This is educational television for people who wrongly imagine it would be nice to return to naturePatrick Freyne: In the reality show Alone, one survivalist wants to ‘see what I’m made of’. Perhaps the bears can helpFri Aug 11 2023 - 05:00
Stare at the Met Éireann app saying ‘ochón’: How to survive a wet Irish bank holiday weekendBarack Obama Plaza , Center Parcs, the Galway Races ... they’re all part of what we are, writes Patrick FreyneFri Aug 04 2023 - 09:15
Nobody says: ‘Now between you and me, the Burren is a bit of a hole. It’s just rocks’Patrick Freyne: We’re here to watch diverting colourful antics involving nice bubbly people because life is hard and we’ve suffered enoughFri Aug 04 2023 - 05:00
From Twitter to X – and other brand changes that still bother usHere at The Irish Times, we like things to stay the same and look back fondly to a time of Marathon bars, Telecom Éireann and WindscaleSat Jul 29 2023 - 06:00
‘It’s a huge relief’: Tathony House residents react as eviction notices are ruled to be ‘invalid’Residents express relief and remain hopeful Dublin City Council may purchase Dublin 8 apartment blockFri Jul 28 2023 - 14:33
If Angela Scanlon offers to take you to your forever home, do not get in the car. It’s a Goodfellas situationPatrick Freyne: Agent Scanlon is proceeding successfully with her mission to destabilise the British housing marketFri Jul 28 2023 - 05:00
‘The English language is spoken all over the globe,’ booms Michael Portillo, skilfully swerving the reasonsThe cuddly Conservative booms for Britain as he travels the UK meeting ordinary people for the first timeFri Jul 21 2023 - 05:00
The future of RTÉ, by Mark Little, Larry Bass and more After weeks of tumult at the national broadcaster, television industry insiders give their views about what the future of RTÉ should look likeSun Jul 16 2023 - 06:00
Jarlath Regan: ‘I just love being back in Ireland. I struggled being away’The Irish comedian, who grew up in Kildare, made a career out of being an ‘Irishman Abroad’ with his hit podcast. Now, he’s moved back to IrelandSat Jul 15 2023 - 06:00
You know the way TDs say ‘Renault’? That’s kind of how to pronounce the Witcher’s name too Patrick Freyne: In Netflix’s fantasy series a witcher is a job, with a high-points course you can probably still do at Trinity College DublinFri Jul 14 2023 - 05:00
Colm Meaney: ‘We’ve got to get these f**kers out – Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’Colm Meaney discovered politics as a teenager, up against the forces of John Charles McQuaid. Since then, he has relished combining activism with actingSat Jul 08 2023 - 05:00
What About Men?: Caitlin Moran’s latest book could have broadened its scope beyond her social circle Caitlin Moran’s feminist exploration of men in crisis shows empathy and insight, but when interviewing men, she rarely strays beyond her immediate circle of friendsSat Jul 08 2023 - 05:00
Victoria Amelina: She wanted us to grasp what was happening in her country, and she was unforgettableUkrainian writer, who documented the war in her country, died from injuries sustained by Russian shellingSat Jul 08 2023 - 05:00
Patrick Freyne: My favourite TV shows of 2023 so far, from murderous Barry to Succession’s squabbling bratsIt has been a fine year on the telly with some memorable dramas and comediesFri Jul 07 2023 - 05:00
BBC’s deceitful robot animals are an ethical nightmare and have made me suspicious of the humans in my lifeDeceitful robots hoodwink and toy with the affections of blameless sea beasts with David Tennant’s tacit approvalFri Jun 30 2023 - 05:30
Anna Nolan: ‘The effect of being on a reality TV show unfolds over the years... I definitely went through a depression’ The nun turned Big Brother participant has finally found her comfort zone behind the TV cameraSun Jun 25 2023 - 05:00
Prisoner literacy: ‘When you pick up a book you’re not thinking of being locked in the cell’Literacy ambassadors say they tell prisoners: ‘It’s not like learning when we were in school. It’s completely different’Sat Jun 24 2023 - 05:00
Ireland’s first Pride parade, 40 years ago: ‘We had to suffer the beatings, the spittings, the jeerings, just for the right to walk down the street holding hands’To mark the 40th anniversary of Ireland’s first official Pride parade, Patrick Freyne and Una Mullally hear the stories of some of the people who took partFri Jun 23 2023 - 05:30
The hunks of Love Island today seem like pale imitations of the Love Island hunks of yore Patrick Freyne: These newcomers are but hunk-shaped shadows on the wall of Plato’s cave. They’re like hunky ashes in my mouthFri Jun 23 2023 - 05:00
Like Scooby-Doo and The A-Team, Dermot Bannon is up there with the best crime-solving TV shows Patrick Freyne: A compelling protagonist going from town to town solving crimes is my favourite TV tropeFri Jun 16 2023 - 05:23
Christy Dignam, despite everything, never stopped singing and never lost his connection to his audiencePatrick Freyne: The Aslan frontman had remained a stalwart of Ireland’s music scene despite his extensive medical treatmentTue Jun 13 2023 - 17:35
The Idol: Lily-Rose Depp looks like she’s acting in a perfume ad that was banned for being too stupidPatrick Freyne: Johnny Depp’s daughter gets off with a charismatic sex pest played by The Weeknd in a by-the-numbers industry satireFri Jun 09 2023 - 05:01
Arnie is back in Fubar, which sounds like somewhere Johnny Ronan might have dined with Irish models circa 2005Patrick Freyne: It was inevitable Arnold Schwarzenegger would return to murder people while saying catchphrases in a flat monotoneFri Jun 02 2023 - 05:06
Facing eviction from Tathony House: ‘Not-very-militant people have been forced to do militant things’Since being informed their landlord wanted to sell last October, several Tathony House residents are still occupying flats and protesting the evictionSat May 27 2023 - 05:00
Don’t force the audience to clap in time. Plus nine other golden Late Late rules for Patrick Kielty to live byPatrick Freyne: It’s Ryan Tubridy’s final Late Late Show tonight. Here’s everything the new host needs to know for guaranteed successFri May 26 2023 - 05:00
Love triangles are too simple for Below Deck Sailing Yacht, where no one could stay a virgin for longPatrick Freyne: We frequently watch the crew in grainy night vision while they share berths and snog. This is fine. I’m sure it’s healthy for usFri May 19 2023 - 05:00
Eurovision final 2023: Blood and glitter, a middle finger and Edgar Allan Partridge. It’s magnificentPatrick Freyne: This year’s trends are tethering your dancers, starting your song lying down, and no longer being maligned as silly and uncoolSun May 14 2023 - 00:53
I’m a Celebrity ... South Africa is a bit like Apocalypse Now – but with a darker messagePatrick Freyne: The deathless TV franchise will eventually come with more skulls on spikes, I’m sureFri May 12 2023 - 04:58
‘After years saying ‘This eejit again’, your Da is clearly the best person for The Late Late Show’Patrick Freyne: Yes, this was always Gay Byrne’s show, but I do have some thoughts as to who the next host should beTue May 09 2023 - 16:39
King Charles is a walking, breathing, polo-playing mascot for a gloomy nationPatrick Freyne: Britain’s new monarch is speaking his truths. I’m reaching for my truth in the thatch as I watchFri May 05 2023 - 05:00
‘Thank you for your understanding’: Patrick Freyne’s battle to make sense of ChatGPTWith the potential for AI to reshape how we all live our lives, and for millions of jobs to be lost to automation, there are much bigger issues at stakeSat Apr 29 2023 - 05:30
Gordon Ramsay: Some day man’s ancient dreams will be realised and we will know for sure what he smells ofPatrick Freyne: Merely seeing the celebrity chef conjures up the rich musk of an expensive aftershaveFri Apr 28 2023 - 05:30
Aoife Barry: ‘The structure and the inbuilt rules in each [platform] dictate how you perform your personality there’Journalist reflects on her ‘troubled relationship’ with the internet, including being harassed by a man who was subsequently jailedSat Apr 22 2023 - 05:00
‘I would like you to stop talking so tragically about your life,’ Chris Eubank hisses at GazzaPatrick Freyne: On Scared of the Dark, Danny Dyer has locked eight celebs in a pitch-black bunker. He’s basically the angel of deathFri Apr 21 2023 - 05:00
Country star Philomena Begley on performing at 80: ‘It’s my life and my medication’The Queen of Country, who will feature on a new range of An Post stamps, is grateful to still be singing at her ageSat Apr 15 2023 - 05:00
Patrick Freyne: The main thing I’m learning from Obsession is that having an affair is way easier than I thoughtPatrick Freyne: Yes, it’s the 1980s again, baby, with Netflix’s erotic thriller Obsession breathlessly leading the wayFri Apr 14 2023 - 05:00
‘Are you really a hit man?’ the Kinsellas would ask, and I’d admit I haven’t killed even one measly personPatrick Freyne: It’s always crime with the Kin family. If they’re not in the process of criming, they’re talking about crimes of the past and futureFri Apr 07 2023 - 05:00
Baz Ashmawy: Growing up mixed race, people would remind me, ‘You’re not Irish’The TV presenter reflects on future ambitions, growing up ‘different’ in Ireland, the challenges of fatherhood - and regrets over his relationship with his own dadSat Apr 01 2023 - 07:00
A mortgage-free woman in a rotting wedding dress? Absolute legendSteven Knight’s new BBC version of Great Expectations is like a Burt Bacharach song covered by a good metal bandFri Mar 31 2023 - 05:00
Eviction stories: ‘There’s nothing out there… I really, really don’t see how we’re going to find a flat’Threshold has received queries from 1,853 renters who face eviction once the ban liftsSat Mar 25 2023 - 05:00
People have started to talk like professional wrestlers, and there’s no going backPatrick Freyne: Rise and Fall, Channel 4′s new reality show, will be studied by political scientists for yearsFri Mar 24 2023 - 05:45
Deadly Conversations: ‘Do they want a burial? Do they want to be cremated?’The cafe that carves out a space where people are welcome to talk about feelings of grief and lossSat Mar 18 2023 - 05:00
Patrick Freyne: When Brad’s Penis pops up, I welcome him like he’s Norm from CheersBrad’s Penis is the most compelling character on Sex/Life, back on Netflix after two years. Presumably everyone involved needed time to rehydrateFri Mar 17 2023 - 05:45
Photos of 50 Patricks: ‘As an Irish man you get the Paddy thing thrown at you’Photographer Ross O’Callagahan has captured an array of Patricks, Paddys and Pats in their natural habitatsSat Mar 11 2023 - 06:00
Gary Younge interview: ‘My mum was a single parent with three kids and therefore we were supposed to be into drugs’Gary Younge observes how attitudes to race are changing in Ireland, Britain and elsewhereSat Mar 11 2023 - 05:00
Why We Sing by Julia Hollander: Passionate about the power of singingA chapter by chapter account of the very specific ways singing has affected this author’s lifeFri Mar 10 2023 - 04:43
‘Before I would have held my husband’s hand walking around the streets. But now I wouldn’t’A recent report found that 2022 was ‘the most violent year’ for LGBTQ+ people across Europe and Central Asia in the past decadeSat Mar 04 2023 - 05:00
The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda are back with a bunch of space Enoch BurkesPatrick Freyne: The Disney+ series is a delightful, morally simple adventure, like Rawhide or The Incredible HulkFri Mar 03 2023 - 05:00
Why is the apparently harmless idea of 15-minute cities exercising conspiracy theorists?An urban-planning concept that we should have everything we need within easy reach of our homes is now being presented as an Orwellian nightmareSat Feb 25 2023 - 05:00
‘I’m supersexy. I don’t have to try real hard if I’m honest’: Perfect Match is remarkably like my own lifePatrick Freyne: Many people are now trapped in a cycle of reality-television dating shows, and even more people are trapped watching itFri Feb 24 2023 - 05:00
