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<p>Taoiseach Micheál Martin visiting Camp Shamrock in Lebanon last December. A small country cannot outspend the great powers, but it can decide what kind of politics it wants to import, writes Colin Sheridan. File Picture: Irish Defence Forces</p>

comment-analysis

Is Ireland drifting from neutrality amid Europe’s €381bn rearmament drive?

As Europe embarks on historic military expansion, Ireland faces mounting pressure to reconsider neutrality and defence spending priorities

<p>NO ESCAPE: Seán Kenneally of Tipperary is tackled by Matthew Fitzgerald and Dan Morrissey of Limerick and wins a penalty during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1A match between Tipperary and Limerick at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary. Photo by Paul Phelan/Sportsfile</p>

gaa

Relentless Limerick stretch Tipp's barren run to an ugly 13

<p>STAR MAN: Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park scores a try </p>

rugby

Six Nations player ratings: Jamison Gibson-Park produces a masterly display in demolition job

Wedding of the Week: ‘We wanted our wedding to be personal, romantic, and funny’

people

Wedding of the Week: ‘We wanted our wedding to be personal, romantic, and funny’

Two people, 40s, dead after collision near Waterford city

munster

Two people, 40s, dead after collision near Waterford city

Honda Jazz Crosstar: hybrid efficiency and SUV styling in practical supermini package

motoring

Honda Jazz Crosstar: hybrid efficiency and SUV styling in practical supermini package

Patrick Horgan opens up on All-Ireland heartbreak and life after Cork hurling

gaa

Patrick Horgan opens up on All-Ireland heartbreak and life after Cork hurling

Go off course for cultural delights of the Algarve in Portugal's sunlit south

travel

Go off course for cultural delights of the Algarve in Portugal's sunlit south

Dublin v Wexford - Allianz Hurling League Division 1B

gaa

Crummey's late leveller sparks Dubs delight — and fresh fireworks

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PINERGY MUNSTER SCHOOLS BOYS AND GIRLS SENIOR CUp

Watch the semi-finals and finals live and exclusive to Irish Examiner subscribers here

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News

Gardaí identify victim of serious Temple Bar assault

Gardaí identify victim of serious Temple Bar assault

Investigators thank public after identifying man seriously injured in early-morning assault on Cope Street

Common conditions service launch

Advocacy groups threaten High Court action over delayed spinal care inquiry

Harris urges unity amid Limerick mayoral impasse

Harris urges unity amid Limerick mayoral impasse

School stock

SNA cuts protests planned in Cork, Dublin, Limerick and Galway as review paused

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

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WEEKLY CARTOON BY HARRY BURTON

sport

Mickey Harte 15/2/2026

Harte endures harrowing return as Derry trounce Offaly by 23 points

Oak Leaf triumph sets up next weekend’s visit of Cork as a crunch game at the top of the table in Division 2

Hull City v Chelsea - Emirates FA Cup - Fourth Round - MKM Stadium

Rosenior 'learning about the people you can lean on' after Chelsea slip up again

West Ham United v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League - London Stadium

Hammers lament Bowen's late miss as they miss chance to ease relegation fears

Wales v Scotland - Guinness Men's Six Nations - Principality Stadium

Scotland claw their way back to break Welsh hearts in Cardiff

Insight: Must Reads

Inside the Savoy Cork revival: Historic music venue reopens in city centre

Inside the Savoy Cork revival: Historic music venue reopens in city centre

After years of closure, the historic Savoy returns as a reimagined live music venue in the heart of Cork City

Rosie O'Donnell: 'It was very strange to feel so at home in a new country. But I do'

Rosie O'Donnell: 'It was very strange to feel so at home in a new country. But I do'

Future Cork: The city centre enters a new golden age after decades of change

Future Cork: The city centre enters a new golden age after decades of change

'You wouldn’t do to a dog what was done to Marguerita. How could there only be five years given for that?'

S 'You wouldn’t do to a dog what was done to Marguerita. How could there only be five years given for that?'

Regular Columnists

Michael Clifford

Mick Clifford: In the SNA storm, who is really standing up for children with greatest needs?

Clodagh Finn: The Irish woman who made ‘Cabaret’ a hit in Ireland long before the Broadway musical

Colin Sheridan.png

Colin Sheridan: How strange that courage is celebrated in death and reviled in life

Paul Hosford: Best for John Moran and Limerick councillors to refocus and just get on with it

Lifestyle

'I have no regrets. I loved my mam so much': Niamh Drohan on losing her mother to bowel cancer

S 'I have no regrets. I loved my mam so much': Niamh Drohan on losing her mother to bowel cancer

Niamh Drohan, a senior PR account manager with Hopkins Communications, tells Helen O’Callaghan about the day she faced the crushing reality of her mother Noelle’s terminal bowel cancer diagnosis

Self confident single woman pointing finger at her reflection in mirror, dancing and felling good

Esther McCarthy: Why midlife is magnificent — brain fog, freedom and the power of no

Unrecognizable latin man filling up a jar with wheat flour from a paper bag.

Life Hack: What are flour mites, are they dangerous, and how to prevent them?

Late Late Show talking points, including Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips calling for Irish investigation

Late Late Show talking points, including Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips calling for Irish investigation

Viewpoints

Drawing

David O'Mahony: Perhaps ‘going in the book’ is the best way to deal with our emotions

Any time I annoy her — usually with such heinous crimes as saying 'you need to tidy all your stuff away' — there’s a high chance we’ll find Daughter scribbling in a notebook, sketching sad faces or rain clouds, usually annotated for clarity

Colin Sheridan: Defence Forces funding increase must not erode Ireland’s neutrality

Colin Sheridan: Defence Forces funding increase must not erode Ireland’s neutrality

Abandoned Religious convent and church, Clonakilty West Cork Ireland

Future Cork: A city's vitality is more important than regulatory perfection

Road flooded

After the floods, climate obligations cannot be optional

Subscriber

Donegal v Mayo - Allianz Football League Division 1

S Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Top teams still figuring how to stem the bleed

Mayo's willingness to kick is positive, now they need to tidy up the details.

Seán Sherlock takes on new role with Solar Ireland

S Seán Sherlock takes on new role with Solar Ireland

PR Institute's new CEO launches a plan for growth and innovation

S PR Institute's new CEO launches a plan for growth and innovation

Ruby Walsh: British up for the fight but the wheels in sport turn slowly

S Ruby Walsh: British up for the fight but the wheels in sport turn slowly

LISTEN NOW

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: The Irishman held by ICE and Martin's White House visit

The Deirdre O’Shaughnessy Podcast: The Irishman held by ICE and Martin's White House visit

Tadgh McNally joins the podcast to talk about the Seamus Culleton case and the wider context ahead of Micheál Martin's White House visit

GAA Show Extra: how to be the 'bad guy' as a manager

S GAA Show Extra: how to be the 'bad guy' as a manager

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Paul Cullen’s powerful search for family and truth

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Paul Cullen’s powerful search for family and truth

Six Nations Podcast: England v Ireland preview

Six Nations Podcast: England v Ireland preview

Watch Now

Police Search 'Address In Berkshire' On Day Of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Arrest

Watch: Police search former home as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles, has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and is in police custody.

Watch: Savannah Guthrie appeals for help from the public in new video

Watch: Savannah Guthrie appeals for help from the public in new video

Seattle Seahawks v New England Patriots - Super Bowl LX - Levi's Stadium

Watch: Bad Bunny joined by Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin in vibrant Super Bowl halftime show

farming

Working tools for cleaning snow in a snowfall. Shovels.

Lighten Up: It's a wrap (a silage wrap) for Brad Pitt in West Cork

So for the past year, or thereabouts, Brad Pitt has been with me here on the farm in Kilmichael, learning all the skills of the trade, writes Denis Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Scottish beef cattle standing in a muddy part of a field on an overcast spring morning.

Brian Reidy: Ground is soft, patience is thin — how to survive the February slog

Forget 'Big Brother', everyone is tuning into the ‘Bord Bia five’

Forget 'Big Brother', everyone is tuning into the ‘Bord Bia five’

Food safety experts call for tougher EU oversight after Brazil audit

Food safety experts call for tougher EU oversight after Brazil audit

Property

Perfect €445k first-time buyer opportunity in a quiet cul-de-sac in Glanmire

Perfect €445k first-time buyer opportunity in a quiet cul-de-sac in Glanmire

Upgraded four-bedroom Glanmire home features modern kitchen, ensuite master, south-facing garden, and plenty of space for family life

Tasty live-work blend at €510k landmark Kenmare property

Tasty live-work blend at €510k landmark Kenmare property

Female cleans a dirty wall at home with professional rag

The off-white walls in my kitchen are badly marked up. What can I do to freshen them up?

Former Ireland footballer Colin Healy selling spacious Rylane home for €495k

Former Ireland footballer Colin Healy selling spacious Rylane home for €495k

World

France Student Killed

Hundreds march in Lyon in protest over activist’s killing as Macron urges calm

About 3,000 people have joined a march organised by far-right groups after a nationalist activist died from a beating in the French city of Lyon.

UK economy review

US global tariffs will rise to 15%, Donald Trump says

NASA-Artemis Moonshot

March launch in jeopardy as Nasa’s Moon rocket hit by new problem

Thousands march through Dublin in rally for Palestine

Thousands march through Dublin in rally for Palestine

Sponsored Content

Heads are turning for pharmacy investment property in the heart of buzzing Charleville

Heads are turning for pharmacy investment property in the heart of buzzing Charleville

Huge footfall and an attractive guide price of €1 million for high-yielding pharmacy investment property in heart of Charleville Shopping Centre

For the latest trends and styles — visit City Tiles & Bathrooms

For the latest trends and styles — visit City Tiles & Bathrooms

How smart controllers unlock the full potential of a heat pump

How smart controllers unlock the full potential of a heat pump

Trust, data, governance: How life sciences can balance the opportunities and risks of AI – responsibly

Trust, data, governance: How life sciences can balance the opportunities and risks of AI – responsibly

photos of the week