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
Thailand Cambodia
Cambodia border conflict is a disaster for the region's poorest
SeeBeyondBorders is a small education-focused NGO working in one of the world's poorest-educated countries. A conflict between Thailand and Cambodia threatens children's futures

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Eoin Ó Broin on the way housing was
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Eoin Ó Broin on the way housing was
A new coffee table book, written by Eoin Ó Broin and illustrated with the photographs of Mal McCann, looks at the public housing schemes designed by acclaimed architect Herbert Sims in the early decades of the state and the people who now live in ...

 Listen | Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

 Listen |
United States Venezuela
Trump's actions in Venezuela straight out of the Nazi playbook for home repression 
The connection between the Trump administration's domestic repression and foreign aggression is beginning to come into focus, just as Hitler's did in 1938, writes Timothy Snyder

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

Ireland welcomed me, but new rules mean my path is impossible to follow
Ireland welcomed me, but new rules mean my path is impossible to follow
Leaving Afghanistan after multiple death threats was the hardest decision I ever made, but it was also my only hope, writes Cork dentist Manizha Khan

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

Why modern thermal power is key to Ireland’s renewable future
Why modern thermal power is key to Ireland’s renewable future
Wind and solar have together generated more power worldwide this year than coal — this marks a turning point, writes Finlay McCutcheon

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

TOPSHOT-AUSTRALIA-ATTACK-BONDI
Around the world, anti-Jewish hate is growing. In Bondi, we see the tragic results
After the latest in a series of deadly attacks on the global Jewish community, Jews are angry. And we have good reason to be, writes Dave Rich

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025

Paul Hosford: Has Fianna Fáil spent 10 weeks at odds with itself for nothing?
Paul Hosford: Has Fianna Fáil spent 10 weeks at odds with itself for nothing?
Party's presidential review offers little in the way of a single killer fact

Tue, 16 Dec, 2025

Over the shoulder view of a child using a smartphone in a home environment
We can protect children online, but the digital wallet isn't the right approach
Additional legislation is required to close the many loopholes that will exist after this measure of online protection is put in place next year, write Alex Cooney and Eoghan Cleary

Tue, 16 Dec, 2025

Chernobyl: General Imagery
Saoirse McHugh: There is no urban-rural divide on a fox hunting ban
Polling conducted by Ireland Thinks shows that 72% are against fox hunting, while only 2% of us have ever engaged in it, writes Saoirse McHugh 

Tue, 16 Dec, 2025

Fianna Fail president
Louise Burne: If Labour knew of the banana skin around Jim Gavin, how can Fianna Fáil claim innocence?
While senior figures in Fianna Fáil can say they were made aware of an issue, but not the actual issue, how hard did they try to get to the bottom of it all?

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

People riding bicycles in Paris, France.
Emmanuel Macron: Ten years after the Paris Agreement, let's redouble our efforts
France has made a clear choice to put ecology at the heart of all its economic, planning, energy, agricultural and industrial policies, writes President of France, Emmanuel Macron

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

BRITAIN-US-TRANSPORT-TAXI-UBER-COURT
Uber wants to disrupt Ireland's taxi regulation. Here's how and why it's being resisted
Uber's ‘platform economy’ mission is being met with resistance in Ireland and elsewhere. DARRAGH GOLDEN unravels the story behind the recent Dublin and Cork taxi protests

Mon, 15 Dec, 2025

Stigma is still an issue for State's biggest cancer killer
Stigma is still an issue for State's biggest cancer killer
More than 2,500 people in Ireland will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year with a five-year net survival rate of only 25%

Sun, 14 Dec, 2025

Social media rage bait — and why we're compelled to click on the angriest posts online 
Social media rage bait — and why we're compelled to click on the angriest posts online 
As Oxford University Press names ‘rage bait’ its word of the year, Jonathan Este examines the strange addiction to links that anger us

Sat, 13 Dec, 2025

1974 bombings report in hands of Taoiseach
Denton's claims on Dublin and Monaghan bombings are baseless
Even in the context of the many atrocities committed at that time, a barrier was crossed into the darkness when 34 souls were murdered that day, writes John O’Brien

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: What has the political year really been like?
The Mick Clifford Podcast: What has the political year really been like?
Irish Examiner Acting Political Editor Paul Hosford and Political Correspondent Louise Burne join Mick on this week's podcast to discuss the main political developments of the past year

 Listen | Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

 Listen |
Too much of a good thing
Should the office Christmas party be abolished?
The traditional formula — open bar, late finish, minimal boundaries — is increasingly hard to justify in a working world shaped by higher behavioural standards, stronger awareness of rights, and far less tolerance for misconduct

Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

Waitress Serving Drinks To Group Of Friends Sitting At Table In Pub Garden Enjoying Drink Together
Why can't hospitality build a stable, happy workforce?
An industry that loses people faster than it can train them definitely isn’t sustainable — something has to change, writes Orla McAndrew

Thu, 11 Dec, 2025

Children of different nationalities play online games or read social networks on mobile phones.
Catherine Conlon: Government's mixed messages on kids' social media are muddying the water
The social media free-for-all is over. It is time for kids to regain their independence and their mental wellbeing

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025

Irish culture needs public service broadcasting to survive
Irish culture needs public service broadcasting to survive
A functioning public media institution is not a luxury is part of the basic infrastructure that supports a democratic society, writes Eileen Culloty

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025

Female teacher holding up a book in front of her class of elementary school kids sitting on the floor in a classroom, side view
Teachers and parents are partners, not opponents
Yes, interactions with parents can contribute to burnout — but teachers are primarily focused on the wellbeing of children, write Pia O’Farrell, Catherine Furlong, & Sabrina Fitzsimons

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

Herzog Park row shows name changes need proper discussion to avoid polarisation
Herzog Park row shows name changes need proper discussion to avoid polarisation
Last week saw much debate over the suggested name change of a small park in Rathgar, a delightfully secluded spot known only in my youth as ‘the quarry’.

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

Lady's Island Lake Pollution
Most Irish people want clean water, not a nitrates derogation
Has the Government ever asked the people of Ireland if they agree with pulling on the green jersey to convince Europe to give us another derogation?

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

Cara Darmody: What use is a recruitment campaign nobody knows about?
Cara Darmody: What use is a recruitment campaign nobody knows about?
The Government's inaction on assessments of needs is shameful. Promises have been made, but they are already being broken, writes Cara Darmody 

Tue, 09 Dec, 2025

Challenges around infrastructure are finally being tackled
Challenges around infrastructure are finally being tackled
Implementation of the list of 30 actions set out in the Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce report is critical for Ireland’s ambitions to meet its climate targets, and for our future economic development

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Colin Sheridan: New reforms risk transforming what it means to be an immigrant in Ireland
Colin Sheridan: New reforms risk transforming what it means to be an immigrant in Ireland
Recently unveiled reforms signal a sharper, more conditional, approach to migration and integration, a policy shift seemingly premised not only on numbers but on redefining belonging

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Angry man yelling while using cell phone while working at home.
'Rage-bait' is a revealing word of the year for 2025
Our communication culture is in crisis; it has confused attention with influence, clicks with credibility and noise with leadership

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Pope John XXIII Carried for Ecumenical Council Procession
TP O'Mahony: Sixty years on, Vatican II's business is still unfinished
The spirit of Vatican II may still live on, but its practical effects (with the exception of Mass in the vernacular) are increasingly difficult to discern, especially in Ireland, writes TP O'Mahony 

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

Mick Clifford: Why has it taken almost seven years to get justice for deceased son?
Mick Clifford: Why has it taken almost seven years to get justice for deceased son?
The HSE has finally apologised to Cork couple Rebecca Price and Pat Kiely and has announced a review

Sun, 07 Dec, 2025

Immigration rhetoric is a tightrope for Government
Immigration rhetoric is a tightrope for Government
The Government is walking an economic tightrope and voters will not thank it if Ireland cannot find the people to deliver the services and infrastructure being loudly demanded, writes Professor Theresa Reidy

Sun, 07 Dec, 2025

Planning reform is not a return to the Wild West
Planning reform is not a return to the Wild West
We cannot ignore or object our way out of the infrastructure challenges affecting the country; we must build, writes Dónal O'Neill, senior policy advisor at the Association of Consulting Engineers

Fri, 05 Dec, 2025

justice scales legal law
Judicial review plans are an attack on justice
The Government is burying the public consultation for drastic new rules limiting access to the courts over the Christmas period — don't let them away with it

Fri, 05 Dec, 2025

Hugh Wallace ,Architect.
Hugh Wallace — thank you for the laughter, lessons, and love
TV producer Larry Bass pays tribute: 'His legacy is enormous, in the buildings he designed, the people he inspired, and the warmth he brought into Irish living rooms week after week'

Fri, 05 Dec, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: The Dunnes dynasty — Matt Cooper
The Mick Clifford Podcast: The Dunnes dynasty — Matt Cooper
Everybody is familiar with the Dunnes Stores brand, but what about the family behind it?

 Listen | Thu, 04 Dec, 2025

 Listen |
christmas caution
Parents urged to put safety at top of Santa's list this Christmas
Doctor offers advice about bikes, e-scooters, helmets, and phones for older children — and the risk of choking hazards in toys for toddlers 

Thu, 04 Dec, 2025

A lonely orphan boy looks through an old window.
My childhood friends died young because of  poverty — we can break that cycle
Breaking the cycle of poverty can ensure our children live longer, healthier lives, writes Tanya Ward  

Thu, 04 Dec, 2025

Russia Putin
Ireland must decide how it will help protect Europe
We must ask ourselves how does a militarily neutral country protect itself in a rapidly deteriorating security environment?

Thu, 04 Dec, 2025

Infrastructure is the battleground this Government cannot afford to lose
Infrastructure is the battleground this Government cannot afford to lose
The Coalition’s ambitious infrastructure overhaul promises faster delivery of major projects, but legal risks and EU constraints could undermine progress

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Businesspeople Getting Bored In Office
Why meetings can harm worker wellbeing
Every meeting should start with a simple question: Why are we meeting?

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Ukraine Invasion War Crimes
Yanis Varoufakis: Europe should be convulsing at US sanctions against French ICC judge
The US government has sanctioned a European judge for carrying out his official duties in Europe while working in an institution established by Europe’s elected representatives at great cost and effort, writes Yanis Varoufakis

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visit to Ireland
For Zelenskyy, a trip abroad is never a relief from the problems in Ukraine
While Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke in Dublin about hope and the future, it was hard to ignore events elsewhere.

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

APTOPIX Russia Ukraine War
Ireland can play a pivotal role in securing lasting peace in Ukraine
Our voice is one of peace and it is rooted in a history of overcoming disempowerment and the construction of reconciliation through dialogue, writes Senator Aubrey McCarthy 

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

Autumn Statement 2016
Kilkenny couple did the public an enormous service in bringing State to heel over phone mast decision
Kilkenny couple Peter and Doreen Thomson have also shown that, in the Government’s current attempts to stifle access to review of questionable decisions made by State actors, we are heading down a very poorly-lit path.

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

Russia Ukraine War
Nowhere in Ukraine is safe, now Ireland's new rules mean the doors are shut 
The Government's plan to reduce State-provided accommodation from 90 to 30 days would be a serious barrier to those fleeing a war zone, as Russian attacks on Ukraine intensify

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

Third-level sector must do more to fight far-right discourse
Third-level sector must do more to fight far-right discourse
International students are a key source of income for universities, but third-level leaders have been silent on the increasing racism they face here 

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

DENIS SCANNELL
‘Misguided and foolish’ Knitting Map has stood the test of time
An artwork and community project 'The Knitting Map' made a space for older working-class Irish women to make meaning, writes Jools Gilson, Professor of Creative Practice at UCC

Tue, 02 Dec, 2025

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