What should Ireland’s new year resolution be? It’s a bit of a daft question, but I think this is the year we should collectively make one, and hold ourselves and our new government to it. This year will be a test. The headwinds are strong; war, the growth of authoritarianism, and the strange actions online and off that are designed to undermine democracy.

So how should Ireland show up? It’s obvious: be a force for good in the world. National pride can be a strange thing. Nationalism even stranger. But there is patriotism to be generated in a country that tries to do the decent thing, to stand on the right side of history, however small that country might be and insignificant its impact may initially seem.

The idea that Ireland doesn’t “matter” in a geopolitical context is not true. If, to paraphrase Margaret Mead, one should never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world, then one should never doubt that a small country can either.

For one, a principled stance offers hope to others in places where principles are lacking. The knock-on effects of hope are vast. In a practical sense, adding our voice........

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