With a bill soon to be introduced by the Dáil, Ireland is set to be the first country in the European Union to ban the use of plastic microbeads in household cleaners and toiletries. Microbeads are tiny bits of plastic, less than a millimeter in diameter, that are put into some personal care products such as soaps, facial cleansers, and toothpastes, to add texture and aid in … [Read more...] about Ireland Bans Microbeads
Issues
Are We Doing Enough?
Ireland’s Role in Global Climate Change. ℘℘℘ Welcome to the Emerald Isle. A country so verdant that Johnny Cash sang of the 40 shades of green that could be found in its rolling hills and valleys. But how green is Ireland, really? What is the country doing to protect its environment? What role is it playing in preventing global climate change? The Irish government has certainly … [Read more...] about Are We Doing Enough?
What’s on Tap?
Belfast Takes on Plastic. ℘℘℘ Professor Chris Elliot and Dr. Cuong Cao are co-leading a project at Queen’s University Belfast to raise awareness about potentially harmful materials found in tap water, bottled water, and other goods that humans ingest regularly. The story has been told before – plastic waste is bad for the environment – however, what’s different about the work … [Read more...] about What’s on Tap?
In the Shoes of Refugees
Walking in the footsteps of 1,490 Irish exiled in 1847. In 2017, and again in 2019, I was honored to be part of a small group of five historians who were invited by Caroilin Callery of the Irish Heritage Trust to follow in the footsteps of 1,490 refugees from the Great Hunger. As a historian, I have researched and written extensively about the Famine since completing my Ph.D. … [Read more...] about In the Shoes of Refugees
The Un-Quiet Ghosts of the Carricks
Bones of Irish children were found 170 years after they died on a “coffin ship” en route to Canada in 1847. Vertebra and jaw bones were identified among the remains, believed to be of Irish children fleeing the Great Hunger, that were discovered in 2011 on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, about 500 miles from Montreal, in Canada. Canadian scientists have concluded that the bones that … [Read more...] about The Un-Quiet Ghosts of the Carricks