The Anglo-Irish relationship is best explained by a scene in Mad Men
The high-minded, snobbish claim that those on the right in Britain are above even thinking about Ireland is rather dishonest
Have podcasts like The Rest is History killed the ‘Dad Book’?
Non-fiction doorstoppers on war and politics are reportedly the most challenged segment of the book market
Dolly Parton’s death proves shared cultural reference points act as a social adhesive
Millennials, Gen Z and Boomers are united in their valorisation of the most popular woman in the world
We reached ‘peak-woke’ in 2020-2023. Today that looks ridiculous
Participants subtly try to distance themselves from their 2020-2023 behaviour in shaping groupthink mindset
How Jason Arday’s fabulous life and dramatic fall became a culture war battleground
Arday stands accused of being a charlatan, fabulist, plagiarist – allegations he denies. For Cambridge, it’s all a huge embarrassment
Ireland could look like paradise to England’s heat refugees
We are used to climate refugees escaping heat and floods - just not being uncomfortable British pensioners
The Odyssey is so conservative, I am half surprised it wasn’t written by Jacob Rees-Mogg
We have been told that the left’s grasp on the culture is all but total – yet the biggest film of the year is a Christian morality play
Why all the anti-Dublin bias?
Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford are fine, but none is a global city. Why, then, all the anti-Dublin bias?
The hosepipe snitches of suburban Ireland: It’s just not very ‘love thy neighbour’
Every country has its psychic hang-up. Is inter-citizen policing Ireland’s?
Why it’s totally fine to hate England during the World Cup
Such tournaments are an excuse to flaunt nationalistic tendencies in a low-stakes way
Summer beach read? ‘This novel is compatible with sand’ is hardly a great selling point
As we outsource more of our thinking to the machine I am increasingly convinced “mental effort” - including when it comes to reading - is not just useful but a moral good
Will Andy Burnham’s ‘business friendly socialism’ save Britain from Farage?
The greatest case people make for Burnham is that he will make the patriotic argument against Reform at the election
Could three glasses of wine derail your life? Only if you live like Steven Bartlett
And yes, I feel as stupid writing ‘looksmaxxing’ as you do reading it. But these ideas are not as novel as they seem
I’m with Andrew Scott and Phoebe Bridgers. If you’re at a gig, put your phone away
It is rude to go to a concert only to record the entire moment on your phone – it is isolating for everyone there too
The Leaving Cert is dense, demanding and far superior to the UK’s A-levels
With its seven, maybe eight subjects, the Leaving Cert cherishes the value of the generalist. In the UK, a 16-year-old may be studying just three