While on a break in Donegal, James Fagan revisits snippets of his childhood and what exactly makes happy memories

The Civil War lives on in an ineffective Dáil, argues Sally Hayden, so the time has come for major reform
The recent exit of George Lee from Dáil Eireann sparked huge amounts of commentary from irate …

Secularism isn’t the cause of society’s evils, argues David Osborn – in fact, it’s the only way forward

Conor Murphy believes Irish law should worry less about the bedroom and more about wider issues

Conor Feeney criticises the closure of the Smurfit School’s Careers Advisory Office as short-sighted in these troubled times

Bridget Fitzsimons believes that a modern and democratic society should offer its women the right to choose for themselves

Auditor of UCD’s Life Society, Maras Ó Cribín, argues that we cannot be selective about what constitutes a human life

With internal turmoil and flagging performance in the opinion polls, why would anyone want to join Fianna Fáil? Ciarán Fitzgerald explains why he chose to abandon Sinn Féin and to become a Soldier of Destiny

As the scandals hit religions, politicians and bankers alike, Conor Murphy asks why so many public figures struggle to atone for their actions

Inspired by a New York exhibition of childhood paintings, Donie O’Sullivan shares his memories of a Kerry childhood

As Fine Gael propose sweeping constitutional reform, Hugh McDowell wonders if the plans have done more harm than good to the party

Conor Murphy shares his experiences of UCD’s sprawling bureaucracy and how it has stolen a year of his academic life

With the EU now considering lifting its arms embargo on China, David Uwakwe argues that the People’s Republic hasn’t done enough to change its ways

With the recent increase of reports on the private lives of celebrities in broadsheet papers, Gary Dunne laments the lack of journalistic merit these stories have

Writing exclusively for The University Observer, NUI Chancellor Dr Maurice Manning argues that the proposed abolition of the NUI will devalue the UCD degree

As our national holiday approaches, Amy Wall considers the darker side to the St Patrick’s Day Festivities

As Iran continues to develop its nuclear programme, Conor Feeney considers the likelihood of a pre-emptive military strike and its potential implications