Essays
-
Irish Birth Rate Collapsing
By Patrick E Walsh In May 2024 I published the following Substack predicting that the native Irish would not be replacing itself annually by 2025, based on estimated birth and death rates: A people ‘not busy being born is busy dying…’ The article used estimates of Irish births for 2024 and 2025. When compared to…
-
Monkey Business
By Ray Wilson It is quiet on the Ashdown forest path—sandstone rocks jut out at awkward angles. The rainfall of millennia has softened the edges of the rocks, creating a smooth and almost ethereal atmosphere as the mist settles over the ancient trail. A quietude: I instinctively reach out and place my hand on the…
-
I’ve Lost Half of Me: Pitched Past Pitch of Grief
By Margaret Anna Alice “If there ever comes a day when we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever.” “If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” “How lucky I am to…
-
A Not-So-United State of Affairs
By Ray Wilson The flash floods of Thursday washed debris—dirt, twigs, and leaves down the road; it has been shoved to one side by passing vehicles over a couple of days. We swerve slightly to avoid the now tinder dry piles. The heat of the sun has burned through the clouds of the morning, providing…
-
Fooled Again
By Ray Wilson The late afternoon sun illuminates the garden; beyond the paved courtyard, there is a fishpond. Beyond those manicured lawns and formal flower beds, there is shrubbery on the far borders. “Watch him on the paving slabs with his walker, won’t you?” my missus says. Frohike is adept at using his frame, and…
-
Event 202
By Ray Wilson My hound is getting animated as we eventually leave the riverside path; she tugs excitedly on her lead as we near the town centre. I am meeting up with my missus at her friend’s shop. “Hello, lovely girl,” Debbie says as my hound propels herself at warp speed across the wooden shop…
-
Ask Ella – A Fashion Victim’s Request for Help
Satire column by Tinderella Our Agony Aunt is here to help readers navigate the choppy waters of modern society. A fashion victim has reached out to me regarding her angst. Dear Ella, I am disconcerted, discombobulated and in disarray. This has caused me to become disagreeable, disappointed, dismayed and disconsolate. Most distressing of all is…
-
Vera Sharav’s Speech: We Can’t Forget
By Margaret Anna Alice Below is the text of the speech: Hello everyone, I am Vera Sharav. And I am here to support your determination not to forget. As a survivor of the Holocaust, I cannot forget. I know—as other survivors do—that what happened then can happen again … As survivors, we have a sacred…