‘I’m lucky enough to belong to Catalonia and Spain and Ireland. I have the best of the three’
Anna Cabrera, who came to Ireland 25 years ago, runs two restaurants in Dublin and recently became an Irish citizen
Me, Myself and Ireland
A series of articles exploring people's relationship with Ireland
‘People hear you speak Irish and they want to tell you about their teacher’
The Irish-language writer, performer, film-maker and poet on her decision to deal with the State only through Irish
‘Having Manchán Magan as part of the Hometree journey was pretty deep and meaningful’
Matt Smith was drawn to Ireland to surf. Now he runs Hometree, the nature restoration charity in Co Clare, planting and conserving native woodland
Gugai MacNamara of the Róisín Dubh: ‘There’s a wildness to Galway’
Róisín Dubh music booker on the pull of Galway, the importance of grassroots venues to artists, and the negativity around immigration
Actor Tadhg McMahon: ‘Going to Ireland always feels like going home. My accent is gone’
McMahon appears in The Westies, a drama series about Irish gangsters in New York City in the early 1980s
Comedian Justine Stafford: ‘I thought if I lost weight, it would help, but it spiralled’
The Meath comedian on being bitten by the entertainment bug as a child, overcoming anorexia, and her new book and podcast
Author Ellen Ryan: ‘Ireland is my muse. That’s where my conviction for writing comes from’
Writer and journalist Ellen Ryan on folklore, family and finding magic in Ireland
‘We came to the best place on earth. Irish people have been so generous to Palestine’
Izzedeen Alkarajeh runs Café Izz in Cork city, serving authentic Palestinian food, with his wife Eman
Kyla Cobbler: ‘With coercive control, I didn’t understand what was happening’
The Cork-born comedian on abuse, ambition, motherhood and right-wing undercurrents in Ireland
Evanne Ní Chuilinn: ‘Dad is at my brother’s grave most days and keeps the candle on it lit’
I’m grateful social media didn’t exist in my early career – I don’t know if I would have had the fortitude to deal with the criticism
Farmer Phil: ‘The story goes that a tree in our field was planted by Cromwell’s grandchildren 350, 400 years ago’
Phil Stewart has built a large following online for his videos showing day-to-day life on his family farm in Co Longford
‘It’s important for boys and men to see women doing things that are hard’
Offshore sailor and endurance athlete Pamela Lee has set three world records for sailing around Ireland
Elton John collaborator Jack Coulter: ‘I was a young child when I first heard colours’
Paul McCartney, Anne Hathaway and Billie Eilish among owners of works by Irish artist who ‘paints music’
Justine Megan: ‘It wasn’t until I went to Trinity that I was diagnosed as working class’
Justine Megan: When Irish people have big ideas about themselves, you’re told ‘Oh, you’ve got notions’. We need to lose that
Vittorio Angelone: ‘People in the South never have to assert their Irishness’
The Belfast-born comedian on identity, Italian traditions and ‘posh English boys splitting the G’
Shayne Brady: ‘Dublin gave me a real chance to find my tribe and to feel okay’
Brady is an interior designer behind some of London’s luxurious hospitality spaces and guest judge on BBC’s Interior Design Masters
Mike Hanrahan of Stockton’s Wing: ‘RTÉ abandoned writers. It’s unconscionable’
The musician on songwriting, shape-shifting, career turnabouts and staying curious
‘I’ve been very lucky in life but leaving Ireland broke my heart’
Irish author Jane Casey on growing up in Dublin and realising living there as an adult with her family wasn’t working
Paralympian Orla Comerford: ‘You never know when a personal best or a race will be your last’
The athlete on the precariousness of a sporting career, her pride at showing her medals to the children of Raheny, and fighting for inclusivity
‘The first time I saw my father cry, I was genuinely terrified’
The death of his best friend at the age of 18 changed the course of writer, poet and performer Daragh Fleming’s life
‘Would they revoke my passport for how unpatriotic I am to Australia? Dublin’s more my home’
DJ and radio presenter Tara Kumar on Ireland, London and finding her tribe
Amano De Londra Miura: Being Japanese-Irish is possibly the least interesting thing about me
Amano De Londra Miura, who has roots in Kerry and Japan, blends sean-nós with contemporary music and spoken word
Gearóid Farrelly: ‘I didn’t really come out of the closet. My parents went in to get me’
The Dubliner on being gay in his hometown, quitting his IT job to focus on comedy full time and why he resents being advised to move to England
‘When I drive off the ferry in Ireland, my heart goes back into its right place’
Bestselling Dutch cookbook author and TV chef Yvette Van Boven on moving home to Ireland and her new west Cork TV show
Marita Conlon-McKenna: ‘I write what I see and what I feel. I can sense things. I always have’
Our senses lead a pathway to what’s going on in a story, says the bestselling author
‘I can’t live in Dublin. Unless you have a gig that pays a lot of money, or four jobs, you can’t’
Songwriter Mark Geary on his debut Irish gig and the country’s increasing level of ‘cruelty and grift’
European champion baton twirler: ‘I’m infamous with my neighbours in Bray for always being out on the road practising’
Breton-Young wants to be a role model for others keen on the sport, especially those aiming to compete at the world championships
Jan Brierton: ‘Dublin is a small town with a big-town attitude. I didn’t always love it’
The ‘accidental’ poet and stylist on growing up in pre-Luas Tallaght, and writing her first verse during Covid
‘It’s a stereotype that Ireland is full of drinkers. It’s a problem all over the world’
Playwright and screenwriter Nancy Harris on her parents’ separation, the myth of family and her hit show The Dry
Jess Kav: ‘When I go abroad, people are excited and serious about what I have to offer’
Artist on her musical upbringing, microaggressions and struggles she faces in Ireland
Skulduggery Pleasant author Derek Landy: ‘Sometimes the trajectory of your life hinges on one single moment’
While I was working on the farm, I was writing in my head. Every break time, every lunch after work, I would go straight to the page
Síomha Ní Ruairc: ‘It’s satisfying to see that I’ve physically made an extra Gaeilgeoir’
The How to Gael host on finding her tribe in the Irish language sector, and her new TG4 quizshow Slé Anois go Cúramach
Actor Gary Lydon: ‘There’s a spiritual feeling about Ireland you don’t get in other places’
Because of the likes of Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal people are taking notice. But you have to nurture Irish actors starting out too
Jessica Reynolds: ‘Being in the Kneecap film opened my eyes to my Irish identity’
Irish actor on growing up in Co Down, the film that changed everything, and her lead role in Channel 4’s A Woman of Substance
‘I was six when I decided I wanted to play rugby for Ireland... Beating New Zealand was the stuff you dream of’
Aoife Wafer on what’s it like to beat New Zealand, and the heartbreak of losing to France last year
Actor Caoilfhionn Dunne: ‘I have had trouble with my name for the past 41 years’
Filming Netflix series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast was a ‘dream job’ for the Dublin actor
‘Growing up I thought Ireland was boring. When I moved to the US that changed’
Molly Nic Céile creates Irish language videos for her Gaeilge i mo Chroí channels and teaches at the Irish Arts Centre in Manhattan
‘When my dream of escaping Ireland was over, I felt like I hit rock bottom’
A diagnosis of HIV at the age of 21 changed the course of Robbie Lawlor’s life
Seamus ‘Shambles’ McGoldrick: ‘In the past, Irish people focused on the land. We turned our back on the ocean’
Bodyboard champion Seamus McGoldrick on pioneering big-wave bodyboarding in Ireland and the art of forecasting
‘My images have appeared on billboards in Times Square, on the cover of Rolling Stone’
Photographer Christian Tierney has taken pictures of some of the world’s biggest music stars, including Drake, Dua Lipa, Hozier, Lewis Capaldi and Kendrick Lamar
Niamh Hargan: ‘I grew up in Derry with a noncomplex relationship with Irishness and identity’
‘I’m just wrecked all the time,’ says the author and entertainment lawyer of her hectic double life
‘In Ireland, we grew up not talking about sexual pleasure, about your vagina, your vulva, your testicles’
The Fabulous Pharmacist Laura Dowling is on a mission to open up the conversation about women’s bodies
‘Ireland is a great place to be a writer and to grow up. I’ve also had bad experiences’
Author Adiba Jaigirdar on her dual Irish and Bangladeshi identity, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and writing the books she wished she could have read growing up
Mary Reynolds: ‘My life is based around trying to remind people of what Ireland should look like’
Reynolds started the global movement We Are the ARK - or Acts of Restorative Kindness
Rónán Ó Snodaigh of Kíla: ‘When I was young the trend was to shut Gaeilge, nationalism and patriotism down’
The musician on growing up a Gaeilgeoir in ‘enemy territory’, deliberately couching his English in a Dublin vernacular, and his anti-arrogant approach to playing music
Sophie Anderton: Moving from London to Ireland is ‘the best thing that ever happened to me’
The former British supermodel on falling in love, moving to Glendalough Estate and becoming a countess
Daniel RTGame: I play video games on YouTube and now I own a house
Online gamer Daniel RTGame on building a YouTube following of 2.9 million, and how Joyce inspires him
Emmet Kirwan: ‘The best thing about Ireland is fair-mindedness. The worst? Putting bags of dog poo in a bush’
Actor and playwright on how his career path gave him the most focus and artistic satisfaction
Kathryn Thomas: ‘I was 21 and on TV, in a bikini, not having to deal with toxic scrutiny’
The broadcaster on getting her start, navigating her career and starting her new podcast
‘I had read Ulysses twice by the time I moved here. It was my idea of a fun read’
Founder of the Dublin Review reflects on its 100th issue, Ireland’s literary culture and his own journey
Hector Ó hEochagáin: ‘I’m a hippie. That’s why we live in Galway. It attracts bohemians’
Hector Ó hEochagáin, the presenter and author, on his love of the Irish language, life in the parish and a novel way to stop thumb-sucking
Jarlath Regan: I worked my tail off to bring my son home to experience school in Ireland
It was hard to leave Ireland without resentment – without a sense of why do I have to go?
Miss Universe Ireland: ‘Irish people are so laid back and carefree. That can also be a con’
Aadya Srivastava entered Miss Universe Ireland on a whim, seeing it as an opportunity to talk about racism and spread awareness
Martin ‘Beanz’ Warde: ‘I can speak with authority about being Irish, a Traveller and gay’
The comic and TV presenter on working with Des Bishop, being a Traveller comedian and seeing Ireland in a new light
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices