Cabinet divisions exposed, Air BnB register rows, and the fallout from the Jim Glennon scandal continues

Confusion at cabinet, delays to short-term letting rules, and mounting pressure from fuel protests are exposing cracks in government strategy. With key by-elections looming, are political tensions rising.

Sean McGovern: The secret messages that brought down the Kinahans’ inner circle

Sean McGovern, long regarded as Daniel Kinahan’s second‑in‑command, faces sentencing at the Special Criminal Court. This week’s court proceedings have exposed the brutal reality of life inside the Kinahan organisation since the 2016 Regency Hotel shooting, with encrypted messaging revealing chillin…

Why don’t people care about the Michael Jackson allegations?

Following a difficult production, the estate-approved Michael Jackson biopic is finally in cinemas and smashing box office records. Some fans are even dancing in the aisles, audience etiquette be damned. Bad reviews and decades of troubling allegations don’t seem to have had an impact, but should t…

Shooters, ICE and Iran: Is Trump’s America too dangerous for the World Cup?

By now, most will have seen the extraordinary scenes from Washington D.C., where a suspected gunman sparked chaos at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, in what is now the third attempt on Donald Trump’s life in just 2 years. If the heart of Washington can nearly be breached, how prepared is th…

Gerry Hutch says “karma” has come for Daniel Kinahan as by-election run kicks off

Beaming down a Zoom call line from sunny Spain, Gerry Hutch told the Irish Independent that he intends to return to Ireland soon to formally kickstart his by-election campaign. He also had some pointed words for Daniel Kinahan following his dramatic arrest in Dubai. But what does Hutch’s upcoming c…

Extra: Inside the dozens of calls placed to PR firm Edelman in pursuit of the truth about Jim Glennon

On Sunday Jim Glennon, who served as a Fianna Fáil TD in the Dublin North constituency from 2002 to 2007, confirmed that he had offered a character reference for convicted sex offender Daniel Ramamoorthy. In a statement, Edelman Ireland announced that Jim Glennon’s tenure as non-executive chairman…

Did Leo Varadkar have a point in the urban v rural Ireland debate? 

Leo Varadkar may have climbed down and apologised after pitting urban and rural Ireland against each other, but he certainly sparked a spirited debate. Did he have a point, though? Were his comments actually an uncomfortable truth? And how do we even define what makes someone “urban” or “rural”, an…

How Daniel Kinahan became a heavyweight in Boxing’s shadows

Daniel Kinahan’s recent arrest marked a significant turning point in the long-running pursuit of one of Ireland’s most influential organised crime figures. ­ Throughout this period of elusiveness, however, his presence in boxing was altogether more overt, with Kinahan routinely and openly name-ch…

Are Keir Starmer's days numbered as Mandelson scandal escalates?

It’s a scandal that has already ended careers inside Downing Street, and now Peter Mandelson is once again at the centre of political turmoil. Prime minister Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint him as UK ambassador to the United States has ignited fresh unrest in Westminster after it emerged Mandels…

The mystery TD and the character reference for a convicted child sex offender 

After much speculation, a judge has refused to identify the former TD who provided a character reference for convicted child sex offender Daniel Ramamoorthy, who previously worked as an adviser for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The Taoiseach has said it is “not acceptable” for…