Channel 4's Eden: Paradise in the making or hell on earth?The slow-moving ‘Eden’ is actually harmless enough - but is also a reminder that the colonisation of Ireland began as reality-TV showTue Aug 09 2016 - 17:45
Patrick Freyne’s big regret? Having a healthy work-life balanceWork-life balance is the booby prize God gives to people who are failingThu Jul 28 2016 - 11:00
Trapped: Life in Ireland’s homeless hotelsMore than 1,000 homeless families live in single rooms in hotels and B&Bs. Some of them tell us about daily life.Sat Jul 23 2016 - 05:45
Mr Robot gets high praise, but it's a lot dumber than it thinks it isAs the hit US conspiracy show finally arrives on Irish screens, Patrick Freyne dons his wrinkliest tin-foil hat...Fri Jul 22 2016 - 08:51
Mesmerising Miriam O’Callaghan has one show to rule them allTubridy and D’Arcy, weak from their eternal struggle, have retreated and the the queen of midsummer chat is back to rule over middle IrelandThu Jul 14 2016 - 14:59
Life Stripped Bare: the naked truth isn’t all that interestingThree households are stripped of everything they possess to find out what makes them happy. It turns out what they really need is their stuff backTue Jul 05 2016 - 22:56
Patrick Freyne: After Brexit vote, centre must now listen to those on peripheryLeave supporters were, for the most part, not triumphalist. If anything, they were fatalistic, angry and unenthusiasticSat Jul 02 2016 - 08:53
The UK was stitched up, but at least they still have The Great British Sewing BeeThe Great British Sewing Bee exhibits the best of British values; meanwhile, on a visit to Kerry, Top Gear doesn’tWed Jun 29 2016 - 13:59
‘People were asked to make a decision they weren’t equipped to make’Protesters gather in front of UK Houses of Parliament under a banner declaring ‘Fuck Brexit’Sat Jun 25 2016 - 17:45
Heels and heroes: Dublin's mania for wrestlingSkulduggery and athletic prowess make for a heady mix at this ‘pantomime for grown ups’Sat Jun 25 2016 - 08:00
A golden opportunity? City men seek a profit from Brexit‘It’s an opportunity to make loads of money. Or to lose a lot of money.’Fri Jun 24 2016 - 20:55
Britons on Brexit: ‘We’re all proud to be British again’Others lament ‘stupidness’ of poll: ‘It shouldn’t have come down to a cheap vote’Fri Jun 24 2016 - 13:49
Brexit: Irish complain of becoming a ‘dying breed’ in KilburnPros and cons of ‘foreigners’ the main topic on referendum day in former Irish heartlandThu Jun 23 2016 - 20:51
Patrick Freyne: ‘Britain’s not a gazelle. Britain’s a lion’According to Brexiters, unlike gazelles and zebras, the UK is better off going it aloneThu Jun 23 2016 - 09:21
It's not too late to catch: The best TV shows of 2016From homegrown one-offs to Netflix originals, it’s shaping up to be a good year for great TVWed Jun 22 2016 - 12:57
Brexit: ‘Shakespeare’s view of the world was a European view’In the Bard’s home town of Stratford-Upon-Avon confusion and uncertainty reign supremeWed Jun 22 2016 - 01:00
Brexit: ‘There’s talk about taking back our country. From where?’Brexit Remainers are thin on the ground while Leavers fret about jobs and securityTue Jun 21 2016 - 01:00
Patrick Freyne: Reports of rural Ireland’s death are overblownWeekend Read: A recent gathering in Athenry revealed that country living was never easy, but reports of the death of rural communities are exaggeratedSat Jun 18 2016 - 05:45
Patrick Freyne: Given a choice of prisons, I’d take Litchfield over the Big Brother houseBig Brother is boring, depressing, irresponsible and disturbing. But in the prison of Orange Is the New Black, there is always hopeWed Jun 15 2016 - 15:00
Patrick Freyne: ‘Top Gear was already dead but didn’t know it’The previous version had over-privileged, white, straight men freewheeling through their natural environment - but the reboot is running on emptyThu Jun 09 2016 - 06:28
Patrick Freyne: Love Island is a sanctuary for hunk-kindUTV plans to save these fragile creatures with an ambitious breeding programmeThu Jun 02 2016 - 07:44
Gang feud: Life goes on in Dublin 1, but so does the fearSocial problems will remain in inner city long after media spotlight fades, say residentsSat May 28 2016 - 06:35
Bruce Springsteen steamrolls through 3½-hour set at CrokerCraftsman’s rock is the sound of dignified, defiant defeat, and the crowd loved itSat May 28 2016 - 00:33
Bruce Springsteen brings the hardcore to Croke ParkThousands of obsessed fans gather for evergreen singer’s 3½-hour Dublin gigFri May 27 2016 - 20:25
Patrick Freyne: 'When the Irish peasant girl speaks on Made in Chelsea, they stare in wonder'In Richard III, the posh are culled with war. In Made in Chelsea, they use passive-aggressive texting. Thank the socialist gods, then, for the beautiful, strange and humane The ClangersWed May 25 2016 - 16:23
Eurovision preview: What to watch out for... and who will win?From the political posturing of warring divas to bad indie music here’s our essential guide to Eurovision viewingSun May 15 2016 - 11:27
Ukraine wins Eurovision with political and powerful songAustralia tops the jury vote but televoting swings contest to Jamala’s ‘1944’Sat May 14 2016 - 23:57
Byrnexit: the Eurovision we won’t winIreland won’t feature in tonight’s Eurovision final, but don’t blame Nicky Byrne. A week in Stockholm tells us that, to win, you have to take the contest far more seriously than anyone in Ireland is prepared to doSat May 14 2016 - 05:45
Nicky Byrne: ‘I feel worse than I did yesterday to be honest’2016 Revisited: Former Westlife singer still in shock after Eurovision semi-final exit in StockholmFri May 13 2016 - 19:54
Nicky Byrne ‘disappointed’ with Eurovision exitFormer Westlife singer fails to qualify for final of song contest with ‘Sunlight’Thu May 12 2016 - 22:21
Eurovision’s Nicky Byrne: ‘Maybe Ireland can do a Leicester’Singer up against Serbian leather fetishists and Danish lighthouse-keepers in semi-finalWed May 11 2016 - 19:25
Ricky Gervais on Netflix's plans: 'The return of the auteur'A replica set of Freddy’s barbecue joint; star turns from Gervais, Kevin Spacey and Kate Mulgrew; and talks about algorithms and the ratings black-out – here's what happened at Netflix's annual show of strength in ParisTue May 10 2016 - 06:00
Patrick Freyne: Eurovision an endearingly odd arms-race for TVIn recent years songs have improved (seriously) - this time there’s even more to marvel atMon May 09 2016 - 16:21
Feis Ceoil agus craic: 120 years of celebrating classical musicAnnual event continues to celebrate the music skill it has highlighted since 1896Sat May 07 2016 - 05:00
Game of Thrones: the problem with the deadThe fantasy series built its reputation on bloody murder. But is its body count – and its blase attitude to death – starting to sap the series?Wed May 04 2016 - 15:07
Making The Late Late Show: What Tub's tie tells usWe go behind the scenes at one of the world’s longest-running chatshowsSat Apr 30 2016 - 10:00
A mini rebellion at the GPO: ‘Don’t laugh. You’re being shot at’As the 100th anniversary of the Rising approaches, 5ft rebels storm the GPO with wooden rifles and funny moustaches. Spirits are so high, The O’Rahilly dances during lulls in the fightingFri Apr 22 2016 - 06:00
Who Can Govern? The answer might just surprise you... but it probably won’tInvestigating the most boring crisis in living memory, TV3’s latest hysteria-maker was little more than an hour of competitive cynicism, handwringing and blame throwingWed Apr 20 2016 - 13:42
From ’Allo ’Allo! to Brexit, Euroscepticism has always been close to the British heartAs Brexit-obsessed Britain threatens to turn back the Euro clock, the parallels between the classic BBC sitcom and Tory nativism become clearWed Apr 13 2016 - 17:31
Liam Neeson: on iconic roles, Irish pride, and the influence of Ian Paisley...Ahead of receiving an industry award at the IFTAs, Liam Neeson on the journey that saw him play Michael Collins, a Jedi and GodSat Apr 09 2016 - 06:00
Sex Box does exactly what it says on the container, is oddly uptight and awfulThe Channel 4 series returned this week, this time featuring a Flemish sexologist, an eyebrow-raising Welshman and far too many double entendresWed Apr 06 2016 - 13:42
Illicit trade in prescription drugs a growing problem for Dublin’s north inner cityPrescription drugs have changed the inner-city Dublin drugs scene in the past two years. Dealing in these semi-legal products is low risk and takes place in full public view, yet their effects on addicts are no less severe than other drugs with more fearsome reputationsSat Apr 02 2016 - 06:00
While the Late Late steps lightly past, Bob Geldof rips into the legacy of the RisingFrom a vintage car piled high with RTÉ celebs in period costumes to Geldof’s scathing analysis of its legacy - the optics of the centenary got a little strange this weekFri Apr 01 2016 - 00:19
The art of sending hate mail: ‘People enjoy being insulted’Mr Bingo’s Hate Mail started as a joke on Twitter but his deliberately rude postcards quickly became a profitable enterpriseWed Mar 30 2016 - 06:00
Daytime TV is the perfect antidote to the current barrage of 1916 programmingTo find out what’s really going on, look no further than Midday, Today with Maura and Dáithí and The Seven O’Clock ShowWed Mar 23 2016 - 13:02
From James Connolly to Bernie SandersJacobin, a left-wing US magazine, is publishing an issue on the legacy of 1916. Its publisher, Bhaskar Sunkara, explains why it’s a fitting subjectSat Mar 19 2016 - 05:45
Saints and begorrah – here’s a list of the greatest-ever Irish fictional charactersFrom Batman’s Chief O’Hara to the Healy Raes, from X-Men’s Magneto to the Aliens in Toy Story, the Irish have always loomed large in pop cultureWed Mar 16 2016 - 15:15
‘Most prisoners are not violent and shouldn’t be there’U-Casadh, a programme initiated by a one-time prison officer, provides support and training to former prisoners. The results have been startlingMon Mar 14 2016 - 06:00
Does TV like celebrities in extremis? Does Bear Grylls sh*t in the woods?'Bear Grylls: Mission Survive' and 'Rich, Famous and Homeless' offer more proof, if any was needed, that we love watching celebrities in extreme situatlonsThu Mar 10 2016 - 21:48
‘The election? I couldn’t give a f***’: battling voter apathyLow turnout in inner-city Dublin reflected a lack of faith in politics, but that may be changingSat Mar 05 2016 - 19:16
