Ireland’s 1961 application to join EEC fraught with fear of rejectionIn reversal of Brexit scenario, State concern was Irish exclusion but UK acceptance in EECTue Nov 13 2018 - 05:00
Letters show O’Brien had UN authority for actions in KatangaDisastrous intervention in Congo led to former special representative being disowned and criticisedTue Nov 13 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Sinn Féin and DUP put party before people on BrexitDelicate compromise not bullying is key to securing agreement on UK withdrawalThu Nov 08 2018 - 05:00
Peter Casey’s success shows Irish media and politicians need to get realStephen Collins: Political maverick is likely to be forgotten quickly but lessons must be learnedThu Nov 01 2018 - 05:00
Casey phenomenon no harbinger of new form of populist politicsLate surge in support tapped into segment of Irish electorate prepared to rebel regularlyMon Oct 29 2018 - 06:00
Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney need to shut up on BrexitStephen Collins: Taoiseach’s taunting is hindering May’s chances of getting a good dealThu Oct 25 2018 - 08:58
Stephen Collins: How the truth became irrelevant to Frances Fitzgerald’s fateOnce the opposition and media set off down a false trail her resignation was inevitableThu Oct 18 2018 - 05:00
Next election may show Fine Gael has misjudged public mood againStephen Collins: Government puts self-interest over national interest on carbon taxThu Oct 11 2018 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Ireland's bank guarantee workedMain political parties have paid a high price for doing the right thingThu Oct 04 2018 - 05:00
State still cannot bring itself to honour the memory of RIC menNo formal acknowledgement of sacrifice made by RIC and DMP menThu Sept 27 2018 - 05:00
Wariness of ‘perfidious Albion’ complicates Brexit talksStephen Collins: Both sides are reluctant to accept assurances without precise legal backingThu Sept 20 2018 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Death of rural Ireland is a mythPainting changes in lifestyle as rural neglect could lead to wrong policy decisionsThu Sept 13 2018 - 05:00
Leo Varadkar looks to be preparing the ground for an early electionStephen Collins: Taoiseach knows he is vulnerable once the budget is passedThu Sept 06 2018 - 05:00
Attacks on cancer-screening programme threaten the lives of thousands of womenOpportunistic politicians, the media and medical negligence solicitors putting scheme at riskThu Aug 09 2018 - 05:00
Higgins’s campaign will be a careful balancing actStephen Collins: President must balance decorum of office against campaigningThu Aug 02 2018 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Varadkar’s future may hang on Micheál MartinEverything is at stake for FG and FF leaders as confidence-and-supply nears its endThu Jul 26 2018 - 06:38
Crisis? What crisis? Why Varadkar’s right not to panic about BrexitStephen Collins: Ireland needs to remain calm while preparing for the worstThu Jul 19 2018 - 05:00
The time for Irish grandstanding on Brexit is overVaradkar will face strong pressure if he has to compromise on border backstopThu Jul 12 2018 - 05:00
Stephen Collins: Reaction to Drew Harris exposes SF hollow rhetoricMany who aspire to united Ireland raced to undermine new Garda CommissionerThu Jul 05 2018 - 01:00
Danube Delta Letter: Romania echoes Ireland of 1950sRomania needs EU investment to develop tourism and its natural resourcesSun Jun 24 2018 - 19:04
Stephen Collins: Royals have important role to play in political relationsPrince Charles’s visit comes as Brexit creates rift between Irish and British governmentsThu Jun 21 2018 - 01:00
Chaos in Westminster sees prospect of hard Brexit recedeSquaring Border circle remains one of the most intractable elements of negotiationsThu Jun 14 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Maybe Theresa May has a cunning Brexit planPrime minister could be playing waiting game comparable with Jack Lynch during arms crisisThu Jun 07 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Varadkar deserves credit for referendum landslideAbortion result strengthens Taoiseach’s hand before coming general electionThu May 31 2018 - 01:00
Thirty-five years of war: Bitter legacy of Eighth AmendmentThe abortion issue has convulsed the country repeatedly since the 1983 referendumMon May 28 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Fine Gael may rue getting into bed with Sinn FéinAlignment with SF on judicial appointments to placate Shane Ross threatens democracyThu May 24 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Health service a political football yet againState healthcare decisions must be on basis of facts not political advantage or emotionThu May 17 2018 - 01:00
Economy in danger as Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil fight over budgetPoliticians struggle to resist temptation of repeating past mistakes despite crashThu May 10 2018 - 10:50
Stephen Collins: Dublin may have to compromise on BorderGovernment’s EU-backed approach to date correct but not without risk of chaosThu May 03 2018 - 01:00
Varadkar should go to the country after the abortion referendumStephen Collins: Waiting for his opponents to pull the election trigger looks too riskyThu Apr 26 2018 - 01:00
How should Ireland respond to Emmanuel Macron’s plans to reform Europe?Important that French president be backed as a bastion of decency and moderationThu Apr 19 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Varadkar and Coveney wasting time on talk of Irish unityDavis wrong on Sinn Féin influence but Fine Gael must focus on pragmatic Brexit resultsThu Apr 12 2018 - 01:00
Blair and Ahern urge governments to end NI impasseBelfast Agreement 20 years on: Bill Clinton warns ‘paralysis’ cannot go on indefinitely without endangering agreementTue Apr 10 2018 - 01:01
Ahern says Stormont agreement could be possible by end of MayFormer taoiseach says governments must work hard to bring North’s parties togetherTue Apr 10 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: politicians should look at a plastic bottle refund schemeObjections from drinks companies and supermarkets should not prevent reformThu Apr 05 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: It has not been a great week for politics or the mediaPoliticians and journalists have managed to undermine people’s confidence in their integrityThu Mar 29 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Soft Brexit looking more likelyTrying to use Border to block progress on wider issues would have risked own goalThu Mar 22 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: It is no surprise unionists suspect a conspiracyTaoiseach and Ministers have not taken enough account of how approach is perceived in NorthThu Mar 15 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Michael D Higgins should have attended John Redmond eventRefusal casts doubt on ability to represent different strands of IrishnessThu Mar 08 2018 - 09:48
Barnier has made Border the central plank in his negotiating strategyThere is now a better chance than a few months ago that advocates of a soft Brexit will prevailThu Mar 01 2018 - 01:00
Political posturing order of day as FG and FF position themselves for autumn electionReal surprise is how closely aligned Government has become with SFThu Feb 22 2018 - 01:00
Ireland would do well not to take democracy for grantedStephen Collins: State’s early years avoided tyranny but Sinn Féin stance may pose threatThu Feb 15 2018 - 01:00
Ireland’s future cannot be held to ransom by rural interestsStephen Collins: National development plan must not be derailed by political cowardiceThu Feb 08 2018 - 01:00
Hogan says a border in Ireland is inevitable if UK leaves customs unionEU agriculture commissioner says really tough Brexit negotiations have yet to comeThu Feb 01 2018 - 17:58
Stephen Collins: Britain’s fate is in the hands of Tory diehardsLike the Ditchers of 100 years ago, right-wing Conservatives are prepared to put the UK’s interests at riskThu Feb 01 2018 - 01:00
Stephen Collins: Sinn Féin appears to have lost directionIf party can do deal with DUP it can realistically aspire to be in government in RepublicThu Jan 25 2018 - 01:00
Leo Varadkar’s subtle strategy persuades waverers on Eighth AmendmentTaoiseach had clear idea from beginning where he wanted to go on abortionThu Jan 18 2018 - 01:00
Sutherland never quite got recognition at home he deservedMost profound impact was role he played in creation today’s global economyThu Jan 11 2018 - 01:00
Kennedy’s inquiries about cabinet committee in North caused alarm‘It is important we press to have questions disallowed wherever possible,’ official advisedSat Dec 30 2017 - 00:15
Haughey told Thatcher that Ireland was financially ‘up against the wall’State Papers 1987: Then taoiseach jokingly asked for loan of ‘£2bn or so’ from British PMFri Dec 29 2017 - 00:35
