Columns - Irish Examiner

Clodagh Finn

Clodagh Finn is a journalist, writer and collector of stories. Her recent book, The Irish in the Resistance, co-authored with John Morgan, shines a light on the forgotten contributions of the Irish who resisted Hitler during WW2.

Clodagh Finn: Who was Caroline Douglas, the Cork-born marchioness who backed Irish independence?

Born in Bandon, Caroline Douglas supported Irish independence and the Manchester Martyrs, yet her remarkable story remains little known

Sat, 07 Nov, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Could the bones found in a Limerick mass grave belong to United Irishman Staker Wallis?

Volunteers in Kilfinane are seeking family stories to identify historic remains, while other communities preserve Ireland’s forgotten heritage

Sat, 31 Oct, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Ireland’s forgotten trailblazer reminds us why refugees can enrich a country

Clodagh Finn revisits the remarkable life of Switzers chair Margaret Hamilton Reid and the forgotten stories of refugees who helped shape Ireland

Sat, 24 Oct, 2026

Clodagh Finn: The banshee was a career woman with a job to do — so leave her alone

Clodagh Finn explores the banshee’s unexpected role in Irish folklore and the forgotten women whose voices challenged convention

Sat, 17 Oct, 2026

Clodagh Finn: The forgotten Cork woman who became a close friend of Frederick Douglass

Clodagh Finn uncovers Isabel Jennings’s role in Cork’s anti-slavery movement and asks how Ireland should confront its historical links to slavery

Sat, 10 Oct, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Teresa Deevy refused to let deafness silence her. Now Ireland is listening again

The Waterford playwright’s work is enjoying a remarkable revival through theatre, scholarship and a return to Ireland’s school curriculum

Sun, 04 Oct, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Meet the Cork woman who drove Eisenhower through the Second World War

The Cork-born driver and aide survived wartime danger, served alongside Eisenhower and later became the subject of enduring speculation

Sun, 27 Sep, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Anne Devlin was never just Robert Emmet’s housekeeper. It’s time we told her story

A new children’s book and the work of historian Mícheál Ó Doibhilín are helping restore Anne Devlin’s place in Irish history

Sat, 19 Sep, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Deirdre Kelly, the environmental campaigner who inspired a generation

An obituary this week about Frank McDonald reminds Clodagh Finn of another environmental campaigner, Deirdre Kelly, who believed passionately that urban design should serve people and communities first, rather than developers

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Clodagh Finn: The remarkable story of Grace Gifford, the artist who kept going — and skating

A newly acquired William Orpen portrait captures the humour and spirit of an artist whose life was shaped by Ireland’s turbulent history

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026