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
Department of Treasury
Europe's best tools for countering Trump
Assigning a small amount of risk to US government bonds would be a meaningful, targeted way to hit Trump where it hurts, writes Daniel Gros, director of the Institute for European Policymaking at Bocconi University

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

The Inauguration Of Donald J. Trump As The 47th President
Why a gradual move away from US tech is a good idea
For a small business in Cork or a family in Galway, digital sovereignty means not waking up one day to find that your email, documents, or photos are suddenly inaccessible because a foreign leader threatened tariffs or a sanctions list changed overnight, writes Brian Honan

Thu, 29 Jan, 2026

Medieval fortified city of Carcassonne, France
Timoleague and Quin abbeys could be Ireland's Carcassonne
Cork and Clare abbeys are among Ireland's many crumbling monasteries and friaries. We should take our lead from a 19th century French architect who restored Carcassonne — or emulate our own restoration of Holycross in Tipperary

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

India Russia Putin
Will Trump expose Europe's hypocrisy?
It seems unclear if Europe will put pressure on the rest of the world to ‘take a moral stand’ and cut off their trading ties with the US, asks Krishna Vadlamannati

Wed, 28 Jan, 2026

Enoch Burke's case highlights Ireland's problem with reincarceration
Enoch Burke's case highlights Ireland's problem with reincarceration
Enoch Burke’s repeated jailing prompts a wider reckoning on reincarceration, mental health, and whether punishment alone ever truly works

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Mick Clifford: Limerick garda trial should never have happened 
Mick Clifford: Limerick garda trial should never have happened 
All five defendants in the Limerick garda trial have been cleared of all charges. As Mick Clifford has been pointing out since 2020, questions remain over the ordeal they were put through

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Modern Scales of Justice: Digital Icon for Legal Concepts.
Digital wallet plan is a dangerous infringement on privacy
Mandating the use of a State-run digital identity as a pre-condition for holding or using a social media account would represent a profound expansion of government control, write Olga Cronin and Kris Shrishak of ICCL

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Trump
The global rule of law is not collapsing — Trump is the lone problem and he can be defeated
The president’s approval ratings are plummeting and most Americans see him as an aberration. It is now up to them to curtail his despotic reign, writes Simon Tisdall 

Tue, 27 Jan, 2026

Value, not sustainability, is driving the second-hand fashion boom
Value, not sustainability, is driving the second-hand fashion boom
Economic pressures and value-driven consumption are core to the second-hand surge, writes sustainability strategist Pat Kane

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird: How much is my life worth to the HSE?
Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird: How much is my life worth to the HSE?
'I’ve lost a lot of my fine motor skills, my eyesight is getting fuzzier, and my speech is slurring a lot more. I would give anything for this drug'

Mon, 26 Jan, 2026

Finland joining NATA Europe Membership Pursue, War, Conflict, Russia, Nuclear Weapons
From guarantee to risk: how Trump has changed Europe’s relationship with Nato
As Trump unsettles alliances, Europe and Ireland face the implications of a world where Nato no longer feels permanent

Sat, 24 Jan, 2026

Switzerland Davos
Shona Murray: Trump did the EU a favour by calling off Greenland threat
The EU was let off the hook this week. But, despite Gavin Newsom's warning to unite or be ‘devoured’ by Trump, there was no consensus on a way to face down the threat

Sat, 24 Jan, 2026

Sanctuary cities, ICE and federal power: what the Minneapolis shootings reveal about the US
Sanctuary cities, ICE and federal power: what the Minneapolis shootings reveal about the US
The Minneapolis shootings reveal why sanctuary cities have become one of the most volatile battlegrounds in American public life

Sat, 24 Jan, 2026

Taoiseach visit to the US
Trump’s Greenland threat exposes a new era of American empire-building
Trump’s renewed threats reveal a shift from capitalism to mercantilist power politics — and Europe is dangerously unprepared

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Jim Clarken: World's super rich are shaping society
Jim Clarken: World's super rich are shaping society
Wealth tax would help with social solidarity, guard against extremism, and shore up public finances

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

Patrick Holloway: Aurora borealis brought magic to an ordinary night
Patrick Holloway: Aurora borealis brought magic to an ordinary night
Witnessing the marvel brought me beyond my garden, and back to a place where magic exists, where other worlds and parallels are not fantasy

Fri, 23 Jan, 2026

The Mick Clifford Podcast: How Ozempic changed weight loss — and what comes next
The Mick Clifford Podcast: How Ozempic changed weight loss — and what comes next
A new book explores Ozempic’s unexpected rise, its societal impact, and what the weight-loss drug means for the future

 Listen | Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

 Listen |
Heated Rivalry wasn’t just TV — it mirrored the hidden reality of being gay in Irish sport
Heated Rivalry wasn’t just TV — it mirrored the hidden reality of being gay in Irish sport
Former GAA player Kevin Penrose reflects on identity, silence and why LGBTQ+ representation in sport still deeply matters.

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Woman Reading Bad News on Smartphone, Feeling Worried and Anxious
Why people believe misinformation even when they are told the facts
Factchecking is seen as a go-to method for tackling the spread of false information, but it often fails when used in isolation. Research suggests that misinformation is not just a content problem, but an emotional and structural one, writes Kelly Fincham

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Robert Reich: Davos is a chance for JPMorgan Chase CEO to help world leaders stand up to Trump
Robert Reich: Davos is a chance for JPMorgan Chase CEO to help world leaders stand up to Trump
Trump is determined to bully others into submission through tariff and legal threats — will JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon stand up to him?

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026

Schoolgirl (11-13) in science class, smiling, portrait (focus on girl)
Girls are missing from crucial Stem areas such as AI, and it shows
By the age of 12 many girls are already excluded from the subjects that will allow them to thrive in our Stem-driven FDI economy

Wed, 21 Jan, 2026

The strange comfort of watching the Beckhams fall apart
The strange comfort of watching the Beckhams fall apart
Brooklyn Beckham’s public split from his famous parents offers uncomfortable insight into celebrity families, control, and generational resentment

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Film allows us to listen to Hind Rajab, who speaks for all Gaza's dead children
Film allows us to listen to Hind Rajab, who speaks for all Gaza's dead children
The Voice of Hind Rajab is a disturbing, deeply moving film. Through a simple phone call, the film lays bare the horror of war for children and ordinary families, and we must heed Hind’s voice and we must not be silent in the face of inhumanity

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Tasers are a bad idea for quelling riots. Here's why
Tasers are a bad idea for quelling riots. Here's why
The idea that tasers would be used during a riot fundamentally misunderstands both the dynamics of civil unrest and the function of tasers, writes Illan Wall 

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Russia baptism anniversary Divine Lutirgy. Patriarch Kirill in festive uniform
The Ukraine war has given rise to an ‘exorcism economy’ in Russia
The Russian Orthodox Church’s appointment of Vladimir Putin as 'chief exorcist' in 2022 could also help explain why some Russians have been drawn into a fight with their inner demons

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Outsourcing Ireland's defence carries immediate strategic costs
Outsourcing Ireland's defence carries immediate strategic costs
If we don't exercise our sovereignty in practice, it becomes entirely theoretical — we must defend ourselves

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Donald Trump
Will Trump win Greenland with his tariff threats against Europe?
The US wants to take over Greenland as a forward base, so we should be wary of false flags that may arise in this context, writes Shannon Brincat

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026

Marion McKeone: Trump’s tilt at Greenland is a challenge for all of Europe
Marion McKeone: Trump’s tilt at Greenland is a challenge for all of Europe
Threatened takeover comes at the bidding of billionaires and amid a power struggle within the White House: The EU’s best bet may be to appeal to the good sense of US Republican politicians

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Knock Basilica, Ireland
Help from clergy changed lives of many students from most deprived areas
As Ireland rethinks school patronage, new research reveals the unseen ways clergy shaped lives and enabled social mobility in disadvantaged communities, writes Helen Lowe

Mon, 19 Jan, 2026

Benny McCabe: Hike in the price of a pint unfairly hits publicans and their customers 
Benny McCabe: Hike in the price of a pint unfairly hits publicans and their customers 
Cork publican Benny McCabe writes that traditional Irish pubs are the guardians of a tradition and they and their customers keep getting walloped while big suppliers enjoy a taxpayer-funded subsidy

Sun, 18 Jan, 2026

Tadgh McNally: There is no reason for letting aid expire, other than plain cruelty
Tadgh McNally: There is no reason for letting aid expire, other than plain cruelty
There is no situation where food and medicine destined for Gaza should be allowed to expire

Sat, 17 Jan, 2026

Not every HSE story is a bad one 
Not every HSE story is a bad one 
A routine mammogram torpedoed Jillian Godsil into a system that was speedy, effective, and kind, writes Jillian Godsil

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

MMR jabs
Trump's targeting of health keeps people hungry, sick and less likely to fight back
The backsliding on public health both in the US and internationally is a political act, and we must treat it as such, writes Dr Suzanne Crowe

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

Relaxing With Our Dog
Bringing your dog to the pub is barking mad
Picture the scene — it’s Friday night in a cosy little pub in a gorgeous village on the Cornish coast, with the wind swirling outside and not a care inside.

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

Deepfake concerns
How can technology be used to prevent AI-generated sexual images?
If companies can build systems capable of generating such imagery, they can also stop it being generated — in theory at least — but in practice, there is a demand for it — so this capability can never now be eliminated

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

Deepfake concerns
When an AI tool can ‘nudify’ a child, ‘we’re engaging’ is not good enough
When technology enables the rapid production and dissemination of exploitative material, the national response often sounds like a jargon of jurisdiction

Fri, 16 Jan, 2026

Russian invasion of Ukraine
It is time for Europe and the UK to take a stand against Trump
Instead of ceding to Trump’s threats, EU governments should double down on digital and defence sovereignty, including by advancing the EU-UK defence relationship, writes historian of war Edward Burke

Thu, 15 Jan, 2026

‘In Myanmar, I could feed my children. I can’t do the same here’
‘In Myanmar, I could feed my children. I can’t do the same here’
From 2026, funding for humanitarian aid to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will be halved, writes Eilis Staunton

Thu, 15 Jan, 2026

Dump Truck at Copper Mine
When councils won’t act, communities turn to nature to get justice
Environmental law has become the last line of defence against unauthorised quarrying, writes Eugene Farrell

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Woman rides bicycle with basket along the banks of the Seine
Judge's comments show bias against cyclists is 'deeply embedded' in Irish society
There are five actions we can take to save lives on our roads, if we choose to implement them

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Old books in an antique store.
Bringing back patience would be a good thing for democracy
By seeking shortcuts, we are issuing an open invitation to totalitarians

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Australia Reacts To Mass Shooting At Bondi Beach
A month after Bondi attacks, Jewish diaspora remains in shock
Politicisation of the tragedy to attack anti-genocide movement is a further affront to Jews everywhere, writes Ria Czerniak-Lebov

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

24/8/2009 RTE Headquarters
Public service media in a united Ireland: RTÉ, BBC and beyond?
A new model of public media with regional hubs in Cork, Limerick and other cities could become a positive facilitator rather than a problem to be solved, write Dawn Wheatley and Roddy Flynn

Wed, 14 Jan, 2026

Deepfake concerns
Grok's explicit image scandal highlights international legal flaws
Regulatory frameworks on anonymity, editorial responsibility, and explicit images must be reviewed 

Tue, 13 Jan, 2026

Whitelee Windfarm
Telling the truth about Ireland’s climate future
To avoid the political polarisation we see in the US, climate action needs to remain a shared national priority, grounded in evidence rather than ideology

Tue, 13 Jan, 2026

IBEC: Sacrificing the openness that defines us is a threat to Brand Ireland
IBEC: Sacrificing the openness that defines us is a threat to Brand Ireland
Any policy shift or public sentiment that undermines Ireland’s reputation as a welcoming destination represents a significant risk to future prosperity, our values, and our collective quality of life

Tue, 13 Jan, 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