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: 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

Clodagh Finn: The Irish flappers who gave bishops sleepless nights by embracing jazz and fashion

New research reveals how Irish women embraced jazz, fashion and dance despite bishops’ warnings about the supposed dangers of modernity

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

Clodagh Finn: A window into life of an Afghan woman who set up a secret school for girls and now lives in hiding

Roshana Dadgar set up a secret school in Afghanistan to educate young girls. She was later forced to flee to Pakistan and now lives under the threat of deportation, writes Clodagh Finn

Sat, 22 Aug, 2026

Clodagh Finn: The Cork women who helped build the State were left with almost nothing

New research uncovers the poverty, neglect and quiet desperation faced by Cork women who fought during Ireland’s revolutionary period

Sun, 16 Aug, 2026

Clodagh Finn: A lesson in how to reawaken the spirit of our revolutionary women

Clodagh Finn looks at Kerry’s revolutionary women whose spirit has been reawakened and honoured in a majestic bronze sculpture that stands 2.5m tall in the centre of Tralee Town Park

Sat, 08 Aug, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Meet Millie Robinson, the Mayo cyclist who won the first women's Tour de France in 1955

As the Tour de France Femmes begins, Clodagh Finn revisits the extraordinary yet overlooked story of Mayo cycling pioneer Millie Robinson

Sat, 01 Aug, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Acts of defiance and solidarity are very uplifting but why do we still need them?

In light of the selfless group of placard-carrying activists marching to save Bessborough from developers, it is heartening to see previous women's protest movements wrought change that was unimaginable at the time

Sat, 25 Jul, 2026

Clodagh Finn: Remarkable story of Cork's Cummins sisters

There is so much more to say about the Cummins sisters from Cork city

Fri, 17 Jul, 2026