Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Football’s back – but it’s no longer a beautiful game

I tuned into last Sunday’s match between England and Germany in the final of the Uefa Women’s Championship — not because it was women’s football, or because it was empowering for young girls, or any of the other clichés that have been doing the rounds for the last few weeks.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion For once, the UN is right – we’re standing on the edge of a deadly nuclear precipice

For those of us of a certain age, the last few months have felt as if we have somehow time-warped back to the 1980s. Stranger Things, which is set in that decade, has been the biggest show on TV. Kate Bush – thanks, incidentally, to Stranger Things – is now regularly played on the radio and she has reached number one in 2022 with the re-release of her 1985 hit, Running Up That Hill.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Gouging like this will send the tourists packing

A friend of mine from Clarenbridge is an avid fisherman with his own little boat. Last week, he set out on the Good Ship Billy and went up and down the coast to enjoy the sunshine and, hopefully, catch a few fish.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Chaos on the Dart to Bray was symptom of wider problem – we need more investment

I must admit I’ve always had a soft spot for Bray. In fact, when I was a kid, Bray seemed as exotic and cool as Monte Carlo (not a comparison that’s often made, in fairness).

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Keep on lecturing us, Harry, and I’ll keep on laughing

It was the pointless talking to the useless. Fittingly, it also happened in a half-empty room.

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion Toxic Tory leadership debate reminds us they couldn’t give a damn about Ireland

And then there were... How many is it again? Oh, yes, and then there were three. After an initial 11 hopeful (and, some might say if they were feeling less than charitable, hopeless) Tory leadership candidates, it’s now down to the final three as we reach a sort of X-Factor-style finale.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Twitter is fuelling an arms race in utter stupidity

I always thought the controversy over Jordan Peterson was an indication of how utterly weird society has become. The Canadian academic, who sprang to global fame/infamy (delete according to taste) when he became embroiled in the row over trans rights, found himself portrayed as either a heroic speaker of eternal truths or a snarling, demented fascist.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Alas, poor Boris – but where does it leave us if only Monster Raving Loonies are left?

You have to hand it to the Tories for restoring the “silly” to the silly season, that fallow period for the news industry when very little is supposed to happen.

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion Trump’s lunch wasn’t the only thing to hit the wall on January 6

Hunter S Thompson used to have a great phrase that “when the going gets tough, the weird turn pro”.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Summer in Ireland – a time when rain is mildly warmer than in the bleak midwinter

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

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion I’m a Love Island widower and I’m not the only one

It’s safe to say that we’ve all endured a pretty rotten couple of years. First there was Covid and the lockdowns that resulted in a new form of social confinement and isolation. That inevitably resulted in our economic slump, which the experts all agree is going to get worse before it gets better.

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion Street markets are what make a city. So why are they disappearing here in Dublin?

One of my earliest and most cherished childhood memories is going into the Dandelion with my parents. To quote the British royal family, my own recollections may vary, but I do have a vivid image of my da buying a pair of cowboy boots – look, it was the 1970s, everyone makes mistakes.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Nuclear war fears and sentient bots – it’s like we’re back in the 80s

I have a bad relationship with technology. I don’t like it, and it doesn’t like me. In fact, it seems as if I have the Medusa touch (the opposite of the Midas touch) when it comes to dealing with gizmos, smartphones and computers. But while I may not like these devices, I’ve never actually been afraid of them. Until now. In fact, now I’m bloody terrified.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion We’re among the most hospitable people in Europe – let’s not ruin it by being greedy

Working off the entirely reasonable supposition that most Indo readers lead far more productive lives than me, I’ll assume many of you haven’t gone down the internet rabbit hole that is now called #Swedengate, which cast a sinister pall over that country’s international reputation.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Does minimum alcohol pricing do any good? Ask the Scots

Some of you may recall — however reluctantly — the bleak midwinter that was January. The weather was miserable, anxiety still filled the air and everyone was even more cheesed off than they would normally be in the first week of the new year, which, I’m sure we can all agree, is always the grimmest time. We were all broke after Christmas, people were worried about job security and there was a sense that we had spent such a long time living under lockdown that we would never get back to normal. So what did our illustrious lords and masters in the Dáil do to make our lives a little easier?

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion World has changed, but just like death and taxes, the Leaving Cert is always with us

As the class of 2022 sit down this morning for their first English exam, we should all have a degree of sympathy for those people who have to go through the meat grinder that is the Leaving – a gruelling, stressful and frequently pointless exam that will, apparently, decide how you live the rest of your life. A businessman or a pauper? A success in life or an abject failure doomed to spend your days sweeping the streets?

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion God save the queen? Well, someone has to

So, have you put the bunting up? Have you ordered in a special ‘jubilee sponge’? Have you been busy on your neighbourhood WhatsApp group sorting all the details for today’s street party to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign as British monarch?

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion All fans should stand with Scousers after they were teargassed by thugs in uniform

I was in Dublin Airport a few weeks ago, catching a flight to Manchester. I was dreading the experience. The reports of delays in Dublin were becoming more ominous with every passing day and the horror stories that were being printed about Manchester Airport genuinely made me wonder if it was going to be worth all the hassle.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Saipan still sets us off 20 years on – and I know the real reason why

I met up with some friends recently for a bit of a reunion. We hadn’t seen each other in the two years since lockdown kicked in, so it was nice to catch up.

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion Tourism sector naturally has to recoup its losses, but it risks killing the golden goose

It’s that time of year again – holiday time. Do you fancy a few weeks in Spain? Or does the continuing chaos at most airports in Europe make it seem more hassle than it’s worth?

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Forget living your best life – indulge your inner goblin

Can you remember what you were doing this time two years ago?

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Dishonourable political spoofery proves this Tory government simply cannot be trusted

Your word is your bond. That is the simplest, yet also the most profound, sentiment any of us can ever have. It means, essentially, that when someone agrees to something, they will then behave in an honourable fashion and comply with the agreement that has been reached. It’s a vital part of the day-to-day communication between us, the little people, but it’s even more crucial when it comes to international treaties.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Lawyers are the real winners in Depp v Heard

We’ve been hearing a lot of talk lately about the possibility of nuclear war breaking out.

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion Set your faces to stunned – we’re in the nuclear firing line. Isn’t that just great?

Wait. What? Now we’re stuck in the middle? How the hell did that happen? Ever since Putin invaded Ukraine – sorry, launched his “special military operation” – things have been off kilter.

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion A pitch invasion and a curry — the perfect English Saturday

I went to a funeral last Saturday.

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Why the tweet sound of crying over Musk’s Twitter buyout should be music to our ears

Those of you of a certain vintage may remember the old TV ads for Remington shavers in the early 1980s. They featured American businessman Victor Kiam extolling the virtues of the product and proudly announcing: “I liked the shaver so much I bought the company.”

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Do not bite the hand that feeds... filching the tip jar is just mean

So, how are you coping with our gradual recovery after two years of lockdown?

Premium

Ian O’Doherty Opinion We need the return of boring politics to stop book burners getting their grip on power

Is Europe inching towards fascism? Are we on the cusp of seeing the continent retreating into the kind of sweaty stranglehold of racist bigots not seen since Germany and her allies in the 1940s?

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Free society has to tolerate eejitry — it beats the alternative

We all know the ancient Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.”

Premium

Ian O'Doherty Opinion Taking with one hand and giving with the other – confusion reigns in Government

Controversial admission time – I quite like free stuff. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you, also, like free stuff. After all, who doesn’t?