Columnists

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

Louise O'Neill
Stats show someone you know must be affected by a violent partner or parent
Gerard Howlin
Gerard Howlin: From failing state to wielding soft power on the international stage
Fergus Finlay
Fergus Finlay: We should celebrate the real patriots at this time
Terry Prone: After 100 days in solitary, I’m still staying put
Terry Prone: After 100 days in solitary, I’m still staying put
Five days left, I keep telling myself. Before the end of the week, I will have been 100 days in solitary, with the exception of two runs for medical appointments and three shopping expeditions.

Mon, 06 Jul, 2020

Coronavirus - Wed Apr 15, 2020
Colm O'Regan: Lockdown fancy, taken by the weeds
We all have our little tricks, to make ourselves feel better when times are glum. I like eating leftovers, testing loose batteries to see once and for all if the fecking things are working or not, and hiding chocolate in the hope I’ll forget I have it.

Sun, 05 Jul, 2020

Suzanne Harrington: Lady masks may have slipped during lockdown, but we don't have to put them back on
Suzanne Harrington: Lady masks may have slipped during lockdown, but we don't have to put them back on
A favourite insult amongst my relatives is ‘your lipstick is crooked.’ The other day, about to meet friends for the first time in forever, mine really was. It had been so long since I’d put any on that I drew outside the lines.

Sun, 05 Jul, 2020

Louise O'Neill: 'When I look at how difficult it is for a rape victim to even get a case to court, I wonder if our legal system is fit for purpose in 2020'
Louise O'Neill: 'When I look at how difficult it is for a rape victim to even get a case to court, I wonder if our legal system is fit for purpose in 2020'
I often think about a conversation I had with a barrister a few years ago. She was an impressive sight, in her gown and wig, her high heels click-clacking on the wooden floors of the Four Courts.

Sat, 04 Jul, 2020

Clodagh Finn: Grey hairs? Consider them lockdown’s silver lining
Clodagh Finn: Grey hairs? Consider them lockdown’s silver lining
We have been granted an unexpected free pass into the glittering world of the natural and the grey-haired. I’m planning to stay there, writes Clodagh Finn

Sat, 04 Jul, 2020

Michael Clifford: The 'green jersey' is optional for some
Michael Clifford: The 'green jersey' is optional for some
"We are not all in this together. The green jersey is optional for some, applied with force to others. The green jersey is also horribly stained since its last outing, when the country previously faced into daunting times."

Sat, 04 Jul, 2020

Alison O'Connor: Availability of abortion to Irish citizens is a sign of a mature society
Alison O'Connor: Availability of abortion to Irish citizens is a sign of a mature society
So many of us knew women who'd had to travel for abortions and understood the pain that involved, writes Alison O'Connor

Fri, 03 Jul, 2020

Victoria White: My column can't be allowed to get in the way of supporting my family
Victoria White: My column can't be allowed to get in the way of supporting my family
I don't like being a Minister's wife but I like the possibilities this Programme for Government brings, writes Victoria White

Thu, 02 Jul, 2020

Gerard Howlin: Mental health must be central to Stephen Donnelly's new system
Gerard Howlin: Mental health must be central to Stephen Donnelly's new system
Consulting remotely can't be the new normal in mental health. And it won't suit every elderly person, writes Gerard Howlin

Wed, 01 Jul, 2020

Fergus Finlay: New Irish Government will face many political challenges
Fergus Finlay: New Irish Government will face many political challenges
This is going to make for one of the most complicated relationships in our political history, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 30 Jun, 2020

Terry Prone: Dissident members of US Republican party undermine Donald Trump's campaign
Terry Prone: Dissident members of US Republican party undermine Donald Trump's campaign
The Lincoln Project is made up of smart Republicans who want Trump gone before he does any more damage to the GOP

Mon, 29 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: No time for new leader Martin to rest on his laurels
Daniel McConnell: No time for new leader Martin to rest on his laurels
Taoiseach MicheĂĄl Martin has defended his decision not to appoint Dara Calleary as a full Cabinet minister.

Mon, 29 Jun, 2020

Alison O'Connor: The portrait of Michael Collins will be back in the Taoiseach's office... but will Leo?
Alison O'Connor: The portrait of Michael Collins will be back in the Taoiseach's office... but will Leo?
Micheál Martin had hardly received his seal of office from President Michael D Higgins but his Twitter bio was changed to reflect his new status: “Taoiseach and Uachtarán Fhianna Fáil. TD for Cork South Central.”

Mon, 29 Jun, 2020

Colm O'Regan: Are we doing the masks thing or not?
Colm O'Regan: Are we doing the masks thing or not?
“Cmere? Are we doing the masks thing or NOT, like? What’s going on?”

Sun, 28 Jun, 2020

Suzanne Harrington: Don’t be a TERF, let’s build bridges, not walls
Suzanne Harrington: Don’t be a TERF, let’s build bridges, not walls
"My sister gets exasperated by identity politics: “The world is on fire and we’re arguing over pronouns?” She has a massive point - there are bigger things to worry about. But then my sister and I, as cis women, have never had to fight for our identity. We were born this way."

Sun, 28 Jun, 2020

Caroline O'Donoghue: Six thoughts on taking a holiday in someone else's life
Caroline O'Donoghue: Six thoughts on taking a holiday in someone else's life
You know those smug, awful people who confess to actually enjoying the lockdown? I was one of those people, until recently.

Sat, 27 Jun, 2020

Louise O'Neill: 'It doesn’t matter if a young girl is saying yes. It’s an adult man’s job to say no'
Louise O'Neill: 'It doesn’t matter if a young girl is saying yes. It’s an adult man’s job to say no'
I’m not on Twitter anymore and given everything I’ve heard about the site since - the viciousness, the constant outrage and in-fighting - I haven’t felt enticed to return.

Sat, 27 Jun, 2020

Alison O'Connor: No masking the fact we haven’t escaped virus threat completely
Alison O'Connor: No masking the fact we haven’t escaped virus threat completely
We have a major win on our hands against Covid-19. We don’t want to lose that now by being stupid or careless, writes Alison O'Connor

Fri, 26 Jun, 2020

Victoria White: Easing of lockdown restrictions brings an end to slow pace of life
Victoria White: Easing of lockdown restrictions brings an end to slow pace of life
Take away the death, the sickness and the financial hardship and who wouldn’t want to slow down, asks Victoria White

Thu, 25 Jun, 2020

Gerard Howlin: Democracy, Irish-style, takes off in a completely new direction
Gerard Howlin: Democracy, Irish-style, takes off in a completely new direction
If the three parties agree to what is proposed, then the real crisis will come in October, writes Gerard Howlin

Wed, 24 Jun, 2020

Fergus Finlay: Jean Kennedy Smith, a friend to Ireland who left an enduring legacy
Fergus Finlay: Jean Kennedy Smith, a friend to Ireland who left an enduring legacy
Jean Kennedy Smith was instrumental, and significantly so, in the first IRA ceasefire, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 23 Jun, 2020

Terry Prone: Statue to Douglass would be a beacon of anti-racism in Ireland
Terry Prone: Statue to Douglass would be a beacon of anti-racism in Ireland
As a former hash-grower myself, I tut-tutted as only the reformed can tut-tut, writes Terry Prone.

Mon, 22 Jun, 2020

Colm O'Regan: The best thing about Normal People was Connell's crying
Colm O'Regan: The best thing about Normal People was Connell's crying
I was ready to not enjoy Normal People . I don’t mean not like it or not think it was good. Just not enjoy it. In the same way I find it hard to enjoy most things made in Ireland. It’s partly jealousy.

Mon, 22 Jun, 2020

Suzanne Harrington: JK Rowling, stop explaining, start listening
Suzanne Harrington: JK Rowling, stop explaining, start listening
I love a slogan t-shirt. You can walk around with what you want to say emblazoned across yourself, without ever having to open your mouth.

Mon, 22 Jun, 2020

Caroline O'Donoghue: Six thoughts on pokey browsers
Caroline O'Donoghue: Six thoughts on pokey browsers
Kinsale is 75% Pokey Browser.

Sat, 20 Jun, 2020

Louise O'Neill: 'Growing up as a white child in a predominantly white environment, race wasn’t something I gave much thought to'
Louise O'Neill: 'Growing up as a white child in a predominantly white environment, race wasn’t something I gave much thought to'
As white people have been forced to acknowledged the ugly truth of white supremacy, I have found myself wondering if this is how men felt during the #MeToo movement.

Sat, 20 Jun, 2020

Clodagh Finn: O’Reilly sisters’ courage underlines society’s cowardice
Clodagh Finn: O’Reilly sisters’ courage underlines society’s cowardice
‘Don’t be afraid.’ Helen O’Donoghue’s words after her rapist father was jailed for 20 years are a rallying cry to speak, no shout and scream about violence against women, writes Clodagh Finn.

Sat, 20 Jun, 2020

Michael Clifford: Debating the tired claims of 'media bias'
Michael Clifford: Debating the tired claims of 'media bias'
I have received death threats. I have received threats that my daughter will be raped. These have come from supporters of a political party.

Sat, 20 Jun, 2020

Alison O'Connor: Government deal not yet in the bag, for many reasons
Alison O'Connor: Government deal not yet in the bag, for many reasons
In the Dublin suburb of Phibsboro there is a cafe, which, on the basis of its website, looks to be really charming. Bang Bang is a greengrocer and deli with “top coffee”.

Fri, 19 Jun, 2020

Victoria White: Maternity services should have been created by women for women
Victoria White: Maternity services should have been created by women for women
Roisin Molloy, whose son Mark died shortly after being born in the Midlands Hospital Portaloise in 2012 with a copy of the HIQA report into national maternity services which was released online yesterday. Photograph Moya Nolan By now we were meant to have revolutionised maternity services.

Thu, 18 Jun, 2020

Gerard Howlin: Governing on a wing and a prayer
Gerard Howlin: Governing on a wing and a prayer
If you need to know the costings of the Programme for Government agreed on Monday, you can’t afford it. Gone are the days when politicians campaigned in poetry but governed in prose.

Wed, 17 Jun, 2020

Fergus Finlay: These three men will have to be wise to make a government work
Fergus Finlay: These three men will have to be wise to make a government work
It will be a considerable achievement if they can get on with each other enough to get the job done, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 16 Jun, 2020

Terry Prone: Zoom call from the loo, and tearing down a statue
Terry Prone: Zoom call from the loo, and tearing down a statue
Successful women are always under pressure to be relatable, vulnerable, and humble, writes Terry Prone

Mon, 15 Jun, 2020

Colm O'Regan: Impact of history is a modern-day concern
Colm O'Regan: Impact of history is a modern-day concern
Brexit told us that the UK history school curriculum seemed to have gaps. That there wasn’t much about the impact of their history on everyone else’s history.

Mon, 15 Jun, 2020

Suzanne Harrington: We must remember Mia O'Neill when coming to term with Ireland's racism problem
Suzanne Harrington: We must remember Mia O'Neill when coming to term with Ireland's racism problem
As statues commemorating humans who dehumanised other humans for profit begin their international topple, spurred by that historic moment where a slave trader statue was chucked in Bristol harbour, and brown leaders, from Leo Varadkar to the mayor of London, talk about other statues that need to go, the Black Lives Matter movement has finally gone into #MeToo territory.

Mon, 15 Jun, 2020

Caroline O'Donoghue: Seven reasons why the Irish still need to talk about race
Caroline O'Donoghue: Seven reasons why the Irish still need to talk about race
Like you, I’ve been reading about the American protests by black Americans in response to the police brutality that has ended the lives of so many.

Sat, 13 Jun, 2020

Clodagh Finn: Why do GAA clubs still honour pro-slavery John Mitchel?
Clodagh Finn: Why do GAA clubs still honour pro-slavery John Mitchel?
A wave of anti-racist protests has led to calls to remove several statues including one of John Mitchel. Is it also time to rename the GAA clubs called after him? asks Clodagh Finn

Sat, 13 Jun, 2020

Daniel McConnell: Questionable rush to condemn Eamon Ryan
Daniel McConnell: Questionable rush to condemn Eamon Ryan
Eamon Ryan is no racist and is a decent, honourable politician who has been one of the foremost champions for social progress and inclusion over the past 20 years.

Sat, 13 Jun, 2020

Michael Clifford: There are no votes in calling out racism against Travellers
Michael Clifford: There are no votes in calling out racism against Travellers
In Ireland, racism is endemic and institutionalised going back centuries.

Sat, 13 Jun, 2020

Alison O’Connor: Sickness that infects Irish politics could sadly result in actual death
Alison O’Connor: Sickness that infects Irish politics could sadly result in actual death
It came about after Irish politicians – namely three parties - failed to agree to form a Government, despite the world being in turmoil owing to a once in a century event that dominated 2020.

Fri, 12 Jun, 2020

Victoria White: We need refundable deposits for bottles to tackle littering
Victoria White: We need refundable deposits for bottles to tackle littering
Eliminating litter is a generational challenge but eliminating bottles and cans from litter is possible, writes Victoria White

Thu, 11 Jun, 2020

Louise O'Neill on JK Rowling: 'Is this how we are going to define women from now on?'
Louise O'Neill on JK Rowling: 'Is this how we are going to define women from now on?'
This has not been a good week for Harry Potter fans.

Wed, 10 Jun, 2020

Gerard Howlin: General elections no longer the moment of definitive decision
Gerard Howlin: General elections no longer the moment of definitive decision
Ireland has arrived at a full-blown system of internal party plebiscites Ă  la the Kremlin, writes Gerard Howlin

Wed, 10 Jun, 2020

Fergus Finlay: We didn't come through a pandemic just to see more people suffer
Fergus Finlay: We didn't come through a pandemic just to see more people suffer
Some of us wouldn’t have survived without the support of others, writes Fergus Finlay

Tue, 09 Jun, 2020

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