New Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan has inherited two pressing issues. His record doesn’t instil confidence
Ireland’s cultural sector was hoping for an inspiring choice of Minister. Instead it’s faced with Trumpian weave
Donald Trump’s week: ‘manifest destiny’, overseas expansion and planting the American flag on Mars
Alongside the aggression, sarcasm and triumphalism, there were hints of the techno-imperialism that has recently been added to the Maga mix
US culture is making a U-turn. Be prepared to feel the illiberal backlash in Ireland
The past few months also illustrate how shallow the diversity agenda has been, particularly in the corporate world
‘Meta sees me as a golden goose.’ How Zuckerberg’s AI creations went rogue and gave the game away
Facebook and Instagram have pulled the plug on AI avatars Grandpa Brian and Liv but their successors will soon flood our lives with lies on a hitherto unimaginable scale
Dismayed by pop culture’s shift towards Trump? Then you might be one of the people to blame
Progressive principles held an iron grip on big-budget US entertainment in Donald Trump’s first term as US president. Did that serve those principles well?
One of Stanley Kubrick’s greatest films was made free to watch on YouTube. It’s a sign of the trouble movie studios are in
Warner Bros’ experiment with Barry Lyndon and Michael Collins is a sign of its contortions as it tries to reshape itself to modern viewing habits
Jeff Bezos might not be to blame, but Amazon’s Prime Video has made a mess of a Christmas classic
The streamer’s cut version of It’s a Wonderful Life is an abomination – but perhaps not a woke bowdlerisation of the original
Donald Trump, millennials and vegans: An A-Z guide on Christmas conversation killers
Our essential guide includes advice on what to say – and what not to say – if you want to make it unscathed through Christmas Day with family and loved ones
Why do so many news sites look so boringly similar? Because they have to play by Google and Meta’s rules
But that hegemony will end, perhaps soon. If you value good journalism and good design, give someone you love a newspaper subscription this Christmas
Bluesky may be in danger of becoming Elon Musk’s black mirror
Wokeism (as it doesn’t like to be called) and the reactionary right each propose a way of seeing the world as it ‘really’ is
Catherine Martin has been the most consequential minister for culture since Michael D Higgins
The outgoing Green Party TD delivered on her predecessors’ promises to address Ireland’s woeful shortfall when it comes to supporting cultural activity
Beneath the vote for stability and small-c conservatism, darker currents are stirring
Our system of PR is praised for incentivising consensus and civility. But it can also lead to entropy – a gradual decline into uncertainty and disorder
‘Serial evasion’ and ‘brittle impatience’: Our writers give their verdict on the leaders’ debate
General election: Three writers analyse debate between Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin
America’s system of checks and balances will be severely tested by Trump’s presidency
With a supreme court majority sympathetic both to Republican policies and to a more expansive definition of presidential power, the new administration will have nearly all the tools it needs
Cillian Murphy’s Small Things Like These has become a cause celebre of the Make Ireland Great Again brigade
Cillian Murphy probably didn’t expect to be taken literally when he compared Ireland in the 1980s to the dark ages, but that is where we are now