Peig: The boozing, partying, fighting years

Hello and welcome to this week’s Student Hub email digest! In this week’s edition, we have Colm Ó Broin on the legend that is Peig Sayers; President Michael D Higgins has condemned the “obsession” with achieving economic growth; Jennifer O’Connell on a growing cohort of prominent reactionary Irish-Americans; The end of the notorious Maze Prison; Lá Mór na Gaeilge; A Dublin hotel inadvertently adopts name of slavery advocate and more...

Peig: The boozing, partying, fighting years - No, Peig Sayers’s autobiography did not put you off Irish. How could it, when it’s such a vibrant account of a passionate life? Peig Sayers has made it in LA. Or to be more precise, in the Los Angeles Times. Since Colm Bairéad’s film An Cailín Ciúin was nominated for this year’s Oscars, the newspaper is just one of the US media outlets that have published articles about the Irish language – including, inevitably, her infamous autobiography, writes Colm Ó Broin

President condemns ‘obsession’ with economic growth: President Michael D Higgins has condemned the “obsession” with achieving economic growth in a speech on Friday that was implicitly critical of the economic policies pursued by successive governments, writes Pat Leahy.

What makes a US politician ‘Irish’? It doesn’t have much to do with their genes: We’re not rushing to claim Robert F Kennedy Jr, whose stance on vaccines makes him part of a growing cohort of prominent reactionary Irish-Americans, writes Jennifer O’Connell.

‘The Maze wasn’t just the prisoners. It was all of Northern Ireland. It was a war’: During the years of the Troubles, a stranger travelling south along the M1 motorway out of Belfast could be forgiven for failing to spot a nondescript complex of low-rise concrete buildings a short distance across the fields, writes Jane Coyle.

Lá Mór na Gaeilge chun 130 bliain d’Athbheochan na Gaeilge a cheiliúradh: Reáchtálfar an fhéile shráide bhliantúil Lá Mór na Gaeilge i gCearnóg Parnell i mBaile Átha Cliath an Domhnach seo. Cloisfear grúpaí ceoil ar nós Wickerlight, Bandia agus Tadhg Griffin ar an Mór Stáitse, áit a gcloisfear freisin plúr na gceoltóirí ó bhunscoileanna agus ó mheánscoileanna Bhaile Átha Cliath, a scríobhann Éanna Ó Caollaí.

Dublin hotel inadvertently adopts name of slavery advocate: Westin Hotel renamed after Westmoreland Street, which in turn was named after man who complained about the proposed abolition of slavery, writes Colm Keena.

The Church: The Hypnogogue – Aussie alt-rock institution deliver one of their strongest albums yet: Sydney band’s concept album is about a rock star, a scientist and a device which extracts thoughts and makes them into music, writes Eamon Sweeney.

Robert Watt affair shows an issue can be very much in public interest even when public aren’t interested: Leo Varadkar claims the public doesn’t care about Robert Watt and his controversies, which is most convenient for the upper echelon of the Civil Service, writes Justine McCarthy.

I’m an environmentalist. I milk cows for a living. Where’s the conflict? I milk cows to make a living. I’m also a staunch environmentalist. I am an ardent advocate for climate action, biodiversity, food sovereignty, writes Sarah Coonan.

Trinity College Dublin to ‘dename’ Berkeley library due to philosopher’s link to slavery: Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has decided to remove George Berkeley’s name from its main library because of the Irish philosopher’s association with slavery. Should Irish universities introduce mandatory free speech classes?

When this correspondent went to University College Dublin, back in the mists of time, freshers used to get two things arriving on campus: a plastic piggy bank emblazoned with the logo of the local bank, and a pep talk on how to think like a third-level student.

Tucker Carlson in tirade against US media and political system: Former Fox News star Tucker Carlson has surfaced publicly for the first time since abruptly leaving the network this week, releasing a videotaped statement in which he criticised the state of public discourse on US television. https://www.irishtimes.com/world/us/2023/04/27/tucker-carlson-in-tirade-against-us-media-and-political-system/

Thousands more civil servants needed to keep up with growth in economy, Eamon Ryan says: Thousands of additional public servants are required because the growth in the size of the economy has not been matched by an increase in the size of the State, Minister for Environment and Transport Eamon Ryan has said.

Airbnb-style Dublin let still operating despite conviction: The Dublin apartment which was the subject of the only conviction secured by Dublin City Council for illegal short-term letting is still in the holiday rental market due to a legislative loophole.