Across:
8 Speculator misses cues (‘speculator’ misses ‘cues’ = plator = PATROL) provided by those doing the monitoring (PATROL),
9 Creditor (creditor = DIRECTOR) breakdown (= anagram indicator) produced by board member (DIRECTOR),
10 Irish men (Irish ‘men’ = FIR-) married (-M) (FIRM) to the job (FIRM),
11 The Party line is (CONGA), director (D-) gets drunk in the bar (-RUMS) (CONGA DRUMS) and is played by the musician (CONGA DRUMS),
12 Races (TRIBES) in lane coming out of East Berlin (‘lane’ coming out of ‘East Berlin’ = estbri = TRIBES),
14 A (A-) Cork town (-BANDON-) with back roads (back ‘roads’ = -S) (ABANDONS) and ditches (ABANDONS),
15 Most of those in 25 across (most of ‘funerals’ = FUNERAL) and 9 across (DIRECTOR) (FUNERAL DIRECTOR) getting paid to put us all down (FUNERAL DIRECTOR),
18 Is not new (OLD) to a drug (a drug = GUARD) problem (= anagram indicator) (OLD GUARD) involving long-standing members (OLD GUARD),
20 Maintains a garden (WATERS) for women (W-) with wild (= anagram indicator) aster (aster = -ATERS) (WATERS),
22 Rows (rows = SWOR-) back (= reversal indicator) on news (-N) relating to the competition (ENEMY) (SWORN ENEMY) – I swear to God, he hates me! (SWORN ENEMY),
24 Early man (BABY) is a bundle of joy (BABY),
25 Joy (FUN-) has times to remember (eras = -ERA-S) going around Lima (-L-) (FUNERALS) and some times to remember of late (FUNERALS),
26 Frenchmen (Messieurs = -MM-) in business attire (SU-IT) (SUMMIT) for meeting (SUMMIT).
Down:
1 Engineering (E-) a (-A-) bizarre (= anagram indicator) rise (rise = -SIER) (EASIER) is getting less difficult (EASIER),
2 Tipperary (T-) border (-RIM) (TRIM) or in Meath? (TRIM),
3 Colourful type (BLACK) seen on the beach (SEA) (BLACK SEA) on the shores of Istanbul and Odessa, among others (BLACK SEA),
4 It’s paradise (EDEN) at the end of 13 down, for example (‘beer garden’, for example = Garden of EDEN),
5 Seals leave Dar es Salaam (‘seals’ leave ‘Dar es Salaam’ = draaam = ARMADA) with the fleet (ARMADA),
6 Damage (SCAR-) and ugly (= anagram indicator) decay (decay = -EDY-CA-) on front teeth (front ‘teeth’ = -T) (SCAREDY-CAT) – presumably, this is why one is afraid to go to the dentist? (SCAREDY-CAT),
7 Knowledge of French, for instance (COMMAND- of French), is only the start of it (‘only’ the start of it = -O) (COMMANDO) in the Foreign Legion (COMMANDO),
13 Honey producer (BEE-) is right (-R) about The House (GARDEN) (BEER GARDEN) – it appeals to those not in the building who like a drink (BEER GARDEN),
14 A (A-) theologian (doctor of divinity = -DD-) and writer (-ED) (ADDED) went on to say something more (ADDED),
16 Is not just (UNLAWFUL) or legal (-LAWFUL) from the start (= positional indicator) for paper (Sun) that needs no introduction (S) (‘Sun’ without ‘s’ = UN-) (UNLAWFUL),
17 My word is (my word is = ROWDYISM) distorted (= anagram indicator) by noisy and disorderly behaviour (ROWDYISM),
19 Nears a (nears a = ARENAS) settlement (= anagram indicator) with The Rings (ARENAS),
21 Religious leader (RABBI-) has a bone to pick (-T bone) (RABBIT) in The Warren perhaps (RABBIT),
23 It’s not difficult (EASY) for Ken to leave Yankees (‘Ken’ to leave ‘Yankees’ = EASY),
24 Blast! (BOMB) Short cut (BO-B) goes around motorway (-M-) (BOMB).