Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
THE EDITOR OF the Irish Independent, Gerry O’Regan, has retired – and will be replaced by Stephen Rae.
Rae, a former editor of the ‘Garda Review’ is currently editor of the Evening Herald. His replacement there has not yet been confirmed. O’Regan, originally from Kerry, as is Rae, ahad also been editor of the Herald just preceeding his appointment at the Irish Independent. Previous to that he was editor of the Irish Daily Star.
A statement tonight said that O’Regan will retire after seven years as editor at the Indo and will continue on as a columnist at the paper. He will also contribute occasional articles to the publication.
Joe Webb, CEO of INM (Ireland) said:
We are delighted to announce Stephen’s appointment. He has many of the same fine characteristics that made Gerry O’Regan a superb editor. He is a Kerry man, a former editor of the Evening Herald and a talented and opinionated writer. I wish him and his colleagues at the Irish Independent every success in continuing to set the news agenda and in innovating to meet the evolving needs of a new generation of loyal readers.
I also wish to thank Gerry for his unstinting contribution during his time as Editor of the Irish Independent, the Evening Herald and the Irish Daily Star. He has a superb intellect and connection with readers and I am delighted that he will continue as a contributor to the Irish Independent in the years ahead.
Advertisement
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
There seems to be a common theme to this story. Re: Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines, India and Half of the African continent. And what is that theme I hear you ask. Radical Islam. There seems to be a sectarian conflict where ever it rears its head.
A lot of Africa is actually Christian! Also, all religions are violent! Islam has the most vocal critics but Catholicism has bred, among other things, the crusades, the inquisition, multiple cases of child rape and could be indirectly seen as a factor in the spread of aids and other stds in Africa! The fact is all religions have a negative effect on society depending on how its looked at.
You can’t pick and choose which religion is crazy as they’re all nuts. And while my comment is anti religious this is simply my opinion. I have no issue with others believing, but don’t criticise one specific one when they’ve all been responsible for horrendous things.
And yes, before people start red thumbing, I know religion has done some good, but in my opinion that bad severely outweighs the good
The inquisition finished son time ago Matthew. Micks point is relative to an ideology that supports Fgm, honour killings, decapitations, suicide bombings, acid attacks erc
”Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and spritual; and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity. If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism” – Einstein.
”All the world’s major religions, with their emphasis on love, compassion, patience, tolerance, and forgiveness can and do promote inner values. But the reality of the world today is that grounding ethics in religion is no longer adequate. This is why I am increasingly convinced that the time has come to find a way of thinking about spirituality and ethics beyond religion altogether” Dalai Lama.
A scam it is, religions all over are very similar, son, virgin mother and most have 12 disciples( not all called disciples but 12 is consistent) this was taken from the Egyptian era, where they worshiped the sun( this was manipulated to the son of god) there are 12 cycles around the sun and this is where the 12 disciples come from. The aligning of the stars is the 3 stars aligned with the one bright star, manipulated to the three wise men. We are moving into a new age of the sun. This is where the famous end of the world came from, it actually used to say the end of aeon, which was the end of the age, we are moving into a new age. How is it that so many religions have so much in comment and are all related back to the Egyptians worship of the sun. I believed in God not the Catholic Church all my life. Have done alot of studying of history and I believe that religion was man made to control and manipulate. Look what religion has done, divide and conquer and it has structure the way people think and act and the way they view other people. Big scam from the get go I think.
@ Patrick C. Devaney – All religions are violent to some degree, for they are all based on a need to prevent any form of criticism, so when people become critical of Buddhism, for whatever reason, Buddhists can react violently to suppress criticism.
there’s multiculturalism at work. stick two groups of people with diametrically opposed views in the one country and watch as they integrate by killing each other
Tribal ignorance the most dangerous thing this earth has ever endured, sadly the muslim world and their ignorance is multiplying, and yet for a fleeting moment I thought we might just rid this world of the suffocating claws of the evil that is religion and particularly Islam.
Secular societies been infested with pure and utter ignorance, I despair for my children’s future, I won’t be around to see it but it seems ignorance will eventually prevail over my dream of a whole wide world of secularism, sadly it will never happen, too many liberal lefties given pure evil a foothold, they’ve more than a foothold now, so who is going to stop them?.
I live in Myanmar, it’s a shame the country is getting such bad publicity. A lot of the country is open for tourists and it’s the safest pleace I have ever been to.
I was in Myanmar just two weeks ago and I wholeheartedly agree: it is unbelievably safe and the people are so friendly. The people would go out of their way to make sure everything ran smoothly and that you were enjoying yourself. I could walk around Yangon anytime and never feel threatened. It’s a spectacular place and I adore it.
Although, in saying that, I did notice palpable tension between Muslims and, well, everyone else, whether they be Buddhist, Hindu etc. They’re widely despised, especially by the youth. While I was there I heard of uproar all over social networking sites, whereby young adults, Muslim and Buddhist, were throwing around a lot of threats.
As pointed out in the article, this is no isolated incident (the turmoil in the Rakhine state) and the country is also involved in internecine conflict in a number of its own states, particularly the Shan and Kachin states where rebels are fighting, albeit intermittently, for a degree of autonomy for their people. I hope the situation doesn’t devolve any further, as its a great place full of interesting people and it’s sad to see them endure this.
Also, I met some nice lads from Trocaire whilst over there who are aiming to help some of the displaced people. Wonderful work.
Howdy, neighbour – also in Yangon – what you say is true, but there are almost a quarter of a million people displaced between Kachin and Rakhine, and there is a lot of communal strife. We’re living in a bit of a powder keg.
What I was trying to say was that it is a big country, but you only hear news about it when something bad happens and it may put potential travellers off coming here. There are parts of Rakhine state that are vefy safe (Ngapali Beach), and just because there are riots in some part of the country it is not a fair representation of the country’s general safety, which, in my opinion, is very high.
Global markets slide as fears over US tariffs intensify
1 min ago
0
0
Apple Accounts
Apple's Irish subsidiary incurs $25 billion corporation tax charge as pre-tax profits hit $76 billion
1 hr ago
6.7k
14
arctic reception
JD Vance says US take over of Greenland ‘makes sense’ during scaled back visit
Updated
2 hrs ago
36.3k
110
Your Cookies. Your Choice.
Cookies help provide our news service while also enabling the advertising needed to fund this work.
We categorise cookies as Necessary, Performance (used to analyse the site performance) and Targeting (used to target advertising which helps us keep this service free).
We and our 161 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting Accept All enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Cookie Preferences link on the bottom of the webpage .Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
We and our vendors process data for the following purposes:
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
Cookies Preference Centre
We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent. You may exercise your right to consent, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose. Some vendors may process your data based on their legitimate interests, which does not require your consent. You cannot object to tracking technologies placed to ensure security, prevent fraud, fix errors, or deliver and present advertising and content, and precise geolocation data and active scanning of device characteristics for identification may be used to support this purpose. This exception does not apply to targeted advertising. These choices will be signaled to our vendors participating in the Transparency and Consent Framework.
Manage Consent Preferences
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Store and/or access information on a device 110 partners can use this purpose
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development 143 partners can use this purpose
Use limited data to select advertising 113 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Create profiles for personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Use profiles to select personalised advertising 83 partners can use this purpose
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Create profiles to personalise content 39 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Use profiles to select personalised content 35 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Measure advertising performance 134 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Measure content performance 61 partners can use this purpose
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources 74 partners can use this purpose
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Develop and improve services 83 partners can use this purpose
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Use limited data to select content 37 partners can use this purpose
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
Use precise geolocation data 46 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification 27 partners can use this special feature
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Ensure security, prevent and detect fraud, and fix errors 92 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Deliver and present advertising and content 99 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Match and combine data from other data sources 72 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Link different devices 53 partners can use this feature
Always Active
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Identify devices based on information transmitted automatically 88 partners can use this feature
Always Active
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
Save and communicate privacy choices 69 partners can use this special purpose
Always Active
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say