The last few days have been dominated by the passing of Nelson Mandela.

Songs have been sung.  Eulogies have been written.  Tears have been cried.  The man has been heralded as one of the greatest people, not only of this generation, but of any generation.

The question for us here in Ireland is this...Does his story truly resonate with us?  Are all people equal?  Or does the shadow of racism hang over this country.

On The Right Hook this evening, George was joined by Public Affairs Consultant and Former Senior Government Adviser Gerard Howlin to discuss Mandela's legacy, as well as this notion that Ireland can't truly empathise with the struggles of Mandela, as we are in many ways still racist in our tendencies.

 Among other things, Howlin remarked:

"I think a lot of the gushing forth over the last week here in Ireland, has been a patina of delusion about the levels of effective apartheid that are unseen, but nonetheless real in our own society."