Catherine Connolly won the most votes of any candidate in the history of the Republic, but the election was marked by low turnout and a campaign to spoil votes, raising questions about whether Ireland is as stable a democracy as most presume.
Kevin Hargaden
Kevin Hargaden is a theologian with the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Dublin, Ireland. He is the author of Theological Ethics in a Neoliberal Age, published by Wipf and Stock.
Posted inDispatches
Migration and Irish identity—in the era of Trump deportations
Just about no one in Ireland would say that Irish citizens living in the U.S. are being treated as badly as immigrant residents from Latin America or Africa. But consternation is on the rise about escalating deportations.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
How Trump’s tariffs are threatening this Irish Christian art workshop
Trump’s tariffs hit an unlikely target—handmade Irish Christian art—and echo an ancient struggle over the sacred across borders.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Thousands of tourists flock to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. But one figure is missing: St. Patrick.
Tens of thousands of tourists flock to Ireland each year for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival. But in the midst of the concerts, parades and art installations, one figure is strikingly absent—Patrick himself.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Ireland’s new government faces a housing crisis. Is it bad enough for people to leave the country?
The new government in Ireland (which looks remarkably like the last one) faces a housing crisis that has become an economic and demographic emergency.
Posted inArts & Culture, Dispatches
The Irish Christmas tradition that celebrates the unsung work of women
The Irish tradition has long been that on Nollaig na mBan, this final day of the busy Christmas season, women get to put their feet up and enjoy a day of socializing. In some versions of the tradition, men take over the household chores.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
How Ireland avoided a far-right surge and anti-incumbent backlash in recent election
When Irish people went to the polls on Nov. 29, there had been concerns that the nation would see a far-right surge in the Dáil, or parliament, in keeping with trends within the rest of Europe. But Ireland continues to be an outlier.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
‘Irish Patriots’ and Ulster loyalists find a shared scapegoat in Northern Ireland: Immigrants
Loyalist paramilitaries played a central role in organizing the unrest in Belfast, but it was a surprise on both sides of the northern Irish border when they were joined by self-proclaimed “Irish patriots” from the Republic of Ireland.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
City council prayer has been challenged in Cork. Is this the future of a more secular Ireland?
A newly elected city councilor in Cork, Ireland, wants to stop the practice of opening meetings with a prayer. He also calls for the removal of a crucifix from the council chamber.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Defense, cost of living and migration: What top election issues reveal about the state of the E.U.
The elections results suggest that European states will set stricter policies on immigration, raising levels of despair among asylum seekers and hundreds of thousands of people living without official status across Europe.