Why did the US enter this ill-conceived war with Iran? Psychology offers some answersLet’s start our journey into the mind of the Trump administration with a blue fish
We need clear thinkers to find a way out of the ‘soul rot’ of our modern worldA friend reminded me of a four-word letter to The Irish Times Gabriel Rosenstock wrote in 2007, when US troops were pouring into Iraq: ‘Cúrsaí ola, cúrsaí fola’
We need an adult debate on free speech. Some people will be offendedUS academic Cass Sunstein, who is visiting Dublin this month, reminds us that college campuses ‘need offensive speech’
Contrary to popular belief, loving relationships and talking about feelings are not new phenomena‘We didn’t talk about these things in my day’ seems to cover whatever range is convenient, and it never holds up
Why are religious schools seen as divisive but Irish language schools are not?There is a strange double standard about religion in schools as opposed to other areas of learning
‘Working’ or ‘stay-at-home’ parent is a false choice. Most of us want something in betweenThe words of Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy are in stark contrast to the vogue for pernicious tradwife influencing
Could we be looking at the future of protests in Ireland?Every political problem faced by recent governments has been solved – to a greater or lesser extent – by finding money to throw at it. What happens if that dries up?
Faced with an untrustworthy US, Europe must make bold diplomatic movesWorldview: European elites are ill-prepared for this scale of change in their relations with the US
People of faith have something very important to contribute in a time of worrying polarisationRite & Reason: Structured dialogue must hear from Catholics, Humanists, the Abrahamic and Dharmic faith traditions, Rabbis and Imams
Why are social media accounts linked to Iran, Russia and China posting about Ireland?Recent analysis highlighted an Iranian information operation targeting Ireland, while accounts linked to Russia and China posted about the fuel protests
To understand the tangled economics of the fuel protests, start with green dieselGovernment is dealing with two problems. One is economic. Second is those taking it upon themselves to rule on who can go where and when
An end to the war would suit both Trump and Iranian leadership. But not NetanyahuThere are some grounds for cautious optimism
Is Ireland the worst run country in Europe?There is no cost control. And no one seems to care about what we are getting for all this spending
Artemis II: I am moved nearly to tears by this devastating reminder of our humanityThere was something more beautiful, more moving than any of the photographs shot from the window of the Orion spacecraft
Lara Marlowe: A far-right victory in France would be a win for Putin and TrumpThe RN’s challenge for the next year is to bring on board the bulk of the right, the traditional right as well as their hard core far-right supporters
Calling in the Defence Forces against fuel protesters is a huge strategic errorBy sending in the army to move tractors, the Government has proved every sceptic of increased defence spending right
It’s time for a compensation scheme that recognises the pain and suffering of victimsScheme must be designed so that the vast majority of applicants should not require a lawyer’s assistance
One in five desks stands empty in Northern Ireland’s classrooms: Pragmatism is neededAn extraordinary 40 per cent of all schools in Northern Ireland will be unviable by 2033, up from a quarter today
Finn McRedmond: The British government has no business in banning Kanye West from the countryFree-speech absolutism is the only logical position in modern democracy. Yes, even when the speech is as base and bigoted as this
Court reports can make for distressing reading. There are good reasons for thatPress Ombudsman’s recent comments on graphic language in court reports highlight an issue court reporters have been attuned to for years
Michael McDowell: Dublin’s dereliction problem has been obvious for decades. A new approach is neededWe are well past the point at which ‘pilot’ implementation projects and ‘independent’ special-purpose vehicles are put on some vague delivery schedule
The real Donald Trump is the Trump of the foul-mouthed, late-night rantThe real Donald Trump is the Trump of that foul-mouthed diatribe, the man seen in the late night and early morning posts on social media
Trump’s random gibberish is more terrifying than lies. It is a sign of derangementThe US president isn’t making this stuff up – it’s making him up
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has big ambitions – but can she succeed in health? Articulating the scale of the challenge will be a test of the Health Minister’s willingness to make the changes required
Ireland’s future energy needs must be met by renewables and nuclearCritical effort must go into balancing both so we have a competitive, secure and affordable energy system
Toxic overconfidence is on the riseUnhealthy kind of confidence is on the rise - an arrogance that tips into hubris
Road death statistics are incomplete unless they include all who diedJax’s Law would recognise babies who die in the womb as victims in road traffic collisions
Believe it or not, few EU countries are offering more relief on energy costs than IrelandThe Government announced a €250m package to lower fuel costs and extend fuel allowance payments for four weeks
‘Why can’t my flat white fly?’ is a question no one asked everWe’re evolutionarily wired to pay attention to the buzzing of drones – which may be one of the reasons they’re so annoying
I have many beloved friends, but I’ve never been part of a gangFriends who can look thoughtfully on conflict and sadness and trouble and still find charity and curiosity are precious
Sheer prevalence of AI prose is giving rise to a new and extreme kind of suspicionWe exist, increasingly, in a cultural environment where we can never be quite sure whether what we are reading was written by a human or LLM
Yes, Easter is largely a festival of chocolate. No, that’s not anti-Catholic biasCatholics are not being persecuted in Ireland but Christian teaching is being ignored - and that’s a pity
We need a national strategy for the fuel crisis. Here are four things we can do nowAnd when we’ve done them, we need to build a long-term energy security strategy
Save like the Swedes: there are fundamental misunderstandings about Ireland’s new savings schemeSimon Harris is at risk of overselling his plan
Denial of a vocation to women isn’t just ‘discomfort’, it is spiritual abuseRite & Reason: Discomfort is a word I have never used to describe the reality of my situation in the church, nor have I ever heard it from other women
Gender pay gap agenda is contrived, pointless and ignores the reality of women like meWhat about the professional Irish women who, when their household income allows it, quit work or reduce their hours to look after their children?
Sandymount to Salthill: five of Ireland’s coastal exposure hotspotsCoastal communities in high exposure hotspots are facing numerous challenges from climate change
Why some of Ireland’s coastal communities may need to prepare for relocationSome communities in high risk coastal areas may need to consider relocation options
David McWilliams: Sinn Féin’s class-war language is more British than IrishVoters wary as Mary Lou McDonald’s party beats all-or-nothing, Marxist drum on housing
In 1980s Dublin, the communists had the best Good Friday shindigsThe goo – a longing for draught Guinness which overtakes the sufferer – contributed to left-wing causes in Dublin city
This German thinker sounded an alarm about the EU and the US – are we ready to listen?Jürgen Habermas insisted that ‘rearmament is the existential self-assertion of an EU that can no longer count on the protection of the US’
Fracked gas from the US another sign of our ‘pure hypocrisy’ on energyWe like to think of ourselves as a nuclear-free zone but we are currently building the multi-billion-euro Celtic connector to France to get access to its nuclear power
Irish Defence Forces must continue to hold the blue line in LebanonIn a wider geopolitical context of escalating conflict, and growing militarisation, someone must stand up for peace
The naysayers are right. Restaurants are frivolous – and that’s why we need more of themWhere else are we supposed to gossip about our colleagues over a bottle of Chianti? The basement of the Google offices in Grand Canal Dock?
Why did the US enter this ill-conceived war with Iran? Psychology offers some answersBy Ian Robertson
‘Working’ or ‘stay-at-home’ parent is a false choice. Most of us want something in betweenBy Clare Moriarty
Letters to the Editor, April 13th: On compensation for medical claims, fuel protests and the whole of the moon
An Irish DiaryMedicine bow: The rise and fall of Dr Achmet Borumborad, the ‘Turk’ who charmed Georgian Dublin