Jason Conlon

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 …

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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 …

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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, …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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’ …

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