As Qatar win the Champions League again, we go to the USA for a World Cup even more politicised than 2022, and the Premier League awaits the outcome of the City case, all of this is covered in the paperback of my book ‘States of Play’ - available here: amzn.eu/d/08ZjVURr

If you’re sneering at a Galway footballer maybe going on Love Island, you’re the loser. This week‘s column www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Getting close to go time for Pádraig O'Hora up on Everest. His Irish Times diaries have been brilliant. This is his latest one, as they finally get through the icefall and start pushing on from Base Camp. www.irishtimes.com/sport/2026/0...

Excellent piece from @malachyclerkin.bsky.social of @irishtimes.com. Infantino's FIFA gives racism a pass. Malachy Clerkin: Fifa’s risible punishment of Israeli FA is a dereliction of duty www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...

"The dereliction of duty on Fifa’s part here is genuinely jaw-dropping.... You’re either allowed to behave with impunity as a national football federation tolerating racism and segregation or you’re not.....For shame, Fifa. For shame" @malachyclerkin.bsky.social www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...

Loved doing this one. Where were you for Troy Parrott's goal? Featuring (among others)... ✈️The woman who took the airport video 👶A midwife in the Rotunda, mid-delivery ⛹️‍♂️A soccer-mad cancer patient (11) ⚽☘️Everyone in Ireland at 4pm on November 16th 2025 www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer...

Happy Cheltenham week to all who celebrate. Had a great chat with Johnny Dineen about what it takes to live the life fo a professional gambler betting on horses. A fascinating guy and a complete gentleman. "I would describe what I have as a controlled addiction." www.irishtimes.com/sport/racing...

Happy Cheltenham week to all who celebrate. Had a great chat with Johnny Dineen about what it takes to live the life fo a professional gambler betting on horses. A fascinating guy and a complete gentleman. "I would describe what I have as a controlled addiction." www.irishtimes.com/sport/racing...

Mark Robson on his abuser: ‘When he died, I went through a terrible time because I wanted to kill him’ www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/...

This is great, by Brian O'Connor. If it's too dangerous for Constitution Hill to race at Cheltenham, what does that say about jump racing? www.irishtimes.com/sport/racing...

Welcome back to the league, the faithful droopy-eyed hound of the GAA family. This week’s column. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Dave Hannigan with a column on, eh, Coke cans and such. (It's actually about an NFL player's penis) www.irishtimes.com/sport/2026/0...

Great to see Blue Lights getting its due. Such a great show. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Just a few hours until thew American Ryder Cup captain maybe, possibly picks himself to play in the Ryder Cup. A piece on how the Yanks got themselves into such a mad muddle over a middling golfer called Keegan Bradley. www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/2...

Just a few hours until thew American Ryder Cup captain maybe, possibly picks himself to play in the Ryder Cup. A piece on how the Yanks got themselves into such a mad muddle over a middling golfer called Keegan Bradley. www.irishtimes.com/sport/golf/2...

Sally Hayden: Israel’s targeting of journalists is an attack on truth and history

Great to have Conor Murray writing in The Irish Times during the Lions tour. His first piece is about Jamison Gibson-Park. www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/...

"Only during the hour itself will Taylor discover if her body still has the capacity to endure the punishments of 10 two-minute rounds which, in their hands, are likely to be defined by a furious rate of punches thrown and a wild unpredictability." www.irishtimes.com/sport/boxing...

Today's front page - Tusla and the Govt clashed over a national crisis in special care, with a senior official accusing the State agency of taking “insufficient” action to help at-risk children There were concerns one child was at risk of dying w/out a place www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

The Mayo County Board can hire and fire who they like but there's a way to do it. This was the work of spivs. Kevin McStay deserved better. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Mark Paul at the Kneecap trial. The magistrate said the court had so far been unable to find an Irish interpreter. “If anyone knows of one….” he said. A woman in the public gallery could be heard laughing as she pointed at Ó hAnnaidh’s bandmates." www.irishtimes.com/world/uk/202...

Jarvis Cocker paused during Pulp’s 3Arena show last week to remember their first gig in Dublin — The Rock Garden, March 1993. A £10-a-night hotel, missing gear, and one unforgettable punchline. Read the full tale of Pulp’s curious Irish beginnings here theblackpoolsentinel.com/2025/06/16/p...

Ticket available for Michael Lewis's sold-out #DalkeyBookFestival event, Sunday 6pm: www.ticketswap.com/listing/mich...

Choose any metric you like - crowd size, TV audience, the closeness of the games. Cork v Limerick has become the biggest game in Irish sport. Here's how it happened. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

“I’ve run three times this season and each time I was like, ‘Oh my God, I feel different. I don’t feel as sharp. I don’t feel as quick. I feel sluggish.’ And my coach is like: ‘Ray, you’re not trying to break the world record right now. Focus on the goal.’ www.irishtimes.com/sport/athlet...

On Daffodil Day, here's a piece I wrote about my dad a few years back. If you see a daffodil seller today, throw them a few quid. If you don't, text DAFF to 50300 to donate €4 to the Irish Cancer Society. They're amazing, amazing people. irishtimes.com/life-and-sty...

www.independent.ie/opinion/comm... Ellen Coyne: Conor McGregor is Ireland’s most diabolically embarrassing export – and Trump may have given him his next big break

My piece this weekend is an interview with Ruairí Keating, who was very honest about how difficult life has been since the death of his father. (Free to read) 'It's always there' - Ruairí Keating opens up on grief, and why he needed to return to Cork the42.ie/6613150

Whatever anyone thinks about Rory Gallagher, the GAA president should not be influencing Naas GAA’s coaching choices. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

This is an extraordinary story by Dave Hannigan. The Last Sportswriter in Nazi Paris. www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/1...

The Sportswoman of the Year awards are this afternoon - always the best day. These awards have been going for 20 years now so I wrote a bit about the distance between there and here. www.irishtimes.com/sport/2024/1...

www.independent.ie/opinion/comm... Ellen Coyne: There are people in the Republic who are not working hard enough to understand the points Kneecap are making

My book, ‘States of Play’, is out now. It is really a modern history of football, and how it has been transformed by three main forces: geopolitics, especially autocratic states; a very western capitalism; the game’s own greed and failures of authority geni.us/StatesOfPlay

Wordle has beaten me twice this week. This must be how Pep feels every day.

Okay, the end of the year is in sight, so maybe it’s a good time for us to tell you about our financials, here at Dublin Inquirer HQ at the Digital Hub on Thomas Street in Dublin 8. We ask for transparency from others, so some transparency from us is good too, right? 1/

From just missing out on the Olympic rugby sevens squad to playing for Meath to winning an AFLW title, nobody had a year like Vikki Wall. “If I knew the whole outcome of this whole year, I definitely would do it all over again.” www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Looking for compensation when a player goes to the AFL is a terrible idea for the GAA. Today's column. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Looking for compensation when a player goes to the AFL is a terrible idea for the GAA. Today's column. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

From just missing out on the Olympic rugby sevens squad to playing for Meath to winning an AFLW title, nobody had a year like Vikki Wall. “If I knew the whole outcome of this whole year, I definitely would do it all over again.” www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Surprised and delighted to have won this. It’s entirely down to the mighty who was good enough to talk to me about life, football and mental health. A hero.

A friend of mine is selling two tickets to James Vincent McMorrow at Set Theatre Kilkenny this Sunday, December 8th. Face value. DM me and I'll put you in touch.

"Older members of political parties, their candidate stickers curling at the edges, jostled with journalists for a better view." Miriam Lord on Gerry Hutch at the count in the RDS. www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

I read all the sports books of 2024 so you don't have to read them all. These are the best of them and the rest of them. www.irishtimes.com/sport/tennis...

Wrote this about my club, Na Fianna. Of course we'll celebrate tonight. What else would we do? www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Cillian O'Connor - discuss. This week's column for the Irish Times www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

Murph on the money. www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic...

'Tis the season.

Gordon Darcy on Joe's return. www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/...