AT THE recent civic St Patrick’s Day Festival Parade in Glasgow, there was a familiar face among all the flags being held aloft.

WHEN my son, Gabriel Cormac, was accepted to Law at the University of Glasgow, I had never been so proud of him. I paid for his rites of passage sixth year leavers’ party trip to Corfu. But I wanted to give him gifts of value rather than something that had a mere price. So, I decided to give him my two most prized possessions that I have carried with me throughout my adult life.

WITH the 90th anniversary of the tragic Bothy Fire in Kirkintiloch set to be marked in 2027, plans are well under way for a more extensive memorial to the site of the death of ten boys and young men from Achill Island—with the fundraising target already surpassed.

AN DTIOCFADH linn dul fríd mí amháin gan conspóid leis an Ghaeilge ó thuaidh? Ní thig linn, de réir dealraimh! An mhí seo caite bhí mé ag scríobh faoin vótáil a bhí in Ollscoil na Banríona, i mBéal Feirste, chun fograíocht dátheangach a thabhairt ar ais san institiúid sin.

I WAS in Donegal for a long weekend last month. Back to my ‘spiritual home.’ The place I go to decompress and recharge the aul batteries. While I was there, I was reading a lot of John O’Donohue, in particular a piece he wrote about death, and it resonated with me on a deep level because my time there coincided with the funeral of the ‘First Lady of Celtic music,’ Moya Brennan.

I WAS selected to be part of team Scotland to represent young people on behalf of our jurisdiction at the inaugural UK-Ireland Youth Forum. The forum acts as means to represent the opinions of young people across UK and Irish politics, to share perspectives and ultimately influence the policy.

THE Gaelic Football season is now well underway in Scotland and there are some familiar patterns beginning to emerge even in these early stages.

THE recent World Irish Dance Championships once again saw a plethora of fantastic performances from our own talented dancers.

A GROUP of Celtic fans have chosen to embody the spirit of Brother Walfrid by founding their own charity aimed at providing a warm welcome for refugees and asylum seekers.

IN THE world of flat racing, the month of May traditionally heralds the beginning of the season’s Classic races, a collection of Group 1 events seen as the most prestigious in the calendar.

AT 37 years old and having just won a second La Liga title in Spain, Robert Lewandowski, the Barcelona and Poland striker, attributes his playing longevity —at least in part—to following what’s known as the ‘reverse diet.’ Basically it means that he consumes his dessert first, before turning to his main course.

BY THE time this page is read Celtic’s season will be in the midst of its conclusion, with the destination of the title hanging in the balance right to the very last. Celtic and Hearts have dispatched Rangers from the three-way fight and left themselves in direct conflict for Scottish football's highest honour.

THIS has been a memorable season for Edinburgh football, with Hearts deservedly gaining all of the plaudits for their valiant title challenge, yet it’s almost easy to forget that when the campaign began, Hibs were in the limelight, having done superbly well in the previous season and then performing heroics well above their station in the European qualifiers.

ON THE night of Saturday March 11, 1923, more than 100 Irishmen and women across Britain were rudely awoken by police, arrested, before being bundled into train carriages and taken to ports across the country. Amid much confusion, these men and women were transported by boat (above) to Ireland and imprisoned. Their crime: anti-Treaty activities committed against the newly established Irish Free State, during the height of the Irish Civil War.

"IF MORE politicians knew poetry, and more poets knew politics… the world would be a little better place in which to live.” These are the words spoken by John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the first Irish Catholic President of the United States, a man most Irish admire and feel we know.

EDWARD Hollywood, born in 1814, was a master silk weaver from Dublin whose artisan skills and political convictions were instrumental in the creation of the Irish tricolour. While Thomas Francis Meagher is often celebrated as the face of the flag, Hollywood was the craftsman who brought the symbol to life using the finest French silk.

THE journey towards the All-Ireland Fleadh will begin this month at the Scottish Fleadh which is taking place in Woodfarm High School on April 26.

PETROGRAD in 1920 was alight with revolutionary excitement. Representatives from around the world gathered to discuss major questions about Nationalism, Imperialism and revolution, and to bear witness to the new Soviet state. Formed to promote international revolution in 1919, the Communist International or Comintern was meeting for its Second Congress, with more than 200 delegates meeting at sessions in Petrograd and Moscow.

HIBERNIAN FC supporters have brought the story of their club back home to Ireland to mark their 150th anniversary, with an event in Limerick providing a fitting conclusion to a year of celebrations.

CAIRDE na hÉireann were delighted to welcome a sold-out crowd to the Glasgow Film Theatre recently for the Scottish premiere of the film-documentary, Gerry Adams: A Ballymurphy Man.