Why we should all be alarmed by Hungary’s latest assault on independent media
Hungary’s newly proposed ‘On the Transparency of Public Life’ bill is a case study in Orwellian doublethink
George Orwell
A Brave New Ireland: How dystopias can reflect the state of Ireland and the West
It’s commonly believed that our future will become more digitalised, but it’s equally possible that nuclear war would allow a complete reset
There’s a reason why Ireland hasn’t produced a Donald Trump or a Nigel Farage yet
The far right in Ireland is run by the charismatically challenged. If someone capable of stringing a sentence together emerges, that political calculus will change quickly
The Vanishing Point by Paul Theroux: If this is his last round–up, his final words are good and true ones
Closing story in this collection imagines an award acceptance speech which would ‘represent a summing up’
Roisín O’Donnell: ‘I became hyper-aware of the manipulative language used by abusive partners. I wanted to cut through that’
The author on Nesting, her novel about coercive control; her complicated identity; and misogyny on social media
We are united by common urges: Freedom. Justice. The need to go to the toilet
Unthinkable: Looking for the meaning of life? You may be sitting on the answer
It’s worse than George Orwell imagined. There’s no need to ban books no one wants to read
What Aldous Huxley feared has come to pass: we are drowning in a sea of irrelevance
In times of war, ‘we have a duty to hope, as without hope all is lost’
Unthinkable: Always treat humanity not as a means but as an end, said the philosopher Immanuel Kant
Five accessible reads to begin with if you’re new to philosophy
If you’re not already an enthusiast, don’t start at Kant or Nietzsche
Nineteen Eighty-Four turns 75: the older George Orwell’s dystopian novel grows, the more urgent it feels
Truth, it turns out, is among the most difficult things to cling to
Chris Agee: ‘I never considered my writing after my daughter’s death as therapeutic. Nor did I find it difficult’
The poet and editor on keeping a loved one’s memory alive, his literary journal Irish Pages and his regard for Seamus Heaney’s work
One Fine Day: Exposing the myth of benevolent imperialism
Without preaching, Matthew Parker tells the stories of a variety of colonies and uses imperialists’ own words and deeds to shed light on an enterprise that was very far from glorious
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
The GlossOpens in new window
Read the digital edition of The Gloss magazine now
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices