Ireland
Family secrets: Life Sentences, by Billy O’Callaghan, reviewed
Despite innovative work by younger writers, there remains a prominent strain in Irish literature of what we might call the…
Thatcher was completely right about the Euro
It was a ‘rush of blood to the head’. Its central bank would prove to be hopelessly ineffective. And cultural…
China’s rockstar-of-tech has fallen foul of Xi
FTSE indices soared as the Biden Bounce met vaccine euphoria, underpinned by the Bank of England’s announcement of another £150…
Lacrimae rerum: That Old Country Music, by Kevin Barry, reviewed
Some of my happiest fiction-reading hours have been spent in the company of Kevin Barry: two short-story collections, both prize-winners,…
What’s the real reason behind Joe Biden’s Brexit threats?
Is Donald Trump taking the Democrats’ line on Brexit and the Irish border? We might think so from the Financial…
Ireland through the eyes of a brilliant teenage naturalist
Dara McAnulty is a teenage naturalist from Northern Ireland. He has autism; so do his brother, sister and mother —…
The dangers of comparing different countries' death rates
Using differences in coronavirus death rates between countries to draw out policy conclusions is becoming a very popular pastime. Unfortunately,…
‘Irish writers don’t talk to each other unless they’re shouting abuse’: Sebastian Barry interviewed
Sebastian Barry talks to Robert Jackman about family folklore, the joy of writing playsand why he is not an ‘Irish’ novelist
Is there any better place for an EU-subsidised arts festival than Galway?
I was still digesting my delicious breakfast (kippers, poached eggs and soda bread — all local) when the sad news…
The death of the centre in European politics
Stockholm It’s hard not to feel sorry for Leo Varadkar. He positioned himself as Ireland’s champion and even ended up…
The death of the centre in European politics
What happens when times change, but parties don’t?
Ireland’s election result is bad news for Brexit
Ireland has given its own twist to the populist uprisings across Europe, with its election ushering in a grim time…
Varadkar’s election gamble backfires as Sinn Fein surge
Irish election results are being counted and it seems that Leo Varadkar’s snap election gamble has worked out as badly…
Can Leo Varadkar defy the odds to win another term as Taoiseach?
Back in October, Boris Johnson and the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met for ‘last-ditch’ Brexit talks at a hotel on the…
The persecution (and vindication) of Kevin Myers is a parable of our times
It seems seasonably suitable to celebrate good news. Unfortunately, as in most serviceable stories, for something good to happen, something…
The Troubles with Brexit
At times, it can be hard to avoid the preachy style of reviewing that talks to readers in the tone…
Do ‘Workington Man’ and ‘Worcester Woman’ decide elections?
National characters How useful is it to characterise an election with a single anthropological specimen such as ‘Workington Man’? ‘Worcester…
How violent are our jails?
Big Ben protests An Extinction Rebellion protestor climbed to the top of the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben, with…
![Praise be to Mary MacLeod Trump. [Photo: The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images]](https://spectatorau.imgix.net/content/uploads/2019/10/TV_4.jpg?auto=compress,enhance,format&crop=faces,entropy,edges&fit=crop&w=410&h=275)
If we do get a good Anglo-American trade deal, we should thank Trump’s mother
In an uncharacteristic fit of almost-robustness, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan has said she is ‘open-minded’ about scrapping the BBC licence…
Letters: parliament has a responsibility to stop Brexit
Parliament’s responsibility Sir: I always enjoy reading the intelligent and outspoken Lionel Shriver. But her latest article (14 September) puts…
For the first time since 1171, Ireland has more power than England
Watching Boris Johnson in Dublin, where he came to ask Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to get him out of a hole,…
Letters: why Rose Hudson-Wilkin is the right choice for Bishop of Dover
Rose is the right choice Sir: Every Wednesday for the past nine years, it has been my privilege to attend…
Oodles of fun – but unfair on climate sceptics: Kill Climate Deniers reviewed
Kill Climate Deniers is a provocative satire by Australian theatre-activist David Finnigan. The title sounds misanthropic and faintly deranged but…
How Ireland became a back door to Britain
I was working in Johannesburg when I first got wind of the fact that Ireland has become an illegal back…
It’s not anti-Irish to criticise Leo Varadkar
The relationship between the UK and the Republic of Ireland has ‘reached a hunger-strike low’, says a new study by…
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