The macabre Gone Girl, the surprise US bestseller, has been criticised as misogynist, but its author Gillian Flynn's depictions of women eschew blandness for darker truths, says Suzanne Harrington

Jesse Jones says our response to the Celtic Tiger has made prosperity "feel like a dirty word now."

The UN thinks it's a good idea, but what do the Irish think of eating creepy crawlies, wonders Jonathan deBurca Butler.

Catarina Migliorina's chastity made $780,000 at auction last week. But why did a man's virginity sell for just $3,000, asks Caroline Delaney

Did you cry with your buddy while watching Fergie say farewell at Old Trafford?

WE'RE all still buzzing here since the Literary Festival of Food and Wine at Ballymaloe over the bank holiday weekend.

In the play An Enemy of the People, one man stands for right, says Pádraic Killeen.

IT'S Saturday morning and young people are chatting in different languages as they wait to board a tour bus on St Patrick's Quay.

Rod Stewart said he was "over the moon" as he celebrated his 15th No 1 with a champagne toast.

ANDY McCluskey has mellowed.

Britain was in a heightened state of alert last night following a suspected terrorist attack in which a young man was hacked to death in broad daylight on the streets of London.

A lifeboat crew were called in to perform an unusual rescue off the south-east coast.

This is how the ideal female celebrity would look, according to a survey carried out in Britain.

The search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb raked by a massive tornado was almost complete last night.

EU efforts to tackle tax evasion by individuals and corporations have gained pace with Taoiseach Enda Kenny acknowledging that new digital industry may need a different kind of tax structure — something that applies to companies like Google and Facebook.

Tim Cook's tenure at the helm of Apple has been a crash course in crisis management.

Tomás Ó Sé believes the structure of the Munster championship doesn't have the players' interests at heart.

Cian Healy isn't one for cracking under questioning.

A new exhibition in Cork showcases artists from Berlin, says Tina Darb O'Sullivan

A Kerry bookshop and one man's dream brought hope to a Lesotho community, says Peter Geoghegan

The latest addition to our stellar team of rugby writers reflects on the ups and downs of a magnificent playing career — and reveals the reasons why he's chosen to move to Paris to kick-start his coaching career.

A Fine Gael TD has revealed that pro-life activists have threatened to slit her throat and burn down her house.

It's a story familiar to GAA people all over the country. A stormy annual general meeting, members walking out, transfer applications handed in afterwards.

THERE are three reasons why a managed exit by Ireland from the eurozone is the most urgent economic priority. But first consider this reality.

Mice raised without bacteria in the gut showed distinctly autistic patterns of behaviour, choosing to interact with objects more than other mice, scientists at University College Cork (UCC) have found.

More than 300,000 people have left Ireland in the past four years. Tempting as it is, Ruairí McKiernan is prepared to stay to help make the country a better place

Paddy Power are today refunding all win and each way singles to customers who backed Ireland's Ryan Dolan for last night's Eurovision.

The latest addition to our stellar team of rugby writers reflects on the ups and downs of a magnificent playing career — and reveals the reasons why he's chosen to move to Paris to kick-start his coaching career.

Leaflets criticising the TD who chairs the Dáil committee hearing opinion on legislating for the X case, and likening abortion to the Holocaust, are being sent to homes in Cork.

The sleek white Lauren L yacht has become Cork's latest tourist attraction, and you have to admit, it definitely adds a touch of glamour to the place.