What I Read This Week: Shauna Bowers - Miriam Lord articulates what every woman in Ireland was thinking

Hello from the trenches, or what Google Maps seems insistent on telling me is the area around the Aviva Stadium in south Dublin. I have my war paint (glittery makeup) on, as well as my body armour (cowboy hat and sparkly outfit). I am prepared for battle (being amid 50,000 people for the first Dublin show of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour). And it’s all in the name of journalism.

Her long awaited – and much heralded – arrival to Irish shores has dominated news coverage for much of the last week or more and when combined with other weekend events: Shania Twain, Pride, Longitude there is a veritable cultural festival taking place in Dublin this weekend.

Outside of the cultural sphere, there have been a lot of other happenings in recent days and here is a selection of the stories I found interesting and compelling this week.

1 - Cian O’Connell was at the 3Arena on Thursday reporting on the throngs of Taylor Swift fans at the venue. There was mass disappointment last year for many devout Swifties when they were unable to get tickets. Regardless of your feelings about Swift, it is an impressive feat to not only sell out three nights in the Aviva Stadium within moments, but also require a whole other venue just to cope with the demand of fans who want to buy T-shirts and jumpers with your face on them. Bernard McGrath (71) was one such fan, saying he thinks he might be the “oldest Swiftie in town”.

2 - It is impossible to avoid the still-widening repercussions of the fully suspended sentence handed down to Defence Forces member Cathal Crotty after he assaulted Natasha O’Brien. There have been protests, with Ms O’Brien saying the judicial system “needs to be gutted”. A report prepared for the Tánaiste showed there are 68 soldiers who have been convicted of crimes or are currently before the courts charged with, criminal offences, including, it is understood, assault, sexual assault and rape.

And earlier in the week, Miriam Lord articulated what every woman in Ireland was thinking: “We say never again. We voice outrage. We listen to the promises. Until the next time. Because there is always a next time when it comes to male violence against women”.

3- In Ukraine, Daniel McLaughlin tells the story of an Irish charity helping to convert a Ukrainian orphanage into a special needs centre. Though the war continues to rage on, McLaughlin speaks to people who want to start rebuilding the country they call home. “We’re not waiting for war to end.”

4 - I enjoyed Cliff Taylor’s Smart Money column on Thursday, where he delved into the trends around women at work in the State. The data shows the proportion of women working (outside the home) has risen from below 50 per cent at the turn of the century, to edge over 60 per cent now. And, he says, it only looks like it’s going in one direction.

5 - There was also a lot happening in the world of politics this week. Hustings for the new leader of the Green Party have begun as Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman and Senator and Minister of State Pippa Hackett fight it out to lead the party.

The biggest political shift, however, was the nomination of Michael McGrath as Ireland’s next European Commissioner, which in turn resulted in Jack Chambers being appointed Minister for Finance. It takes a brave person to take this portfolio, especially just months before an “election budget”. Political Editor Pat Leahy profiles the 33-year-old politician who has risen to one of the most senior Government roles exceptionally quickly and is one of the youngest holders of the office.

ICYMI

Since Frank McNally’s Irishman’s Diary earlier this week pointed out how he was charged €6.50 for a croissant in Dublin, the letters to the editor pages have been filled with interesting pastry-related contributions.

Eoghan Mac Cormaic’s letter was particularly amusing: “A chara, – Beckett reportedly settled in Paris because he preferred France at war to Ireland at peace. The price of croissants may also have contributed to the move.”

Image of the Week

Karen Keely, co-founder of OACS Ireland and mother of three children suffering from the affects of Sodium Valproate, is hugged by Christina O'Callaghan and Beverly Dunne, OACS Ireland members. Photograph: Collins Keegan/Collins

Though there were many good contenders, a photograph on Thursday stands out for me as one of the most powerful.

In this picture, mothers who campaigned for an inquiry into the historical licensing and use of anti-epilepsy drug Sodium Valproate, also known as Epilim, hug while crying after it was announced a chairwoman had been selected for an inquiry into the drug.

The background is that campaigners have been seeking answers for more than a decade around a substance which can reportedly cause birth defects and problems with the development and learning of the child if the mother takes the medicine during pregnancy.

Some families have taken High Court action in order to secure compensation. The inquiry will seek to establish a timeline of developments in scientific knowledge about the potential impact of the drug on foetal development.

Best of the rest

Thursday night – or Friday morning in Ireland – marked the first US presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump. The Guardian’s David Smith was in Atlanta providing an excellent, if not somewhat damning, sketch of the two men battling it out. “After months of preparation and expectation, they got to the altar and suddenly realised they were marrying the wrong man,” he said of the Democratic Party. ‘You’re the sucker, you’re the loser’: 90 miserable minutes of Biden v Trump.