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
Irish presidential election
Paul Hosford: Poll puts Connolly on top as presidential race heads into final week
The last seven days of this race will be crucial for both sides 

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025

Waiting in court
Climate now touches every area of law
While the courtroom is no substitute for political leadership on climate change, it has become an indispensable forum for accountability

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025

Louise Burne: Harvey’s grieving family deserve better than parties going through the motions
Louise Burne: Harvey’s grieving family deserve better than parties going through the motions
Aontú's motion of no confidence in the Tánaiste, and the Government's own confidence motion designed to forestall it, achieve precisely zero for children with spinal issues

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

We're going to war on dereliction — but not yet
We're going to war on dereliction — but not yet
A small but radical transfer of responsibility might give the derelict property tax a real impact, but it's taking too long, write Jude Sherry and Frank O'Connor of #DerelictIreland

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

AI prompt chat bot. Search website to generate data, text or image. Man using computer with artificial intelligence app. Virtual
David O'Mahony: History tells us betting on AI bubble is a bad idea
Future generations may wonder why we collectively jumped off a virtual bridge chasing digital tulips, writes David O'Mahony

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

Heritage is about more than flags or old buildings
Heritage is about more than flags or old buildings
Our heritage is found not only in old castles but in ordinary people's voices and in the fragile documents that connect us to previous generations. We must work to preserve them, writes Virginia Teehan, CEO of the Heritage Council

Wed, 15 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Constant stream of presidential debates beginning to feel like 'Groundhog Day'
Last year's general election saw just two broadcast debates. The presidential election has already seen five debates, and there's over a week to go

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Joe Brolly fallout: The slippery slope that leads to pornification of society
Joe Brolly fallout: The slippery slope that leads to pornification of society
We like to think the days of reducing women to sexual objects are behind us, but recent stories are proof they are not

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-GAZA-CONFLICT
Dorcha Lee: Implementation of Gaza ceasefire deal gets off to shaky start
Hamas has consolidated its control over areas of Gaza and a security vacuum has developed

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Mature Caucasian Female Patient and Asian Female Doctor in Doctor's Office
'Your symptoms are part of being a woman': UCC study to explore diagnostic delays for women
Women in Ireland wait years for diagnosis of chronic health conditions — we need to focus on listening

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Fine Gael eyes centre-left as accusations of smear campaign gather momentum 
Fine Gael now faces a key challenge in the days ahead, as a narrative grows that it is engaging in a smear campaign

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Israel Palestinians Gaza Trump
Paul Kearns: The Israel-Hamas war is over — but neither side has won
The biggest winners in the conflict between Israel and Hamas are the arms industry and Donald Trump, writes Paul Kearns in Tel Aviv

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Let's stop putting employment barriers in front of people with criminal convictions
Let's stop putting employment barriers in front of people with criminal convictions
Understanding Garda vetting — what it is and what it isn't — is one of the first steps we must take towards rehabilitating those of us who have made mistakes

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

Catherine Conlon: Joe Wicks's Killer Bar has achieved what no stuffy science report can do
Catherine Conlon: Joe Wicks's Killer Bar has achieved what no stuffy science report can do
Joe Wicks might not be a nutritionist, but he's got consumers thinking about the health impacts of food — why is that a bad thing?

Mon, 13 Oct, 2025

91568
Ernest Shackleton's footsteps: Antarctic hero's cabin is restored and open to visitors
Explorer's cabin had been used as a shed in Norway for most of a century — but now it's been brought back to his Irish birthplace and meticulously restored

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025

Sarah Clancy: Flotillas show that ordinary people must be the antidote to toxic world powers
Sarah Clancy: Flotillas show that ordinary people must be the antidote to toxic world powers
After arrest, imprisonment, and deportation from Israel, Sarah Clancy, an Irish Gaza flotilla participant, reflects on solidarity, conscience, and the power of ordinary people

Sun, 12 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Fianna Fáil’s campaign chaos exposed the cracks long hidden in Micheál Martin’s leadership
Jim Gavin’s abrupt exit from the presidential race has left Fianna Fáil reeling — and Micheál Martin’s leadership looking shakier than ever

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Theresa Reidy: Three reasons for the brutality of presidential elections
are tests of human endurance and discipline. Uniquely in the Irish electoral landscape, candidates are subjected to the most intense and invasive scrutiny of every aspect of their lives.  There are three reasons for this.

Sat, 11 Oct, 2025

Imasha Costa: 'I am not the reason your system is failing'
Imasha Costa: 'I am not the reason your system is failing'
Ahead of Saturday's anti-migrant protest in Cork City, 'Irish Examiner' journalist Imasha Costa describes life for immigrants in a changed Ireland 

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Ray D’Arcy's departure raises question of 'what', not 'who', should replace him
Ray D’Arcy's departure raises question of 'what', not 'who', should replace him
Despite predictions of its demise, radio can still play a role in this period of the world's rapid and radical transformation, writes Roddy Flynn

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Sad girl in hooded top, sitting on a window ledge with head in hands in despair
'So, the hell started. I went homeless': Children who arrive here alone need supports
Children who arrive in the State alone need wraparound supports, particularly after they turn 18 when they move straight from the care of Tusla into homelessness, writes Wayne Stanley

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Sue Leonard: Jilly Cooper charted the excesses of Thatcher's 1980s
Sue Leonard: Jilly Cooper charted the excesses of Thatcher's 1980s
Although the author's 'bonkbusters' were sneered at by critics, her fun and empathy opened up conversations around sex and influenced a generation, writes Sue Leonard

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Technically, Jim Gavin could still win this election
It's an unforeseen situation to have a candidate who has withdrawn on the ballot paper — what happens to the votes and the preferences — and can it be challenged?

Fri, 10 Oct, 2025

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-GAZA-CONFLICT
Colin Sheridan: The one word missing from all this so-called talk of peace in Gaza is 'Palestinian'
The world may celebrate a ceasefire in Gaza, but without Palestinian agency and justice, peace remains an illusion

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: A week and a half — Budget blues and Gavin gone
The Mick Clifford Podcast: A week and a half — Budget blues and Gavin gone
Paul Hosford joins Mick to unpack Jim Gavin’s sudden exit from the presidential race and the fallout from Budget 2026

 Listen | Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

 Listen |
Gareth O'Callaghan: RTÉ Radio 1 will soon be unrecognisable after Ray D'Arcy's sudden departure
Gareth O'Callaghan: RTÉ Radio 1 will soon be unrecognisable after Ray D'Arcy's sudden departure
Whatever transpired during that meeting with RTÉ bosses earlier this week clearly led to Ray D'Arcy's sudden departure – so sudden, he wasn’t given the chance to say goodbye, writes Gareth O'Callaghan

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

APTOPIX China Parade
Authoritarian states have powerful reach — even in Ireland
The return to authoritarianism worldwide — not least in the US — will have ramifications for internationally-linked universities and corporations here, write Alexander Dukalskis and Alexander Cooley

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

2024 to be the hottest year on record
Budget 2026 leaves us more exposed to the ravages of climate change than ever
Spending almost four times more on subsidising fossil fuels than we do on climate change mitigation shows the utter contempt this government has for the environment, writes Tom Spencer

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

Paul Hosford: Micheál Martin has been damaged, but he has a lot more fight left in him
Paul Hosford: Micheál Martin has been damaged, but he has a lot more fight left in him
After the Jim Gavin debacle, Micheál Martin faces anger within Fianna Fáil — but his instinct for survival endures

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

Manchán Magan made Irish profound and important 
Manchán Magan made Irish profound and important 
It was impossible to listen to him on a topic and not want to learn more about it, writes Karen McHugh 

Thu, 09 Oct, 2025

Mick Clifford: Was it hubris that led Micheál Martin to dismiss Jim Gavin’s deficits?
Mick Clifford: Was it hubris that led Micheál Martin to dismiss Jim Gavin’s deficits?
While it appears unlikely that someone will emerge to take on a damaged Mr Martin, his departure will no longer be on his own terms

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

No, Joe Wicks, reading lists of ingredients will not solve our health problems
S No, Joe Wicks, reading lists of ingredients will not solve our health problems
Food fear is the most toxic ingredient of all, and the new breed of supermarket scarers are making a living from it 

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Jim Gavin tenant row shows a generational divide
The substance of the allegations against Jim Gavin deserve scrutiny because this issue is familiar to so many people 

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Israel Palestinians Gaza
Trump's 'Peace Plan' is hopelessly corrupted by failure to acknowledge Gaza is Palestinian
The US president's peace plan focuses more on the rights of Israel rather than those of Palestinians, writes Fintan Drury

Wed, 08 Oct, 2025

Shoppers at supermarket Sainsbury's for their weekly shopping when special prices are on offer, dealing with the cost of living
Caitríona Redmond: Families go backwards as Paschal Donohoe peels an orange in his pocket
Soaring energy prices and food shrinkflation are battering even the most frugal of families — and Budget 2026 has done nothing for them

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Mick Clifford: Some sections of society left shortchanged by 'Big Mac budget'
Mick Clifford: Some sections of society left shortchanged by 'Big Mac budget'
This was a budget more focused on business, and the need to ensure that the economy is equipped for any approaching storm rather than alleviating the worst ravages of poverty, writes Mick Clifford

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Irish Budget 2026
Paul Hosford: Little fanfare across the board for Budget 2026's offerings 
The feeling afterwards from TDs was one of underwhelm

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

First sign of 2008 crash was a drop in football shirt sales — the same appears to be happening
S First sign of 2008 crash was a drop in football shirt sales — the same appears to be happening
As ministers prepare the Budget, one former retail boss says Ireland’s next recession warning may already be hiding in the tills

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Denmark Drones
The EU is preparing for war – is Ireland?
With a marine territory 10 times our landmass, and which includes much of the northern hemisphere’s critical subsea cables, Ireland's defence capabilities should be built around maritime capacity, writes Edward Burke 

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

France Politics
France's political crisis has reached a new peak
Social tension, economic anxiety and political chaos — will Macron's France be known as the sick man of Europe, asks Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan?

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Budget 2026: 'I just want the Government to do better for people with disabilities'
Budget 2026: 'I just want the Government to do better for people with disabilities'
People with intellectual disabilities feel they are very low on the Government's list of priorities

Tue, 07 Oct, 2025

Tadgh McNally: Taoiseach must answer why Fianna Fáil denied overpayment story
Tadgh McNally: Taoiseach must answer why Fianna Fáil denied overpayment story
Why, when this issue was discovered, was a clarifying statement not issued by the party and why was Mr Gavin unable to account for the matter during and after Sunday’s 'The Week in Politics' debate?

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

Irish presidential election
Paul Hosford: Fianna Fáil floods the airwaves to give air of calm control
By lunchtime, children's minister Norma Foley, Seán Fleming, Peter 'Chap' Cleere, and Pádraig O'Sullivan had also answered the call from RTÉ as the party's membership dealt with the fallout in different ways

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

Terry Prone: Jim Gavin's withdrawal statement was ill-judged and showed no redemption
Terry Prone: Jim Gavin's withdrawal statement was ill-judged and showed no redemption
Resignations, apologies, and withdrawals are, in and of themselves, a route to redemption. Unfortunately for Mr Gavin, he did not take that redemptive route with his withdrawal statement

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

Paul Hosford: Jim Gavin's Áras race lasted two weeks. His exit may reverberate for much longer
Paul Hosford: Jim Gavin's Áras race lasted two weeks. His exit may reverberate for much longer
'Mr Gavin seemed genuinely surprised at the strength of media questioning he faced. Perhaps the consistent success he enjoyed as Dubs boss shielded him from this level of scrutiny'

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

Two Palestinian brothers suffer from malnutrition amid Israeli attacks on Gaza
Our children draw pictures of bombs and graves
I want what every parent wants: to see my children safe, fed, educated, and free to dream of a future. The international community must stop this war, writes aid worker Alaa AbuSamra in Gaza

Mon, 06 Oct, 2025

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