Dion Fanning

In a long and distinguished diplomatic career, Declan O’Donovan served as Ireland’s ambassador to Japan from 1995 to 2001. The film Saipan raised a question in his mind which he is still searching to answer. He tells Dion Fanning what it was.

Paul Murphy has been protesting and advancing his core belief in socialism all his adult life. In this wide-ranging interview, he talks about injustice, not caring what people think of him, and Roy Keane.

Fact, myth, and truth blur in the retelling of 2002, but what remains is a revealing portrait of extremism, identity, and belonging.

Ruben Amorim didn’t fail because of results, dressing-room unrest or tactics alone. His downfall at Manchester United was a reminder that in modern football, managing upwards can matter more than what happens on the pitch.

How the country deals with the change in our society will be as critical as how it manages its infrastructural challenges. Doing nothing, once again, is not an option, even if it sometimes seems like the default one.

What do you know about the Book of Kells? And what do you think you know? A new book by art historian Victoria Whitworth questions its origin story.

Donough Holohan from Dublin spent 13 years at Manchester City helping to create an elite sporting environment. He has taken on a new challenge but he reflects on Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and why data has its limits.

The World Cup draw yesterday was a demonstration of FIFA’s priorities. But regimes have recognised since its inception the influence of the competition. Jonathan Wilson talks to Dion Fanning about the power and the glory of the World Cup.

It turns out Irish football could still make the whole country feel alive — all it needed was Troy Parrott in Budapest to remind us. This is the story of how that feeling slipped away, and why its comeback hits so hard.

The director general of the BBC and the CEO of BBC News both resigned last weekend. Peter Oborne talks to Dion Fanning about the crisis engulfing the BBC and why Donald Trump is paying attention.