Columns - Irish Examiner

Denis Lehane

Denis Lehane is Ireland’s favourite farming satire writer (at least according to us!). Known for his unorthodox farming ingenuities and ideas, you never know what adventures our ‘Auld Lehane’ will be up to in Lighten Up.

Lighten Up: Auld escorts for the Rose of Tralee

At this year's Rose of Tralee, if you spot any escort looking a little long in the tooth, or perhaps with no teeth at all, rest assured — they are the men recommended by our auld Lehane

Mon, 10 Aug, 2026

Men wearing black shoes, standing in front of the red brick.

Denis Lehane: Men wearing short pants is an epidemic in West Cork this summer. It has to stop

Spotting not one, but three so-called 'cattle men' at the mart wearing short pants was too much for Auld Lehane

Mon, 03 Aug, 2026

Lighten Up: Fields of Skibbereen beat the gardens of New York any day

Our Auld Lehane's plans to launch his book in the Big Apple almost ended in disaster, in this week's Lighten Up

Wed, 15 Jul, 2026

Lighten Up: Taylor Swift's wedding, almost as good as Puck Fair

Attending Taylor Swift's wedding in New York, was almost as exciting as spending the weekend back at Puck, writes our Auld Lehane

Wed, 08 Jul, 2026

Tesla Cybertruck display at a dealership. Tesla offers the Cybertruck with driving range of up to 334 miles. MY:2025

Lighten Up: Dear Elon, any chance of a loan?

For while he knows all the tricks of the farming trade, the trick of making money out of cattle is the one trick that eludes our Denis, so he has gone to trillionaire Elon Musk for advice

Mon, 29 Jun, 2026

Small crop circle in a wheat field in Dorset

Lighten Up: Alien encounters on the farm

Auld Lehane's alien encounters could well be a case for the Mulder and Scully

Sun, 28 Jun, 2026

AI prompt chat bot. Search website to generate data, text or image. Man using computer with artificial intelligence app. Virtual

Denis Lehane: Some help with my writing from the AI man

My spelling is uafásach, writes our Auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 15 Jun, 2026

Denis Lehane: Relax, it's only the Leaving Cert

Some of us are a long way from the world of rocket science, but we get by just as happy, or happier maybe, in many cases, writes our Auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up.

Thu, 04 Jun, 2026

Denis Lehane: Did JK Rowling help bring in the silage?

Some magic was involved in bringing in so much so quickly, writes our Auld Lehane in this week's Lighten Up

Mon, 01 Jun, 2026

Glenroe left our screens 25 years ago: Here are 10 reasons why it needs to return

The potential for storylines in today's rural Ireland is immense. From Brazilian beef to Brazilian waxing, rural Ireland is very alive and very interesting right now

Wed, 27 May, 2026