March 26, 2014

To love a child brings both joy and heartache

They say the only constancy is change. No matter how hard we try to keep things as they are, change inevitably has its way. It is this which gives life its tragic sense. Parents of young children will know…

 

March 19, 2014

Ruby Walsh is right… horses are not human

Have we really reached the point where people risk death threats for stating the obvious? I speak of jockey Ruby Walsh who has been viciously targeted on social media sites for…

 

March 12, 2014

Communism’s evils are still in our midst

Yesterday, my friend Roger Scruton marked his 70th birthday by publishing a novel. Notes from Underground is ‘set in the twilight years of the Czechoslovak communist regime’, in a world ‘in which every word and gesture… 

 

March 5, 2014

After 20 years, I still think of her every day

Every day, I think of her. Fleeting images of the years spent together at home, on the beach or in the country. We did not always get on, but even now, more than 20 years after her death, I still long to behold her again. She was my…

 

February 26, 2014

Trees are our link to nature, cherish them

The wood pigeons are back. As dawn broke on our back garden, I noticed two of the perched high upon a tree. I opened the window to hear…

 

February 19, 2014

Take social media from the bedrooms of young children

Last week, a media researcher asked me for my Twitter and Facebook details. When I informed him I don’t have any social media account, there was silence at the end of the phone…

 

February 12, 2014

We need real debate, not just shouting

Supposedly, we are in the middle of a same-sex marriage debate. So far, this debate seems to be about the meaning of the word ‘homophobia.’ My view is that we won’t have a real debate until …

 

February 5, 2014

Quinn and his ilk think we’re just ‘clever animals’

Last week, I accepted an invite to address the students of Muckross College in Donnybrook. Principal Caroline Lundy is an exceptionally gifted educator who, as she says, ‘has so much faith in…

 

January 29, 2014

Parents need to wrest control from bullies

For weeks, I have been suffering from latent anxiety. It started just before Christmas, when one of my sons claimed he was being bullied at school …

January 22, 2014

A good book is a balm for the mind and soul

Can books alter our mood? Can they counter the debilitating effects of depression, anxiety and related disorders? Might they even serve as an alternative to drug therapy or psychotherapy? …

January 15, 2014

Love conquers all… even the signs of age

Last Sunday, I awoke to find myself one year older. At dawn, Mrs Dooley and our boys kicked off the festivities with a tender version of Happy Birthday. A perfect start to what was a wonderful day…

January 8, 2014

Theatre at its best can change us for a lifetime

Last week, the Dooleys rounded off Christmas with a visit to the theatre.  This annual treat has become a family tradition, one we anticipate with great excitement…

January 1, 2014

New Year, new you? This guide is all you need

Welcome to Dooley’s survival guide 2014. You will have read much about how to keep the body in shape throughout the new year. As persons, we also require a guide to the good life…