I went through a binge of reading all the books on the Pulitzer Prize list in the last few weeks. It was a good way, I thought, of getting a steer for the next book I ought ot read. I came across “Empire Falls” by Richard Russo and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much, in fact,… Continue reading Books I am reading
The essential, democratic work on Sunday morning
I was out early last weekend on my bicycle and on my Vespa. As I went through the small hamlet of Kilshanroe, near Johnstownbridge, Co. Kildare, I saw a couple of election workers walking down the footpath with election posters looking for the most suitable location for their placement. And it struck me that it… Continue reading The essential, democratic work on Sunday morning
Go back to where you came from
“Go back to where you came from” is what Derek Blighe, the President of the Ireland First party, told Mr Gomez at the Abbeyville House, Fermoy, Co. Cork in December 2023. Last Friday, Blighe was found guilty of threatening behaviour under Section 6 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 and ordered to pay… Continue reading Go back to where you came from
My podcast’s analytics on Spotify
I don’t usually pay much attention to my podcast’s (the Irish Law and Small Business Podcast) analytics. This morning, however, I noticed that I have had 150 consumption hours over the last 30 days, as well as 1,653 streams and 32 new followers. The 150 hours statistic got my attention. Because to have the attention… Continue reading My podcast’s analytics on Spotify
Populist videos versus the more obscure
I am getting a lot of mileage out of my coverage of the Conor McGregor/Nikita Hand civil trial in the High Court. The viewing figures, engagement, comments are off the charts by comparison with my usual videos. But I need to figure out if these types of videos are of practical benefit to me and… Continue reading Populist videos versus the more obscure
The Conor McGregor Trial
Covering the Conor McGregor trial is time consuming but probably worth it. My YouTube channel is hopping and the views, comments, likes, engagement for the videos covering the trial have been exceptional. There is a massive appetite for this stuff. It is an opportunity for me to further grow my channel and expand my channel’s… Continue reading The Conor McGregor Trial
The changing culture
Maybe it is the birth of two grandchildren in the last few weeks that has me concerned about the changing culture in Ireland. The culture of hatred of difference-whether on the grounds of ethnic origin, sexuality, religion-seems to have taken root in the last few years, aided and abetted by the use of social media.… Continue reading The changing culture
Giving out the smoke on TikTok
I am having a great deal of fun at the moment doing reply videos to comments on my TikTok page. I am actually saying what is on my mind and giving out the smoke, to put it euphemistically. All sorts of topics such as Simeon Burke’s failure to secure a training Master, gender recognition, homophobia… Continue reading Giving out the smoke on TikTok
The comments would wear you down
The comments you read online would wear you down. The constant, drip-drip effect of misinformed, ignorant, racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynist comments would turn your stomach. Sometimes yo wonder about continuing to publish videos on topics outside of a narrow, legal area of law. But narrowing down my focus would not work. Because many of the… Continue reading The comments would wear you down
The only thing I do without distraction
I put my Vespa scooter up for sale some time ago but it didn’t sell. And I am glad about that. I had an offer or two but I decided not to accept. In fact, I had an offer of the full asking price but I dragged my heels and ultimately declined the offer. When… Continue reading The only thing I do without distraction