out by Trump of the people of Western Sahara as pawns in a bigger game, ironically, may have boosted their cause, after years of stagnation
Colin Murphy: Unlocking the lockdown is an imperative, but not to ‘let it rip’
If draconian lockdowns are designed to protect the vulnerable, then as the vaccine protects those most at risk, we can open up society while still managing the pandemic by community consent, not compulsion
Colin Murphy: The show must go on... but not in the opinion of the establishment
While audiences were being entertained by the musical numbers on The Late Late Toy Show, the country’s performing arts community were reeling from the news that their venues would stay closed
Colin Murphy: Covid-19 crisis sparks a disturbing sense of déjà vu
Comment: Our government’s missteps during the current pandemic mirror those made during the financial emergency a decade ago
Colin Murphy: At every turn, the coronavirus is punishing the disadvantaged
Lockdowns do work in containing Covid-19, but they also wreak economic havoc on those least equipped to withstand it
When it comes to Trump voters, why do pollsters get it so wrong?
Comment: US pundits are finally realising they should stop wasting time tutting over the president’s rallies and try to understand his huge appeal
America’s liberal media may regret its decisions on the Hunter Biden story
Comment: As partisans, the US media were right to downplay or ignore the Hunter Biden story. As espousers of healthy democracy, they were wrong
You cannot lock down the human desire for love and connection – even in a pandemic
Comment: Are we going to condemn young and single people to celibacy for what may be years until we find a vaccine?
We’re bulldozing our past as we neglect the unique built heritage that’s around us
Comment: Dublin is being rebuilt at speed, but the sole imperative appears to be economic margins, and the quality of the architecture and of the impact on the public realm often seems an afterthought
Trump’s dog whistling might be more about riling up liberals
Comment: In the rush to condemn Donald Trump as a fascist – some even likening his appearance last Monday on the White House balcony to Mussolini or Hitler – liberals could be playing the very game he wants