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
The Mick Clifford Podcast: How did it all go wrong for DJ Carey?
The Mick Clifford Podcast: How did it all go wrong for DJ Carey?
DJ Carey has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for defrauding at least ten people out of various sums of money on the false premise that he was suffering from cancer.

 Listen | Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

 Listen |
Paul Hosford: Ivan Yates controversy strengthens belief that media/political nexus is too close
Paul Hosford: Ivan Yates controversy strengthens belief that media/political nexus is too close
While the media commentator's election count coverage does not fall under the guidelines, surely any analysis should be disclosed to the viewer regardless of the law?

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Mick Clifford: DJ Carey — hurling legend who sank to the depths in pursuit of a life full of lies
S Mick Clifford: DJ Carey — hurling legend who sank to the depths in pursuit of a life full of lies
If he is so minded, DJ Carey may be in a position to make amends and show that there can be second acts in GAA lives. But it will be a long, long road back

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

DEATH Clough 11
Data Protection Commission beware: Poachers aren't always the best gamekeepers
The Public Appointment Service's decision to hire a Meta defector creates a lot of pitfalls, argues Cianan Brennan

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Big Tech defector Niamh Sweeney may be a vital asset for Data Protection Commission
Big Tech defector Niamh Sweeney may be a vital asset for Data Protection Commission
Despite the Irish Council for Civil Liberties' complaint, a former colleague writes that the former Facebook/Meta executive could be a powerful asset for the regulator

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Technology Stock - Social Media
Mick Clifford: Simon Harris should weigh his words about immigration more carefully
In the social media age we must speak carefully on topics about which a flood of misinformation is already being used to stir up outrage

Sun, 02 Nov, 2025

Prince Andrew relinquishes titles and honours
Royals acted swiftly to banish wayward Andrew — but is there more to come?
How many headlines can one man make? That is what Andrew has become — a human headline

Sun, 02 Nov, 2025

King and Queen state visit to the Holy See
Quiet unifier Pope Leo looks likely to lead buttoned-up papacy
Unlike his fellow countryman, who bestrides the world stage like a blond colossus, the ‘new’ Pope continues to hide his light under a bushel six months in, writes TP O’Mahony

Sat, 01 Nov, 2025

Cabinet meeting
Any party that wants to win the next election must avoid the far-right trap
Catherine Connolly garnered 914,000 first preference votes, the highest number ever recorded for any presidential candidate in Irish history, by explicitly rejecting far-right narratives throughout the course of her campaign, writes Emily Duffy

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

Battle of Jutland centenary
British king's act of ruthlessness in stripping Andrew of his titles and home a bid to save monarchy
Charles always knew he would play a caretaker role for the monarchy and therefore one of his most important tasks would be to bequeath the institution to his son William in reasonable repair

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

Halloween lets us get scared in a safe sort of way
Halloween lets us get scared in a safe sort of way
Halloween presents lots of commercial opportunities — and there is massive demand for a bit of a scare 

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

SUDAN-CONFLICT
Colin Sheridan: Power enables atrocity in Sudan — and Ireland must call it out
Over 14m people in Sudan are displaced, and 25m are facing serious food insecurity. The UAE is arming the forces causing this suffering - Ireland must stand up 

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Terry Prone lifts the lid on decades of political storytelling
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Terry Prone lifts the lid on decades of political storytelling
In her new memoir, Terry Prone reflects on decades shaping Irish political communication and guiding leaders through crisis and change

 Listen | Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

 Listen |
We are jailing people with intellectual disabilities instead of helping them
We are jailing people with intellectual disabilities instead of helping them
Ireland has formally committed to protecting and promoting the rights of people with disabilities, but is failing, especially for those who are in prison

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

Close up shot of young couple hugging at window
Workplaces have a role in dealing with pregnancy loss
Recognising pregnancy loss as a workplace issue and in working lives is essential, writes Professor Keelin O’Donoghue

Thu, 30 Oct, 2025

Government needs to tackle issues sending desperate people into arms of far right 
Government needs to tackle issues sending desperate people into arms of far right 
The economy cannot survive without migration, so the Government must use the welfare state to insulate the poorest against far-right narratives

Wed, 29 Oct, 2025

North South Ministerial Council
The Taoiseach who won’t blink — Micheál Martin digs in as Fianna Fáil unrest grows
As Fianna Fáil TDs question his future, Micheál Martin insists he won’t step aside — but pressure inside the party is rising

Wed, 29 Oct, 2025

It’s beyond time Europe denounced Donald Trump’s trashing of democracy in the US
It’s beyond time Europe denounced Donald Trump’s trashing of democracy in the US
The convention to stay out of allies’ internal affairs does not apply. What happens in America does not stay in America, writes Paul Taylor.

Wed, 29 Oct, 2025

The Enhanced Games: A new era for sport or a dangerous step backward?
The Enhanced Games: A new era for sport or a dangerous step backward?
The Enhanced Games promise a future of superhuman athletic feats through performance-enhancing drugs. But as a practitioner and parent, I see a dangerous precedent that could reshape how we define success, health, and fairness in sport

Wed, 29 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Paul Hosford: Blame for Fianna Fáil presidential election shambles laid squarely at feet of Micheál Martin
There is real anger and embarrassment among Fianna Fáil TDs about the Taoiseach's handling of the selection of Jim Gavin to the point his leadership of the party is being questioned

Mon, 27 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Paul Hosford: Final tally puts Catherine Connolly in the annals of history
In a job where the functions are largely dictated by the Constitution, Irish people have, in modern times, seen the role as an aspiration of what we believe we are

Mon, 27 Oct, 2025

Catherine Conlon: Bird flu is spreading from pole to pole — here’s why it matters 
Catherine Conlon: Bird flu is spreading from pole to pole — here’s why it matters 
East Cork poultry farmers are facing a worrying period with Fota Wildlife Park confirming an outbreak of bird flu

Mon, 27 Oct, 2025

Woman running on treadmill in gym. Ealthy lifestyle.
Gen Z is hitting the gym to take back control
Gen Z are trading pints for protein shakes, but what does this obsession with fitness really say about growing up in uncertain times, asks Emilie Murray

Sun, 26 Oct, 2025

Mick Clifford: Catherine Connolly rises from respected fringe figure to Ireland's first citizen
S Mick Clifford: Catherine Connolly rises from respected fringe figure to Ireland's first citizen
At each small gathering, the Independent presidential candidate picked up not just voters but followers — many of whom signed up as volunteers, expanding eventually into the thousands

Sun, 26 Oct, 2025

Theresa Reidy: Catherine Connolly's victory has lessons for the Government, the left, and future candidates
Theresa Reidy: Catherine Connolly's victory has lessons for the Government, the left, and future candidates
The election result sends a sharp warning note to the Government

Sun, 26 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Catherine Connolly's was a landslide built on months of hard work
Catherine Connolly's campaign was a movement that united the left, brought in 15,000 volunteers and saw over 914,000 people make her the most popular Irish politician of all time, writes Paul Hosford

Sun, 26 Oct, 2025

Louise Burne: Fine Gael had a respectable candidate — but not a good campaign
Louise Burne: Fine Gael had a respectable candidate — but not a good campaign
Fine Gael must accept that it did not give Heather Humphreys the chance she deserved, writes Louise Burne

Sun, 26 Oct, 2025

CC JOHN MOYLAN
Mick Clifford: Promises broken — the long trail of complaints against one Cork solicitor
A Cork solicitor facing multiple complaints has been ordered by the High Court to pay compensation to elderly clients left waiting years for justice

Sat, 25 Oct, 2025

Soldier F court case
Colin Sheridan: The Soldier F verdict shows the Republic’s peace was built on someone else’s pain
Soldier F’s acquittal reminds us that the Republic’s comfort was built on Northern suffering — and the wound still bleeds

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025

You're not protecting women and children with violent protests
You're not protecting women and children with violent protests
When it becomes routine to connect migration with sexual crimes, any incident is a potential tinder box

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025

Who's behind the Catherine Connolly deepfake video, and why?
Who's behind the Catherine Connolly deepfake video, and why?
The AI generated video we saw this week could well be a display item for some deepfake vendor’s shop window — disturbing democracy is big business

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Michael Moynihan explores the GAA’s future in new book
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Michael Moynihan explores the GAA’s future in new book
Irish Examiner journalist Michael Moynihan discusses the GAA’s future, exploring its growing popularity, challenges, and the forces shaping its direction

 Listen | Thu, 23 Oct, 2025

 Listen |
Inclusive education schemes must go on so more first-generation graduates can change their family stories forever
Inclusive education schemes must go on so more first-generation graduates can change their family stories forever
We have to protect Ireland’s investment in education and the social-mobility programmes that made university accessible to families like mine, writes Cian O'Donnell

Thu, 23 Oct, 2025

Depression, alcohol and domestic violence abuse stock
Joining the dots between alcohol and domestic violence
Another Budget has passed in which the links between alcohol and domestic violence are not accounted for, and the alcohol industry has not been made to pay for the damage its product causes, write Rachel Fayne, Michelle Walsh and Sheila Gilheany

Thu, 23 Oct, 2025

GoogleÂ’s AI Data Protection Practices Probed by Irish Regulator
S Ireland is the world's second-largest importer of Israeli goods. We've sold our morals
Ireland has become the world’s second-largest importer of Israeli goods, because we’ve become a middleman in the transfer-pricing maze of the tech sector, a new report shows

Thu, 23 Oct, 2025

Louise Burne: If this was Humphreys’ last chance, she didn’t take it
Louise Burne: If this was Humphreys’ last chance, she didn’t take it
The final debate between Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys lacked fire, offering voters little new insight ahead of polling day

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025

Law scale rules regulations
We shouldn't take the cab rank rule for granted in Ireland's justice system
In a democracy everyone has the right to legal representation — even murderers, and, yes, banks

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

A Mural of Independent Presidential Candidate Catherine Connolly by artist Emmalene Blake on South Dock Road, Dublin.
Mick Clifford: Connolly bank case row shows how outrage depends on who’s in the firing line
Fine Gael’s attack on Catherine Connolly over her legal work has sparked righteous fury — but the outrage rings hollow

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Book extract: Jack Lynch's TV broadcast that broke the mould
Book extract: Jack Lynch's TV broadcast that broke the mould
In an extract from ‘I’m Glad You Asked Me That: The Political Years’, Terry Prone recalls her husband Tom Savage helping Jack Lynch pull off a media masterstroke in 1977

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Health insurance
As consumers face spiralling health insurance costs, what are their options?
Don’t let your cover auto-renew — at the very least ring your provider and challenge them to check all their plans for you, writes health insurance expert Dermot Goode

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Leadership X-ray? Why presidential debates reveal less than you think
Presidential candidates can’t win elections with one debate, but they can lose them with a bad one, writes behavioural scientist Nuala Walsh ahead of the final debate between Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

Paul Hosford: Fine Gael's US-style attack video may be a new departure in Irish politics
Paul Hosford: Fine Gael's US-style attack video may be a new departure in Irish politics
The clip uses quotes without context: Catherine Connolly's remarks about banks came during the tracker mortgage scandal in 2017, and were echoed across the political spectrum

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Handsome young man moving into his new home
Too many renters in Ireland have zero legal protections
People who live in digs, spare rooms, sheds or sublets fall outside every legal protection available to tenants — and they are nothing more than a cash cow to policymakers

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Is this presidential contest Ireland's 'first podcast election'?
Is this presidential contest Ireland's 'first podcast election'?
Catherine Connolly and Donald Trump don't have much in common ideologically, but both their campaigns have focused heavily on podcasts, with a different style to traditional media interviews 

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Depressed woman talking to her pchychologist closeup
S Mild, moderate, or severe? Proposed regulations for therapists proving explosive
The last decade has seen an explosion in the number of people seeking out a talking therapy — but new regulations separating counsellors from psychotherapists could present problems for both professional and patient.

Mon, 20 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Louise Burne: Connolly is still the election favourite — but don’t write off Humphreys yet
Despite complaints about the repetitiveness of media debates, you can't rule out one of the candidates being dealt a fatal blow during Tuesday's 'Prime Time' showdown

Sun, 19 Oct, 2025

Latest

Suzanne Harrington
Suzanne Harrington

Lifestyle

Lunchtime News

Newsletter

Keep up with stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap and important breaking news alerts.

Revoiced

Newsletter

Sign up to the best reads of the week from irishexaminer.com selected just for you.

Mick Clifford
IE_Podcast_Logo

The Mick Clifford Podcast

Most Read

Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited