Across:
8 Country (MEXICO) doctor (medical officer = M-O) covers for former partner (-EX-) in charge (in charge = -IC-) (MEXICO),
9 Group of soldiers (UNIT) behind (= position indicator) Chinese defence (WALL of China) (WALL UNIT) – that’s one for the books (WALL UNIT),
10 Drop a line (FISH) to Powell leaving fellowship (‘Powell’ leaving ‘fellowship’ = fshi = FISH),
11 Pass out (DISTRIBUTE) with Garda’s (DI’s = DIS-) salute (-TRIBUTE) (DISTRIBUTE),
12 Broadcast (sow) curtailed (w) (‘sow’ without ‘w’ = SO-) by medium (-M-) – the greatest (‘the greatest’ = Muhammad Ali = -ALI) (SOMALI) living in Africa (SOMALI),
14 Reading (-R-) in reality (reality = LITE-ARY) changes (= anagram indicator) (LITERARY) academic (LITERARY),
15 At this moment (TIME), Fingers’ hangout (ON ONE’S HANDS) (TIME ON ONE’S HANDS) is not busy (TIME ON ONE’S HANDS),
18 Friend from Galway (Irish ‘friend’ = cara = C-ARA-) welcomes introduction to handbook (introduction to ‘Handbook’ = -H-) for some nice (Nice/French ‘some’ = -DES) (CHARADES) party game (CHARADES),
20 Workout (DEDUCE) for two of the clubs, for instance (two of clubs/cards = DE-UCE), around Dublin (-D-) (DEDUCE),
22 Mere rhetoric, in a manner of speaking (EMPTY WORDS), from Free (free/not occupied = EMPTY) and The Script (WORDS) (EMPTY WORDS),
24 Full house (HAND in poker) of rice from Red China (‘rice’ from ‘Red China’ = dhna = HAND),
25 Is not guilty (INNOCENT) of selling drink (INN-) for old (-O-) money (-CENT) (INNOCENT),
26 Issue (issue/kit out = OUTFIT) of lads turfed out of studio flat (‘lads’ turfed out of ‘studio flat’ = tuioft = OUTFIT).
Down:
1 Sheepish type (MERINO) of medic (medical officer = M-O) touring Ireland (-ERIN-) (MERINO),
2 Some of the neighbourhood is horrified (some of the ‘neighbourhooD IS Horrified’ = DISH) by the satellite receiver (DISH),
3 Course (ROAD) for retiring (= reversal indicator) soldiers (GIs = SIG-) is not the first (‘Not’ the first = -N) (ROAD SIGN) offering direction to anyone going on a journey perhaps (ROAD SIGN),
4 Peers left powerless (‘peers’ left ‘powerless’ = owls = OWLS) by the high flyers (OWLS),
5 Drink (CLARET) in Ireland (CLARE-) from start to finish (‘starT’ to finish = -T) (CLARET),
6 Plod (plod/stumble = LUMBER-) – is that the English abbreviation for the police (Scotland Yard = the -YARD) (LUMBERYARD) or for those working with fences? (LUMBERYARD),
7 Made a show (PICTURED) of director (-D) after (= positional indicator) what the producer created (PICTURE-) (PICTURED),
13 It’s a departure from the norm (ABERRATION) for Lincoln (ABE- Lincoln) getting Republican (-R-) quota (-RATION) (ABERRATION),
14 Teacher’s punishment (LINES) is starting to trend (-IN-) – dividing the foreign (the = le = L-E-) school (-S) (LINES),
16 In the end (= positional indicator), Clement (clement/merciful = -HUMANE) loses the head (s) with what he heard in confession (‘sin’ without ‘s’ = IN-) (INHUMANE), as it’s diabolical (INHUMANE),
17 For the less well-known characters performing (SIDESHOW) in Chips, for example (SIDE- of chips), and Hawaii Five-O, for instance (-SHOW) (SIDESHOW),
19 Presumably, he expects to find you well (DOWSER) and he’ll bring you to the watering hole (DOWSER),
21 Frank (CANDID) and Rex not in card index (‘Rex’ not in ‘card index’ = cadind = CANDID),
23 Secretariat holds this (‘secrETARiat’ holds this = etar) back (= reversal indicator) (etar = RATE) from judge (RATE),
24 Feel hostility towards (HATE) Balmoral (Balmoral hat = HAT-) estate on the summit (‘Estate’ on the summit = -E) (HATE).