Journalists

Ian O'Doherty: 'Lisa Smith is actually irrelevant - this is about citizenship' 

Forget about Maria, the real question now is how do we solve a problem like Lisa.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Boris Johnson's 'reign of error' will be more like Dunkirk than the Moon landings he evoked' 

WITH Boris Johnson expected to win today's Tory leadership by a margin of anything up to 73pc-27pc, and then to be installed as the new British prime minister tomorrow, a casual observer would be forgiven for assuming that such a commanding victory is the sign of a party united behind its new leader.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Everyone's a winner as Trump carries on blundering' 

We're now about three quarters of the way through Trump's first term as US president. As things stand, he looks a decent bet to grab a second term as well.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Does Maura represent a backlash against All the Young Prudes?' 

You don't have to be a fan of Stranger Things to know about the Upside Down - you just need to look around you.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The time for optimism has passed - and now we're looking at a hard Border whether we like it or not' 

As we move towards the final 100 days before the Halloween fright-night that is the October 31 Brexit deadline, the only light at the end of the tunnel is from a train full of rabid Brexiteers.

The week in radio: 'Liveline is Twitter for people who have never heard of social media' 

If there's one issue that most people can agree on, it's surely the fact that none of us have enough money.

Ian O'Doherty: 'As the Brexit clock continues to tick, why is the Government foisting another new tax on us?' 

There are 86 days to go and the situation remains as clear as mud.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Celebrity disease 'The Great Awokening' claims royal victims' 

Even those of us who never had any interest in the royal family used to quite like Prince Harry.

Ian O'Doherty: 'To 'P' or not to 'P' - that is the question, but only for... hamsters' 

If there's one thing that gets everyone's blood flowing, it's always the latest example of millennial madness.

Ian O'Doherty: 'As we prepare for a hard Border, the Government must now start telling us what we can expect' 

It's good to talk. Readers may remember the old TV commercial for BT from the mid-1990s which featured Bob Hoskins exhorting consumers to pick up the phone and have a chat with each other.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The Moon landing - a giant leap or just one big lie?' 

As we approach next week's 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, it's no surprise to see the TV schedules stuffed with documentaries and interviews marking the momentous event.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Quiet Man Coveney does the hard lifting while Loose Lips Leo makes things harder for himself' 

One hundred and fourteen days - that's 16 weeks and change - before we're hit by what could be the most calamitous wave in the State's history.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Hong Kong protests remind us of all-important power of cash' 

I first noticed it, I think, in 2008 on a flight to the States.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Forever young with all the old dudes...' 

This has been a good week for nostalgia. If you're of that persuasion.

My Summer Job: amateur cook and former kitchen porter Ian O'Doherty goes back to the kitchen - and remembers why he left 

It's that time of the year when the parents and kids really start to fall out with each other.

Ian O'Doherty: First they came for the cranky priests and I said nothing 

The fuss created by Capuchin cleric Fr Tom Forde started off as a mildly amusing example of a priest going rogue in the pulpit, and quickly descended into farce.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Trashy TV is a guilty pleasure not an issue for the watchdog' 

Oh, the humanity! The horror! The untrammelled sexism! The appalling, erm, 'unconscious' racism! And did you see the sizeism on display?

Ian O'Doherty: 'Bad polls spell trouble ahead for Trump - but the Democrats need to play their cards wisely' 

If, as that most hoary of clichés goes, a week is indeed a long time in politics, then 500 days is an eternity.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Conservatives are just as snowflake-y as the liberals they mock' 

When is a joke just a joke and when is it incitement to hatred and even incitement to violence?

Ian O'Doherty: 'Athletes have a role to play - but they aren't role models' 

This has been a brave week for underage rugby on the pitch, despite missing out on a semi-final in Argentina.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Drug revelations go to the very heart of a culture of Tories telling porkies in our 'post-truth' society' 

Traditionally, this is the time of year which marks the beginning of the so-called 'silly season'.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Life moves pretty fast - but backyard birds are worth looking at...' 

Well, I suppose it all began the summer before last.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Europe's political battle forms around new fault line - 'love of your nation' versus 'love of your planet'' 

In times of uncertainty, it's natural to look for both the bad news and the good. It is, of course, human nature to ask for the bad news first. In the wake of this weekend's European elections, we can safely say that, from an Irish perspective, the bad news is that there is no good news.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Greens deserve moment in sun - but what will they do with their elections bounce?' 

That noise you vaguely hear in the distance? That's the sound of Greta Thunberg laughing.

Ian O'Doherty: 'One problem with proposed porn laws? They simply won't work' 

Politicians do love a good old moral panic and few moral panics are as consistently popular as those to do with porn.

Ian O'Doherty: 'In political shake-up who chooses which politicians to attack?' 

So, that dude who chucked the milkshake at Nigel Farage - what a hero, right?

Ian O'Doherty: 'The world is sleep-walking into the most dangerous situation since the 1980s, and it is terrifying...' 

WITH the news that Donald Trump could touch down in Ireland in June, the preparations are already under way. Normally, the imminent arrival of an American president would involve senior politicians carefully crafting their welcoming statements and making sure they were invited to all the important functions.

Ian O'Doherty: 'As 'Game of Thrones' wraps up, will we see the likes of it again?' 

I was late coming to Game Of Thrones.

Ian O'Doherty: ''Jeremy Kyle Show' made fools of the working class - it won't be missed' 

If there was any surprise in the news that The Jeremy Kyle Show has been cancelled following the death of a recent participant, it was that it has taken this long for such a tragedy to happen.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The Tories are a wreck - and while FG hasn't reached those depths, it's showing signs of sinking' 

To his supporters, he is a very modern Saint George, returning on his trusty steed to once again slay the dragon that is the EU.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Nuclear solution for this rock, stuck in a hard place' 

There's no doubt that climate change and species death are the biggest issues facing the planet.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Why this horror buff envies the real-life exorcists' 

In many ways, horror movies are a drug and we horror buffs are the junkies. As one's tolerance for scares increases, you have to dig deeper to get your fix. It also, like sustained drug abuse, leads to a certain deadening of the senses.

Ian O'Doherty: 'A gay councillor for DUP might look like progress but Northern Ireland is still a political basketcase' 

In normal times, under stable conditions, few people would pay much attention to the local council elections in Northern Ireland.

Ian O'Doherty: 'We should all want a Trump visit - we could do with the laugh' 

Oh dear.

Ian O'Doherty: Forget hugs, is it time to ban the curse of... the office handshake? 

You know the drill, we've all been there.

Ian O'Doherty: 'While the loudest voices get heard, the exhausted majority are getting tired of being told what to say' 

For many long-time, foreign observers of this country, the speed with which we became a modern, pluralist society is something which fascinates them.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Climate change activists love making their empty gestures' 

As revolutionary events go, it was all very respectable. The Irish branch of Extinction Rebellion, the self-proclaimed radical environmental movement which virtually shut London down last week, did their own sit-in on O'Connell Bridge last Friday.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Lyra McKeeʼs death was murder, not 'just a tragic accident' as Saoradhʼs dinosaurs try to claim' 

For people of a certain age, the last few days have provided a hellish flashback to a blood-splattered period we all thought was long behind us.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Notre-Dame blaze reminds us all of what is important' 

Every now and then, there comes a moment when you know you're watching something momentous.

Notre-Dame took 850 years to build... so pronounce it properly 

It took 850 years to build, and two hours to destroy.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Hysterical trans backlash is part of new 'pre-censorship' trend' 

So, another week and another celebrity decides to leave Twitter in a huff.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Delaney is a product of Official Ireland, for whom a bit of plámásing can excuse a multitude of sins' 

When they fall, it starts slowly. Then the process speeds up and before you know it, they're out.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The shaggy dog story that put a smile on all our faces' 

There are two, apparently contradictory, phenomena which occur when society is going through times of turmoil - horror and dystopian fiction enjoy a surge in popularity, and people also become more desperate for a good news story.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Boycott Brunei all you like, but they're not the only ones...' 

I had been planning on whisking herself to London for a surprise stay in the Dorchester Hotel, ideally in the Eisenhower Suite.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Nobody in their right mind wants Isil bride Smith back but - unfortunately for the taxpayer - we can't stop her' 

When footage first emerged last month of Irish woman Lisa Smith caught up in a refugee camp for so-called Isil brides on the Syrian/Iraqi border, most observers were surprised, but few were shocked.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Facebook isn't the problem - human nature is at fault' 

So what is he? Is he the socially awkward, hoodie-wearing nerd who just happened to strike it lucky with Facebook?

Ian O'Doherty: 'Once again McGrath has walked into his own punch - but the crazy times we're in mean he won't get the ministerial P45 he deserves' 

As we look across the water to the greatest calamity in modern political history, a range of emotions spring to mind - bewilderment, scorn and downright contempt being the most prominent.

Ian O'Doherty: 'What we're seeing is the battle between the cranks and crackpots' 

One of the great guilty pleasures of life is delving into conspiracy theories.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Lads stop moaning, nobody is out to get you' 

We live in a post-rational age.

Ian O'Doherty: 'As we hurtle towards the Brexit cliff edge, Ireland's caught in trap that even Houdini couldn't escape' 

'How has it comes to this?"

Ian O'Doherty: 'Trump should visit and people should protest - that's democracy' 

If cutting off your nose to spite your face ever becomes an Olympic sport, then we can look forward to increasing our usually abysmal medal count.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Further uncertainty will only lead to more chaos and bad choices as Brexit reaches its endgame' 

Like many things to have been thrown overboard in the wake of the Brexit vote two and a half years ago, the old adage that "a week is a long time in politics" now seems hopelessly naive.

Ian O'Doherty: 'There are no easy answers in the Lisa Smith case' 

To revoke or not to revoke?

Ian O'Doherty: 'Biden could beat Trump, but not his own party' 

There's a reasonable school of thought that if Joe Biden had run against Donald Trump in 2016, we would now be talking about President Biden and laughing at the chutzpah of a TV presenter thinking he could become president.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Calling for a United Ireland? Be careful what you wish for' 

An interesting thing happened up North the other day.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Lent is the latest easy target for people who think they're being edgy' 

I didn't realise that this week featured Ash Wednesday until the day itself. Normally Pancake Tuesday provides an obvious clue but I don't eat pancakes so the whole thing passed me by.

Ian O'Doherty: 'It feels like someone is striking down the icons of our youth' 

If there's one thing that remains a curse on human perception, it's "false pattern recognition".

Ian O'Doherty: 'Social media is the Wild West of the internet - but looking to the Government to play sheriff is a mistake' 

When the so-called Momo craze began to capture the nation's imagination a few weeks ago, it became merely the latest in a long line of internet-related scare stories.

Biography of Buck Whaley - who gambled away the family millions - is a rollicking read 

For several generations of revellers, Buck Whaley's was a popular Dublin nightclub until it was sold in 2017. It was also one of those clubs which frequently saw celebrities behaving badly and, given the origins of the club's name, that was entirely appropriate.

O'Gorman finds happy ending in Bantry 

Most people tend to cross the street when they see rough-looking types or homeless beggars. It may not be particularly kind, but that's the way things are.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The Oscars were incredibly ­boring... but were you surprised?' 

Everyone loves a good controversy. It gives us something to get our teeth into, allows us to demonstrate our moral credentials and makes everyone feel important.

Ian O'Doherty: 'There's not much fun to be had when you're in your 40s' 

There aren't many upsides to being in your 40s, particularly when you remain as immature and lacking in impulse control as you were in your 20s. Yet that's the grim position myself and some friends now find ourselves in.

Ian O'Doherty: 'While we focus on Brexit, Trump's belligerence over Venezuela could turn out to be his biggest mistake' 

As the countdown to Brexit begins to look more like a ticking bomb than a ticking clock, it's no surprise that all our attention has been focused on the astonishingly fractious and shambolic state of affairs between the various political leaders.

Ian O'Doherty: 'The strange case of the jihadi bride and Western weakness' 

When people began to leave their homes in Europe to travel and fight for Isis in Syria, some questions began to be asked.

Ian O'Doherty: 'I'll still listen to Ryan Adams... but John Wayne, you're history to me' 

So what's the head count like this week?

Ian O'Doherty: 'Labour split offers little for us as the clock ticks down towards a no-deal disaster for all concerned' 

Only 38 days to go. To the continuing amazement of those who clung to the forlorn hope that calm heads and political professionals would come together for the sake of the common good and thrash out some sort of agreement, we are now further away from any sort of rational compromise on Brexit than ever before.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Nobody has the right to gather outside someone's home' 

It's fair to say that this Government is becoming increasingly unpopular with each passing day.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Hate crime or hoax? Smollett row is fascinating' 

One of the more unusual stories to come out of the lunatic asylum that is America 2019 occurred recently with the alleged attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Populism threatens our island with catastrophe - and Sinn Féin is cynical enough to profit from it' 

There was once a popular TV commercial for an insurance company which boasted the famous promise "we won't make a drama out of a crisis". Oh, to now have such clear heads at the tiller in this country, where it's becoming increasingly clear we have already left mere "crisis" behind and are heading full speed into a catastrophe.

Ian O'Doherty: 'There's an easier solution than the mob piling in on Liam Neeson' 

One of the interesting aspects of the current cultural climate is that while people have become far more socially liberal than before, they've also become far more judgmental of others. It's hard to imagine that any rational, sane person thinks it's acceptable that someone's career can be ruined in the time it takes to send a single Tweet, or say something the baying mob doesn't like.

Ian O'Doherty: 'We've gone back to the future with all the nuclear sabre rattling' 

With RTÉ currently showing the wonderful German drama Deutschland '86, we're looking at the very recent, and quickly forgotten history of the Cold War and how close we came to Armageddon.

Ian O'Doherty: 'There are no easy answers around issue of euthanasia - but it's time we started asking the hard questions' 

As the nation girds its loins and tries to figure out just how bad the next few post-Brexit months are going to be, the traditional Irish fear that our destiny is once more out of our hands has returned with a vengeance.

How colliding continents and mega-floods shaped our lives 

In recent years, so called 'Big History' books have created their own genre. On one level, this can probably be traced back to the globe-spanning success of Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time, which was published in 1988.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Churchill row shows it's not just snowflakes keen to stamp out dissent' 

In times of revisionism, such as the one we're currently experiencing, all bets are off - and that can only be a good thing.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Of course we're shocked by callous M50 footage - but not surprised in an age of moral bankruptcy' 

Another week, another litany of deaths on our roads. The crash in which four young men died in a single-car accident in Donegal on Sunday night brought the death toll to 10 for the last week.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Fighting Fyre with Fyre: a lesson in why millennials are so boring' 

I don't know if you've watched either of the documentaries which came out last week about the infamous Fyre Festival catastrophe.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Progessives turn on each other in Terf war of words' 

Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Our 'message to world' in first Dáil still resonates as days of the free, sovereign nation appear numbered' 

The birth of any nation is seldom smooth, and those first, tentative baby steps into independence are the most perilous of them all.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Joyless vegan fundamentalists just love to wag their fingers' 

Ask most people if they like children, and you won't necessarily be able to predict the answer. Ask most people if they like animals, and you're much more likely to get a positive response.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Gaeilgeoir brigades still turning people off learning Irish' 

Like many people, I grew up with a fairly visceral dislike for the Irish language.

Ian O'Doherty: 'McDonald reminded us of Sinn Féin's true colours when she defended the Venezuelan dictatorship' 

It's unlikely that Sinn Féin's party motto is 'when in a hole, stop digging'.

Ian O'Doherty: 'When did stoicism and competitiveness become a bad thing?' 

Right, first up, the apology. I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry.

Ian O'Doherty: 'It looks like the secession bug has spread and we're entering the last days of the EU' 

As we look on and tremble while the Tories continue to amaze us with the depths of their stupidity, it's understandable that we haven't been paying attention to developments elsewhere in the EU.

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: '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: '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: 'Joe Schmidt hasn't just brought success to Irish rugby, he has liberated us from 'moral victory' psyche' 

So, it's a case of - nearly - farewell Joe, and thanks for the memories.

Ian O'Doherty: 'Middle-aged white men on track for a medal in the Victim Olympics' 

Did you know that when Collins dictionary recently added a bunch of new words to their latest edition, they were happy to include a racial slur?

Ian O'Doherty: 'This is what happens when we think we're all stars in our very own biopic' 

Every generation rebels against the people who went before them and gives out about the people who come after them.

A humbling trek across Trumpland 

There is no doubt that America is now more polarised than ever before. That divide has been widened by the current mantra that anyone who votes for someone you don't like is not just guilty of having a different opinion, but is obviously both evil and morally inferior.

Ian O'Doherty: 'New court-reporting restrictions protect the rights of citizens from some fool with a Twitter handle' 

To tweet or not to tweet? That is the question.

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.