Sorcha Ní Maolcróin

Some of you might know I fly a teensy bit too much (I’m in LHR now) and run a tiny group of 1,200 BA golds/GGLs who raise a glass when they overlap in the clouds and lounges, and look after each others’ friends and family when they’re travelling. One of our members has had the excellent idea we start saving our long-haul and hotel toiletries bags, and give them, together, to a domestic violence women and children’s refuge. So we will be doing this. If you would like to join in, please get in touch. Tiny bottles of Elemis will have never gone to better use.

JD Vance is lecturing the Pope on Catholicism and Pierre Poilievre is lecturing Mark Carney on economics and RFK Jr is lecturing scientists about vaccines and Donald Trump is lecturing the world on tariffs and Pete Hegseth is quoting Pulp Fiction and thinking it’s the Bible

Vance has now seized the top seat in the Death of Expertise Hall of Fame: He has lectured the pope—the pope, the leader of a billion and a half Catholics—about being too sloppy with theology. The queen of all vices: Pride. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/04/…

Yes, he really said that. Yesterday Vice President JD Vance criticized Pope Leo XIV for not knowing enough theology: "I think it's very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology ... If you’re going to opine on matters of theology, you’ve got to be careful, you’ve got to make sure it’s anchored in the truth," he said, at a Turning Point conference. One of the many, many, ironies about that statement is that it came in response to Pope Leo's comments about war and peace and, specifically, the concept of "just war," which originated with St. Augustine. As many have already noted, when the Vice President was making his comments, Pope Leo XIV, a member of the Augustinian Order, and twice Prior General of the Augustinians before his election as Pope, was visiting the hometown of St. Augustine, then called "Hippo," now in Annaba, a town in modern-day Algeria. For good measure, Pope Leo XIV, the man critiqued for insufficient theological education, earned not only a master's degree in divinity, but also licentiate and a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. JD Vance's recent conversion to Catholicism is beside the point, because many converts are of course not only highly intelligent (and learned in theology) but faithful and energetic Catholics. We rejoice over everyone entering the church. What most of us do not rejoice over, however, is a deadly combination of inaccuracy and hubris. Pace, Vice President Vance, but the current war in Iran is not a just war under Catholic doctrine. You can hear that from church leaders from across the theological spectrum, from Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the head of the military vicariate and former head of the @USCCB, to Cardinal Robert McElroy, Archbishop of Washington who holds doctorates in both theology and political science. You can look all that up online. Suffice to say, the Vice President doesn't seem to understand the tenets of just war. Nor does he seem to understand the fundamental position of the church, which is for peace. "War is always a defeat for humanity," as St. John Paul II said. If that authority isn't enough, then turn to Jesus who said, "Blessed are the peacemakers," not "Blessed are the warmongers." And after the Resurrection, the Risen Christ says to the frightened disciples not "Vengeance is mine" but "Peace be with you." Incidentally, the day before, the Vice President said that the Pope (and the Vatican) should stick to teaching about morality, also seeming to forget that war and peace are profoundly moral issues. For his part, Pope Leo was focused yesterday on his spiritual father, St. Augustine. After what seemed like an emotional visit to Hippo, he celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Annaba. During his homily he said, "The primary task of pastors as ministers of the Gospel is therefore to bear witness to God before the world with one heart and one soul, not permitting our concerns to lead us astray through fear, nor trends to undermine us through compromise." Amen. Let's all continue to pray for the Holy Father as he works for peace. (Image: Pope Leo XIV prays at the archeological ruins of Hippo, home of St. Augustine, in current-day Algeria. CNS photo).

Think Michael Healy-Rae the wealthiest TD in the Dáil, is a man of the people? Lets have a gander at this cutest-of-hoors staggering finances and property portfolio.... He declared 14 houses for letting in Kerry, three guest houses, one rented commercial unit, a vacant premises, an apartment for letting, an unspecified number of apartments in a separate development, an unspecified number of rooms for letting, and student accommodation in Limerick. That's before you get to the rest. Based on CSO median property price data for December 2025, his residential and guest house portfolio is estimated to be worth around €5.6 million. Twelve properties in the Killarney, Kilgarvan, Kenmare and Barraduff area, where the median house price sits at €332,500, give a rough valuation of €3.99 million. Then his six properties in the Tralee and Castleisland area, with a median of €270,000, add another €1.62 million on top. The actual figure could be higher or lower. The register isn't that specific. On the rental income side, 14 Kerry two-bedroom houses at current market rents would generate €18,340 per month, or €220,080 per year. Daft.ie figures show listed monthly rents on two-bedroom houses in Kerry rose 7.3 per cent last year to €1,310, with four-bedroom houses up 8.8 per cent to €1,879. Then there's the land. He owns 100 acres of farmland and forestry in Kilgarvan, another 42 acres of forestry, and a further 4 acres of farmland elsewhere in the area. Based on the most recent Sherry FitzGerald assessment of €14,125 per acre for southwest farmland, the 100-acre holding alone could be worth around €1.46 million. The Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers values Munster forestry at €6,960 per acre, putting the 40-acre forestry plot at approximately €278,000. His company Roughty Properties received €470,000 from the Department of Children in 2024 for Ukrainian accommodation, paid out month by month, €49,640 in March, €52,080 in April, and so on. He also draws income from Kerry County Council's rental accommodation and housing assistance payment schemes. He has been a landlord since he was 18. When he first entered the Dáil in 2011 he already owned 14 properties! The register shows 16 properties in 2016, 19 in 2018, 21 in 2020, 24 in 2022, and 28 for 2025, including his family home. Public records show none of the four companies he directs, Roughty Properties, Black Cap & Co, ML Healy-Rae Properties and Roughty Plant Hire, ever drew down a mortgage. The family plant hire business, now primarily run by his nephew Johnny Healy-Rae, recorded net assets of €4.6 million at the end of 2024. It received €501,000 for Kerry County Council work in 2025 and €384,000 in 2024. Cork County Council paid a further €334,135 across the same two years. Ah but sure begorrah, he doesn't care about money. He's a lovely wee hat and sure he only cares about de poor folk like you and me...

My piece in The Irish Times on the Mother and Child scheme 75 years on. It is traditionally portrayed as a battle between Church and State, but this misses the real story. It is really about the medical profession shafting the people of Ireland for its own selfish ends and we are still paying the price today. irishtimes.com/history/2026/0…

My issue with the cut carbon tax crowd is they're promising a falsehood to voters In a supply crisis with no known end, cutting fuel taxes will explode the deficit while not keeping prices down anyway And so good luck to any tax cuts in future budgets to pay for that deficit

The majority of people blockading the roads are not 'farmers' in the sense of an old fella running some sheep and growing a few cabbage. They are businessmen, with multimillion capital investments in heavy machinery. What they want is a sectoral handout.

Sharing for a third day. Let's do it in numbers. The "farmers and hauliers" protesting are a tiny fraction of the workforce in these sectors. 102,510 work in farming* 55,780 work in land transport* Most of these people are doing hard work today. Most aren't blocking roads.

I saw this man in with his dying child nearly two decades ago - no special treatment asked or given - he carried a quite dignity ; he deserves his day with his daughter and it’s monstrous to begrudge it.

To be clear Ireland currently taxes ~50% of fuel after cutting excise duties. That's now below the EU average of 52% Anyone claiming it's 65% is just repeating a misinformed statement. And that misinformation is fueling what these protests think can be achieved #fuelprotest

@EirBalls @EO_Halloran Yes, because it is entirely their fault.

@EO_Halloran So we’re putting all the blame on the protestors and none on the govt

Not sure how people who understand and support the protests can accept these protests not allowing fuel into the country This will cause a week long price aftershock at least and by that time the global oil shortage will have gotten worse This does not help ordinary people

Some crucial observations by @gavreilly. A shame he isn't on this platform anymore.

These two tankers are waiting at Whitegate 👇 Demurrage is basically a charge you get hit with when a tanker is stuck waiting instead of loading or unloading on time. At a place like Whitegate refinery in Cork, if a crude tanker can’t offload because of delays, the ship is still costing money every hour it sits there doing nothing. It’s usually around €3,000 to €7,000 an hour, sometimes more depending on the size of the ship and the market. So even a short delay can quickly turn into tens or hundreds of thousands of euro, and that cost normally lands on the oil company that chartered the tanker.

The fuel debate has several economic and data sins at once: ❌ Comparing Spain fuel prices to Ireland without comparing wages ❌ Sharing the % of taxes on diesel before the March 25th excise cut (now a lower %) ❌ Thinking farmers are hit by headline diesel prices (they pay much lower taxes on marked gas oil). ❌ Claiming farmers are going out of business by taxes. They are (rightly) in receipt of massive EU subsidies so food is affordable for all households.

@Patrick6524236 @DanMulhall On time is only a small part of ready.

@sorchamulchrone @DanMulhall Whether you're travelling business or economy, you'll all arrive at the same time!

This is all familiar ground. It reminds me of the perpetual saga surrounding our government jet on which they only recently grasped the nettle & bought a proper jet for use by Ministers who are obliged to travel frequently on official business. There is annual querying of the cost of #StPatricksDay travel ignoring the value it confers in raising Ireland’s global profile.