Ireland’s mayflies are ancient creatures - older than dinosaurs by 80 million years
Ella McSweeney: In Ireland, we have about 150 species of mayflies
Weekend
Stories that appear in the Weekend section of The Irish Times print edition
‘I couldn’t get an Irish passport. I felt I had this identity taken away’
The BBC broadcaster on how Brexit sent her searching for her Irish roots, reporting the Troubles in Belfast, and the ‘joy and privilege’ of hosting Round Britain Quiz
From PCOS to PMOS: How renaming a prevalent women’s disorder will improve countless women’s lives
Renaming common female hormonal disorder should lead to earlier diagnosis and better management of the condition
The year of ‘God’s architect’: divisive Sagrada Família finally nears completion on the centenary of Gaudí’s death
Few cities bear the influence of one architect as brazenly as Barcelona, where Gaudí’s stylistic fingerprints are rarely out of sight
Growing up in care: ‘I remember a lot of people not being allowed to be friends with me in school’
Four young adults who have spent time in Ireland’s care system tell Patrick Freyne about their lives
Residents, not tourists, are the best way to re-energise our cities
In the middle of an acute housing crisis, is it clever to have most housing stock set aside for Airbnbs and short-term rentals?
In pictures: An EastEnders actor transforms into Judy Garland in Dublin
Musical theatre and EastEnders actor Anna-Jane Casey prepares for her role as Judy Garland in the upcoming stage production Judy – End of the Rainbow
Why native Irish bluebells are under threat
Our native common bluebell is facing competition from its invading Spanish cousin
Some writers refuse to be translated into the languages of states they disdain. Not me
It’s not clear to me on what moral basis I would refuse publication in Putin’s Russia while signing gratefully for Trump’s America
Marilyn Monroe at 100: What her films reveal about the woman behind the myth
Decades after her death, she continues to attract speculation and fantasy, but her performances are neglected
Snapchat: ‘I’ve seen so much stuff. I would block them after but the damage was done’
Snapchat remains a firm favourite among Irish youngsters but has been the subject of numerous controversies, mostly linked to user privacy, child safety and moderation
A conflict between the US and China now looks inevitable
The cause is rooted in the Thucydides Trap – referred to this week by Xi Jinping – the simple but dangerous arithmetic of a rising power and an anxious incumbent
A diplomatic perspective: ‘Over the last year, I’ve moved house, job, and country’
Patrick Reilly, deputy head of mission at the British embassy in Ireland, on growing up in an Irish household in Manchester, trying to get into the Hacienda and more
Inside Ireland’s growing money-laundering network: ‘Pubs, fast-food restaurants, you name it’
Money laundering has surged in the Republic with a diverse, and growing, army of people across society involved
‘Way more than just drinking outside’: Young people on reclaiming Dublin’s Drury Street
Dublin drinking hotspot has been the subject of a polarising debate about the purpose of the street
We have an asylum of cuckoos here in west Clare
Eye on Nature: Éanna Ní Lamhna responds to readers’ queries and observations on the natural world
‘A wake-up call for every country’: public service broadcasting in crisis
A century on from the birth of public-service media, even the Continent’s heavyweight outlets resemble endangered species
What’s the story with the hole in Dún Laoghaire pier?
The two piers in south Dublin are among of the largest protected structures in the Ireland
Why Ireland needs to stop mandating parents to buy their children laptops for school
Ella McSweeney: Educational technology is now marketed aggressively to schools, which are treating individual laptops as an unquestioned educational good
One phrase has always annoyed me: ‘Remember there’s always someone worse off than you’
Am I supposed to take comfort or pleasure in the greater hardship of others? Or is it that there’s a suffering competition?
Colin Murphy: Online platforms are engines of outrage, but theatre is one of empathy
All of the playwright’s work is grounded in public life - mainly dramatisations of political events featuring real-life characters
So many of our oldest stories are to do with rebirth in the dark
At Newgrange, on the winter solstice, we knew the light would be faintly visible underground, and we cheered with triumph, defiance, abandon
What could interest a bee in this astroturf in Athenry?
Eye on Nature: Éanna Ní Lamhna answers your queries on bewildered bees, wasp imposters, freaky-looking fungi and avian visitors
Parents who want Irish-language education for their children ‘are being failed by State’
Alan Esslemont, the author and former TG4 ard-stiúrthóir (director general), on agreeability, childhood memory and death being ‘an awfully big adventure’
Fast fashion: Can Ireland turn the tide?
While the over-consumption of cheap, low quality clothing is concerning, a number of new initiatives offer some hope
Iran war is now an international hostage situation - with UAE the hostage
Iran war now an international hostage situation where UAE is the hostage, Iran the hostage-taker, and US will have to pay the ransom
Titanic dive widow: ‘We left London as a family of four and we returned as a unit of two’
‘We left London as a family of four. And we returned as a unit of two’
Ireland is trying to fund environmental protection on the cheap
Nature restoration isn’t a luxury. It’s one of the highest-return investments available to the State
The ‘Irish emigrant’ is no longer a simple concept. Meet the new diaspora
With Ireland’s links to the US weakening, for now at least, the importance of other bonds is emerging
David Attenborough and Ireland: ‘So kind and charming. He joked about my lovely accent’
The natural history presenter, who turns 100 today, has inspired Ireland’s wildlife community through the decades
What is Senior Assassin – the game Leaving Cert students are obsessed with?
Leaving Cert students in desperate need of diversion have embraced the viral game during their last few weeks of secondary school
Some students believe they can be writers without reading. This raises many questions
Wanting to write without wanting to read is, at best, trying to skip the first stage of an artistic apprenticeship
Comedian Killian Sundermann: ‘My parents let me wear a jean jacket for my Confirmation because I was into rock’n’roll’
Comedian and actor Killian Sundermann on the joy of a good comedy gig and his dislike of anonymous notes
Derry Girls actor Kathy Kiera Clarke: ‘I feel like everything I did before doesn’t exist in many ways’
Actor Kathy Kiera Clarke, best known as Derry Girls’ Aunt Sarah, on how the Troubles shaped her early life
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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