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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Confusion reigns supreme following latest round of baffling government guidelines

Well, that’s that, then. Finally, we have proper clarity and direction about where we are going in relation to the various restrictions which have afflicted us for more than a year-and-a-half.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion The beautiful game is ugly and rotten to the core

What a performance! What a result! Seven goals in two matches, none conceded!

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Not for the first time, the beating heart is being ripped out of Dublin. This must stop

Dublin can be a hard place to love – yet it can also be a hard place to leave.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Gruesome and frequently very funny, ‘Squid Game’ is winding up the right people

One of the more interesting social developments of the last few years has been the way we have totally changed our viewing habits.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion As BBC licence fee comes under attack, cold winds are blowing in RTÉ’s direction

Well, that was quite a shot across the bows, and even though it wasn’t aimed at RTÉ, the executives in Montrose could be forgiven for feeling a shiver run down their spine when they heard it.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Taliban 2.0 are taking us on a wild ride

I don’t know if we’re living in the much predicted End Times, but there can be little doubt that we’re in the Weird Times.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion We’re facing an energy catastrophe, so it’s time for us to consider the nuclear option

Our UK neighbours seem to have found themselves in quite the difficult situation, haven’t they?

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Winter is coming ­– but this time I’m ready for it

Well that’s that, then. We had a good run, I suppose.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Sinister mobs gathering outside homes of politicians deserve our contempt and derision

The longer the lockdown lasted, the more I retreated back into the things that give me comfort. Many of us felt the same urge.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion I’ll never forget my trip into 9/11’s bleak aftermath

I’ll never forget the moment, 20 years ago today, when the world changed forever.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion Another fine mess: Government politicians seemingly can’t help but lumber from one crisis to another

I’m hardly the first person to point out the strange similarity between football and politics.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Joe Biden is now the embodiment of US decline

Oh my God. It just gets worse.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion As restrictions finally ease, we’re reacting with caution rather than joyful celebration

I don’t know about you, but I always get a touch of the blues around this time of the year.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Never forget the man who laughed in the face of his Taliban killers

Courage comes in many forms.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion After Sunday’s chaotic scenes at Croker, can you blame musicians for being angry?

I met up with some friends in town on Sunday to have a chat and watch a bit of the hurling. Late, as usual, I arrived at the arranged bar to discover two of those friends in less than impressed form. 

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Why can we all go to see a match but not a gig?

Every now and then, when I’m feeling particularly nostalgic for the life we used to lead, my mind brings me back to March 12, 2020.

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Ian O' Doherty Opinion What we watched play out in Afghanistan was chaotic fall of the American empire

Disaster? Calamity? Catastrophe? The last few chaotic days in Afghanistan, as the Americans engage in a shameless act of cowardice and betrayal of their local allies, certainly qualify for all those descriptions. 

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Now Zappone’s turned down that UN gig, I’ll take it

Well, I guess I’ve just reached that stage in life.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion All hail Queen Kellie – she represents everything that’s great about this country

At some stage in the next decade, many of us will sit down to watch the new season of RTÉ’s Reeling In The Years – and we’ll all go into a deep depression when they start to cover 2020 and 2021.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion When it’s about Olympic medals, what’s wrong with being a bad loser?

To win, or not to win? That is the question.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion Tokyo Olympics have won me over with late-night thrills and old-school disputes

I think it’s fair to say we’ve all had a tough year. We were glum and moody; tempers were shorter than usual, and it often felt as if the entire nation was suffering from a collective form of cabin fever. But ultimately, the main problem we faced was the sheer tedium that had descended on us.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion There’s nothing to like about the latest hate crime drive

Well, I didn’t see that coming. I bet you didn’t, either.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion There’s a world of difference between the honest working classes and career criminals

It was an incident that shocked the nation. Three young men driving on the wrong side of the road crashed into an oncoming truck and died in the ensuing inferno. 

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Roll on Monday, but we still have a long way to go

So, what movie springs to mind ahead of next Monday, when indoor dining resumes?

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion Enough with the grumbling – let’s all just make the most of this glorious sunshine

“God, you’d miss the bit of rain, all the same.” Honestly, if I hear that phrase one more time, I won’t be responsible for my actions. 

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Shark! Why we can’t ignore these magnificent beasts any longer

I have to admit, it wasn’t my smartest moment.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion As England fans bring shame on their nation, should we scorn or pity them?

Well, what do we do now? After a fractured and chaotic build-up to this year’s delayed Euros, we ultimately were treated to a tournament that was far more engrossing than many of us had expected. Now, as football fans bemoan the absence of live matches every night, we must turn our attention to other matters – most notably the events that happened of  the pitch.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Young or old, we just love scolding people

As this week’s latest list of complaints made to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland reports, at least eight people were sent into a rage of frothing frenzy over a Waterford Whispers sketch which appeared on RTÉ’s New Year’s Eve countdown programme.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion My head wants England to win Euros, but my heart wants them to fail spectacularly

Every couple of years, the average Irish football fan goes through a routine that is now so familiar it has become a veritable tradition.

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Ian O'Doherty Opinion Love Island is back and we’re all doomed

I must admit, I have rather fond memories of the last season of Love Island.