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: The politics of handbags, with all its glorious baggage

The handbag of Maria Steen, who didn't manage to get enough nominations to run for the presidency, reminds Clodagh Finn of the controversial term 'handbagging' that had been used to insult other women in politics

Sat, 04 Oct, 2025

Clodagh Finn: The first lady and Stem pioneer who could have been president

Phyllis Ryan qualified as the only woman with a master’s degree in science from UCD in 1917. She was just the fifth female science graduate since the National University of Ireland was founded in 1908

Sat, 27 Sep, 2025

Clodagh Finn: Great Irish wives, the club with so many overlooked members

O’Brien Press has finally published a non-fiction version of he lives of 10 women overshadowed by their famous husbands

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

Clodagh Finn: Funerals are much more about life than death

Strange as it may sound, there is something very uplifting about coming together to celebrate a life well lived

Sat, 13 Sep, 2025

Clodagh Finn: If only we had hospital builder Madam Steevens in today's world

The indefatigable Grizelda Steevens managed to get Ireland’s first public hospital up and running in 1733

Sat, 06 Sep, 2025

Clodagh Finn: Let’s back campaign for public tribute to Mary Jane Irwin

If a visiting monkey has a place in the streetscape, Mary Jane Irwin, as she was when she lived in Clonakilty, certainly deserves ones too

Sat, 30 Aug, 2025

Brendan Gleeson launches Bewley's Big Coffee Morning

Clodagh Finn: Give the arts a sporting chance with a daily slot on Six One News

Now’s your chance to speak up for the culture-makers before a September 5 deadline

Sat, 23 Aug, 2025

Clodagh Finn: The woman who took the last known photo of Michael Collins

Agnes Hurley also reportedly was in possession of Michael Collins's blood-stained shirt collar from the ambush

Sat, 16 Aug, 2025

Clodagh Finn: It’s not the Hunger Games, it’s not Miss America — it’s our weird, beloved Rose of Tralee

Tralee native Clodagh Finn reflects on the contradictions, criticisms and quiet joys of Ireland’s most divisive cultural celebration

Sun, 03 Aug, 2025

Clodagh Finn: They called Maeve Kyle a disgrace to motherhood — then she became an Irish Olympic icon

Maeve Kyle broke rules, records, and expectations — blazing a trail from Kilkenny to Tokyo across five decades of Irish sport

Sat, 26 Jul, 2025