Irish people have always demanded too much of RTÉ – and it usually delivered
Responsibilities were presumed to include reviving Irish, selling everything ‘from sausages to sweep tickets’, and providing a living for writers and musicians
Here’s one thing to look forward to this year: the release of the 1926 census
Opening of this material will facilitate much research, and for many the chance to place our own family story in context
Iris Murdoch went to pains to hide poems on her bisexuality. Was it wrong to publish them?
Management of literary estates following an author’s death raises tricky ethical questions
Catholicism may be raising its head high but the body underneath is ailing
St Mary’s has been elevated to a cathedral at time when Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese faces financial meltdown
Like Neville Chamberlain in 1938, Donald Trump is the errand boy of gangsters
The British leader pledged ‘peace in our time’ after appeasing a tyrant – will history repeat itself?
Border was confirmed a century ago but the blame game is still a live issue
Negotiations led to deep feelings of betrayal on the part of nationalists in Northern Ireland with enduring implications
Enoch Burke’s ferocious desire for martyrdom has roots in Irish life
Catholic anti-divorce crusaders deliberately made outrageous analogies and used modern tactics, too
Diarmaid Ferriter: Departing Fine Gaelers leave a mixed legacy
Leo Varadkar, Paschal Donohoe and Simon Coveney are gone but the question remains: what does Fine Gael stand for?
Catherine Connolly makes a strong case against political spindoctors
Authenticity matters more, and charisma cannot be contrived
‘Prone to lose the run of himself’: Ireland’s taoisigh, from de Valera to Micheál Martin
Diarmaid Ferriter reviews The Taoiseach: A Century of Political Leadership, a collection of essays on the State’s 16 political ‘captains’
Anglo-Irish breakthroughs have always been intentionally vague
The Anglo-Irish Agreement, signed 40 years ago this week, didn’t bring the reassurance that was hoped for, but ultimately was a significant milestone
Sr Stan asked a question in 1985 – it still hasn’t been answered
At the time of her death, more than 16,000 people were in emergency accommodation across the country
Talk of reforming the presidential nomination process is likely to fizzle out
Spoiled votes and lack of candidates has renewed focus on the presidential nomination process
Giving all artists a basic income means they can get on with the bloody work
For every €1 invested in the pilot scheme, €1.39 is generated
Jim Gavin’s name on the ballot paper raises troubling questions
We need clarity about what constitutes a ‘special difficulty’ in relation to the administration of elections