The Delhi Diaries

There's nothing that will quite knock you down to size than finding yourself in an adult diaper. Let me explain. Having moved to India in July 2017, I have fended off my fair share of bouts of diarrhoea. In our Health Institutions lectures, our professor asked us what percentage of Indian children in the past 2 weeks have suffered from diarrhoea. I gave an estimate of 60% (it is actually 20%). When he asked me if this was speaking from personal experience, I said that it was. Diarrhoea has become like an old friend who stops by once a week, causes some mild inconvenience and leaves before you can actually make a fuss about it. Despite this track record of dodgy bowel movements, I prided myself on managing not to succumb to any major illnesses since I came here. And then out of the blue, illness struck. First, came the bolted visits to the bathroom, then came the hot flushes and then came the cold shivers. I was escorted to the infirmary where I groaned in pain and rec

Ireland has a shameful history of its treatment of women. From the Magdalene laundries, to Mother and Baby homes, to the Tuam baby scandal and black markets for adopted babies, Ireland has done its best to sweep the lingering dirt of its past under the rug. Somehow, this image does not fit with the carefully curated picture of a modern, globalized Ireland, which grins its teeth at international conglomerates and ushers them in with arms wide open full of democratic values, rule of law, 12.5% corporation tax, skilled English speaking and more importantly, WHITE WESTERN workers, green fields, drinking culture and the all-important craic. Meanwhile, the last skeleton in the closet of this previous era, the flesh long rotted, the eye sockets gaping, - has begun to creak and shake off its old bones. It whispers of a closely guarded Irish secret of a sacrifice that was once made by Ireland – a sacrifice, some say, which was made of all its women for generations to come. A deal which was s