Jason Conlon – Slugger O'Toole

Who’s to Blame… for axing two of our favourite TV treasures?

Jason Conlon on October 17, 2026, 7:05 am

| Readers 2158

Give me my headpiece.

When I was younger, I really did go through a phase of thinking Tim McGarry was Gerry Adams. It was a Friday night in January 1998, and I was nine. Hours earlier, I’d been to see Titanic in Omagh cinema with my parents (the iconic ‘Studios 1-to-6’ on the Gillygooley Road was packed that evening). Being overly sentimental then, and now, I’d nearly drowned in tears of grief over Jack’s Dawson’s freezing death, watching distraught as he slipped under the …

Boy oh boycott: After a day of chaos for the FAI, the Ireland-Israel fixtures remain set to go ahead… (as things stand!)

Jason Conlon on September 27, 2026, 11:27 am

| Readers 2295

a football ball on the grass

A day of high drama ended on Saturday with the Football Association of Ireland licking its wounds, looking at the floor, and leaving its Israeli FA counterparts as the voices of sensibility and reason. The UEFA Nations’ League fixtures between the two countries, scheduled to take place on Sunday in Debrecan, Hungary, and next week in Serbia (for Ireland’s ‘Home’ tie), have been the focus of an increasingly intense scrutiny since the two teams were drawn together in February. The …

If you like to clap for England, clap your hands…

Jason Conlon on June 23, 2026, 11:00 am

| Readers 1475

a close up of a blue and white soccer jersey

Croatia. I was 20 minutes late, having popped into Lidl for cat litter on the way to the pub; meanwhile, Harry Kane was purring for England, having put his country 1-0 up. My heart sank upon entering the hostillery and clocking the score, worried the jeopardy for the night was already over. Nobody wants a whitewash, do they? (Although, these days, you just can’t be sure…). A frothy pint in one hand, and, to my surprise, a raffle ticket placed …

Fear and Loathing in Northern Ireland: how the impact of online agitprop has poisoned our social cohesion…

Jason Conlon on June 11, 2026, 5:26 pm

| Readers 2466

black and white panda iphone case

And so, now, to the annual pogroms. The pogroms have a two-fold effect, as they allow for the Great Cleansing of the undesirables, whilst also providing the staining of identity, civic pride, and general decency. Northern Ireland’s regular refurbishment reminds us that this truly is a place apart. On Tuesday, the wide dispersal, organisation, and simultaneous nature of the violence was striking. Yesterday saw further violence in Glengormley (twelve police officers inured) as the unrest made its way to suburbia, …

The magic of the GAA is found in the people and the places. It was a truth realised by getting lost on the backroads and trains of Ireland…

Jason Conlon on August 21, 2025, 8:27 am

| Readers 2241

The air in the carriage was hot and humid as we trundled through Dublin’s north-west suburbs. A miasma of sunburnt football supporters, dazed faces, in surround sound. I was on an Irish Rail service to Longford and having the time of my life. It had all been very last-minute. I’d decided to watch my beloved Tyrone take on Kerry in the All-Ireland Football semi-final. Tyrone would surely win, you see, and there’s nothing better than football FOMO to get you …

In defence of Bob Vylan – Racism, literalism, music… and Ireland.

Jason Conlon on July 5, 2025, 7:00 am

| Readers 3601

The efforts to expunge punk-rap duo Bob Vylan entirely from the public record are remarkable, disturbing, and appalling in equal measure. This week, the controversy surrounding their anti-IDF chanting at the Glastonbury festival has seen the duo widely condemned across the board, dropped from their talent agency, and their US visas for an upcoming tour revoked. A slew of UK gigs and festival appearances have also been scrapped. This attempted erasure of Vylan’s career seems much more coordinated and precise …

Donald Trump assassination attempt: a stunning moment of disbelief…

Jason Conlon on July 14, 2024, 7:55 am

| Readers 5367

The image of a bloodied, stunned and still very much alive Donald Trump shaking a fist in the air will go down as one of the most shocking, iconic and epoch-defining moments of this century. I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery pic.twitter.com/ZdxkF63EqF — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2024 As he was led away by a frazzled security team, Trump appeared to repeatedly mouth, ‘fight, fight,’ through gritted teeth, while a smeared crimson teardrop of …

Goodbye, Cinema Etiquette: The Clash of Mr Smelly Socks & the Popcorn Police…

Jason Conlon on March 9, 2024, 7:38 am

| Readers 1357

2 women sitting on blue leather chair holding white and red plastic cups

I went to the cinema recently and had a serious sensory shock. However, it wasn’t due to the bright lights, explosions, or quick-witted dialogue: I was overcome by the brutal behaviour of those around me. Since when did people forget how to act at the movies? We’d arrived just on time and went straight in. I slid into my seat, munching happily on the goodies brought from the garage down the road: life was sweet. There was a sigh of …

A night of chaos, cabals, and… careful optimism?

Jason Conlon on January 30, 2024, 11:06 am

| Readers 2236

lighted Be afraid of the enformity of the rossible neon signage

There’s no popcorn left. We’re done out; wrecked from staying up late last night watching the world burn. A Major Incident was declared at the Larchfield Estate. Who among us didn’t Google Streetview it, and fantasise that they lived in the gatehouse opposite the entrance? All bets were off in what became the best Norn Iron Twitter feeding frenzy in ages. But the day had begun with formality. Kind of like the spectral observer in Philip Larkin’s ‘Dockery and Son’ …

My Terrific Tadpoles: A Fond Farewell…

Jason Conlon on June 12, 2022, 10:33 am

| Readers 1630

tadpoles in small pond

Last Tuesday evening, torrential rain ripped out of the sky. My mother hung behind me, trying not to get washed away on the trails of Tollymore Forest Park. The place was empty as we made our way towards the lake, carrying a small kitchen bin. Inside were two tadpoles, practically jumping up and out to feel the cool rain on their slimy faces. Their day had come. There had originally been five of them. Discovered in a dried sheugh outside …

Boris Johnson survives vote of confidence…

Jason Conlon on June 6, 2022, 9:05 pm

| Readers 3158

Blond Ambition. Boris Johnson street art.London Street art Shoreditch.Shot on film, Kodak Portra 800, Nikon FM2n

Boris Johnson wins a confidence vote by Tory MPs 211 to 148. The mood music had been playing the tune of survival since early afternoon – that Boris would emerge from the vote of confidence sweaty, breathless and staggering – but no less defiant or verbose. A sort of political Tyson Fury. Stretched analogies of Shakespearean plotting and betrayal have been thick and heavy in recent days, but ultimately this rebellion has amounted to more of a butter knife instead …

Grassroots Gaelic Football and All-Ireland Fever…

Jason Conlon on September 10, 2021, 7:42 pm

| Readers 3613

Tomorrow, Tyrone and Mayo will stand centre stage in the All-Ireland Football Final. It is the ultimate sporting showpiece, with desperate demand for tickets at a reduced capacity Croke Park. Ballygawley is bouncing and Glencull looks great – the spiritual Harte-lands of Tyrone GAA are dressed in red and white, and the bunting is up. There are good discounts to be had on car flags and headbands at Ballygawley Roundabout, as well, “each day between 4pm and 7pm”, according to …

Tales from the Crypto: The world of digital money is exciting, strange, and full of risk…

Jason Conlon on February 18, 2021, 10:29 am

| Readers 4875

I’m sitting on the toilet at 3am every night, doom scrolling on my phone. I am constantly refreshing and gorging on graphs. I must have the latest numbers… do I buy more, or sell? Am I a diamond-handed alpha, or a paper-handed cuck? Dogecoin – a novelty cryptocurrency – is surging, and the wider world of digital money has seen a remarkable boom in amateur investors recently, driven by online forums such as Reddit. These people are on a hiding …

A Halloween Horror Story – The Old Schoolhouse…

Jason Conlon on November 1, 2020, 8:16 am

| Readers 1447

You could just about see the roof of the old building, jutting out from behind a crooked tree, and I never believed my granny when she said that it’d once been the parish school – it was tiny. Barely a bungalow, with a few windows and an outhouse. Ginger told me that the last year of admissions was 1974, but that all the local children had gone there… including one in particular. The Big Man would call into my grandmother’s …

Soldiers, Soup and Sandy Row: Challenging a fixed mindset…

Jason Conlon on July 9, 2020, 7:24 am

| Readers 2184

The anecdotal examples given here are intended to act as blunt signifiers, and can hopefully trigger a much broader conversation on identity and growth mindsets – concepts that are very much intertwined and blurred together, positively, across the community already The American psychologist Carol Dweck is renowned for her research on mindset theories, and her work is widely referred to in the education sector. The general idea is that people who welcome challenging situations, who embrace their mistakes and value …

Social Distancing Hasn’t Gone Away, You Know…

Jason Conlon on July 1, 2020, 7:13 am

| Readers 6384

The Health Minister comes across as an extremely likeable fellow. Standing atop his podium, like an experienced but weary plumber, the civil and utterly decent Robin Swann is ever ready to plug any leaks in the flow of public compliance and adherence to Covid-19 guidelines. Despite having his feathers ruffled at the beginning of April, Swann took a dignified stance yesterday and opted not to weigh in with his own personal criticism of a certain someone’s attendance at a certain …

Into the Darkening Sky: Memories of strange Donegal…

Jason Conlon on March 28, 2020, 8:00 am

| Readers 1778

Rossnowlagh Beach, Donegal, on the last cusp of summer can give you a tingle of isolation that goes far beyond the blue-grey horizon. When the tide sneaks in (beware parked cars) it is loud and bossy, laying down challenges to trespassers and surfers alike to come and have a go. It is a place of the bleakest magic. For others, that equivalence comes from the lure of the North Coast, the Mournes or even just the skittering of birds along …

Nationalist and unionist cynicism is responsible for these grotesque caricatures

Jason Conlon on July 5, 2017, 10:33 am

| Readers 1831

They say that the creepiest place on earth is the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, home to the damned hordes of yūrei, or ghosts of the dead. Drawing the short straw for Northern Ireland in any cabinet reshuffle must often feel like a one-way ticket to that mythical Sea of Trees: Once a Secretary of State goes in, they seldom make it out. Certainly not with a plausible reputation. James Brokenshire, now officially in a reflective mood, must be mournfully aware …

Dormant Stormont: Where is a good Reviving Spell when you need one?

Jason Conlon on June 29, 2017, 7:57 am

| Readers 1152

On Monday afternoon John Lennon appeared, resplendent, at the doors of Stormont Castle. He paused, briefly, before swooping straight down the stone steps with none other than Marilyn Monroe herself. Then as the light in East Belfast shifted slightly, Gerry Adams came into focus; shaded 60s spectacles atop a wizened old nose. Michelle obediently came up to his ear, whispering something subtle, soft. And then, as the assembled throngs basked in his bearded wizardry, the Grand Master began to speak. …