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Largely because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine and President Putin’s seemingly total disregard for human life and human rights, Russian people in general have gotten a bad press in recent times and have had to keep their heads down. But there is another side to Russia, one which I encountered on a daily basis when I worked there full time. I am still in touch with former colleagues, most of whom abhor what is being done in their name. Back in the day, I wrote a book about Russ

A perspective in 2023: This article contrasts the situation from an article written in 2014 with what pertains today and why the country has regressed hugely. Novosibirsk Diary — 2014: The terror has ended but the fear lives on: I have a fantastic young team here in Novosibirsk. Most of them are in their late twenties or early thirties and they are symptomatic of the new, young, professional and confident generation of Russians. Most of them speak English or another foreign l

I am not an apologist for Russia or Putin. Far from it; like most of my Russian friends, I abhor what they are doing in Ukraine. But I have spent some time in the country and I have some understanding of their culture and character. This article is an attempt to explain to people where Putin and his ilk come from and why they act as they do but it is under no circumstances justifying the carnage and chaos that has been inflicted on an innocent nation. Firstly, let me relate a

I don’t usually write political articles but a few people asked me to say something about Donald Trump’s victory in this week’s US Presidential Election, so here goes: I’m trying to approach this issue from an objective and neutral viewpoint, and the first thing that must be said is that Trump was re-elected in a fair and democratic contest because he was adjudged by the majority of voters as the better candidate. As much as many people may not like it, that’s democracy. Ther

I have written many articles about Russia over the years and, more recently, in the context of the war they have waged on Ukraine. One of the recent articles was read by a lady from Ukraine who complimented me on it. I was delighted to get the positive feedback but it reminded me that before I ever lived in Russia, I had spent two and a half great years working in Ukraine, in Kyiv. This was in the late 1990’s, relatively soon after independence from the old Soviet Union. The

Datka Peninsula, near Marmaris. I have travelled extensively in Turkey over many years so this travel blog will probably be a mix of recommendations about places to visit, recall of personal experiences and even some commentary about Turkish society and culture. In fact, let’s start with something that, while not unique to Turkey is very commonly practiced there. In western language, we would call it ‘touting.’ That is, trying to attract people to your business by approaching

After two weeks on Medium, I think it’s time for some Truth and Plain Speaking: I had a job one time which involved a lot of writing; preparation of briefs; making cases for projects; updating boards of directors and similar. I had a boss at that time who encouraged me to use plain words. It wasn’t his own invention, in fact the original book ‘plain words’ had been written by Sir Ernest Gowers in 1954, apparently in an effort to encourage parts of the British Civil Service to

The Excursion I awake to glorious, blinding sunshine. My jet lag of the previous two days is now banished to memory. A quick look from my seventh floor balcony shows me that the snow has almost disappeared and Spring is finally here. I have been living in Novosibirsk for over four months now and I have seen most of the city on foot. Having recently acquired a car, it is surely time for an excursion further afield; time for me to resume my travels in this seemingly never endin

Micheal in position in Thurles before a Munster Final. When you consider the icons of the GAA, the names that immediately come to mind would be Christy Ring, Mick Mackey, Eddie Keher, John Doyle, DJ Carey and Henry Shefflin in hurling; Mick O’Connell, Mick O’Dwyer, Kevin Heffernan and Sean Purcell in football. There are also many more modern-day great players who will in time take their place in the pantheon. But did any of them do as much as Micheal O’Muirecheartaigh to publ

Most people are aware of the horrendous events which have been happening in Gaza over the past few months and the seemingly intractable hard line stance taken by both sides in this seemingly never ending conflict. I am not going to go through the rights and wrongs of either side here. The Genesis of this article is that despite wall-to-wall media coverage, nothing brings a story, particularly one of conflict, closer than an account of someone’s first-hand experience. Last wee

I have written before about the seeming imbalance of articles on Medium since I started contributing. Ever since I wrote an article on Ukraine, I have been bombarded on a daily basis with articles about the war – in fact, at times, it appears as if there aren’t any other articles on there at all. There are of course but the danger in reading too many cynical accounts is that you risk becoming infected with their rhetoric. The ironic thing about most of them is that it is obvi

Main Entrance. I was born in the countryside and although I have spent a lot of years living in and around different cities, I am still a country person at heart. I am most at home in the countryside, preferably when there are a few mountains, lakes, forests or even the ocean in the background. Maybe it’s a liking for the outdoors or fresh air or an appreciation of beautiful scenery. Whichever, I can never see the point of visiting museums or even cities just for the sake of

The Matterhorn. Who is the President of Switzerland? I think I could ask that question of a hundred people or even more and no one would know the answer. Why, you may ask? Most people know who the President of the US is, and of Russia, China, France and so on. People will even know the leaders of smaller nations. But in all my life, I have never heard any mention of Switzerland in a political sense, other than as the headquarters of the United Nations and many other world age

I was recently reading an article about the 1960’s and the space race between America and the then Soviet Union, latterly the Russian Federation. For those of a younger age group, the US and the USSR were the two super-powers that emerged after World War 2. They then engaged in a competition to build-up an arsenal of nuclear and other weapons which could have destroyed our world many times over. Back then, they were also engaged in another competition – the space race. Ever s

I have been fortunate to visit over eighty countries in my lifetime and I still try to visit at least two new ones each year. It was a little difficult during the covid pandemic but despite the restrictions, I managed it. People have asked me to write something about places I have visited and to give my impressions. I’ve decided to start with South Africa as I have visited quite recently and it’s fresh in my memory. In fact, I have now visited the country on two occasions. I’

Blyde River Canyon I looked at my Medium profile a couple of days ago and realised I had five new followers. As I haven’t written anything in a while, I thought, better do something if people are following. So, where to begin…I have visited many places and later regretted that I didn’t record my thoughts at the time and do a travel blog. I am therefore going to start with my most recent trip and over the coming months, work backwards. I have now visited Cape Town three times.

The Three Rondavals I've done travel blogs on South Africa before but this time, having just spent six weeks there, my longest time yet, I can probably do a more in-depth look at or analysis of the country. I'm calling this article ‘where worlds collide.’ It may sound dramatic but it's not. The message I'm trying to get across say is that it is probably the only country I have visited which has strong evidence of first, second and third world elements to it. We all know the h

Altai Mountains - Siberia I read an article by a fellow writer this morning which stated that Russia is experiencing profound demographic issues and that this is effectively the root cause of their invasion of Ukraine. There is merit in this assertion. Russia, as the leading actor (Dictator) in the Soviet Union was a powerful nation, some would say a superpower. But since the break-up of that failed entity, Russia’s population has declined significantly and continues to do so

Pavlovsk Park near St Petersburg in Autumn I have tried to explain here before how Russian society works and how the system always requires and generates a strong leader, who is generally accepted and supported by the majority of the population, regardless of how they may act. Sometimes an anecdote or a practical example is the best way to explain something so I hope the following tale may make some sense of the current situation. I have many good friends in both Russia and U

Porto I saw an internet poll a few days ago which voted Ireland as the friendliest country in the world to visit. I’m not sure how much provenance these polls have but nonetheless it’s nice to hear. Not that far behind Ireland was Portugal and as we recently visited that country, I can personally attest to this. I have heard it said by foreigners that Irish people give such detailed directions when asked, that they practically go with you to your destination. We found similar