Finn McRedmond columns
This new religiosity is a backlash to the the hyper-secularisation that Britain and the US went through. But don’t expect it to take off in Ireland just yet
Greatest task facing the new government is restoring Ireland’s standing in Europe and the world
Measures designed to change material realities matter more than sociocultural pieties
We must stop mistaking a lack of ambition in planning and building for caution and rule-following
Amid criticism of Ireland’s domestic politics making it hard for new ideas to break through, there’s something to be said for ‘same old, same old’
If Ireland wants to maintain the self-belief that it is a nation of wisecrackers and comedians then it will need to work a bit harder than this
All it took was for someone to finally decide that it was time to care
To think of all that time we spent embarrassed by Bono’s oppressive sincerity
Clarkson’s personal crusade against the British government feels very of-the-moment, symbolic of a mode of politics sweeping Europe
There are lessons for Ireland from the US election about the disconnect between establishment voices and the feelings of the electorate
Lesson from the US election is that liberals must realise young men have problems too
An actor’s entire job is to occupy the mind and body of someone else, not to be interesting themselves
Discrediting his moments of rhetorical or aesthetic flair as the work of nasty impulses ensures the Democrats will never learn from them
Christianity has been around for some time and will weather this particular trend cycle, no matter Russell Brand’s risible public display. And these online Christian gurus will find a new cause celebre
What Aldous Huxley feared has come to pass: we are drowning in a sea of irrelevance
If Keir Starmer wants to be remembered as a prime minister for the United Kingdom, not just England, he needs to address the question of a Border poll
Without the energy and charisma of a storyteller - Boris Johnson, Bertie Ahern - a country has nothing to believe in
The downfall of a newsreader – once beamed into the homes of millions during era-defining events – is also a story about the BBC’s shortcomings
Circus of ritual public humiliation that gripped TV 20 years ago hasn’t gone away - it has moved on to other platforms
Oasis have never received the Taylor Swift treatment over this bungled ticket sale. No charges of money-grabbing or fan-exploitation for the brothers
The factors that pushed Ireland into being a nation of mass emigration have often been tragic but the result is a nation better off for it
Driving this decline in consumption is an unhappy mental state we have so far failed to reckon with
France is a country unlikely to find perfect and cloudless harmony. But perhaps the Games might bandage up some of the worst fault lines for the time being
Chaos and confusion inflicted by such terror provides the conditions for civil unrest. We saw it in Dublin last November
It is incredibly easy for people to detect when they are at a nadir – the trenches of their career or stardom. But it seems a much harder task to identify when you are at your peak
I have been wondering recently why he has no Irish equivalent. It is not Michael D Higgins, not Bono
Media coverage of Jill Biden as the last bulwark against the authoritarian nightmare of Trump is exactly the kind of thing that - rightly - puts voters off
The UK general election’s outcome is all but assured, yet there is a sense that not too much will actually change in the years ahead
Lamentations of onlookers about Broken Britain, total crisis and irreversible damage are hollow when you see what’s happening elsewhere in Europe
Football is a good outlet for defanged nationalism but light-hearted spaghetti japes should not be mistaken for signs of unity in a fractured continent
To reduce Nigel Farage’s influence to his legislative heft in the House of Commons seriously underestimates his impact
As Trump and Johnson show us, relatability is a juvenile value in politics, and a hollow aspiration
Things are looking up for Anglo-Irish relations. But Ireland’s diplomatic model has to work just as well with Tories as it does with a well-disposed Labour. Otherwise the country is exposed, reliant on the whims of personality
O’Reilly and Springsteen understand a similar truth about the world - you can’t start a fire worrying about your little world falling apart
Whatever the nature of Bambie’s protest - and of course they are right that Netanyahu’s actions in the Gaza strip are abhorrent and deplorable - it was an inappropriate time, place and medium
The comedian blames “PC crap” and the “extreme left” but spineless sitcom isn’t solely product of the so-called Great Awokening of the 2010s
The movement’s mantra – believe women – was a powerful corrective to a society that was too happy to dismiss their stories. But seven years of hindsight on, we can understand its failings with greater clarity
Food and culture need enthusiasts and tastemakers. Certain types of culture are valuable because they are challenging
Finn McRedmond: We will think of the 2010s and 2020s as the time the industry went mad and insisted that splitting mini flatbread was the apogee of sophisticated dining
It is true she was a very bad prime minister. But it’s also true she was never given a proper try. She was too weird, maybe she didn’t have enough friends, her ideas were too radical
This week was a reminder that our capacity for rational thinking hasn’t evolved all that much. People still look for celestial signs on how to vote
The Emerald Eats food stall is mobbed daily with Irish-Londoners on their lunch break looking for a roll or a take on the Dublin spice bag. But it’s not so much selling Irish street food as a story
Tories had never seen a politician pursuing Ireland’s interest at Britain’s cost. No wonder they despised him
Varadkar may have ‘seen the writing on the wall’ for his party while in Britain the Tories, in particular, have relinquished all hope
Recouping the sense of quiet dignity the late Queen afforded the institution - after this communications failure - will not be easy
We need fewer algorithms and more people shaping our consumption habits
Ireland’s cultural reputation abroad in the ascendant but stubborn stereotypes abide
The vehicles for bullying may have evolved - social media, linguistic custom - but people are still who they always were: cruel, forgiving, hierarchical
You know you’re growing up when your parents buy you The Wine Atlas for Christmas and friends can suddenly pronounce Pouillac with breezy confidence
Watching the glitzy Super Bowl after Saturday’s Six Nations match laid bare many cultural differences
The former queen’s visit to Ireland may have had more impact but over the years King Charles quietly laid the groundwork for a better relationship between Britain and Ireland
The Ally McBeal star rose to fame when women’s bodies were under a constant spotlight
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices
