#Opinion
Catholic in 2019: 'Some cardinals and clerics appear trapped within a medieval mindset - but Pope Francis provides a glimmer of hope'
‘We can all help to change the outdated teachings, traditions and structures which repel many adults and young people,’ writes Joe Mulvaney.
Opinion: 'Sometimes it just takes a little moment of courage to change your life forever'
‘One day I realised I didn’t want to hide my arm anymore. I didn’t want to be ashamed of my body. I wanted to embrace it,’ writes Paralympian Ellen Keane.
Opinion: 'Big businesses will cry wolf and fire accusations of nanny-statism at any public health intervention'
But education and individual agency cannot help people to ‘do the right thing’ when it comes to their health, writes Maebh Ní Fhallúin.
Opinion: Inappropriate comments by customers in the workplace are not 'good craic'
You might not expect women to be subjected to inappropriate sexual comments while working as pharmacists in Ireland, but it happens fairly often, writes Laura Farrell.
Opinion: 'I'm not a victim, I am a survivor ... I don’t flinch when someone touches me'
Aicha Dounia was abused by her biological father from the age of four but she refuses to live a life ‘consumed by hatred’.
Opinion: At a cannabis dispensary in Colorado I found the only thing that offered relief for my chronic pain
I was prescribed fentanyl, a dangerous, highly addictive, synthetic opiate with horrible side effects – while a relatively harmless plant remains banned, writes Clare McAfee.
Lynn Ruane: The overdose drug Naloxone can save lives so let's remove the barriers to accessing it
There are more deaths in Ireland as a result of overdose than road traffic accidents and many of these deaths are preventable, writes senator Lynn Ruane.
The Irish For: We are sometimes called Gaeilge Nazis which feels like a bit of a curse
Gaeilgeoirí often feel the odds are stacked against them. Even when we are right we still end up looking like a spoilsport or a pain in the arse, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
Opinion: 'I wanted to pursue my acting dreams - but having kids was a huge risk. What should I do?'
Actress Sarah Carroll held off on expanding her family because of her job – but writes about how she eventually managed to make it work.
From the Garden: 'It seems an opportune time to write about sowing seeds in module trays'
‘The beauty of a module tray is that the roots of seedlings are kept apart which means you don’t upset them when you are transplanting them’, writes Michael Kelly.
Blue Care: The healing power and potential of the deep blue sea
Reclaiming our connection with our watery origins in the ancient sea is an essential part of our human wellbeing and sense of identity and belonging as islanders, writes Easkey Britton.
Opinion: My name is Gearóidín and I want the Irish State to give me back my fadas
‘According to the HSE, the internal systems in place cannot deal with fadas. But why? Fadas are not exactly a new invention,’ writes Gearóidín McEvoy.
Opinion: 'I was born with my organs outside my body and given the last rites but now I have two children of my own'
When I was born I weighed just 3lbs 3oz and was expected to die. I survived but faced persistent bullying about my condition well into adulthood, writes Edwina Wrenn.
Opinion: 'As I attempt to buy my first home, disheartened isn't even the word'
In Berlin, a proposed referendum seeks to ban the largest landlord company and expropriate the homes for social housing – but the average rent in Dublin is twice that of Berlin, writes Ciaran Connolly.
Player ratings: How did Man United and Barcelona fare?
Give us your thoughts on tonight’s big game.
Opinion: 'Lisa Smith needs to be exploited to the maximum as an intelligence source on her return'
“While Smith was living with IS during 2016, 135 European citizens were slaughtered in 10 separate attacks that year,” security expert Tom Clonan writes.
Opinion: Frustrated with a lack of progress? Time to redefine winning
Sisters Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski have written a book on burnout – and in this extract, they explain that redefining winning can help you reach your goals in a way you didn’t expect.
Opinion: The Limerick Soviet of 1919 is part of a hidden history of Ireland
This battle was part of a momentous ‘Game of Thrones’ to decide who would rule Ireland: British imperialism, Irish capitalism or the working class, writes Cian Prendiville.
Opinion: 25 years on from the Rwanda genocide. Can we make sure it never happens again?
187 million people were killed through genocide and state-sanctioned mass murder, in the 20th century, writes Cian Matthew Kearns.
The Irish For: In 1990 Germany got Athaontú (reunification) and Milli Vanilli were exposed for lip-syncing
The German R&B duo dominated the charts at the time and one of them even claimed to be the “new Elvis”, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
From the Garden: How to grow broadbeans? Start by avoiding cheap compost
It’s worth buying good quality potting compost – ideally one that is approved for use in organic production and peat-free, writes Michael Kelly.
Opinion: I want to change the way society sees ex-offenders so I organised a TEDx Talk in Mountjoy
Ex prisoners took to the stage to deliver talks to an audience of prisoners, senior policymakers, politicians, activists, education-providers, and employers, writes Nikki Gallagher.
Opinion: Changing the model of hospital care could help solve the trolley crisis
Why is the HSE doing the same thing repeatedly but expecting to get different results? writes Dr Cathal O’Sullivan
Give us the night: It's time to reform our licensing laws - they are straight out of Father Ted
Our licensing laws are a complex, expensive mess. It is stifling creativity and puts as at a disadvantage compared to other EU destinations, writes Sunil Sharpe.
Our systems are not working to prevent child sexual violence, even after it is reported
Of all reported cases of child sexual violence only 2% end in a conviction. Children whose disclosures don’t result in a criminal conviction still need protection, writes Dr Clíona Saidléar.
Opinion: 64% of workers in Ireland earn less than the 'average' salary
Experts agree that the median average is a better indicator of typical salaries, so why do policymakers always focus on the mean average? writes Felim O’Rourke
Lynn Ruane: This Mother's Day, let's celebrate those mothers doing a tough job in challenging circumstances
Mothers with very little income, who manage to ensure their babies are warm, fed and in school on time – often alone or in tough or even violent situations, writes Lynn Ruane.
The Irish For: The Irish language version of Wikipedia is going strong
Sure enough, one of the longest, best laid-out and most carefully edited pages in An Vicipéid is the page on Star Trek, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
Opinion: The fallout from the Mueller Report exposes a Democratic Party adrift
Driven by enmity for Donald Trump the Democrats have forgotten that the way to beat your opponent in a democracy – is at the ballot box, writes Larry Donnelly.
From the Garden: 'Growing tomatoes is a hobby that became an obsession and then spiralled out of control into a mania'
Growing tomatoes is a double-edged sword because once you’ve tasted a proper homegrown tomato you really can’t go back to the bland shop-bought alternative, writes Michael Kelly.
Opinion: It is time to stop paying people to spread hate
Hit them where it hurts. When so-called ‘provocateur’ Milo Yiannopoulos overstepped the line, he lost his book deal and now he is reported to be heavily in debt, writes Kate O’Brien.
Tom Clonan: Deal or no deal, the border will be our problem this time. And we aren't ready for it
The Irish Defence Forces is already on its knees and will be unable to patrol any border on this island, writes Tom Clonan.
Opinion: Laws that criminalise sex buyers are making life more dangerous for sex workers
How long more can our government ignore the growing body of evidence that shows that their policies are endangering to the physical and mental health of sex workers, writes Kate McGrew.
Opinion: For years the doctors told me I was overweight but it turned out I had lymphoedema
I was on a diet from age 14 and got the diagnosis at 31. I was amazed and felt like crying as I finally knew what was wrong, writes Andrea Quigley.
Carbon taxes won’t stop climate change – we need more radical action
Fossil fuels are already taxed to the hilt and people haven’t moved to electric vehicles for one simple reason – they cannot afford to, writes Brian O’Boyle.
Opinion: In makeshift refugee camps a lost generation of Syrian children cling to hope
The Syrian crisis may be entering its ninth year but a return home still feels a long way off for half a million children stranded in Lebanon, writes Aine Costigan
The Irish for: Irish is the first language of the constitution. Here's some legal terminology as Gaeilge
Bannaí means bail and is not to be confused with banaí which means a womaniser, writes Darach Ó Séaghdha.
Opinion: How you see the Irish economy depends on if you're a glass half-full or half-empty kind of person
In many ways, the Irish economy looks to be in ‘Goldilocks’ territory: not too cold, but still not too hot, writes Victor Duggan.
Sebastian Barry: Fragment of a coffin ship journal, author unknown
The truth is my father was ashamed of our emergency, he was a proud man that had worked his quarter acre like a Trojan. Now he was nothing.
Player ratings: How the Boys in Green fared against Gibraltar
Ireland got Mick McCarthy’s tenure off to a less-than-satisfactory start with a 1-0 defeat of their opponents.
Download our app
