Diarmaid Ferriter

Alan Titley is bringing out a new version of the epic story which ‘has gripped the attention of Ireland for centuries long’

Advisory group recommends solemn, inclusive, stand-alone commemoration for Civil War

The North’s business and economic interests are largely supportive, but some elements in unionism have a political incentive to hold out

The county was the scene of some of the most brutal moments in the final, vicious phase of the conflict

As the second century of an independent Irish foreign policy dawns, questions must be answered about the country’s place in the world

Working-class Dublin was intrinsic to the creative output of a highly individual writer who was born a century ago this week

The absence of significant racial minorities for most of the State’s history meant an intolerance lay dormant

Failure to take proper care of children has been a longstanding and grave failure of the Irish State and despite much apparent progress, the failure remains

From Séamus Begley and Tony MacMahon to Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin to Riverdance, Irish music has grown immeasurably in status, range and confidence

Accolades for McDonagh’s film put international spotlight on Inis Mór and Achill Island as he continues to tap into a tradition of which he claims to be no part

Enduring trolley overcrowding in A&E departments has come to be seen as an inevitable part of the system rather than an intolerable failure

Seán O’Casey’s Shadow of a Gunman raised fundamental questions about violence and challenged the founding myths of the new State

A concept once regarded as a foolish recipe for instability could now prove itself to be a perfectly stable, sensible method of centrist government

There is no unanimity on how or when to mark a grim chapter of our history, but there are some hopeful signs

Democracy’s endurance suggests we got more right than wrong, but there are long shadows

Whatever divided a people ravaged by civil war, they had their faith in common and, with that, a special regard for men of the cloth and their role

Narrative of political responsibility and need to face down anti-treaty republicans endures. However, most of the 81 anti-treaty soldiers executed were of low rank

Despite the Republicans making fewer gains than expected, it remains to be seen if the party will continue down the Trumpian path

Children will need to be educated together if there is to be any chance of a united Northern Ireland, never mind a united Ireland

The Tory class prefect has just replaced the class clowns in the top job; he must not allow nostalgia or ‘the fear of failing’ to cloud his judgment

Through boom and bust, lobbyists for the construction sector have always made demands of the State

Clergy were unsure about their role in a state born out of violence and racked by divisions, so they built a culture of obedience and deference

Events make it clear continued denial of any need to adapt will damage the unionist cause

Soon to be reviewed 1935 Public Dance Halls Act was a church and State attempt to legally control morality

Fear of ‘grey power’ will see younger generation burdened with cost of Government’s refusal to face up to funding the State pension

Irish State has failed to deliver a wider social contract in the 100 years since the third Dáil sat for the first time

Monarch’s reign associated with some of darkest days and strains of relations, but also, towards its end, a satisfying resolution

He had no choice but to try to reform the Soviet Union but he was naive, particularly in imagining nationalism was no longer an issue

Some 35% of members of the Oireachtas are landlords or landowners, wildly out of step with the country at large

Approaching his legacy without bias is a noble aim but beyond Martin and Varadkar sharing a platform, the habits of a century will hardly be broken

There are no shortage of ambitious targets being outlined in both Greece and Ireland to reduce carbon emissions, but stubborn national myopia also persists

When Tony Blair was elected 25 years ago, he was heavily engaged with the politics of Northern Ireland. Now we have a Tory elite that couldn’t care less

UUP leader took a difficult path and in the end, even unionism’s most entrenched enemies of change adopted his approach

Diarmaid Ferriter on a nuanced portrait of a man who ‘fought and died in a civil war that he opposed’

Both sides in the Civil War sought to lay the blame for the destructiuon of the public records office on each other

An Irishman’s Diary

The Custom House is seen as one of the most important buildings in Dublin

Welcome to the Student Hub weekly digest - a selection of stories, reviews and podcasts

His presence ‘would have created more division than it would have healed’

Diarmaid Ferriter says decision was ‘rock and a hard place stuff’