THIS may not be the best week for anyone who feels overwhelmed almost to the point of despair by the travails of this small Republic to look beyond these four green, damp fields in the hope that, elsewhere, better angels prevail.

Despite half a century in the public eye as the author of 23 bestselling novels, John le Carré is still hiding in plain sight. 

Brendan O’Brien talks about the "challenges, strategies, and governance of sport in Ireland" and what the men in charge plan to do about them.

Des Breen reads an account of 156 Irish UN troops who battled impossible odds in the Congo, only for their courage to be airbrushed from history.

Hollywood actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Patrick Stewart, Bill Nighy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Keira Knightley and Kristin Scott Thomas are among leading figures from the arts world backing a vote to remain in the EU.

Following acclaimed performances in Homeland and Wolf Hall, Damian Lewis is now tackling the world of finance, writes Gemma Dunn

Our Kind of Traitor 4/5

The infamous spies who infiltrated Britain in the 1950s and ‘60s came from the wealthy upper classes and went unchallenged in their roles, writes Neil Robinson.

Love/Hate actor John Connors features in I Am Traveller on RTÉ2 on Thursday.

Richard Fitzpatrick selects the biggest reads of 2015 across the various genres

JOHN LE CARRÉ is David Cornwell’s penname. The world’s most famous spy thriller writer has given Adam Sisman access to his private papers and some 50 hours of interview time to write his biography. 

The Gunman ***

Denis Johnson Harvill & Secker, €15.99; ebook, €10.99

Check out our spoiler-free guide to the best TV to watch tonight.

A Most Wanted Man *****

With the release this week of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last film ‘A Most Wanted Man’, Declan Burke takes a look at the most influential spy films ever made

From food to fashion, movies to music, our critics pick their hot 100 for autumn.

Alan Furst

Welcome Tuesday's morning briefing. Let us ensure you're up to speed on what's happening and are prepared for the day ahead.

THE politics of the last week reads like a John Le Carre novel.

Then We Take Berlin

Thrillers

Moscow wants to exchange a married couple of Russian spies jailed this month in Germany for at least one convict jailed in Russia on charges of spying for the West, a report said.

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold was published 50 years ago and redefined a genre. Declan Burke on the genius of John le Carré.

A new exhibition in Cork showcases artists from Berlin, says Tina Darb O’Sullivan

Selina Guinness

Limassol

ISABELLE GREY

Higher Gossip

Agents of Treachery: Spy Stories

Cold War thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the crime drama Drive lead the nominations for tonight’s London Film Critics’ Circle awards.

TERENCE MALICK’S return to the fray was one of the highlights of 2011’s film year.

MANCHESTER CITY have spent €495 million on transfer fees since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in September 2008, but the new signings have clearly learnt an old City lesson: It is always possible to throw away victory.

SET AT the height of the Cold War, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (15A) is something of a throwback to another era entirely, that era being the mid-1970s, when a particular kind of paranoid thriller reigned supreme.

Gary Oldman said the role of George Smiley “would be the perfect casting” for winning his first Oscar.

The stars of the critically-acclaimed 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' will gather in London tonight for its UK premiere.

Gary Oldman feels "lucky" to be able to play a leading role in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'.

GEORGE CLOONEY’S third directorial effort, The Ides of March, and Madonna’s second, WE, are bound for the Venice Film Festival, so the paparazzi should be out in force.

PHILIP ROTH, America’s most decorated living novelist, yesterday won the fourth Man Booker International Prize, but the award sank into controversy as one of the judges resigned in protest.

Philip Roth has won the Man Booker International Prize recognising a novelist’s body of work.

From film to fashion, movies to music, food to travel, our critics reveal their Hot 100 choices for the summer ahead.