THE FACT OF THE MATTER
BY PAUL HOPKINS
And so another year is gone, and a new one begun — and where did that time go? Whooosh! Yes, it’s true – the older you get, the quicker time goes. One wonders what 2026 will bring.
Ireland sees the 100th anniversary on May 26 of the founding of Fianna Fáil, and my money is on Taoiseach Micheál Martin not going anywhere anytime soon and being safe for the moment as party leader after that presidential fiasco. Speaking of which, President Connolly will prove herself a formidable representative of her country in 2026.
The housing and homeless crisis is not going away anytime soon either, but a more certain watch will be placed on incoming asylum seekers. Our young people will continue to emigrate. Our health scenario will ebb and slow, with a continuing shortage of medics. Cancer treatment will see a major breakthrough, of which more anon.
The cost of living will not likely ease. The next four Budgets will be bound by the spending ceilings set down in the Government’s fiscal plan, part of the wider EU move to shore up fiscal responsibility after the last crash. The document sets out a wild ride for the Irish public finances, even assuming ministers stick only to the level of spending splurges to which the Coalition has committed. The plan will dramatically hike the cost of running the country, based in large measure on a belief that the corporation tax magic money tree is going to keep growing. The Coalition is running only to stand still. Inert, almost.
Climate change will continue to threaten houses precariously balanced along the east coast, while beneath the seas will continue to be a potential threat to our neutrality and our huge shortage of a defence force against any potential cyber warfare. Children in healthcare will continue to be let down.
More than a handful of Irish artists will command the world stage. Watch the ascendancy of Dublin folk band Amble and Kerry actor Jessie Buckley.
So much, then, for my crystal ball gazing, but let’s see what that old reliable, Old Moore’s Almanac, has to say. The Irish magazine has published prophecies for more than 260 years, and many of its forecasts have been accurate, such as the 2008 financial crash, a pandemic, and an attempt on Donald Trump’s life.
One of its latest predictions for 2026 — that Ireland will face huge drama at the Eurovision — has already materialised. Other predictions for next year include an assassination warning around Britain’s Keir Starmer, that the Irish immigration debate will continue to rage with a new political party forming; a “wild” political situation in Germany with “assassination attempts, cheating scandals” and the housing market getting worse.
More global and general visions include people falling in love with robots, cruise ship drama, a remake of the controversial Fyre Festival, an avalanche cluster, no more movie studios as movies, commercials and video games will be made with AI, financial incentives for having babies all over the so-called Western world, and troubles ahead for Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.
My tuppence worth includes further countries leaning towards right-wing politics, and a mass return to traditional religion. There will be a downturn in the use of social media. And so, to the aforementioned cancer breakthrough. Also such with dementia, and major news about the harm of processed foods.
Cancer-wise, it will be a global breakthrough with an already hoped-for singular cure for most common cancers with the practice of ‘freezing’ the rogue cells. Already, a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool for cancer patients and medical teams, which can provide important information before hospital appointments and reduce chemotherapy cancellations, is being trialled in a Dublin hospital.
The AI-powered conversational platform, piloted in St James’s Hospital, means the patient can complete toxicity assessments and report symptoms remotely using their phones.
There will also be breakthroughs in the treatment and prevention of cardiac illness.
Elsewhere, wars and rumours of war will continue unabated, with the threat of Russia looming in the shadows of world chaos.
And finally, to that old reliable geezer, Nostradamus. Most notably, among his preambles is a total solar eclipse over parts of Europe, the first in 27 years. It’s given devotees of the French astrologer and good old-fashioned apothecary plenty of ammunition when it comes to tethering certain quatrains to the year.
Happy days or what? Only God knows, and she’s not saying nowt about what lies in the thoughts and actions of we humans.
Have a good one…
