THIS island has such a long tradition of marking anniversaries that the late politician and intellectual Conor Cruise O'Brien once warned: "We are commemorating ourselves to death.

JUST short of two months ago I wrote in this newspaper about the controversy over payments to morning radio host Ryan Tubridy, who had recently stepped down as presenter of RTÉ television's Friday night The Late Late Show.

WE have a lot of experience of political prisoners on this beloved but troubled island, some of whom have played a critical part in its history.

WALKING along a street in Dublin last week, a frazzled, weather-beaten poster caught my eye.

THE immensely sad and untimely passing of Sinéad O'Connor has generated a wave of distress and grieving such as we haven't seen since the tragic demise of John Lennon.