Ian O'Doherty

Divided states: Trump supporters clash with police and security forces at the storming of the US Capitol in January

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Talk of a US civil war is far-fetched but things are getting unhinged

A few years ago, I reviewed a novel called American War.

David Beckham at the new Jeff Koons exhibition, ‘Lost in America’, at Qatar Museums Gallery in Doha. Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion David Beckham deserves all the criticism coming his way for an appalling moral blunder

Anyone who watched the Formula One Grand Prix in Doha on Sunday would have seen “365” emblazoned in the sky by an undeni-ably impressive piece of drone choreography. What did it mean?

People wearing face masks during last year's lockdown. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ie

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Restrictions unlikely to end at pub curfews – it feels like we are headed for lockdown

Yesterday’s cabinet announcement of the introduction of more restrictions was hardly a surprise – but it was still unwelcome. Far from the hospitality sector finally getting back on its feet after 19 months of enforced closures, bars, restaurants and nightclubs will, from tomorrow, face a midnight curfew.

‘Convenient symbol’: Greta Thunberg addresses protesters at Cop26 in Glasgow

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion World leaders pretend as Cop26 fails to deliver

Hooray! We’re all saved!

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien at the opening session of The Housing Agency’s Housing Conference 2021. Photo: Lafayette

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion In the depths of our housing crisis, even this obvious idea seems groundbreaking

Well, sometimes they do actually come up with a good idea. Who knew?

Nadia and Poli Kosior at the Big Scream Festival at Mountjoy Square Park, Dublin this week. Photo by Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion I’m not afraid to say I prefer my Halloween Americanised

So, what is it? Is it a magical, mischievous and thrilling time of the year?

Surveys show younger workers would rather quit than return to the office - but they need an office environment the most. Starting out in your career, you learn much from the casual mentorship of older colleagues. Picture posed

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Welcome to the post-industrial revolution, where work will never be the same again

When English businesswoman Tina Knight appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday, she managed to pour plenty of petrol on a debate that has been smouldering for the past few months.

People from the Freedom Hunters for Tamil group hold photographs of murdered MP David Amess and messages as they stand outside the Houses of Parliament in London. Photo: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion I fear for our politicians in an era of mob rule

We all enjoy slagging politicians and pointing out the flaws in their arguments.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. Photo: Julien Behal

Premium

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.

Callum Robinson scores Ireland’s second goal, a penalty, during Tuesday’s 4-0 friendly win against Qatar. Photo by Donall Farmer/PA

Premium

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!

Ispíní Na hÉireann band members Adam Holohan, Tomás Mulligan, Oisín Mulligan playing outside the Cobblestone in Smithfield. Photo: Mark Condren

Premium

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.

Some of the media in the UK and the US seem convinced that Squid Game is secretly designed to destroy Western society

Premium

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.

Premium

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.

Taliban fighters have set their sights on Afghanistan's theme parks

Premium

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.

Workers at Nuclear Island 1, at Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant near Bridgwater in Somerset, England, as work on the project reaches the five-year anniversary. Photo: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

Premium

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?

Ed Sheeran performing at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, pre-pandemic. Photo by Arthur Carron

Premium

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.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar speaking to the media following a Cabinet meeting at Dublin Castle yesterday. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Premium

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.

Police and firefighters work amid the rubble of the destroyed World Trade Centre two months after the 9/11 attacks

Premium

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.

Premium

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.

Joe Biden leaves the podium after calling the evacuation an “extraordinary success”

Premium

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

Oh my God. It just gets worse.

Premium

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.

Premium

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

Courage comes in many forms.

22 August 2021; Supporters watch the parade before the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Cork and Limerick in Croke Park, Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Premium

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.

Jessie Morrissey, (left), and Clare O’Gorman enjoy Electric Picnic 2019

Premium

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.

US President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday talking about the crisis in Afghanistan. Photo: Anna Moneymaker

Premium

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.

Katherine Zappone and Leo Varadkar. She declined to take up the UN role after her nomination by the Tánaiste and Simon Coveney

Premium

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.

Olympic Gold Medal champion Kellie Harrington has an emotional homecoming from Tokyo to her community in the North Inner City of Dublin on an open top bus, showcasing her Gold Medal. Picture Conor McCabe Photography.

Premium

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.

UK boxer Ben Whittaker, who was upset after failing to win gold

Premium

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.

Debate: Simone Biles is an astonishing gymnast, but is she a choker? Photo: Jae C Hong/AP

Premium

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.

Hate speech, of course, is more often than not simply a form of speech that other people hate hearing. Stock photo

Premium

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.

Ian O'Doherty

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Talk of a US civil war is far-fetched but things are getting unhinged

Ian O'Doherty Opinion David Beckham deserves all the criticism coming his way for an appalling moral blunder

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Restrictions unlikely to end at pub curfews – it feels like we are headed for lockdown

Ian O'Doherty Opinion World leaders pretend as Cop26 fails to deliver

Ian O’Doherty Opinion In the depths of our housing crisis, even this obvious idea seems groundbreaking

Ian O'Doherty Opinion I’m not afraid to say I prefer my Halloween Americanised

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Welcome to the post-industrial revolution, where work will never be the same again

Ian O'Doherty Opinion I fear for our politicians in an era of mob rule

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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