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
Iran Daily Life
An Iranian woman’s war diary: 'The hellish sounds have become normal'
A young Iranian woman in Karaj, near Tehran, describes the devastating impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran on ordinary people. She sends fully verified daily updates when she can get online. Here, in the third of a four-part series, she tells of listening to somewhere being bombed nine times in a row on the 12th day of the war

Tue, 24 Mar, 2026

Lorcan Sirr: Meath house the latest example of our disrespect for planning
Lorcan Sirr: Meath house the latest example of our disrespect for planning
From the developer who superglued himself to a County Council office door, to the case of Chris and Rose Murray, our relationship with planning law has always been turbulent, writes Lorcan Sirr

Tue, 24 Mar, 2026

School stock
Convention can be cornerstone for teachers shaping future generations
As the National Education Convention gets under way, INTO president Anne Horan looks at the urgent need to address issues relating to disadvantage and inclusion in schools

Tue, 24 Mar, 2026

Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen: Why a stronger EU–Australia relationship matters
In this age of mounting geopolitical tension, we must draw closer to partners who share our values and vision, writes the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

Parent comforting helping sad emotional child at home, concept of bullying, stress disappointment, sadness.
'All the advice about having rhythms and routines — none made any difference' for child avoiding school
After two years of engaging with welfare services and being threatened with prosecution over her son’s school avoidance, a mother was told there were no autism class places available when he got his diagnosis, says Jess Casey

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

Iran US Israel
An Iranian woman’s war diary: 'The news called it carpet bombing'
A young Iranian woman in Karaj, near Tehran, describes the devastating impact of the US-Israeli war on Iran on ordinary people. She sends fully verified daily updates when she can get online. Here, in the second of a four-part series, she explains how the current conflict has reawakened the terror she felt in January when thousands of protesters were killed

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

'All of the lengths' Margaret Loftus went through believed to be catalyst for Fiosrú unit
'All of the lengths' Margaret Loftus went through believed to be catalyst for Fiosrú unit
Having fought hard against the system for her case to finally reach the courts, the Mayo woman has since met with the minister for justice and Tánaiste to press hard for change in the area of domestic violence investigation

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

Offshore Technician Observing landing Helicopter and Wind_Farm from deck
Harnessing wind energy to become self-sufficient opens economic opportunities 
Geopolitical disruption only serves to reinforce the reality that energy independence and security have never been more important, writes Phil Murphy

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

The Children of Wolves," performance work, is part of Cruinniú na nÓg (a festival of creative activities for children and young
Children's creativity shouldn’t be left to a once-a-year celebration
The soft skills learned from the freedom to be creative are ones we all need in daily life, so where are the extra points for those who want to study arts, asks Patrick Holloway

Mon, 23 Mar, 2026

How Oscars campaigns really work: Inside the strategy behind wins like Jessie Buckley’s
How Oscars campaigns really work: Inside the strategy behind wins like Jessie Buckley’s
From Jessie Buckley’s triumph to Hollywood lobbying, the Oscars reveal a system shaped by strategy, spending, and storytelling

Sun, 22 Mar, 2026

Iran US Analysis
An Iranian woman’s diary: ‘It feels as if we are trapped in a massive, lethal video game’
An Irishwoman’s Diary is dedicating this week’s column to ‘M’, who is offering unflinching testimony of the reality of war at a human level, starting today with some extracts, which show the fear, stress, and anxiety being experienced by one woman, on the situation and life near Tehran.

Sat, 21 Mar, 2026

US attack on Venezuela
The Russian shadow fleet: Inside the ships that blur commerce and strategy
Understanding how these vessels operate — and how they might be mobilised under Russian doctrine — is increasingly important for assessing risk, enforcing sanctions, and safeguarding European waters

Sat, 21 Mar, 2026

In an era of drone attacks on data centres, digital resilience is key
In an era of drone attacks on data centres, digital resilience is key
As digital infrastructure becomes a target in modern conflict, countries like Ireland that depend heavily on shared digital systems must begin treating resilience as national infrastructure

Fri, 20 Mar, 2026

Canterbury meningitis and septicaemia outbreak
Meningitis deaths in England are concerning, but vaccinations work 
Irish children are vaccinated against meningitis B and C, but if they missed it, it's wise to get teenagers vaccinated through your GP now

Fri, 20 Mar, 2026

St Patrick's Day 'Epstein files' float shows manosphere isn't only on TikTok
St Patrick's Day 'Epstein files' float shows manosphere isn't only on TikTok
Being a solitary voice in a group of men, from your local St Patrick’s Day Parade all the way to the Oval Office is not a reason to speak softly

Thu, 19 Mar, 2026

Taoiseach visit to US
Paul Hosford: Taoiseach emerges as EU’s unlikely hero
After his success navigating the Donald Trump Show, Micheál Martin arrived in Brussels as a potential bridge-builder between the EU and US

Thu, 19 Mar, 2026

Colin Sheridan: Taking a DNA test to trace your ancestry can have more sinister outcomes than finding your roots
Colin Sheridan: Taking a DNA test to trace your ancestry can have more sinister outcomes than finding your roots
Someone spitting into a tube to gain insight into their ancestry — and occasionally their health — is giving away highly valuable and tradable information, not just about themselves but their families too

Thu, 19 Mar, 2026

Should you take a break from social media to look after your mental health?
Can’t stop endlessly scrolling? Tips to help you take back control
Social media is designed with an infinite scroll. Here are some simple changes you can make right now to counter it

Thu, 19 Mar, 2026

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Micheál Martin emerges intact after Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Micheál Martin emerges intact after Oval Office meeting with Donald Trump
Irish Examiner political reporter Tadgh McNally is on the podcast to discuss Micheál Martin's visit to Donald Trump and the Oval Office.

 Listen | Wed, 18 Mar, 2026

 Listen |
Iran US Key Oil Facilities
Donald Trump’s Iran war has cost Americans at least $11bn already — and that’s just the start
Nobody knows how or when this war will end, but Americans will find themselves far poorer because of it, writes Arwa Mahdawi

Wed, 18 Mar, 2026

Lebanon Iran
Ali Larijani was ruthless — and clear-eyed about west’s implacable hostility to Iran
A 2006 Guardian interview with Iran’s slain security chief now reads as a grim warning of the conflict that killed him

Wed, 18 Mar, 2026

Defence Forces must pay deserving cadets their true worth
Defence Forces must pay deserving cadets their true worth
Cadets are paid far lower than the enlisted soldiers they work beside for the first five years — this anomaly would be indefensible in any other profession, writes Conor King

Wed, 18 Mar, 2026

Israel Palestinians Gaza
Every Gazan student in Ireland is haunted by what they cannot express
We are like children in the dark, feeling for another being made of flesh and not just a ghost. We tell each other without words: You are still here, writes Abdallah Aljazzar

Wed, 18 Mar, 2026

Taoiseach visit to US
St Patrick's Day: A carnival in Ireland, just another sideshow in Donald Trump's circus
Like many another visiting leader, Micheál Martin was left sitting in silence as Trump held forth in his White House

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Taoiseach visit to US
Paul Hosford: Getting out of Oval Office unscathed as good as Micheál Martin could have hoped
Under pressure at home to raise the legality of the Iran war as well as the ongoing situation in Gaza, few would envy Micheál Martin's position in having to deal with the US president on St Patrick's Day

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Taoiseach visit to US
Tadgh McNally: Micheál Martin may face storm during Oval Office meeting with Trump
Severe storm warning in Washington DC is not the only threat hanging over Taoiseach's Oval Office shamrock ceremony

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

What value do Irish fans get out of unrequited love affair with Man Utd?
What value do Irish fans get out of unrequited love affair with Man Utd?
The only ticket hotter these days than a Manchester United game is seeing an old player reminiscing about a decades-old match, writes James McDermott

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Shannon makes us complicit in Trump and Israel's illegal war
Shannon makes us complicit in Trump and Israel's illegal war
The Government would do well to listen to President Catherine Connolly's message on peace in this unstable time — our neutrality is severely endangered

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

APTOPIX Lebanon Israel Iran
Ireland has deep ties to Lebanon and we cannot abandon its people
We cannot ignore the people of Lebanon being pushed to breaking point by the expansion of Israeli occupation and its bombing of the country

Tue, 17 Mar, 2026

Ian Huntley missing girls
Enda Brady: Nobody will mourn depraved murderer Ian Huntley
'A special place in hell' awaits double child-killer — and that's according to his own daughter

Mon, 16 Mar, 2026

An education or a meal: A choice no mother should have to make
An education or a meal: A choice no mother should have to make
A landslide destroyed the farmland where one woman used to earn a living, and now some days she has to decide whether they will eat or whether her daughters go to school.

Mon, 16 Mar, 2026

Children's dependence on electronic products
Giving smartphones to infants is morally wrong
We shy away from being seen to judge people these days, but giving a smartphone to an infant or toddler is unacceptable, bad for their development, and yes, morally wrong

Mon, 16 Mar, 2026

Nuclear explosion, mushroom-shaped cloud of exploding atomic bomb. Radioactive fire flames, atom bang. Nuke energy, power, deton
Colin Sheridan: Ireland needs to become a nuclear power — now that would be the bomb
We will never be capable of defending ourselves from invasion. We need an actual deterrent, and it can’t involve exposing our adversaries to The 2 Johnnies

Sun, 15 Mar, 2026

James Patrice in drag for a Mother’s Day campaign does not make me angry. I’m angry at men in suits
James Patrice in drag for a Mother’s Day campaign does not make me angry. I’m angry at men in suits
The declaration by certain men on the political right that James Patrice in a dress is somehow a threat to Irish motherhood would be laughable if it wasn't so stupid, writes Sinéad O'Moore

Sun, 15 Mar, 2026

Limerick garda trial: If there’s nothing to see here, why does it still matter?
Limerick garda trial: If there’s nothing to see here, why does it still matter?
Acquittal of five gardaí after lengthy Limerick trial prompts fresh questions about investigations, prosecutions and morale within the force

Sun, 15 Mar, 2026

Taoiseach visit to US
From Rocky Balboa to Ronnie Delany: Taoiseach's US trip kicks off with sporting theme
Ronnie Delany, Rocky Balboa and the World Cup all played a part in the Taoiseach's trip to Philadelphia, writes Tadgh McNally 

Sat, 14 Mar, 2026

Reflections of a blow-in after 25 years living in Cork
Reflections of a blow-in after 25 years living in Cork
Ahead of St Patrick's Day, Vittorio Buffacchi reflects on his two and half decades living in Cork and the connection between identity and place

Sat, 14 Mar, 2026

Future Cork: There is immense potential in Cork if the city turns toward the river
Future Cork: There is immense potential in Cork if the city turns toward the river
Monika Jain argues Cork should reclaim its River Lee waterfront and streets to create healthier, more vibrant public spaces

Fri, 13 Mar, 2026

UK-Ireland summit
Paul Hosford: Keir Starmer steers clear of controversy on Cork trip
British prime minister stayed on safe ground, highlighting his honeymoon in Ireland, his time spent pulling pints of Guinness — and his 'grá' for Declan Rice

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Scott Lucas on the war in Iran and how it all might end
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Scott Lucas on the war in Iran and how it all might end
Scott Lucas talks about how this might end and why so much comes back to sentiment in the USA towards a president who appears to live in his own world

 Listen | Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

 Listen |
Council AI study
'Exploit every vulnerability’: rogue AI agents published passwords and overrode anti-virus software
Rogue artificial intelligence agents have worked together to smuggle sensitive information out of supposedly secure systems, in the latest sign cyber-defences may be overwhelmed by unforeseen scheming by AIs.

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

Iran US Key Oil Facilities
Maybe Trump's war will finally wean us off our oil dependency
In the 1970s we had no choice but to queue for petrol. In 2026 there is a host of alternatives — the war in the Gulf should be the final push we need to renewables

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

GAVIN TOBIN
Government playbook in Air Corps scandal copies all the others
The State's response to decade-old Air Corps chemical exposure scandal is clearly one of 'deny, delay, die'

Thu, 12 Mar, 2026

General Election Ireland 2024
Mick Clifford: Decision not to prosecute gives Michael Lowry chance to play the victim
The decision by the DPP not to bring charges against the Independent TD from Tipperary over the findings from the Moriarty Tribunal reflects the high standard of proof required

Wed, 11 Mar, 2026

A round peg forced into a square system: The reality facing one Cork special school
A round peg forced into a square system: The reality facing one Cork special school
Carrigaline Community Special School highlights the consequences of opening new schools without the therapy and resources students need

Wed, 11 Mar, 2026

Rosary in Girl's hands
The 'choice' not to practice religion is a myth in Irish education
There is a striking irony in how Irish people discuss America’s freefall into theocracy, undergirded by a rise in Christian nationalism — we treat it like fascism, while blithely ignoring our own almost entirely doctrinal education system

Wed, 11 Mar, 2026

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