EDITOR – I write in praise of Robert Hume’s piece on the Great Hunger (Southern Star, Saturday September 13th, 2025).
In a relatively short article, he admirably and fairly summarises the history of that tragic period of our history, together with the various views of why it happened and how it became so deadly.
He clearly knows that partisan accounts do little to advance our understanding. I know how difficult this is to achieve from writing my novel, Hunger in the Stones, set during that tragedy in West Cork and published just this year. In this work I seek to explore these matters through the life of a fictional Irish woman living during that terrible time, and driven to fear for her sanity and even to question what it means to be Irish.
Famine is once again to the forefront of public awareness with, amongst others, those in Africa and the unfolding events in the Middle East. We see daily evidence from Gaza as Israel’s idea of defending itself becomes ever more pathologically distorted, its tone perhaps deafened by the rumble of its own tanks. Our reaction as a people and Ireland’s recognized generosity of giving must surely bear some relationship to our history.
Billy Conn,
Schull.
A severely malnourished girl in Gaza. (Photo: World Health Organisation)Racism begets extremism
EDITOR – Everyone talks about terrorism. Politicians talk about it. The media talks about it. We spend billions fighting it. Soldiers lose their lives in the so-called ‘war on terror.’ But have we ever stopped to ask the real question: Where does terrorism actually begin?
It doesn’t begin with guns or bombs. It begins with something much smaller, something we all know. Something we all carry. It begins with hate. Hate is the most basic and powerful emotion. It doesn’t appear overnight though, it grows. Step by step, it hardens into racism and then to extremism, which left unchecked turns into terrorism.Racism is the seed and it starts with words, with labels, and with insults. In Asia, we casually mock someone with dark skin by calling them ‘kala.’ We laugh at someone overweight by calling them ‘moto.’ In the West, brown people are insulted as ‘Paki bastards, and and in return, some brown communities mock whites as ‘gori chamdi’ or ‘anda.’We think these are just jokes. But these jokes are racism, and racism is the first step of extremism. When racism becomes normal, when children grow up hearing it, feeling it, and absorbing it, it slowly hardens into extremism. Extremism means dividing the world into ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ It means believing some people are superior and others are inferior, and if extremism is not challenged, it transforms into terrorism.By the time a child grows up surrounded by hate, by hearing it, feeling it, absorbing it, he is already vulnerable. That’s when terrorist groups come in. They don’t create new hate, they simply fuel the hate that’s already there. They give it direction, they give it purpose, and they turn it into violence.
This is how ordinary prejudice becomes extremism, and extremism becomes terrorism. Step by step, word by word, insult by insult. We saw it after 9/11. And the most dangerous part? Our silence. We think silence makes us peaceful, and that staying quiet makes us safe. But in reality, our silence is the loudest proof of terrorism. Our silence is what allows hate to grow. Our silence is also a form of violence.
Because silence kills not with explosions, but by murdering the soul of humanity.So where does it end? It ends when we speak, when we refuse to be divided by skin colour, language, or passport or religion. It ends when we finally realise that above all are just temporary identities, there is only one true identity: humanity.If we stay silent today while others are hated, tomorrow, when hate knocks at our own door, no one will be left to speak for us. Racism is the beginning. Extremism is the middle. Terrorism is the end. The choice is ours: do we pass racism and hate to the next generation, or hope and humanity?
Raaz Ze Fishan,
Cork.
Shameful to host Irish Open at Doonbeg
EDITOR – We, in the Association of Catholic Priests, are very disappointed at the choice of Trump’s course in Doonbeg, Co Clare, for next year’s Irish Open Golf tournament. Given the excitement generated by the K Club, this, by contrast generates anger. The choice of the venue is another example of appeasing Donald Trump.
As President of the United States, he is promoting many policies that are directly contrary to the message of Jesus; the cutting of US aid, with major consequences for the poor around the world: the harassing and imprisoning of emigrants, supporting Israeli action against the Palestinians, and many other examples.
We believe it is inappropriate, even shameful, to provide him with the platform to promote himself and all that he stands for in this country. It is probably too much to expect our government to intervene in this decision, but we hope that the many Irish people who share our unhappiness will make their voices heard in whatever way they can.
Maybe even some of our Irish golfers will take a stand by not participating in the event.
Liamy Mac Nally,
ACP Admin Secretary.
