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
Louise Burne: Jim Gavin must develop sharp elbows to liven up candidacy
During a press conference with the media, frustrated journalists asked the same questions repeatedly as he rolled out prepared answers. It did not matter if the answer fit the question

Thu, 25 Sep, 2025

Creating dangerously is a form of resistance against tyrants like Trump
Creating dangerously is a form of resistance against tyrants like Trump
With fundamental freedoms coming under attack by an increasingly tyrannical US administration, art has never been more important, writes David O'Mahony

Thu, 25 Sep, 2025

Autism spectrum disorder ASD written on a paper.
Ciara Reilly: Autism is not caused by paracetamol, vaccines or mothers — it's a natural neurotype
Conspiracy theories about autism persist, but the real issue is not 'causes' — it’s the systemic failure to support autistic people

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Irish presidential election
Maria Steen would have electrified a dull race, but her exclusion is not undemocratic
Louise Burne outlines the two main factors that led to Maria Steen's failure to attain enough backing for a run at the presidency

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Éamon de Valera and Archbishop McQuaid
Presidential oath means only Christians need apply
The United Nations Human Rights Committee has expressed concern over Ireland's constitutional oath. Simon Tierney asks why we aren't changing it

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Technology has supercharged backlash against women's equality
Technology has supercharged backlash against women's equality
The widespread exposure of young children to violent pornography means many young people have no idea what a normal healthy relationship looks like 

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Worried man checking bills and looking at financial analysis of expenses at home.
One-off payments failed to tackle poverty — what will work is to index social welfare rates to average wages
Benchmarking social welfare rates to average earnings would help to mitigate the impact of rising costs, give long-term certainty to households on fixed incomes, and prevent widening income inequality

Wed, 24 Sep, 2025

Trump Autism Tylenol
Suzanne Crowe: Trump linking paracetamol with autism is misinformation at its most horrible
Shaming of mothers and their actions before, during or after childbirth is as old as time and is profoundly misogynistic

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Donald Trump
Like a circus: All eyes on Donald Trump at UN General Assembly
Any seasoned observer of Mr Trump will know that it's not possible to predict where his speeches will begin or end up, but this was particularly scattergun and scathing

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Occupation of Palestine petition
Perfidious Albion owes Palestine more than just recognition 
Britain's recognition of Palestinian statehood is too little, too late, given it was the architect of the bloodshed that has engulfed the region for more than 100 years

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Children's social care sector
Children of all needs must learn together 
An inclusive education system lays the basis for respect for all differences, so we cannot continue separating children with special needs from the mainstream

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

Mature businesswoman and female colleague discussing over report at office desk
Generational pile-ons come around like clockwork
Too many millennials are joining the refrain against Gen Zers, conveniently forgetting that we were all there once

Tue, 23 Sep, 2025

UN General Assembly
Paul Hosford: How will UN answer questions of its ability to solve the world's crises? 
The UN's agencies are generally — though not universally — considered to be forces for good, but the utility of its general assembly beyond being a talking shop is a question frequently posed

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Irish presidential election
Mick Clifford: Does public service beckon for Gareth Sheridan now he can't run for presidency?
At the start of the summer, Gareth Sheridan waltzed into the public square and announced he wants to be the president. If he had been serious, he would have started much earlier in the year, writes Mick Clifford

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT
Forced to flee Gaza City: 'It feels like the countdown has begun to our annihilation'
Last month, Reham Mahdi Al Jarrah described to readers of the 'Irish Examiner' the early stages of Israel’s military offensive on Gaza City. The situation eventually became so dangerous that she had to flee with her family. Here, she describes the dangers and tragedy her family has faced as well as the daily suffering from the famine gripping Gaza

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Adam Maguire: Irish Bailout Babies still paying the price of the financial crash
Adam Maguire: Irish Bailout Babies still paying the price of the financial crash
People who were children during the 2008 crash and subsequent bailout are struggling on inadequate pay and living in insecure rentals with little hope of starting a family, writes Adam Maguire

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Young woman getting keys to new apartment from Real Estate Agent
Ann Murphy: Sex-for-rent legislation must be enacted without delay 
There are no current legal deterrents to offering sex for rent

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

Homelessness is solvable — but only with political will
Homelessness is solvable — but only with political will
The 16,058 people who make up the homeless numbers do not include couch surfers, adults who've moved back with their parents, people in refuges — or even rough sleepers 

Mon, 22 Sep, 2025

How the global far-right uses Ireland to spread anti-immigrant narratives online
How the global far-right uses Ireland to spread anti-immigrant narratives online
From tricolours in Dublin to protests in London, Ireland’s far-right is feeding — and being fed by — global networks

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

Emma DeSouza: There's no 'gotcha' in Heather's Orange Order connections
Emma DeSouza: There's no 'gotcha' in Heather's Orange Order connections
The challenge for Heather Humphreys is not her family's history, but how she handled the question of her husband’s prior membership of the Orange Order, writes Emma DeSouza

Sun, 21 Sep, 2025

'Sleep in peace, little Daniel': Donabate mourns child as his suspected remains exhumed
'Sleep in peace, little Daniel': Donabate mourns child as his suspected remains exhumed
As we wait for answers on what happened to Daniel Aruebose, messages left near where skeletal remains were found highlight the impact the case is having on the community, writes Alison O’Reilly

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

Charlie Kirk Shot
Media unequipped to decipher Charlie Kirk suspect’s politics
The killing of the right-wing influencer has seen once-trusted news outlets abandon factchecking in the rush for online clicks

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

Finding Daniel Aruebose casts 10th birthday of Children First in gloom
Finding Daniel Aruebose casts 10th birthday of Children First in gloom
The disappearances of Daniel Aruebose and Kyran Durnin are horrifying reminders that Ireland's record on vulnerable children is poor — and it's not improving 

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

Solidarity is not just a slogan — it is a lifeline
Solidarity is not just a slogan — it is a lifeline
Ireland must continue steadfast support for those who need it instead of stepping back like our European neighbours

Fri, 19 Sep, 2025

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Eoin O'Malley on the rivalry that defined Irish politics
The Mick Clifford Podcast: Eoin O'Malley on the rivalry that defined Irish politics
Eoin O’Malley’s new book argues that the rivalry between Charlie Haughey and Garret FitzGerald reshaped Irish politics and society

 Listen | Thu, 18 Sep, 2025

 Listen |
Why are we using arable land for solar farms when new rooftops are bare?
Why are we using arable land for solar farms when new rooftops are bare?
Helen Shaw questions a solar energy strategy where our most precious resource for food growth and biodiversity is being used for solar farms while new buildings' roofs have no panels

Thu, 18 Sep, 2025

The Eoin Hayes blackface scandal is a distraction from real racism
The Eoin Hayes blackface scandal is a distraction from real racism
Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes has apologised for what he did, and that matters — if we never allow anybody to apologise, where is the accountability?

Thu, 18 Sep, 2025

Jim Gavin takes a leaf out of Micheál Martin's book at the Ploughing
Jim Gavin takes a leaf out of Micheál Martin's book at the Ploughing
When it comes to meeting people and canvassing for support, the Ploughing is hard to beat, especially in an election year

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

Paul Hosford: Business as usual in the Dáil, for most people, that is
Paul Hosford: Business as usual in the Dáil, for most people, that is
No festive feeling in the air as the summer is officially put to bed

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

Sir Keir Starmer visit to US
Keir Starmer is betting everything on an America that doesn’t exist any more
Cosying up to Trump is an all-in gamble. Britain should be building better relations with more reliable allies closer to home, writes Rafael Behr

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

Grocery inflation
Wealth tax would allow for a cost-of-living package in next month's budget
Irrespective of how it would be funded, a significant Budget 2026 cost-of-living package needs to happen to help hard-pressed consumers facing soaring prices

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

France EU State of Union
Is von der Leyen's U-turn on Gaza too little, too late?
Although the European Commission president went much further than expected in her acknowledgement of the ongoing horrors in Gaza, it is now up to EU member states to approve sanctions on and withdrawal of financial support to Israel

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

What's the difference between a settler and an immigrant?
What's the difference between a settler and an immigrant?
Narratives around Irish emigrants to America rarely address their roles as colonisers who subjugated the native population

Wed, 17 Sep, 2025

Cathaoirleach launch Seanad100
Do we really want an activist President?
Robinson reimagined the role as one that could push the boundaries of constitutional convention — but worked within its formal limitations

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

female gp listening to patient
We must tackle racism in support services for domestic violence
People from minority backgrounds have experienced racist language from support services, gardaí, and managers and residents of State accommodation

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Ria Czerniak-LeBov: Conflating Zionism with Judaism is the worst antisemitism I face
Ria Czerniak-LeBov: Conflating Zionism with Judaism is the worst antisemitism I face
We must fully separate Judaism from Zionism, while acknowledging the current coalition in Israel is part of a global rise of far-right fundamentalism which threatens us all

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Road fatality patterns demand urgent attention from us all 
Road fatality patterns demand urgent attention from us all 
Road Safety Authority chief says small consistent changes in how we all behave on the roads can, and do, save lives

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Taoiseach in the hot seat over disability services at Fianna Fáil's think-in 
Taoiseach in the hot seat over disability services at Fianna Fáil's think-in 
Micheál Martin had cameras pointing at him as he was grilled on one of the issues that the Government just cannot seem to solve

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

Mick Clifford: Conor McGregor abandons presidential tilt without ever facing the public
Mick Clifford: Conor McGregor abandons presidential tilt without ever facing the public
The former MMA fighter left just one positive in wake of his ridiculous non-campaign: Now, surely, Irish people will never take for granted the guardrails of our democracy

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

An old miniature man and woman standing on a pile of coins.
Ireland can lead EU on equality — but first we must get our own legislation in order
Ireland's EU presidency will be a chance to show leadership in terms of tolerance and fairness, writes Liam Herrick

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

Anti-immigration rhetoric never ends with 'just a protest'
Anti-immigration rhetoric never ends with 'just a protest'
We need to teach our children that fear cannot be the loudest voice in the room 

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

What you lose when you use AI to make art
What you lose when you use AI to make art
The act of creating something is often far more valuable than the finished product — why would we hand those benefits over to AI companies?

Mon, 15 Sep, 2025

APTOPIX Charlie Kirk Shot
Marion McKeone: The void after Charlie Kirk’s death could unleash something even more dangerous
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has destabilised conservative politics, exposed America’s addiction to violence, and raised urgent questions about who inherits his power

Fri, 12 Sep, 2025

APTOPIX Charlie Kirk Shot
Unrest over shooting of Charlie Kirk could have ramifications for Ireland, academic warns
Recent threats against Simon Harris illustrate changing landscape of politics here, says Dr Clodagh Harrington

Fri, 12 Sep, 2025

Defence ministers meeting
Russia and Israel have given Europe a lesson it cannot ignore
Both Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu have proven adept at manipulating Trump, and this is the latest sign they know he will not act, writes Edward Burke

Fri, 12 Sep, 2025

Construction of new homes at Ebbsfleet Garden City in Kent.
Ciarán Casey: Lack of vision has wasted Ireland's unplanned tax windfall
The pageantry of Budget Day means that politicians will aim to avoid landmines, then go back to business as usual, writes Ciarán Casey

Fri, 12 Sep, 2025

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