Andrée Murphy

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Local elections that weren't so local

IN the conversations I have had since the seismic results of the local elections last week, one sentence stood out for me. A friend, and a significant political thinker, said that for him it was arguably a more important result than that of May last year. He was right.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Knock-on from student nurses loss will be catastrophic

THERE are currently over 3,000 nursing vacancies. Hospitals and care settings are not safe because there are too few nurses. Waiting lists get longer every day because not enough nurses are available to care for patients in theatres or wards. Nurses are leaving the profession every single day because they are underpaid and under too much stress. Professional women and men – but overwhelmingly women – can no longer do it.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Damien Gibney – an inspiration and example

TWINBROOK, a working-class estate living on its own ingenuity, reminded me so much of Tallaght when I first moved to Belfast. Physically it was quite similar. Decent houses with decent gardens surrounded by fields where kids played without any infrastructure at all. Mothers getting into black taxis to get to shops. Tracks across fields where people needed to walk but no footpaths were provided.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Today's gestures will find their reward down the line

THERE is a paper cake stand currently on sale in one of the major British supermarkets, which is purposed for coronation street parties. A message on it says 'Let Them Eat Cake'. This is either an indication of immense subversion or inane stupidity.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Balancing goodwill with honest talk is tricky

AS the dust settles on #GFA25, the extravangaza of thought and persuasion in Queen's University last week reflecting on the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, I am left a little exhausted.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Day of the Plastic Paddy is long gone

OVER the past week we have seen Irish America bring something back home that far exceeded anyone’s expectations. Dignity.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Neglect of Agreement has had its consequences

WHAT a week, eh? You would swear that the Good Friday Agreement had been cherished, exalted and promoted like the gospels themselves over the past 25 years. You would think that we had been led to the grassy uplands of peace, reconciliation and prosperity. My past 25 years have been a lot different, as the two co-guarantors abandoned the population here many years ago.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: What kind of anniversary might we have had?

This Good Friday I remember 25 years ago with mixed feelings. A moment most cherished, a passage of time most problematic.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Equality – from the golf course to the local park

THERE once was a golf club. On the door it didn’t say men only. There were women about it, but their roles and presence were clearly defined. The men played golf, held membership, sat in the directors’ chairs and made the decisions. The women cooked the meals, cleaned the grassy floors, came along to the restaurant as guests and dressed up for the fancy dinners.

ANDREÉ MURPHY: DUP immovability is so very boring

IN a world where we can choose spontaneity, joy or surprise, why would anyone choose the opposite? But it's sadly our lot to live in a place where doom, negativity and immovability is privileged.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Whose terror may we legally glorify?

AFTER 9/11 the western world got itself a little... let’s put this gently... insane. Human rights became the enemy, government lies became policy and mass murder became reconcilable. All under the guise of defeating 'terrorism'.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: A celebration of women – but only some

INTERNATIONAL Women’s Day has developed over recent years to become a commodified example of how in the modern era we deal with issues of contest and discrimination. Make it cool, and tear the radical meaning out of it.

ANDREÉ MURPHY: Courage now could mean a step away from the past

REJOICE! The Protocol is dead! Long live the I Can’t Believe It’s Not the Protocol!

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Political zombies are back battering the doors

IT appears the new day has dawned and some key players in London have decided that using the DUP as sandbags in negotiations with the European Union about the Protocol is no longer of value.

ANDRÉE MURPHY: Bringing back Bertie is a grim step backwards

THE return of former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to Fianna Fáil and the political stage is surely one of the most depressing moments of 2023. And with the rise of the far right and the DUP blocking progress, and it still being February, that is really saying something.

NIFL Premiership: Cliftonville and Coleraine do battle again in bid for final spot

Gallery: Eggcitement at Lámh Dhearg Easter camp

Celtic and Manchester United legend Brian McClair enjoys West Belfast hospitality

Gaelic Games: Bohill rues another slow start as Antrim made to pay by Cats

MIKE TOMLINSON: The legacy of slavery bites back

IRISH MUSIC SCENE: Psychedelic sun-rays ahead of summer festivals

Soccer opinion: Domestic dominance continues for treble-bound Celtic

BOOK REVIEW: Belfast With Dinosaurs is a farcical metaphor for the conflict

Andrée Murphy

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