@radiobrendan It took a while, but William Butler Yeats you’re going to have to eat your penned words now (or whatever you’ll do with them from beyond your grave). Romantic Ireland isn’t dead, as you infamously wrote in your poem September 1913. It has just been in a some way self-induced, other ways imposed, coma. […]
@radiobrendan Well, that was pretty clear cut. Not only did the British Conservative Party get re-elected, but it did so in rather impressive fashion, securing an overall majority in the House of Commons. There’s no need for a messy coalition with those annoying Liberal...
@radiobrendan This is, on the face of it, an important time coming up for Bogotá. In October the city’s inhabitants will vote for a new mayor. It’s a bit of an understatement to say that the outgoing Gustavo Petro administration endured a turbulent time. And...
@radiobrendan This blog tends not to do blatant advertising, but there are exceptions to that from time to time. And when it’s for a fun and, um, worthy cause, you could say that it’s almost obligatory to do so. You see, a few months back I had to make a ‘dash’ home to...
@radiobrendan You have to admire, in some ways, Colombian patriotism. Among each other they may bad-mouth their country and criticise its many ills, but when it comes to outside ‘attacks’ they seem pretty good at closing ranks and rallying behind Colombia’s...
@radiobrendan There’s an old but still very relevant joke that does the rounds in Colombia. It goes something like this: A prominent Colombian politician is invited to a major Canadian (insert any ‘First World’ country there) city by its mayor. On arrival, the visiting...
@radiobrendan A friend asked me the other day, ‘What makes you angry the most?’ I chewed on it for a while and spat out a few things. There was, though, a common thread to them all: People not being honest. For I believe that I am, largely speaking, an honest person...
@radiobrendan Oh no! Here it comes again. Yes, it’s that semi-awkward time of year for all Irish-born people; St Patrick’s Day (March 17), our national holiday. You see most Irish, from my experiences anyway, tend not to get too excited about things; we prefer to leave...
@radiobrendan ‘Ireland; a great little country, if only you could put a roof over it.’ It’s difficult to go against that comedic summation of my homeland. Actually, you could add to it and suggest the construction of a few massive wind barriers as well. You see...
@radiobrendan In some ways, this blog and writer follow a conservative path; in some ways that is. There’s an affinity with the old, ‘straightforward’ way of doing things, finding comfort in a relatively uncomplicated life. In this regard, for example,...
