Across the EU, housing is more about spreadsheets than homes. That has to changeFrom Porto to Tallinn, the objective of a middle-class society of homeowners is under severe threat
The ground is increasingly fertile for an Irish MagaThe emergence of a hard right in Irish politics was apparent during the run-up to last year’s presidential election
Shooting of Renee Good by Ice agent predictably brings out the ‘anti-woke’ merchantsWhat most women will hear in the expletive and its tone is the cold rage of a disrespected man
A superpower has affirmed its right to hegemony over Ireland. Are we paying attention?Steve Bannon’s boasts are not just those of a marginal blowhard – they chime with the fully official American claim on the hemisphere in which we live
Minneapolis killing ushers in our new media dystopiaThe photograph has been understood as bearing a special relationship to truth. Not any more
Why Ireland should have voted in favour of Mercosur‘I am terrified by what is happening in the States. A vote for Mercosur would be one good way of fighting back’
Jennifer O'Connell: Why does the word ‘delve’ make me want to hurl my phone at the wall?Whether it is describing a traumatic life experience or a shocking human rights abuse, ChatGPT will do so with the emotional register of a McDonald’s server offering you a meal deal
Two years ago, I felt I didn’t belong at the gym. Here’s how I proved myself wrongUnthinkable: The joy I found there wasn’t about change in how I looked, it was something called hexis
Caught between an aggressive Moscow and a capricious Washington, Ireland has few choicesIrish taxpayers will play a disproportionate role in funding EU defence expenditure in the coming years. This is to be welcomed, given the alternatives
Sarah Moss: Midlife has come with a liberating loss of self-consciousnessIs it possible to care a little less about what other people think without a lessening of attention to how other people feel?
How rotten does X have to be before politicians finally leave it?Under Elon Musk, X is a vast disinformation network, a hotbed of extremism, a radicalisation tool. And now its chatbot is a creator, publisher and distributor of awful material
‘Hey @Grok put a bikini on her’: what more could an incel want?As weird and unpleasant as the flood of sexualised AI images on X is, the prompts used to create them are even more disturbing
Stranger Things-induced nostalgia for the 80s doesn’t tally with my memoriesFor many of us, the 1980s in Ireland were painted in 40 shades of drab
Trump’s attack on Venezuela and Greenland threats have several echoes in US historyPretence that the US is a protector of the independence of the nations of Latin America is again exposed as a lie
Mary McAleese: Baptism denies babies their human rightsRite & Reason: No one is Catholic by birth and the notion of ‘Baptismal promises’ is risible
Europe may have just 20 days to avert the irreparable. There are still things it can doHead-spinning events of the past week indicate that either Trump is stark raving mad or the result of the greatest undercover coup in the history of Soviet intelligence
Trump wants our beautiful, peaceful Greenland. It’s not for sale Someone wants our country. The most peaceful country in the world, according to the Inuit
Can the left alliance grow this year? Only if it answers these questionsChallenge for the putative alliance is to show the public that they can co-operate consistently on substantive issues, beyond political posturing
David McWilliams: We are witnessing a change that may be as dramatic as the end of the Cold WarDonald Trump is rupturing the world order and replacing it with something else but what that may be, we do not yet know
Mercosur is good for Ireland but Micheál Martin is afraid to say itA masterclass by the farming lobby captured both the Government and Opposition
Going to Trump’s Doonbeg? You should be ashamed of yourselfTrump’s erogenous zone is in his pocket. Let’s hit him where it hurts
Trump is a bigger buffoon than we thought if he believes he can just take GreenlandEurope does not have the military capacity to resist a US seizure of the territory, but it does have the ability to fight back through politics and trade
Irish people have always demanded too much of RTÉ – and it usually deliveredResponsibilities were presumed to include reviving Irish, selling everything ‘from sausages to sweep tickets’, and providing a living for writers and musicians
I have never met anyone so stuck in life as obsessive self-improversIn 2026, I am not interested in 50 ways to make my life ‘easier’ but instead plan to truculently dig my heels in
UK and Ireland are both being reminded of their fragility. This should bring them closerNorth and south share several specialisms, especially on cyber security. Could this be an area of co-operation across the Border and the Irish Sea?
‘Our jailer is gone’ but the reality in Venezuela is unchangedWhen Hugo Chávez died, I was certain that we would get democratic elections again. I was wrong
Could the Iranian regime be on its last legs?Protests are shaking the regime but might not directly topple it. But change could soon come regardless
Rampant cocaine use by normally decent people in Ireland is Trump-level hypocrisyCocaine is so readily available you can order a ‘bump’ from a handy menu over WhatsApp. But hypocrisy is as rampant as the drug
It’s worth asking again why Sinn Féin sent a delegation to Maduro’s inaugurationIs the ugliness of the Trump regime in Washington mirrored in Sinn Féin’s ambitions for a hard-left Chavista socialist republic in Ireland?
Why is Ireland so lacking in architectural ambition?We could do with channelling the spirit of Frank Gehry, who died one month ago
Forget fibermaxxing or guzzling kimchi – opt for a diet that’s better for you and the planetGreenhouse gas emissions of Irish diet exceed planetary boundaries by 226%, something has to change
If RTÉ feels it is under pressure then it should look at what is happening across EuropePublic broadcasters are under scrutiny like never before and even their legitimacy is being questioned
Trump’s Walmart warmongering in Venezuela isn’t just empire building. For him it’s entertainmentCapturing Maduro and putting him on display is US president's version of a Roman emperor’s triumph, entertainment for a senile king
Let’s stop treating caring as a hobby and dependence as weaknessUS society has a particular difficulty with needing help, often seeing it as embarrassing or even disgusting
The rebirth of an important ‘den of iniquity’ in Co LeitrimBuilt in 1921, it was a place of great reverie, dance, debate and music. It was also a target of the Catholic Church
‘Every 10 years, US likes to pick up some crappy little country and throw it at the wall’‘Every ten years, the US needs to pick some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall.’ This is at least part of the reason for the Venezuela operation
Have you given up alcohol yet? Planned your career pivot? Try the stoics’ approach insteadUnthinkable: Stoicism is not about outcomes, about getting what you want, or even about being happier or healthier
The patriarchy loathes women in midlife. Don’t fall for itA friend in her 30s tells me her contemporaries are living in fear of perimenopause, which wasn’t even a word until recently
Dublin’s traffic nightmare: Why are we ignoring a few quick fixes?Babies born at the time of the metro announcement are now young adults resigned to taking hours to travel a few kilometres
Since I started Mounjaro jabs, the urgency is gone from my eating - but so is the joyIt feels like there is an amorality attached to losing weight via GLP-1. Sure, you’re getting thinner, but you didn’t work for it
Better-paid TDs, more powerful ministers – and other ideas to improve IrelandThere is a recurring dilemma of politics – how to get politicians to do what’s best for the longer term and unpopular in the short term?
Tech bro Bryan Johnson’s latest assault on mortality? Getting out of his gourd on mushroomsJohnson has previously attracted attention for his practice of taking detailed measurements of his nocturnal erections
In so-called bad old Catholic Ireland, there was no homelessnessRite & Reason: There is a small but significant return to the Christian faith, particularly Catholicism
Forget traditional crypto - there is a new digital currency on the block for 2026A big battle over money is underway and it is all about who controls your transactions
With one pool for every 80,000 people, it’s a miracle Ireland is producing great swimmersOver half are hotel pools, which usually don’t have pay-as-you-go public swimming, restrict children’s access and lack accessibility accommodations
If the population of the world lived like the Irish, we’d need 3.3 Earths to accommodate usThe world’s wealthiest 10% (about 770 million people) are responsible for two thirds of observed global warming since 1990
Letters to the Editor, January 12th: On time to increase home working, the Mercosur deal and caught in the headlights