Is Game of Thrones still brave enough to kill main characters?When did we last lose a hero or antihero? The series needs to rediscover its bloodlustMon Aug 07 2017 - 12:04
Harry Potter: is there a less appealing fictional character?Celebrated from birth as ‘special’, he’s a Millennial stereotype and a bad role-model for kidsMon Jul 31 2017 - 06:00
U2’s albums ranked from worst to bestThe band are about to perform The Joshua Tree in Croke Park, so where does it stand in the canon?Tue Jul 18 2017 - 12:00
In praise of Chris de Burgh, musical geniusThe singer’s finest songs demolish the caricature that he’s just a Daniel O’Donnell for Dart users. Indeed, if ever an artist was ripe for rehabilitation it is de BurghSat Apr 15 2017 - 06:00
We're living through the drippy Ed Sheeran era – where did the bad boys go?When a 'milksop mewler' like Sheeran is ubiquitous it makes you yearn for the anti-heroes like Pete DohertyThu Mar 23 2017 - 06:00
‘My coping mechanism for stress? I pull my own hair out tuft by tuft’A new book argues that obsessive compulsive behaviour – from wall punching to hair pulling – offers emotional releaseThu Mar 02 2017 - 09:00
Are you an introvert? The Trump era could be your momentIn these brutish times, it’s become fashionable to turn inwards. And introversion can be a gift not a burden.Fri Feb 17 2017 - 06:00
Great adaptations? Books coming to a screen near youFrom Silence to Trainspotting 2, here’s what to look out for in 2017Mon Jan 16 2017 - 06:00
I blame Star Wars for science fiction’s downfallIf 2001: A Space Odyssey was deeply inquisitive and soulful, as the best science fiction often is, Star Wars was the worst thing to befall the genreWed Dec 14 2016 - 06:00
How science fiction predicted President Trump: a warning from alternate historyOctavia Butler’s Parable of Talents, Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America, Philip K Dick’s The Man In The High Castle and Robert Heinlein’s Starship TroopersFri Nov 11 2016 - 16:06
Harry Potter and the boy wizard traditionThe parallels between Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea and JK Rowling’s creation are striking, part of a tradition of boy wizards in fantasy fiction dating back to CS LewisSun Jul 31 2016 - 08:00
Fantasy fiction: From the edge of heaven to the gates of hellReviews: ‘Edge of Heaven’, ‘The Fireman’, ‘The Paper Menagerie’, ‘The City of Mirrors’Sat Jul 09 2016 - 01:11
Game of Thrones would be nothing without TolkienA Song of Ice and Fire is fundamentally un-Tolkienesque – heroes die, villains prosper – but George RR Martin is a self-proclaimed fan of the Lord of the RingsMon Jun 27 2016 - 15:03
Put down that PlayStation: the ‘gamebook’ is backFighting Fantasy inculcated in me a lifelong love of reading and a lifelong hatred of orcs guarding chests of gold. I’m not aloneTue May 24 2016 - 16:59
Game of Thrones superior to Lord of the Rings? It’s a fantasyGeorge RR Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire is seen as mature, complex and reflective of real life, but Lord of The Rings is felt to be fusty, puritanical and moralistic. WrongMon Apr 11 2016 - 11:17
‘What are the tingles in my head?’ The strange subculture of ASMRPeople with autonomous sensory meridian response get tingles when they hear certain sounds. It has spawned an industry in unusual YouTube videosThu Feb 18 2016 - 06:00
Board games come out of the closetForget the boredom-in-a-box games of your youth: the exciting new breed have names such as Zombicide, Shadows of Brimstone and Kingdom Death: MonsterWed Feb 03 2016 - 11:00
Did Philip K Dick dream of electric sheep? Much worseThe ‘Blade Runner’ author was a paid-up member of the tin-foil hat brigadeFri Jan 15 2016 - 15:48
HP Lovecraft: love the craft, loathe the creedStephen King and Neil Gaiman are disciples of this master of horror but his racism has alienated many. Ed Power says we should not let this colour our judgment of his writingFri Jan 08 2016 - 11:00
Best adapted screenplay? Please! Let’s hear it for the movie tie-in novelStar Wars: The Force Awakens is the first of the franchise not to have the tie-in book published in advance. Ed Power charts the decline of a once loved but neglected genreWed Dec 16 2015 - 11:10
The perfect smile is possible with a high price tagTeeth whitening: The perfect smile once required lucky genes and a cautious dietTue Jul 26 2005 - 01:00
Trinity targets student stress during health weekCollege initiative: Student life is often portrayed as an endless round of partying, interspersed with the occasional lecture…Tue Apr 19 2005 - 01:00
When learning to drive becomes almost child's playAn initiative to get young people learning to drive safely and in proper conditions has got under way at Mondello Park, writes…Wed Jan 05 2005 - 00:00
Ireland leading EU in percentage of entrepreneursIreland tops the European Union in a new study of entrepreneurial activity but still lags behind the US. Some 7Wed Jul 07 2004 - 01:00
SFA chief calls for spending restraintSmall-business leaders have urged the Government to face down a backbench clamour for spending increases in the wake of its disastrous…Wed Jul 07 2004 - 01:00
Manufacturing output rises for tenth monthManufacturing showed further growth in June, but the rate of improvement slowed compared to the previous month, according to …Fri Jul 02 2004 - 01:00
PIAB contract creates 25 jobs for Cork firmTwenty-five jobs are to be created at an outsourcing centre in west Cork, which will process queries on behalf of the Personal…Tue May 18 2004 - 01:00
For that perfect rapport on holiday try a gadget or twoNothing drowns out the hubbub of real life like the soulless hum oftechnology - which is why clever gadgets make perfect holidaychums…Thu Aug 28 2003 - 01:00
Caldwell leaves chief executive post at KBC Asset ManagementThe founder of KBC Asset Management, Mr Gavin Caldwell, has stepped down as chief executive but will remain at the investment…Wed Aug 27 2003 - 01:00
Convictions for company law offences fall sharplyConvictions for company law offences fell markedly last year amid a crackdown on regulatory breaches by the newly established…Tue Aug 19 2003 - 01:00
NI business activity hits nine-month highBusiness activity in Northern Ireland hit a nine-month high in July as demand for products accelerated markedly, according to…Tue Aug 12 2003 - 01:00
Bank of Ireland dismisses UK properties' saleSpeculation that Bank of Ireland is on the brink of disposing of its British property holdings in a €700 million sale-and-lease…Tue Aug 12 2003 - 01:00
Independent appoints civil servant to boardIndependent News & Media (IN&M) has appointed a senior civil servant to its board in a non-executive capacitySat Aug 09 2003 - 01:00
Aegon's revenues in UK and Republic slumpDutch insurance giant Aegon has reported a slump in revenues at its Irish and British operations to €58 million for the first…Fri Aug 08 2003 - 01:00
Authority calls for end to limits on engineer advertsEngineers should be allowed freely advertise their services, the Competition Authority said yesterday.Wed Aug 06 2003 - 01:00
Depfa expresses interest in metroDepfa, the public sector finance bank which recently moved its headquarters to Dublin, indicated yesterday it would be interested…Wed Aug 06 2003 - 01:00
Bord na Mona profits rise 12.6%Bord na Móna net profits climbed 12.6 per cent to €18Tue Jul 29 2003 - 01:00
Musgrave pre-tax profits rise 22% to EUR57.6mMusgrave, the retail group that owns Supervalu and Centra, has reported a 22 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to €57Fri Jul 25 2003 - 01:00
Major act pulls out but show is still set to rockOne of the major acts at the Witnness rock festival which starts in Co Kildare today has pulled out of the event after its frontman…Sat Jul 12 2003 - 01:00
Fans urged to arrive early at WitnnessRock-music fans attending this weekend's Witnness festival at Punchestown racecourse, Co Kildare, have been urged to arrive early…Fri Jul 11 2003 - 01:00
Entrepreneur award shortlist announcedTwenty four Irish business people have been short-listed for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awardMon Jun 16 2003 - 01:00
Choice pays EUR35m to Gresham for three Ryan hotelsThe Gresham Group ended months of speculation yesterday when it confirmed it had sold the loss-making Ryan chain to Choice Hotels…Tue Jun 10 2003 - 01:00
Online recruiters buck downturnOne of the Republic's most high-profile online recruitment agencies shrugged off the downturn yesterday to report a 50 per cent…Tue Jun 10 2003 - 01:00
Breast implant centre set to create 200 jobsTwo hundred jobs will be created by US-based Inamed Corporation at its silicone breast implant manufacturing centre in Arklow…Wed Apr 30 2003 - 01:00
Services sector pay up 11% last year - surveyServices sector pay climbed almost 11 per cent last year, according to the Small Firms AssociationWed Apr 23 2003 - 01:00
Entrepreneurs face historic opportunities, says SmurfitThe current economic climate presents aspiring entrepreneurs with unprecedented opportunities, Dr Michael Smurfit, chairman of…Wed Apr 09 2003 - 01:00
Confidence in IT skills training plungesThe recently published Information Society Commission survey of business attitudes towards computers in the workplace will never…Fri Apr 04 2003 - 01:00
Eircom's competitiveness claim contestedA senior official with telecommunications regulator, ComReg, told an Oireachtas committee that international research suggested…Thu Mar 20 2003 - 00:00
FLS reports Eur15m fall at Irish divisionFLS Aerospace has reported a €15 million fall in turnover at its Irish division last yearThu Mar 06 2003 - 00:00
Want to clout a celebrity? Then climb aboard the Net surferWEBSITES: Have keyboard will travel: the virtual world of the Internet offers an entertaining way to get away from it all at…Tue Aug 27 2002 - 01:00
