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.
I will be looking at the general election results with more interest than usual to see to what extent the right-wing bile is reflected in political representation in Dáil Eireann.
I am hopeful that the views which I find offensive are not as widely held as social media activity would indicate. And that there is a less noisy majority of decent people who will hold sway at the ballot box.
That’s what I am hoping for, anyway.