Forty-five years ago this week Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States. His legacy and record remain much discussed and contentious today, and his impact on contemporary American politics was highlighted again very recently.

Saipan. For those over 35, just the name of that place evokes a lot of memories - and strong feelings. The events on that island that led to Roy Keane not playing at the 2002 World Cup have played out in many a head since.

I read an interesting article last week about what the rise of AI-generated videos and other social media content might mean for how much time we spend online and on social media.

Have you noticed how in recent years Halloween has become as big a deal as Christmas? For some people it is certainly the bigger festival of the two, which is a big change from the days of my youth.

Every place by the sea in the West should have an outdoor tidal pool like they have in Belmullet. That tidal pool, located along the Shore Road, has been around for over 40 years. It is an absolutely fantastic amenity and resource.

Now that we know who the candidates are, perhaps it is time to think about what we want from our next President. The role can be summarised into three areas.

If you want to beat rises in the cost of living, you must stop trying to do so by throwing money at it. The more money you throw at price rises, the greater the rise in prices will be.

Listening to our public debate about the Mercosur trade deal - the EU’s proposed trade deal with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – is confusing. The thrust of it seems to be that if the deal is approved, the price of beef might go down.

Now that the summer is over, thoughts will turn to shorter evenings and the winter ahead. So this is a good time to think about some interesting things you could do - and places you could visit - before the year is out.

Neil Kinnock, who I wrote about last week, was one of the greatest speakers of his era. His career as leader of the British Labour Party was energised by his speaking ability. Those who hear him speak come away moved and inspired.

Neil Kinnock, the former leader of the British Labour Party, is one of the most interesting politicians of my lifetime.

Over the summer I read Original Sin, a book about Joe Biden’s decline and his decision to run again for US President. We all know how that worked out, but the details in the book make for a grim - if very interesting - story.

If I started this article by saying that before we get into it, we’ll take it handy for the first few sets, any reader from the west of Ireland will instantly recognise the reference to one of our greatest institutions, The Saw Doctors.

The Oireachtas will take its summer break at the end of this week. The reaction will be the same as it is every year. There will be lots of reports of, and discussions about, public outrage.

Volunteers are great. They add so much to the life of our region. They are the show-up, can-do kind of people that every place needs to feel vibrant and alive.

This week marks the anniversary of the greatest battle in the United States’ Civil War. That battle, at Gettysburg, was fought from July 1st to 3rd, 1863, and aspects of its legacy are still causing conflict in the United States today.

All around the region, the sighs of relief can be heard. The Leaving has left. It is done. The process is, of course, hard going for the young person sitting the exams.

Midsummer in the west really is the best. Christmas aside, this is the time of year when those of us away from home especially miss it. Those long days blending into one makes us all yearn to be out and about in the long evening.

When I was a boy, we were all taught that the Irish saved civilisation. It was a history everyone learned, a story set after the Roman Empire fell in 476AD when the last western emperor was deposed. Europe slipped into the Dark Ages.

Be sure you are taking your ease when you read this: a new report from KPMG last week estimated that Dublin requires a €70bn investment in infrastructure by 2040.

Where’s home? For a lot of people that is a very simple question to answer. It’s the place you live, in the place you’re from. When those two places are the same, home is easy to know.

It couldn’t happen, could it? Nigel Farage as the British Prime Minister? No, surely not. Well, following the recent local elections in England, many are no longer so sure. Farage’s Reform Party got 30% of the vote.

We can be stuck on the wrong thing sometimes. When it comes to the health of our democracy, we have been worrying for years about low voter turnout. The last general election caused particular concern. With turnout in that election estimated at ...

What on earth is all this going to do to us? Four more years of this? It really feels like too much already, and we are only a few months in. Trump’s second presidency is so different from his first one.

A downside of the late Easter is that when the sixth years return to school next week, there really is very little time left before the Leaving Cert begins. Yes, the Leaving Cert. Summer is indeed coming.

The west is of course best, but one of the undeniable advantages of living in Dublin is its cultural vibrancy. Whether it is the galleries, or the theatres, or the wide variety of gigs and events, you can usually find something to do of an evening.

How should we describe this move to bring back tariffs? The end of free trade, the death of globalisation, the collapse of our business model - it has been called all those things and to what extent it becomes any of them remains fully to be seen.

Changing the clocks marks the change of the seasons, and it certainly marks a change of mood. That itself is seasonal.  When the clocks change for the winter, everyone is up in arms.

From acorns come oaks. But if you don’t go planting, there will be no trees.

Pope Francis is a remarkable man. It is hard to believe that he was elected as far back ago as 2013. In his 12 years as Pope, he has done what all leaders should aspire to do: he has set the weather.

What a difference a new leader can make. No, not that one – I think we have all probably heard plenty for now about the difference he’s making to the world we thought we lived in. Step forward instead Sir Keir Starmer.

History was my favourite subject in school. As a child, if you left a history book on the ground anywhere near me, it wouldn’t be there long. When people tell me they find history boring I can’t get my head around it.

What has happened to remote working? It was once the hero, celebrated by all. When Covid struck, it was the solution to a lot of problems. All the talk was of which platform was best: Zoom; Teams, Google Meet. Everyone scrambled to get an account.

The details announced last week of ministers going around the world for St Patrick’s Day was received with a little less cynicism than usual. The Ministers from round these parts are part of that caravan.

The people who go back to education later in life are heroes. They really are admirable. They reach a fork in the road and they take a brave decision.

Storm Éowyn left a lot of things in its wake. After days of disruption, cold and frustration, people all along the Atlantic coast and along the Border will be left reflecting on what this miserable experience means.

Fair play to Dara Calleary, who has made it back to cabinet. It was some journey by any standards. ‘Golfgate’ has faded into the past: the front nine of his political career. Now, much more happily for him, starts the back nine.

It all started with George Washington, back in 1789, on the day he became the first president of something new called the United States of America. The idea was that he would simply take the oath of office.

Now that the Christmas season is behind us, it is time to settle the tab. For some that will be paying the much-inflated credit card bill later this month. For some it will mean forswearing treats.

What were the major political events of 2024 and what will they mean for us in 2025? The obvious place to start is here in Ireland where the Government, as we all know, won the election.

Sure the election is over for ages now, they say. Inasmuch as people are still talking about politics, the talk you hear is that the result was clear.

A word this week for readers who live away from home. You could be in New York or Nottingham, New Zealand or Nice, or indeed in any part of the world. There is one of us everywhere these days.

Elections, at least in theory, are about making big decisions on our future direction as a country.