Letters to the Editor, December 23rd: Sinn Féin’s electoral support, and crisis point for homecare system
The political dynamic has changed
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Elon Musk could soon be as rich as the Netherlands
Lesson of the 20th century was that when a critical mass of citizens feel the system is rigged against them, we encourage radical politics
A year of political drama and shocks nears its end
A look back at the year that was with elections at home and abroad and the ongoing war in Ukraine
It’s a pity more of us don’t identify with Scrooge, the skinflint who was capable of change
If even Ebenezer Scrooge can change, perhaps there is hope for the rest of us and for our planet
Pat Leahy: The informed sceptic’s guide to Irish politics
Wondering about how you’ll explain Irish politics to visiting foreign relatives – or to yourself? Wonder no more
By Pat Leahy
Aviation tycoon in major merger on Shrewsbury Road after buying €6.75m house next door
Plus: Derry Girls actress Siobhán McSweeney discontinues Liss Ard case, Denis O’Brien’s house fetches €3.26m and Imma patrons get to go away with the director
By Colin Coyle
The best theatre of 2024: Blessed are the risk-takers
Gambling on longer runs of unfamiliar work paid off in a gratifying number of cases. But Irish theatre still isn’t as inclusive as it should be
Top five Irish jazz albums of 2024, from Mary Coughlan to Adjunct Ensemble
‘Thank God I’m alive,’ Mary Coughlan sings on her album Repeat, Rewind. Hear, hear
The Oscars aren’t fair. Just look at what’s happening to Cillian Murphy
The actor’s performance in Small Things Like These seems perfectly positioned for an Academy Award nomination. So what’s gone wrong?
Television infidelity is apparently a real thing and can be a major cause of door slamming
Herself told her colleagues that she and I have our own TV shows, which we watch separately. Cue a sharp intake of breath
December’s YA picks: Genre fiction where horror tropes are subverted, thwarted and perpetuated
Including books by Susan Cahill; Bill Wood; Scarlett Dunmore; Rosie Talbot and Sarah Maxwell; and Bex Hogan
Dominique Pelicot and his co-defendants are not monsters, but something more frightening
Gisele Pelicot did not put herself through a ritual public skinning because she wanted to be some kind of icon. She did it to start a conversation
Darts is enjoying the Luke Littler effect, the gift that keeps on giving
The World Darts Championships may have outgrown the Ally Pally as its popularity continues to rise
By Denis Walsh
Much of what Irish emigrants prize in Australia can be found in Europe, but lazy logic gets in the way
Much of what Irish emigrants prize in Australia can be found in continental Europe. The only thing getting in our way is what’s euphemistically called ‘the language barrier’
By Derek Scally
Taylor Swift tops the economic charts, electoral victory for Centrist Dads and Apple’s awkward €13bn
If the 2024 election result marked stability, safety and conservatism, the biggest gig of the year underscored that same middle-brow innocuousness
The jawdropper, the quickest split, the good turn: Miriam Lord’s 2024 Political Awards
A political year of shocks and surprises somehow ended up as it began: with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in cahoots. The politician of the year may have had something to do with it
By Miriam Lord
The music of 2024: Our critics’ verdicts on the best albums and acts of the year
Fontaines DC top the 2024 Ticket critics’ choice lists, with Kneecap hot on their heels, but right across Irish music the profusion of excellence shows zero signs of stopping
The Fall of Man: a Christmas short story by Donal Ryan
From Tidings: An Anthology of New Irish Christmas Stories, edited by Seán Farrell and published by Lilliput Press
By Donal Ryan
Jones Engineering named in European Union data centre investigation
Competition authorities investigating ‘no poach’ deals and alleged breaches on competition law on construction projects
Kevin Power: Literary magazines are all the more vital for operating off the commercial grid
This rich universe of words includes The Stinging Fly, Banshee, Ragaire, Splonk, Sonder, The Four-Faced Liar, The Pig’s Back, Profiles and Southword
By Kevin Power
Sorcha is standing at the island with a boning knife in one hand and an espresso in the other, grinning at us like a serial killer
She’s preparing a 15-bird roast for her old pair the week before Christmas, and I can already feel the tension coming off her
Letters to the Editor, December 21st: mental health services for children and young people, climate crisis, and mistletoe
Children can fall through the cracks of a disjointed system
Caricature and the Irish: Satirical Prints from the Library of Trinity College, Dublin c 1780-1830
This selection provides a stimulating guide to the collection of graphic satire engravings assembled by Nicholas K Robinson, one of Ireland’s less well-known cultural treasures
By James Kelly
Eve in Ireland: Controlling and Silencing Irish Women, 1922-1972 by Ailish McFadden
A distillation of considerable source material to produce this riveting overview leavened by an edge of personal reflection
By Adrienne Murphy
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