Journalists

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?

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'.

Silent Taylor earns herself Swift rebuke 

Well, it's been a tough week for wealthy, blonde, white women. And that's not a phrase you write every day.

We are the architects of evil, not some Devil or demonic spirit 

What is evil? Is it an act? Is it a state of mind? Can someone commit an evil act and still be deemed a decent person, or are they consumed by powers beyond their control which merely makes them agents of evil?

Britain First are disgusting - and really stupid 

I was once accosted by a group of self-professed anarchists who started shrieking 'no speech for fascists' every time I opened my mouth.

We need to remember that mob justice is no justice at all 

Monday, August 28, 2000 is a date which will live in stupidity.

We know we're not Barcelona but we're not that bad, either 

It wasn't supposed to end like that.

Is grandma bad for your health? 

It should always be remembered that a large proportion of academics are entirely mad.

It's that time of the year again - all aboard the poppy-go-round! 

It has been rather interesting, even amusing, to observe the hysterical reactions from the usual circles to the sight of Leo Varadkar wearing the 'shamrock poppy' in the Dáil earlier this week.

Who will save us from ourselves? 

Ah, you know the feeling - you're doing your shopping, picking up some basic provisions and before you know it you've spent all your money on booze. You didn't intend to buy all those bottles of wine and you have no idea why you have two slabs of cheap beer in the back of your car. All you wanted was to get a few things for dinner but there in front of you, impervious to your resistance, was the booze aisle and when we see booze, we just have to buy it, don't we?

Disgust at Humphries doesn't mean you're part of the mob 

I was once asked by a wise man: what is most important - justice or mercy?

Aki a fine player but shouldn't wear the green 

What does it mean to be Irish? It's a question which has been asked a lot in the wake of the Halawa case, while forgetting the only legal fact that counts - he is an Irish citizen, and entitled to exactly the kind of consular assistance available to any other Irish citizen, regardless of where their parents come from. You can have as many doubts about the many holes in his story as you like, but the law is the law.

Ian O'Doherty: 'A moderately sprightly zombie moves at a quicker clip than many recent episodes of The Walking Dead' 

It’s returning for its eighth season, tonight marks its 100th episode, it features one of the best screen bad guys this side of Ramsay Bolton and people have loved the show for years.

We stress about Scientology but give other faiths a free pass 

To the non-religious mind, all forms of faith are vaguely absurd.

Spare us the Hollywood hypocrisy 

As the Harvey Weinstein story grows more horrible and weird by the day, we're witnessing the collapse of the Hollywood hierarchy.

Sean Hughes 1965-2017: Hughes was true trailblazer who paved the way for Irish comedians 

While the country may have been understandably preoccupied with Hurricane Ophelia yesterday, the news that Sean Hughes has died at the age of 51 came as a shocking blow to Irish comedy fans.

Well, ain't that a nice can of worms? 

When the news broke that infamous movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was a serial predator, my only surprise was that people were surprised.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Forget hygge, here's the new happiness craze' 

Forget hygge, we're now on a lykke bandwagon.

Think Blazing Saddles would be made today? Think again... 

Think you know your comedy?

When do we lose the right to choose? 

Arguably the greatest stain on America's conscience, the death penalty is an obscenity that has no place in a civilised society. Apart from the obvious horror of executing an innocent person, the state-sanctioned murder of even a genuinely guilty individual reduces the people - in whose name the act is committed - to the same moral level as the criminal. In other words, it is a declaration that the state's moral bottom line is no better than a killer's.

Pay attention, Ireland - because we're being Nannied to death... 

First they came for our Christmas ads and we said nothing. Well, not quite. First they came for our Christmas ads and the nation, as one, rolled their eyes to heaven and had a grim laugh as yet another bunch of unelected, unrepresentative, State-funded busybodies decided to justify their existence by going after Christmas commercials.

Ireland is not Gilead, no matter what the pro-choice brigade say 

In a time of unprecedented strife and rancour, where people seem further apart than any time in recent memory, the one thing we really need is... an abortion referendum.

North Korea really isn't a lovely place 

Most young journalists - one would hope, anyway - will be familiar with the name Walter Duranty.

'Nazi' baker row really takes the biscuit... 

Another day, another scandal.

Ian O'Doherty: Forget the gender pay gap - it's the class divide that should worry us all 

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman - apparently.

All this talk about anxiety is making me nervous 

I was watching Sky News the other afternoon - how I came to have an afternoon free to watch the telly is another matter entirely - and a woman from an organisation called Anxiety UK was being interviewed.

Hillary Clinton - the politician who didn't know when to leave the party 

For most people, growing up means learning new things and remembering old lessons.

A novel way to park the statue controversy 

You'd swear we have no domestic controversies of our own, such is our insatiable desire to import them from other countries.

When did we start to confuse entertainers with spiritual gurus? 

Every now and then, it's a good idea to take a take step back from the Sturm und Drang of popular culture and see if you can tie any disparate threads into a coherent knot.

Summer blues? We're in an abusive relationship with the sky 

It has been the one conversational constant for the last few months, a never-ending deluge of opinions, conspiracy theories, general befuddlement and occasional outright fury.

Take that Saudi - we're more liberal than you 

Now here's something to gladden the heart of every proud Irish man and woman - we're the most liberal country in the world!

Amazing what you learn from pigeons who won't leave home 

It started in the roof. Rustling, scratching and the dreaded fear that, after being told for years I had bats in the belfry, I now had mice in the attic.

Venezuela is a true relic for the Left 

It always amazes me how some secular people bring a religious fervour to their politics.

Diana's death brought us the age of chronic oversharing 

Unless you've been living with your head in a bucket, in a cave, on Mars, you will know that we're rapidly approaching the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's untimely death.

Nothing liberal about giving Islam a free pass 

I used to think that we're witnessing the end of liberalism, and that was something to be deplored. After all, the basic tenets of old-school liberalism were tolerance, an acceptance of opposing points of view, a fundamental belief in freedom and an opposition to censorship.

The licence fee belongs in the days of the rag and bone man 

Amidst the hysterical hand-wringing and ever-present stench of envy, one person will be happy at how the BBC pay controversy has dominated the headlines for the last few days.

Ian O'Doherty: Just like Trump: the more that critics hate McGregor, the more power it gives him 

As Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather went through the gruesome motions of their rolling press conferences before their much anticipated bout in Las Vegas on August 26, many emotions came to the fore - most of them involving some variation of either disgust or contempt.

Ian O'Doherty: Laws with the best intentions often have the worst outcomes 

By now, you will have read the horrifying details of a crime committed by a thug called Robert Maguire.

Social media allows cranks to band together to form a mob of idiots 

Well, have you had your 5-a-day yet?

Ian O'Doherty: Seriously Trumpers, stop moaning - hysterical overreactions are now a non-partisan issue 

I'm sure, by now, that you've seen the video of Donald Trump scrapping with a guy with the CNN logo digitally superimposed on his head.

McEnroe's volley on Serena slammed as sexist - but nobody said he was wrong 

Well, it's that time of the year again - the strawberries and cream have been prepared, the Pimm's is on ice, Wimbledon has just started and, of course, we also have the traditional sexism row.

Varadkar should roll out the red carpet and give President Trump a big Irish welcome 

For all the talk of the so-called era of 'new politics' we're supposed to have entered, it seems more a case of here comes the new politics, same as the old politics. The squabbling remains, the point scoring continues unabated, and we even have the sight of Paschal Donohoe lamenting the rise of populism - a tactic so belonging to 'old' politics it might as well be carbon dated.

Our leaders are scared to admit the ugly truth about extremism 

When the news emerged that one of the London Bridge terrorists had lived in and married in Dublin and may also have had extensive contacts with other extremists in this country, were you shocked? Flummoxed? Stunned?

Time to start enforcing the dog licence 

The death last Sunday of Galway woman Teresa McDonagh (pictured) following an attack by two mastiffs was horrific but, sadly, not surprising.

I sense dark forces are at work undermining scientific reason 

A few years ago, I went to see a psychic in action. I didn't go voluntarily, trust me.

Oops, May's no-show could cost her dearly 

Well, I didn't see that one coming, did you? But maybe I should have. After all, everything is up in the air at the moment.

Obama swans around, taking credit for wrecking everything he touched 

If words are the best weapons in a battle of ideas, then we're in more trouble than I thought.

The academics who took 'fake' into new orbit 

'The androcentric scientific and meta-scientific evidence that the penis is the male reproductive organ is considered overwhelming and largely uncontroversial."

Ian O'Doherty: Listen up, feministas, we've moved on from gender war 

When you think of Nóirín O'Sullivan, what springs to mind?

When critics are a recipe for disaster 

Ever see one of those cases where you wished both parties could lose?

Only third in the Nanny State league? Go sit on naughty step 

Well, that was a week of it, that's for sure.

Changing tune on European superstate 

In last week's column, I mentioned the erosion of the nation state in the face of ever increasing EU meddling.

The EU is dead... long live Europe 

The EU is dead. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It's bereft of life. It rests in peace. It is an ex-EU.

Buckle up for some tiresome mud-slinging 

So, it looks like next spring, then.

Displease the millennial stormtroopers at your peril 

In all the recent talk of the books that most accurately reflect our febrile cultural landscape, several classics have been mentioned.

Anyone letting a property should have right to say who lives there 

Back in the day, when I was in the process of selling my apartment and trying to buy a house, the general wisdom was that I should keep the apartment and let it out.

Now the mob has O'Reilly's scalp, don't expect them to leave the stage quietly 

How the mighty have fallen. And how quickly they fell. When news broke on Wednesday that Bill O'Reilly had been sacked from his role as the main star on Fox News, the general reaction was one of jubilation.

Being top dog in puppy farming is scandalous 

One of the perks of this job is that you get to meet a wide variety of people.

Time to flag anti-Israeli feeling of our misguided lefty activists 

Well, they're at it again.

Trump's critics loathe to admit a shot across Assad and Putin's bow was right 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Or, in Donald Trump's case, just damned.

Comment: Good Friday pub ban was never about drink - it's about control 

Well, it's that time of the year again.

There's something rotten at heart of Official Ireland threatening our democracy 

One of the more amusing furores of recent weeks erupted when British journalist Melanie Phillips was less than complimentary about this country.

Laugh? I nearly cried when mob turned nasty about Gervais joke 

Oh Ricky, you've done it again.

RTÉ already having its cake and eating it - now it wants a slice from people with no TV 

As Dee Forbes approaches the end of her first year in the job, any performance review she conducts on herself will surely be framed along the lines of 'be careful what you wish for'.

All hail Buffy - she brought out the inner feminist in all of us 

It was violent. It was horrifying. It was funny. It was brilliantly written and yet it has been largely forgotten. Anyone who saw the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer would have sniggered at the idea that such a throw-away flick, most notable for the sight of Donald Sutherland going through the motions while he waited for his cheque to clear, would spawn a TV show which would go on to become one of the most important pieces of television of its generation.

London brings home some ugly truths 

So three innocents dead. A terrorist shot. London shut down. Yes, another week, another terrorist attack. Amazing how we quickly we get used to them, eh?

Sorry, Northern Ireland: the truth is, we are just not that into you . . . 

It's called the salami effect. You take a piece of salami and cut a thin slice. The salami still seems the same size. Then you take another thin slice. Then another. Before anyone has really noticed, the salami is gone.

Has Snoop barked at the wrong dog? 

Like many white suburban lads my age, I came of age during the golden era of rap and hip-hop.

When the Syrians don't want you, it's time to cut your losses 

'Yeah, I was offered a trip to Aleppo for Paddy's Day. Sounds great, but the wife wasn't keen. Doesn't look like I'll be able to make it."

Forget the politicians, it's mob rule that is really terrifying 

SS-GB has been the most eagerly awaited new drama of the year. Well, certainly the most eagerly awaited from my perspective.

Have I told you lately that I miss you, pal? No, we're men 

Have you spoken to X recently?' my wife asked me the other day.

The award for industry most ill at ease with itself goes to... Hollywood! 

Well, that wasn't in the script, was it?

Ian O'Doherty: Trinity debacle reminds us all that tyranny begins at home 

A Trump victory would usher in a new age of intolerance, they said. A Trump victory would bring hordes of his demented redneck fans on to the streets, chasing down the defeated Hillary supporters and forcing them to read the Bible and swear allegiance to the flag.

Hicks' mockery needed now more than ever 

As I said in the main piece, mockery is a useful tool and laughter is the sound that tyrants and dictators and all bullies hate the most.

Hypocrisy of the prudish, new Victorians hangs over Sex Bill 

Earlier this month the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill was passed in the Dáil.