This week, the CSO suggested that the population could grow to seven million as early as 2057. If we add to that the population of the North, we are close to nine million. Their figures indicate that the labour force itself is set to expand by the entire existing population of Dublin over the next 14 years. What is the plan? What is the new Irish growth idea? David McWilliams believes the only way Ireland can sustain and profit from all this new talent is if we create, side-by-side with the multinational sector, a thriving small business sector, jammed with small, vibrant, locally-owned, innovative companies. But, he acknowledges, this is harder said than done.
Amid violent scenes outside a property earmarked for international protection applicants in Dublin, the sharp edge of an Irish anti-immigrant campaign was again on display this week. Conor Gallagher reports this weekend on the growing international network of so-called “active clubs”, of which an Irish group has recently been established. Founded by Robert Rundo, a violent neo-Nazi from the United States, the Active Club movement mixes extreme right-wing positions with a focus on masculinity and physical fitness, particularly mixed martial arts.
In opinion, Ciaran O’Connor tackles the events in Coolock vis-a-vis internet disinformation. What happened this week resulted from years of social neglect and poor government policies, he writes. But it must also be viewed through the lens of online disinformation. There are understandable reasons why some may oppose an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Coolock. Not all protesters are mobilised by lies and propaganda. Yet, it’s clear others have been radicalised in information environments where inflammatory claims portraying migrants as inherently dangerous are common.
Croke Park, meanwhile, will today host the novel pairing of Clare and Cork in this year’s All-Ireland hurling final. After two blistering semi-finals, 2024 is the first year in a long while where neither Limerick nor Kilkenny have made it to hurling’s biggest day. In our build-up coverage, Denis Walsh interviews legendary former Cork manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy who was at the helm 11 years ago when the counties last met in an All-Ireland decider. Clare came out on top in a replay that year and it’s a defeat that has stuck with Barry-Murphy. “The one I really do regret is 2013. I wake up every morning and think about that. I do. It would have been a sensational All-Ireland for Cork given where we came from,” he says. Meanwhile, Seán Moran has written a profile on Tony Kelly, Clare’s talismanic veteran. Kelly was there that last time the Banner won an All-Ireland and if he plays to his potential this afternoon, he could very possibly add another winner’s medal to his collection.
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But when you’re dealing with failure, all of the decisions you made up to that point come into pin-sharp focus. Could you have done something differently? Something better? What should you do next? But while failure can be horrendous, for many people it can be a time of learning and growth. In the magazine, some well-known Irish people such as Tara Flynn Colum McCann and Derval O’Rourke discuss the topic of failure and how to fail better.
In culture, we review new books by Tom Lamont, Coco Mellors and Rose Ruane. Freya McClements interviews poet Michael Longley, who says “most men don’t like intelligent women. I just hang on their every word”. And to go with that we also have a poem by Longley, Mariners. Donald Clarke, meanwhile, interviews The Crown star Emma Corin, who is having a blast in Deadpool & Wolverine. “I’m striving to find a sense of challenge. There is real excitement in delving into unknown waters,” she says. And, on media, Hugh Linehan takes aim at “citizen journalism”. It began as the high idealism of Arab Spring-style community reporting but has soured into the preserve of right-wing provocateurs. Show me “citizen journalism” and I’ll show you a rat’s nest of some of the most noxious people around, he says.
In Life & Style, Roe McDermott takes a question from a married couple in their late sixties who feel they need some more help with arousal and want to know where to start when it comes to exploring erotica.
In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Dominic Coyle says the Airbnb backlash will be bad news for Irish holidaymakers. Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.
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