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Ian O'Doherty Opinion I was never a fan of the traditional office party but now I find myself mourning its demise

What’s your idea of the perfect job? Well, let’s be honest, for most of us the answer is simple – one that pays the most money for the least amount of effort. But that’s a rather short answer which would have made the latest research paper on workers’ attitudes a very brief one indeed.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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

Hooray! We’re all saved!

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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?

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.