Could France go bust? One of Europe’s biggest economies has pimped itself out to the world – The Irish Times
“Gradually and then suddenly,” is how Ernest Hemingway described bankruptcy in his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises.…
How have the first 100 days of Pope Leo’s papacy gone? – The Irish Times
A week after he was elected 267th pontiff, Pope Leo XIV gathered the world’s ambassadors to the Holy…
So many jobs are a laughable waste of time. The greater part of any job is learning to look busy – The Irish Times
Lately I’ve been thinking about Sartre’s waiter. You might know the story. The philosopher is sitting in a…
A lesson from The Godfather as Wall Street backs crypto assets it once dismissed as a ‘fraud’ – The Irish Times
One of the joys of writing a weekly column is the unusual tributaries explored, often sparked by real-world…
What’s going on with Ireland’s failing septic tanks? – The Irish Times
For too long Ireland has had a poor record in making sure septic tanks operate properly and don’t…
anxious, jumpy and no country for young men or women – The Irish Times
Irish people are anxious and jumpy, with society at an increased risk of polarisation if geopolitical turbulence and…
real David Attenborough stuff’: thousands of young sharks discovered off Ireland’s west coast – The Irish Times
In the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, finding the precise area in the deep sea where young…
Why is Spain introducing tighter regulations for tourists? – The Irish Times
What are the new rules? As the winter ends, many of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations have been…
How can I see the rare alignment of six planets above Ireland on Saturday? – The Irish Times
Is there something unusual happening in our skies these nights? Yes indeed. A “rare event” in the night…
Raucous jays are the lovable gangsters of Ireland’s woodlands – The Irish Times
To be on this side of the winter solstice, however imperceptible the lengthening of the daylight hours, fills…
‘Ireland has been treated badly by the UK. It’s f**king shaming’ – The Irish Times
We are in the rarefied setting of a private members’ club on Pall Mall in central London. All…
‘Ireland is where the British created all their colonial methods, it’s where they tried it out first’ – The Irish Times
The late English novelist and playwright William Golding may appear an unlikely starting point for understanding the multiple…