If you'd told me ten years ago that Ireland's next presidential contest might pit a man whose feet were insured for $57 million against another who was recently the subject of a civil rape case, I'd have assumed you'd been at the poitín.

I'm old school, literally, and like my contemporaries, I have observed seismic shifts in the education system in Ireland. But these are minor compared to what may unfold in the following decades.

If, like me, you have heard of the now ubiquitous 'NGO' but are unsure of what the acronym comprises, this article will hopefully help. My curiosity is piqued because NGOs are at once maligned and lauded.