Journalists

Ian O'Doherty: 'Calamity Shane and "Beast from the East" - 2018 remembered' 

After a mild end to 2017 it looked as if we had escaped the worst of the predictions for a bad winter. How wrong we were.

Ian O'Doherty: 'If Trump thought 2018 was bad, he ain't seen nothing yet - and you can bet it's going to be bloody' 

These are testing times for Donald Trump. His staff are being interrogated, his former lawyer has been sentenced to jail, and the Mueller investigation into collusion with Russia is nearing its endgame, which could see him not just indicted, but arrested.

Ian O'Doherty: Song controversy is about control so let's stop indulging 'moral guardians' 

There has been acres of coverage devoted to the controversy surrounding both 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' and 'Fairytale of New York'.

Ian O'Doherty: Christmas is coming... time to panic and look busy? 

Well, 10 days to go.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Brexit has become a brutal Tory civil war - and now Project Fear is becoming Project Apocalypse' 

There's a famous story from the time 'Seinfeld' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' creator Larry David worked as a writer on 'Saturday Night Live' in New York in the 1980s. Frustrated at the producers undermining him and leaving all his ideas on the cutting-room floor, he lost his temper one night, unleashed a volley of abuse at his boss and walked away from the show.

Ian O'Doherty: Rees-Mogg, Johnson and other Tory grandees don't know what they're doing - and don't seem to care 

It's happened to all of us at one time or another - you witness a friend, colleague or loved one making a demonstrably bad decision, yet every time you try to rationalise with them, they stick their fingers in their ears and start humming to themselves until you walk away in exasperation.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The new year has only just begun and the war on comedy continues' 

Last year ended in a ridiculous controversy over 'problematic' songs and the new year has begun with a ridiculous controversy over 'problematic' jokes.

Ian O'Doherty: 'It's time to expose the quacks and the frauds' 

If there's one thing you can say about the Irish, it's that we're not short of strong opinions.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Brexit, melting glaciers and a Biden vs Trump showdown...' 

Well, it's that time of the year when we all try to peer into the crystal ball to see what's coming down the pipe for the next 12 months.

Difficult histories: a year of defining centenaries 

It was a year for anniversaries, centenaries and commemorations.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Nothing says an Irish Christmas quite like the phrase: "welcome home"' 

I must admit, I love Christmas.

Ian O'Doherty: 'A small commitment to limit the amount of plastic you use will actually have a direct and positive impact' 

Sometimes when you're trying to win an argument, change minds and, apparently, save the planet, you need to bring out the big guns.

Ian O'Doherty: 'We've stumbled into a new Victorian era, in which 'liberals' stalk the land looking for things to ban' 

The problem with hysteria is twofold. For starters, it's extremely infectious. Secondly, those who succumb to this most unfortunate condition seldom realise that they are being in any way hysterical. In fact, they tend to angrily deny any suggestion that maybe, just maybe, they are overreacting in quite a massive and extremely silly way.

Ian O'Doherty: You have to hand it to the FAI - they're full of surprises 

It's one of those unfortunate quirks of sport that, just as Irish rugby reaches heights of optimism which are unprecedented in the history of the game, Irish football is intent on lurching from one crisis to the next.

Ian O'Doherty: It's that time of the year again - please go to a rescue shelter 

It doesn't take much to make Irish people outraged, but then I suppose there's plenty to be outraged by.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Are we witnessing the rise of mob rule?' 

There was a time when calling American politics the "greatest show on earth" was just a turn of phrase.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Whether you agree with wearing a poppy or not, it's only right that we honour a generation of young Irishmen killed in foreign fields' 

As has become our wont, this year's presidential campaign was a bruising and, some would say, farcical affair.

Ian O'Doherty: Apu controversy is another sign of the comedy-police 

Like many people, I now watch The Simpsons with a mixture of sadness and a sort of subdued anger - sad that it has become so incredibly lame, and angry that it's still being made.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Immigrant 'caravan' heading for the States puts our own illegals under US microscope' 

In AN alternate universe which is the stuff of many Irish nightmares, this country is currently girding its loins for the visit of Donald Trump, where he will be warmly greeted by our newly installed President Casey.

Radio: Politicians who don't know whether to spin or to waffle 

If last Friday's election taught us anything, it's that you should never underestimate the sheer, obdurate crankiness of the Irish people.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Vegan hate mob are latest to play the victim card' 

One of the more baffling elements of modern society has been the way we're all told that we're victims.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The poppy - a symbol of fascism or just respect for the fallen?' 

Every now and then a story comes along which is so odd, and just so... ignorant that you have to check to make sure someone isn't pulling your leg.

Ian O'Doherty: Peter Casey's strength was the main parties' weakness - now he wants to take it all the way to the Dáil 

THIS time last week, Peter Casey was propping up the presidential polls and hovering between 1pc and 2pc.

Halloween traditions have changed - regrettably 

For many of us growing up in the 1980s, Halloween was, as they say, a more innocent time.

Ian O'Doherty: In this ramshackle election, he who shall come last shall be... grabbing all the headlines 

One of the most common gripes heard from Irish politicians is their despair at the cynicism of the average voter.

Um, can someone tell me what year it is? 

One of the unfortunate but rather unavoidable consequences of growing older is that you often look around and think to yourself - the world is going mad, it's full of crazy people and things used to be much more sensible.

Don't worry - our seven-year itch will soon be scratched 

Okay, take a deep breath, gird your loins and just keep on trucking - only six more days to go.

We need to stop caring so much about so many trivial things 

Last Sunday provided perhaps the biggest TV event of the year so far - controversial, divisive, eagerly-awaited and eagerly-condemned in equal measure.

#MeToo is going the way of all other revolutionary movements 

Well, happy birthday to #MeToo, you've come a long way in your first year.

Thirty years since Rushdie's verses and we've learned nothing 

For a variety of coincidental reasons, 2018 has been very much the year of remembering times past.

Winter is nearly upon us - we may as well try to embrace it 

Well, that's that.

UK cops guilty of some truly criminal stupidity 

There is a very handy rule of thumb which suggests that if you give someone power they haven't earned, they will always, always abuse it.

Capitalism let us down - do you think the alternative is better? 

Doesn't a decade fly when you're having fun?

Ian O'Doherty: Law that bans filming of on-duty gardaí will never happen – but it's worrying a justice minister should even allow idea to be put forward' 

THEY were scenes which seemed to belong in the Ukraine or Crimea.

The best response to anarchists? Why, mockery, of course 

It's fairly obvious at this stage that we're living through a time of unprecedented tumult - some of that is good. Much of it is very, very bad. What's worse, much of it is incredibly stupid.

Ian O' Doherty: If you need quotas then you don't deserve the gig in the first place 

I was slightly taken aback by this quote during the week, and I'm sure you can see why: "I have refused to see gender throughout my career. I have just operated as a person working in the industry. Maybe it's the bullish part of me, but I just keep on keeping on. I refuse to see those things and if I do see them, I just brush them aside and keep going. I believe that the best weapon you...

Comment: Electric Picnic litter reminds us that every generation is filthy and messy 

There are certain inescapable patterns in life — we don’t mean to follow them, it just happens that way.

Comment: EP litter reminds us that every generation is filthy and messy 

There are certain inescapable patterns in life - we don't mean to follow them, it just happens that way.

The far left and the far right - more in common than they like 

It's often been said that the main difference between the far left and the far right is that the left usually has better music and that is true - given a choice between Billy Bragg and, say, Skrewdriver, I'd be with Bragg all the way.

Fishy tales and a great initiative for September 

One of the more baffling aspects of the contrary Irish nature is our inherited disdain for fish.

Comment: There's no excuse for anyone to contract measles these days - rise is down to fear, ignorance and arrogance 

There are some things which we have happily consigned to the dust bin of history.

A bygone era when the Pope came to town 

What a difference, um, 39 years makes, eh?

The best fairy tales are truly terrifying 

I can never figure out whether overprotective parents are that way inclined because they're genuinely worried for their brood, or because they are weak themselves. The problem with weak people is that they have an unfortunate habit of creating weak children, and thus the new generation of weaklings comes along and repeats the cycle.

Television: Marching on with Miriam... and the rise of President Rock? 

It has already been dismissed in some circles as Northern Ireland For Dummies, but the Miriam O'Callaghan-presented The Long March (RTÉ One, Tuesday), which charted the emergence of the Northern Irish Civil Rights movement was always on a hiding to nothing.

I don't think I'll ever be past my Prine 

There's something tremendously depressing about getting older.

Boris puts his foot in it - not for the first time 

Whoops, he just did it again. Again.

If you look to be offended, you'll find something 

Isn't it odd how some people are only popular when they're victims?

Miggledy is right - betting apps are a bloody scourge 

If I'm perfectly honest, I don't have a lot of time for our President's brand of politics.

Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk - Dystopian satire with a stark warning for US 

The 'Fight Club' author returns to form with this novel about an America fractured along the lines of identity politics

Rural life is fine - but I miss the noise of the city 

I went down to the west of Ireland last week for a variety of reasons, but most of them involved the wife telling me that I had to.

Silly season is turning us all into Mary Whitehouse 

When I was a teenager, I had a bit of an obsession with Mary Whitehouse and her campaign group, the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association.

Trump better have an appetite for humble pie 

How does the old saying go again: the more things change, the more they stay the same?

In an age of madness, common sense is a radical position 

Did you ever think you would see the day when nearly 10,000 Irish people would turn up at a concert venue just to look at a bunch of 'racists, bigots and Nazis' expound their toxic world view?

Against all expectation, this has been a truly brilliant World Cup 

Well, it wasn't supposed to end like that, was it?

Wolf-whistling a hate crime? I've heard it all 

I must admit, I'm obviously not very good at being a traditional bloke.

If you're offended by 'Love Island', you need help 

It's a sad day indeed when you have to use a reality TV show to point out the absurdities of modern life. It's an even sadder day when the people watching the show are actually more awful than the contestants.

Why are people surprised that the Church is conservative? 

'All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing."

On your bike, cycling cranks... 

We've always been a cranky sort of people, happy to play the poor mouth and claim victimhood whenever something doesn't go our way.

The World Cup is on - time to eat ribs and watch three games a day 

I've never been one for remembering dates or anniversaries.

Moz picks the wrong martyr in Robinson 

Oh dear, he's at it again.

Forget means testing - just stop allowance after second child 

Steady there, Regina - stand back and take your fingers away from the socket.

Rewriting history - Bill Clinton's literary collaboration 

Bill Clinton has teamed up with one of the world's biggest-selling authors and created a strangley dated and far-fetched Washington romp.

The world burns while the courts obsess on Trump tweets 

There are times when it's hard to escape the impression that the universe is deliberately screwing with us.

Ian O'Doherty: All hail the House of Markle - America has a new biracial queen 

Everyone loves a good royal wedding - even those who say they hate them.

Pop stars should never apologise 

They sure don't make pop stars like they used to.

Logic leaves the building as the Middle East burns 

If there's one thing politicians hate and fear more than anything else, it's the dreaded law of unintended consequences.

Wasting time on a victimless crime 

What goes on behind between consenting adults is their own business, is it not?

Ian O'Doherty: After abortion, euthanasia will be our next burning social issue 

For obvious reasons, the last few weeks have seen various words and phrases tossed around with gay abandon.

History to become a thing of the past? 

One of the great shibboleths of our time is that we are living in an era of fake news. Fake news, along with fake outrage designed to elicit fake apologies, is now the order of the day.

Official Ireland is now officially bad for your health 

'You can gaze out the window, get mad and get and get madder/ Throw your hands in the air in and say what does it matter?"

Object to litter? You right-wing monster! 

We're constantly bombarded with hectoring calls to do more to protect the environment, but most of these suggestions simply involve gesture politics - like turning off the lights for an hour during Earth Day. It won't make nay difference to the planet, but you'll feel all nice and virtuous and can tell people that you're doing your bit.

Latest smoking proposals are about control, not health 

There used to be a well-worn phrase that all political careers end in failure. But not in Ireland, oh no.

Where would we be without the United Nations? 

Well, the big day is nearly upon us. Are you excited? I am.

Ian O'Doherty: Later working hours for night owls? Let me sleep on it 

Well, that's it, I'm toast. Kaput. Finito. I could keel over at any moment. And if you're part of the estimated 15pc of the Irish population who suffers from insomnia, you're in trouble as well. So you better pay attention, because this article could save your life.

An outbreak of measles? What year is it? 

Did you get vaccinated against the flu? Did you know that if you did get the jab, you were more likely to contract the far more deadly Aussie flu, while those who didn't bother getting the vaccination only succumbed to the more common or garden variety?

Driverless cars put us on the road to ruin 

Well, it was nice while it lasted. I am, of course, talking about the Anthropocene Period, when humans ruled the roost.

Ian O'Doherty: Consent may be sexy but surely enthusiasm is sexier? 

If we have learned one thing from the fallout from the Belfast rape trial - and that's a rather large 'if' - then it must surely be that the sexes still struggle to communicate with each other.

Does Roseanne signal a backlash against the Never-Trumps? 

During the early to mid 1990s, when the internet was still seen as a new fangled gizmo that would never catch on, and mobile phones were the size of a phone book, there was one show which ruled the TV landscape.

Down with that sort of dodgy dog 

No society can function when free expression is no longer valued. That's why comedians are so important.

A method to Unabomber's madness 

I finished watching The Unabomber on Netflix the other night and it was probably the best piece of TV I've seen so far this year.

Shane Ross reminds us that the working classes don't matter 

There are many ways in which ordinarily smart people can appear to completely lose their marbles.

Maybe it's time to cut St Patrick's Day some slack? 

Well, here we go again.

New smoking ban in mental health units is just cruel 

Well, they're at it again. Chipping away, sneering, demeaning and wallowing in their own misplaced sense of moral superiority, the anti-smoking zealots are once more on the march.

UK courts make martyrs out of morons 

Of all the stupid, needless, infuriating things that Donald Trump has done since he took office - and there have been a few - retweeting some fake videos by the Britain First group stands out.

Ian O'Doherty: Looters are scumbags – to say anything else is an insult to their honest neighbours 

IN Amish culture, there is a tradition known as “rumspringa.”

'Ray of Light': 20 years and still brilliant 

Bear with me on the nostalgia trip, but bad weather tends to bring that out in the best of us. And even the rest of us.

Enjoy the snow - it'll be gone soon enough 

Here we go again.

Crisis actors are the latest move in America's danse macabre 

So, another week, another mass shooting in America.

First they came for... our toilets? 

The news that UCD is to redesignate 170 toilets on campus as 'gender neutral' has been greeted with widespread apathy and a shrug of the shoulders, which is surely a good thing.

Playing Top Trumps with North Korea 

Are you one of those people staying up late to watch the Winter Olympics? Nope, me neither. My interest is directly proportionate to the danger the athletes face. So I have a bit of an interest in, say, the luge, where someone might die in a spectacular way, and zero interest in, say, the ice skating.

Forget the small differences - #MeToo is right on FGM 

Since it first appeared in the dim and distant days of, oh, about six months ago, the #MeToo movement has become the most successful social media campaign of all time.

Ian O'Doherty: Paedophile hunters say they are trying to do the right thing...but every mob thinks that 

Throughout human history, every society has had its own moral panic.

25 years later, Venables still haunts the psyche 

In the Information Age, any crime can shock the world. Whether it's a celebrity having some jewellery stolen from their hotel or footage of someone being bullied in a small American town, the proliferation of social media ensures that anything can go viral at any time.

Thanks for all the laughs, Martin 

So farewell, then, John Mahoney, and thanks for all the laughs.

A year in, and Trump is finally maturing. Unlike his critics 

Well, that was an unexpected 12 months.

O'Neill's grudge against RTÉ man is baffling and pointless 

There used to be a rather popular old saying which claimed that indifference is the best form of contempt.

We're far from a perfect society, but don't compare it to the 1980s 

It's often said that the past is another country, and when it comes to this place in the 1980s, that country may as well have been Albania.

Which witch is which in #MeToo land? 

First the outrage, then the backlash.

Ian O'Doherty: There will be better books on Trump's regime than Fire and Fury but none will have its impact 

There'll be better books on Donald Trump's regime, but none will have the impact of Michael Wolff's breathless and riotously scurrilous account.

If we insist on a president, we must be able to vote for one 

Ah, the will he/won't he debate.

People have the right to be wrong 

Have you ever spoken to a Holocaust denier? If you ever get such an opportunity, I highly recommend it.

So, have you broken all your New Year's resolutions yet? 

Okay, let's do a quick check list to see where we stand, shall we?

Politics? Just enjoy best of Trump comedy 

I've always believed that politics is too important to take seriously. In other words, it's best to take a sideways view of things because if you were to look it straight in the eye, you'd completely lose your mind.

Ian O'Doherty: The referendum will be bitter. But we need to lance this boil 

Are we nearly there, yet? Are we nearly there, yet?

Ian O'Doherty: We sell a myth to the Americans then cry when they buy it 

It was 'outrageous'. It was 'disgusting'. It was 'racism'.