#column
The Irish For: Let's settle the 'crack' versus 'craic' debate by looking at the evidence
The word appears to originate before 1900 in parts of Ireland where spoken Irish was high and literacy was low, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: Carrots can be problematic to grow but the following tips will work
Many growing books will tell you to sow carrots in March or April but I always wait until May or June to sow mine, writes Michael Kelly.
Donn McClean: O'Brien's Sir Dragonet gives plenty to ponder as Derby looms
Derby trials are popping up all over to present a changing picture of prospects at Epsom.
Lynn Ruane: I'm tabling a bill to support the voices of community and advocacy groups
We need a vibrant and active civil society. Otherwise politicians and big business will call all the shots, writes Senator Lynn Ruane.
The Irish For: Hiberno English is a feature not a bug
Sometimes Béarla and Gaeilge are presented as being in conflict in Ireland, but they’re both part of our cultural heritage, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: A little frost damage on the spuds - but not to worry they will recover
Learn to make ‘a one-pot veggie wonder that’s crammed with healthy vegetables, herbs and pulses and as an added bonus uses up stale bread too,’ writes Michael Kelly.
Column: Why are personalised attacks on children with disabilities, like Greta Thunberg, being tolerated?
We should debate Thunberg’s ideas but comments that focus on the symptoms of her condition are out of order, writes Shane Dunphy.
The Irish For: Did the Irish language influence the names of Gollum and the orcs in the Lord of the Rings?
J. R. R. Tolkien once tried to learn Irish in Galway but he dismissed the language as suffering from “fundamental unreason,” writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
Ireland can remove the chill factor from defamation laws - and protect citizens' good names
If ‘falsity’ were to become an element of the tort (to be proved by the plaintiff) rather than a defence, then this would be a radical, but possibly beneficial change. writes Neville Cox, Professor in Law.
From the Garden: Learn to make nettle tea - it has a rich and earthy taste and is a super tonic
Obviously, if you are harvesting nettles from the wild, wear gloves or you will get stung, writes Michael Kelly.
Lynn Ruane: 'Now is not the time to stop listening to David Attenborough'
We don’t have time for small measures when it comes to climate change, writes Lynn Ruane.
The Irish For: How Beyoncé is helping to get fadas in formation
Thanks to Queen Bé, April 2019 has been an interesting month for accessorised letters, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: 'I worry about the implications of what Greta Thunberg’s saying for the cosy lives we lead'
It is remarkable to watch this young woman speak her truth to power, writes Michael Kelly of Grow It Yourself Ireland.
Parental Leave: 'Fathers have moved on from sitting in the pub next door to the hospital - Ireland has not'
A lot of what governs Ireland is stuck in the 1960s and hasn’t moved on at all. Parental Leave is one such thing, writes Derek Power.
Irish Grand National triumph has Ruby dreaming of conquering Aintree with Burrows Saint
He may be only six, but the sky is the limit after Easter Monday’s success for Willie Mullins, writes Donn McClean.
Child Protection: The failure to publish the report into Mother & Baby Homes is part of a continued cover-up
‘I have no problem with due process, but when this gets in the way of truth and allows a culture of secrecy and collusion to continue, then we need to re-evaluate’, writes Shane Dunphy.
The Irish For: Why do we remember things from TV and what does that mean for learning languages?
‘Thousands of Irish people know their rights if they’re arrested in America but not if they’re arrested in Ireland… and nobody would know what mitosis was if it wasn’t for Sabrina,’ writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: Learn how to really grow parsnips, earth up spuds and make wild garlic pesto
‘Most parsnip seed packets will tell you to sow them in February – don’t do it,’ writes Michael Kelly.
We do not have the slightest idea what the League of Ireland will look like in 2020
John O’Sullivan assesses the impact of the ongoing FAI controversy on the League of Ireland.
Lynn Ruane: The overdose drug Naloxone can save lives so let's remove the barriers to accessing it
There are more deaths in Ireland as a result of overdose than road traffic accidents and many of these deaths are preventable, writes senator Lynn Ruane.
The Irish For: We are sometimes called Gaeilge Nazis which feels like a bit of a curse
Gaeilgeoirí often feel the odds are stacked against them. Even when we are right we still end up looking like a spoilsport or a pain in the arse, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: 'It seems an opportune time to write about sowing seeds in module trays'
‘The beauty of a module tray is that the roots of seedlings are kept apart which means you don’t upset them when you are transplanting them’, writes Michael Kelly.
Opinion: 'Lisa Smith needs to be exploited to the maximum as an intelligence source on her return'
“While Smith was living with IS during 2016, 135 European citizens were slaughtered in 10 separate attacks that year,” security expert Tom Clonan writes.
From the Garden: How to grow broadbeans? Start by avoiding cheap compost
It’s worth buying good quality potting compost – ideally one that is approved for use in organic production and peat-free, writes Michael Kelly.
Why Delaney's 'parish pump' political style has won him support around the country
However, the fact that the FAI boss has visited 2,000 clubs isn’t relevant to the issues up for discussion at an Oireachtas committee hearing next week, writes John O’Sullivan.
Donn McClean: A good day for Willie Mullins as Breaken shows class on long-awaited return
Burrows Saint and Robin Des Foret also gave the Carlow trainer a 1-2 in the feature race in Limerick over the weekend.
The Irish For: The Irish language version of Wikipedia is going strong
Sure enough, one of the longest, best laid-out and most carefully edited pages in An Vicipéid is the page on Star Trek, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: 'Growing tomatoes is a hobby that became an obsession and then spiralled out of control into a mania'
Growing tomatoes is a double-edged sword because once you’ve tasted a proper homegrown tomato you really can’t go back to the bland shop-bought alternative, writes Michael Kelly.
The Irish for: Irish is the first language of the constitution. Here's some legal terminology as Gaeilge
Bannaí means bail and is not to be confused with banaí which means a womaniser, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: What is the difference between celery and celeriac?
Time to transplant those tomatoes too. ‘Did you know that the little fuzzy hairs on the stem of a tomato seedling can become a root if planted under the soil?’
'The FAI have to open their books in a detailed and transparent way to those who are dependent upon them'
John O’Sullivan reflects on the potentially serious impact rescheduled fixtures have on League of Ireland clubs.
Opinion: 'I’m thinking of you' and 9 other things it's OK to say to a family going through cancer
On Daffodil Day, Sarah Geraghty examines her own experiences to provide a useful guide of what not to say to a family hit by a diagnosis – and some suggestions on what to offer instead.
Leaving Neverland: 'A monster was hiding in plain sight and we chose to look the other way'
Child protection expert Shane Dunphy writes that the allegations are credible and consistent but cannot now be proven definitively.
The Irish For: The word Tory comes from the Irish word tóraí meaning a bandit or outlaw
If you’re doing your Irish oral exam next week – you’ll need to know how to say ‘confidence and supply agreement’ and ‘frictionless border’, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: 'Traditionally Irish people put their spuds in the ground on or around St Patrick’s Day'
The act of harvesting spuds is pure GIY joy. Rummaging in the soil underneath a potato plant and finding lots of lovely tubers is as good as Christmas, writes Michael Kelly.
Donn McClean reviews a dramatic Day 1 at Cheltenham
Wins for Espoir D’Allen, Roksana and Klassical Dream were among the highlights.
The Irish For: Some older words don't exist in English - clochscríbhinn means an inscription on stone
George Orwell said that history was a palimpsest – a chalkboard which could be scraped clean and reinscribed, exactly as often as necessary, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the garden: Grow, Cook, Eat is back on TV this month and we'll be tackling food waste
We’ll be teaching you to grow onions, pumpkins, sweetcorn, courgettes, kale, beans and chillis for all shapes and sizes of gardens, writes Michael Kelly.
Scaled-back Soccer Republic can be the League of Ireland's Football Italia
John O’Sullivan discusses tailoring highlights to new fans – not the die-hards – and much more in his weekly column.
The Irish For: While Europe was stuck in the Dark Ages - Ireland's Brehon laws were relatively enlightened
Satire (Áer) was taken as seriously as physical assault in old Ireland and a range of satirical offences were deemed to warrant compensation, including ‘coining a nickname that sticks’, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
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