comment and analysis

This is my father and it's the first time we met
This is my father and it's the first time we met
IRELAND-US-DIPLOMACY
Elaine Loughlin: Donald Trump puts united Ireland back on agenda during Irish visit
Donald Trump’s backing for a united Ireland leaves Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald and Taoiseach Micheál Martin in awkward positions

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Iran War Strait of Hormuz
Strait of Hormuz crisis: How danger and uncertainty can affect seafarers' mental health
Research links unsafe conditions, long hours and poor sleep with worse mental health at sea. Conflict can intensify each of these pressures

Sat, 12 Sep, 2026

Louise Burne: No early start for the party 'who get up early in the morning' at jovial Fine Gael think-in
Louise Burne: No early start for the party 'who get up early in the morning' at jovial Fine Gael think-in
The Fine Gael faithful gathered in the Amber Springs Hotel in Gorey from 5pm on Thursday

Fri, 11 Sep, 2026

GERMANY-POLITICS-VOTE-STATE-SAXONY-ANHALT-DEMONSTRATION
Edel McGinley: The far-right do not need to win an election to influence politics 
Fringe ideas are taking hold as the Overton window moves, but research shows that most people are more inclusive than ever

Fri, 11 Sep, 2026

So many flights
Young people should be able to find a well-paid job and build a life in Ireland
As house prices continue to rise and rents increase, the amount of young people leaving the country each year is now close to the numbers who left during the recession

Fri, 11 Sep, 2026

Irish citizenship
Imasha Costa: Citizenship rule change moves goalposts on hard-working people
Changing the rules in the middle of a Cork v Limerick match and forcing players to continue would cause outrage — changes to the citizenship rules are much the same, writes Imasha Costa

Thu, 10 Sep, 2026

Sinn Fein annual away day
Sinn Féin may need to hone its migration policy — and then communicate it better 
There may be a kernel of truth in Siobhán Fenton's suggestion that spinning SF's immigration lines was like 'putting lipstick on a pig'

Wed, 09 Sep, 2026

Fianna Fail think in - Tullamore
Tadgh McNally: No pack squabbles for 'The Wolf of Merrion Street' at Fianna Fáil think-in 
Despite some rumblings in April over his leadership, TDs and senators appeared more at ease about the prospect of letting the Taoiseach set out his own timeline for departure

Wed, 09 Sep, 2026

Majo Rivas: An English language test sounds reasonable — it's not as simple as it sounds
Majo Rivas: An English language test sounds reasonable — it's not as simple as it sounds
New rules are not reasonable if they are applied rigidly in the context of the poor language supports available in Ireland, argues Majo Rivas

Wed, 09 Sep, 2026

Lonely sad boy at home
Failing to identify fetal alcohol syndrome has consequences far beyond health system
The lack of action on a pathway for fetal alcohol syndrome is showing in so-called 'difficult' and 'defiant' young people who were never diagnosed 

Wed, 09 Sep, 2026

Back view of male student raising hand on a class.
Jess Casey: Despite good PISA results, Ireland must heed drop in maths and reading scores
Rather than pat ourselves on the back for doing better than many other countries, we must work to to reverse the growing divide in Ireland

Tue, 08 Sep, 2026

Denise Charlton: There's a compelling argument for a children's budget
Denise Charlton: There's a compelling argument for a children's budget
Our series of reports show we are in danger of becoming the first generation in modern Ireland to pass on a poorer society to the next

Tue, 08 Sep, 2026

Fianna Fail think in - Tullamore
'He is killing us': Fianna Fáil ministers despair of Jack 'Thatcher' Chambers' tight-fisted approach to budget
'I know what Jack wants, and that's to give us nothing,' said one Fianna Fáiler at the party's think-in

Mon, 07 Sep, 2026

Laura Harmon: When CUH raises alarm on patient safety, the Government must listen
Laura Harmon: When CUH raises alarm on patient safety, the Government must listen
We need a health service that can plan beyond the next budget, properly fund services over several years and recruit staff according to what patients need, writes senator Laura Harmon

Mon, 07 Sep, 2026

Technician repairing a smarphone
The EU’s repair policies are changing the way tech is designed
Device manufacturers are adapting product designs to comply with the European Sustainable Products Regulation, which has repairability as one of its core principles

Mon, 07 Sep, 2026

Áine Lawlor: Middle Ireland once looked up to America. Now it's asking what went wrong
Áine Lawlor: Middle Ireland once looked up to America. Now it's asking what went wrong
Ahead of Donald Trump’s Irish visit, a room of traditionally pro-American voters reveals growing unease about America’s direction

Sun, 06 Sep, 2026

BIO-MAO ZEDONG-COMMUNISM
Colin Sheridan: Mao's murderous legacy still overshadowed by symbolism
The human cost of Mao's murderous ideology has never overcome the power of his cultural symbolism worldwide, despite attempts by writers and historians to correct the record 

Sat, 05 Sep, 2026

Moira Donegan: What will feminism be without Gloria Steinem?
Moira Donegan: What will feminism be without Gloria Steinem?
Steinem turned feminism into a mainstream political force, but her death comes as the movement faces a profound period of retreat

Fri, 04 Sep, 2026

The Mick Clifford Podcast Live in Cork: Paul Howard on what a united Ireland would look like
The Mick Clifford Podcast Live in Cork: Paul Howard on what a united Ireland would look like
Paul Howard, the creator of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, has written a satirical novel set in a government department charged with planning for a united Ireland. He is this week's guest on The Mick Clifford Podcast which was recorded in Waterstones in Cork in front of a live audience.

 Listen | Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

 Listen |
Labour Party in positive mood at think-in despite 'flavour of the month' party surging ahead in polls
Labour Party in positive mood at think-in despite 'flavour of the month' party surging ahead in polls
Party faithful unanimous in support for leader Ivana Bacik, who 'has not put a foot wrong'

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

TOPSHOT-FRANCE-ENVIRONMENT-CLIMATE-WEATHER-WILDFIRE
'Very strong’ El Niño cycle will 'make climate change more pronounced'
Met Éireann has said El Niño’s influence on Ireland and Europe is 'comparatively weak, highly variable, and not robust in the present-day climate'

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

Planned fare hikes fleecing public transport users to subsidise private transport users
Planned fare hikes fleecing public transport users to subsidise private transport users
The Government has decided that those who use private transport should be financially supported, while those taking the bus and train can suffer yet another increase, writes Elaine Loughlin

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

Terry Prone: In the fight for women’s rights Gloria Steinem always stepped up
Terry Prone: In the fight for women’s rights Gloria Steinem always stepped up
Gloria Steinem, who burst onto the scene with a 1963 exposé of the Playboy Bunny, helped change the possibilities for generations of women

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

EU presidency is a chance for Ireland to finally start regulating Big Tech
EU presidency is a chance for Ireland to finally start regulating Big Tech
Has Ireland finally shaken the EU perception of being a 'soft touch' on tech multinationals? The EU presidency is the acid test, writes Owen Bennett

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

Preschool teacher in classroom greeting new student
Our children deserve early years education that prioritises their needs over profits
We have become so used to thinking of childcare as big business that we have forgotten there are many, some quite obvious, solutions to the crisis we are facing

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

Some are more at risk than others in horror ebola outbreak
Some are more at risk than others in horror ebola outbreak
Public health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared the current ebola outbreak as the deadliest in the country's history, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, writes Julien Muyisa Mapilanga, who works for Trócaire in the DRC

Thu, 03 Sep, 2026

Children Reading Scripture Together
Knowing about religions is a foundation for all sorts of learning
Removing religious instruction from schools altogether makes no sense when so much culture and literature refers to world religions, argues Dr Peter Admirand

Wed, 02 Sep, 2026

Emma deSouza: Fertility options for women still don't provide real choices
Emma deSouza: Fertility options for women still don't provide real choices
Public policy must catch up with real-life barriers and give women genuine choices about reproductive futures

Wed, 02 Sep, 2026

John Gibbons: Even rainy Ireland is not immune to water shortages
John Gibbons: Even rainy Ireland is not immune to water shortages
We use expensively treated drinking water to flush our toilets and water our plants — but our infrastructure is creaking under the load, writes John Gibbons

Tue, 01 Sep, 2026

Crash on M9 in Co Kildare
Sara Cullen: I work with young offenders — they watch and learn from adults
When children cause devastating accidents, the internet turns on them and attacks them and their parents

Tue, 01 Sep, 2026

close up of school kids playing with tablet pc
Eoin Thornton: My child doesn't use tech — but in school, it's embedded despite the harms
When cybersecurity expert Eoin Thornton's daughter started school, he assumed parents would have to consent to smart devices in the classroom. Two years on, he's learned they have no say despite departmental policy 

Mon, 31 Aug, 2026

Maeve Monaghan: Disabled talent could be key to solving Ireland's labour shortages
Maeve Monaghan: Disabled talent could be key to solving Ireland's labour shortages
Inclusive employment isn’t goodwill. It’s an economic opportunity hiding in plain sight

Mon, 31 Aug, 2026

Stripe Young Scientist winner spends summer developing blood heaemorrhage detection device 
Stripe Young Scientist winner spends summer developing blood heaemorrhage detection device 
Applications are now open for Stripe's 2027 exhibition

Sun, 30 Aug, 2026

a child leaps over a puddle on a poverty stricken estate in Maryhill Glasgow
ASBOs could be quite effective with adults — but dealing with difficult juveniles is not that simple
Retired garda sergeant Graham Kavanagh says that when it comes to antisocial behaviour, particularly from teenagers, the worst thing we can do is pretend that one legal mechanism is capable of solving all of the problems

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

What a cow contraption said about Irish attitudes to Africa
What a cow contraption said about Irish attitudes to Africa
A century-old cartoon of a cow-powered football factory looks like harmless mission magazine whimsy, but it sat just pages away from far more blatant racism in Irish missionary print culture

Sat, 29 Aug, 2026

Dail recalled
Mick Clifford: Interruption of their 'holliers' says a lot about the Government's fear of protests
Can you imagine the finance ministers of Germany and France being stuck behind gleaming tractors at the airport roundabout and told they will not be allowed to pass? 

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

Turkey and ham, a fond farewell to a journalist, and the small matter of a Dáil vote on fuel excise duties 
Turkey and ham, a fond farewell to a journalist, and the small matter of a Dáil vote on fuel excise duties 
All-in-all it was an extraordinary day in Dáil Éireann, writes Paul Hosford

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

Fuel prices
Paul Hosford: Covid has made it difficult for Governments to refuse financial dig-outs
There is now a political expectation: when prices rise, the State will step in to cushion consumers. That expectation is difficult to reverse, writes Paul Hosford

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

Ireland abortion laws
When fatal is 'not fatal enough': Eight years since the repeal of the eighth
We are now seeing the repercussions of the 2018 referendum playing out at a transactional political level, where the human rights of women are once again relegated to the secondary role

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

Abdallah Aljazzar: From asking for a cigarette to seeking asylum — my journey from Gaza to Ireland
Abdallah Aljazzar: From asking for a cigarette to seeking asylum — my journey from Gaza to Ireland
Living in a tent and surviving rocket attacks was my ordinary a year ago, but now ordinary is a lovely day in West Cork, while my family endures the daily horrors of life in Gaza

Fri, 28 Aug, 2026

CUH staffing tensions persist amid calls for 'honest conversation' on health funding 
CUH staffing tensions persist amid calls for 'honest conversation' on health funding 
Health minister pushes back after Cork University Hospital staff and management unite to press for reform — while Ifac highlights its earlier article about 'bad budgeting' of health spending

Thu, 27 Aug, 2026

Jolene Cox: Hot school meals are a great idea — but we can do it better
Jolene Cox: Hot school meals are a great idea — but we can do it better
The idea behind the hot school lunch scheme is solid — to give primary school children across Ireland a free, nutritious hot meal every day, but if it’s gloopy or 'tastes like wet dog' (the children’s words), it is destined for the bin, and its nutritional value is irrelevant. 

Thu, 27 Aug, 2026

Rosaleen McDonagh: Traveller identity cannot be in the dock for M9 crash
Rosaleen McDonagh: Traveller identity cannot be in the dock for M9 crash
Grief for the dead does not endorse what they did, but criticism of appalling conduct does not require contempt for who they were

Thu, 27 Aug, 2026

Jess Casey: Are we any nearer to fixing the Leaving Cert's fundamental flaws?
Jess Casey: Are we any nearer to fixing the Leaving Cert's fundamental flaws?
Five years after the ombudsman's warning, students, parents, teachers, principals and third-level academics are still calling for reform 

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

Brendan Horan: Ireland's supersized class sizes are an embarrassment
Brendan Horan: Ireland's supersized class sizes are an embarrassment
Ireland’s supersized primary school classes are the shame of Europe. Our children are languishing behind their European peers

Wed, 26 Aug, 2026

"9 to 5" Film Still
Dolly Parton spun her rags into riches to share with the whole world
At another time, Dolly Parton would have been accepted as a saint: She was certainly a genius adored by women of all ages, writes Terry Prone

Tue, 25 Aug, 2026

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Suzanne Harrington
Suzanne Harrington

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