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
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

Hand holding red ribbon symbolizing HIV AIDS awareness and support on World AIDS Day concept.
World Aids Day: HIV/Aids can be treated and prevented — but we have yet to cure the stigma
HIV is now a treatable condition and its transmission is preventable, yet we are seeing new cases every day

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Russia Ukraine war
Trump’s Ukraine peace plan threatens European security
Trump’s peace plan represents a strategic defeat not only for Ukraine, but for all of Europe

Mon, 01 Dec, 2025

Children’s science museum: How a 20-year €70m plan became a political ‘omnishambles’
Children’s science museum: How a 20-year €70m plan became a political ‘omnishambles’
A €70m State children’s museum remains unrealised after two decades of shifting plans, political resistance, and relentless lobbying by its earliest champions

Sun, 30 Nov, 2025

Mick Clifford: Apartment Vat cut makes no sense and won’t boost housing supply
S Mick Clifford: Apartment Vat cut makes no sense and won’t boost housing supply
A Vat cut meant to boost apartment construction has instead exposed a circular, ineffective policy that neither lowers costs nor increases supply

Sat, 29 Nov, 2025

Business manager training a new retail clerk at a supermarket
Even on Black Friday, every euro you spend is a quiet vote for your values
We may not be able to rewrite global capitalism in one lifetime, but we are absolutely able to refuse to play our part in its worst chapters

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Copying the UK's unpopular, untested migration model looks like political opportunism
Copying the UK's unpopular, untested migration model looks like political opportunism
Being 'tough on immigration' mainly means being tough on ordinary individuals who are keeping our society ticking over, writes Fiona Hurley, CEO of Nasc

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

The bioeconomy surrounds us but there is enormous potential for more
The bioeconomy surrounds us but there is enormous potential for more
Batteries that use wood-pulp, plant-based trainers and corn-based forks. They're much closer than you think, and the EU’s new Bioeconomy Strategy aims to supercharge the sector, writes Jessika Roswall

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Sudan
Millions at risk of starvation in Sudan's forgotten crisis
International pressure is desperately needed to halt the world’s largest, but ignored, humanitarian crisis, writes Seán Farrell

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

The Greenland Ice Sheet, Facing Global Warming, Is Melting
John Gibbons: A big freeze could turn the Irish into climate refugees
We should reflect on 'get-tough' proposals on immigration: If the Amoc currents that moderate Ireland’s climate fail, temperatures will plunge, making grass-based agriculture impossible

Thu, 27 Nov, 2025

Meta-Sandberg-Resignation
Nothing changes for women when we are constantly told balance is 'unattainable'
The notion of women 'having it all' has never really been peddled, in fact it's the opposite, writes Ingrid Seim 

Thu, 27 Nov, 2025

Paul Hosford: Minister's focus is on the immigration system, not on the people within it
Paul Hosford: Minister's focus is on the immigration system, not on the people within it
Changes in citizenship eligibility, family reunification and salary thresholds for migrants were among the sweeping changes introduced by justice minister Jim O'Callaghan today

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

ECJ ruling on wages a win for social Europe
ECJ ruling on wages a win for social Europe
The ruling is positive for workers, but it still can't make up for Ireland's weakness when it comes to trade union rights, writes Darragh Golden

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

China Russia
Authoritarian states are sculpting an alternative reality in our news feeds
Disinformation today is more about the subtle sculpting of how we see the world. Over time, it might make us doubt the very value of democracy itself, writes Aiden Hoyle

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

A child using smart phone lying in bed
Until Ireland bans social media for kids, parents must lead the way
Government intervention would be welcome, but they're too busy cosying up to Big Tech 

Wed, 26 Nov, 2025

Young woman choosing ready meal at supermarket
Michelle Darmody: Ireland could lead the way in ultra-processed foods control
Last week's 'Lancet' report clarified that ultra processed foods are damaging both our mental and physical health — Ireland could be a leader in this area

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Climate COP30
Does Cop30 represent a new opening for a fossil fuel phase-out?
For too long, climate diplomacy has dodged the politically explosive question of using fossil fuel revenues to support the clean-energy transition. Brazil has confronted the issue head-on, writes Adriana Abdenur

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Israel-Hamas conflict
Shabana Mahmood is here to free Britain of its anxieties with anti-immigrant policy
British home secretary Shabana Mahmood uses the logic of her moral mission to launch policies to protect immigrants in Britain by hurting them, writes Nesrine Malik

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

G20 Summit
Louise Burne: Taoiseach feeling the heat in Angola — and within Fianna Fáil
There has been a bloodlust in Fianna Fáil since its disastrous presidential election campaign, but leader Micheál Martin is tackling his critics head-on, writes Louise Burne, Political Correspondent in Angola.

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Cahirmee horse fair
Mental health law reforms not sufficient to respect human rights
We have to seize the opportunity for real reform with the long-awaited Mental Health Bill. However, many of the rights-based reforms originally envisaged have been weakened or omitted, writes Dr Charles O’Mahony, associate professor in law at the School of Law, University of Galway

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Cahirmee horse fair
Mental health law reforms not sufficient to respect human rights
We have to seize the opportunity for real reform with the long-awaited Mental Health Bill. However, many of the rights-based reforms originally envisaged have been weakened or omitted, writes Dr Charles O’Mahony, associate professor in law at the School of Law, University of Galway

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Paschal Donohoe resignation
Literary politicians are few and far between — but that's a recent trend
Ireland’s literary and political spheres used to overlap far more intimately than they do today

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

prisoner's hands behind bars with black background
Mick Clifford: Conditions in Irish jails an unwarranted extra penalty on prisoners
People in prison have been sentenced to lose their liberty: Living in appalling conditions is an unjustified extra punishment

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Patient lying inside a medical scanner in hospital
More than 46,000 people waiting longer than 18 months for vital scans
A growing population, more over-75s, and higher rates of cancer and heart disease in younger people is putting pressure on the health system

Mon, 24 Nov, 2025

Simon Harris tying Fine Gael's fortunes to the person at the top
Simon Harris tying Fine Gael's fortunes to the person at the top
Overseeing the finance portfolio after the departure of Paschal Donohoe is something of a swing for the fences for Tánaiste Simon Harris

Sat, 22 Nov, 2025

Russian invasion of Ukraine
Denmark's left-wing leader rewriting the rule book on migration
Despite widespread controversy and criticism, Mette Frederiksen's hardline stance on migration is becoming a model for other left-wing governments in Europe, writes Mette Wiggen.

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Terry Prone: David Hanly was 'Mr Morning Ireland', ready to take on anyone
Terry Prone: David Hanly was 'Mr Morning Ireland', ready to take on anyone
RTÉ Morning Ireland's David Hanly argued that the most fundamental human need is to be listened to. He did that, and much more, writes Terry Prone

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Ultra processed foods study
It's official: Ultra-processed foods are harmful and these are the next steps we must take
The evidence is clear on ultra-processed foods' harmful role in our diets — it's time we made manufacturers shape up or pay, writes Catherine Conlon

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Holly Cairns: How many homeless people are not being counted?
Holly Cairns: How many homeless people are not being counted?
If local authorities can turn away people in caravans with no running water or power, and those fleeing abusive families, the homeless figures mean nothing

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Reforms must tackle judicial and public procurement processes to deliver infrastructure
Reforms must tackle judicial and public procurement processes to deliver infrastructure
When political will and technical expertise align, Ireland can achieve anything — but we need to tackle the roadblocks first

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: In defence of Denis O’Brien’s stance on work ethic and Gen Z attitudes
The Mick Clifford Podcast: In defence of Denis O’Brien’s stance on work ethic and Gen Z attitudes
DCU’s Eoin O’Malley discusses youth work ethic, entitlement, and whether remote working delivers on its early promise

 Listen | Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

 Listen |
Booker Prize 2025
Colin Sheridan: The Booker shows what we're willing to celebrate — a new, questioning, masculinity
The 'death of the introspective male novel' has been greatly exaggerated — see Karl Ove Knausgaard’s newest nine-volume, 6,000-page meditation on the misery of being alive

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Lack of action on hate speech contributing to racist violence
Lack of action on hate speech contributing to racist violence
The far-right have been emboldened by lack of action to curtail them. It's beyond time to act 

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Russia Syria
Michael McGrath: We must defend our democratic values together
Citizens in Cork and Galway are just as exposed to sinister anti-democratic activism as those in Vilnius or Warsaw, writes EU commissioner Michael McGrath

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

Museums can help foster a sense of belonging
Museums can help foster a sense of belonging
A painting seen at 10 is different at 20, and learning the cultural and historical context of where you are is a powerful tool for integration, writes Arpita Chowdhury

Thu, 20 Nov, 2025

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