Against the dark night sky at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, when Tommie Smith and John Carlos both gave the Black Power salute in the iconic photo, Australian sprinter Peter Norman is easy to miss. As the Star-Spangled Banner played in the thin air, the salute was a very public act of defiance in front... Read more »

Views from Above and Below Ireland is at a crossroads, indeed it is in crisis. But the cause of the crisis is not some external agency or force. The cause of the crisis is within. There are two ways of looking at Ireland’s economic fortunes. There is a view from the top and a view... Read more »

“…the reach of the present extends into the far future.” [1] Henry Shue Introduction Some truths bear repeating. First, we were all once the “future generations” ourselves, existing only as potential until the day we were conceived and born. Second, each of us will most likely, at some point, meet someone from the future—whether our... Read more »

Introduction “Più Italia, meno Europa” (More Italy, less Europe). This was one of the slogans adopted by the Italian far-right party Lega (the League) for the last European elections. Another one was “Cambiamo l’Europa prima che lei cambi noi” (Let’s change Europe, before it changes us). Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), the political party of... Read more »

Introduction As soon as the modern prison was established, concerns about the treatment of prisoners were expressed from many quarters. With a focus on Irish prisons and prisoners, this essay examines some of the people and organisations involved who conveyed compassion for the plight of prisoners, advocated for improved prison conditions, and supported penal reform.... Read more »

Introduction Many people in Ireland live in poverty. This daily reality for countless households is evident by the large network of organisations—statutory, community, and voluntary—that seek to alleviate poverty and its pernicious effects. These organisations target an array of demographics and focus on ameliorating its specific symptoms such as unemployment or low educational attainment. It... Read more »