Until last year, I never took an interest in my Ogilvy ancestors, and I wish I had left it that way. Farmers at the head of Glenisla for hundreds of years, they were tenants and kinsmen of the Earl of Airlie. In contrast to my English relations (war heroes and concentration camp survivors), they see
Analysis
In March 2023, Alex Murdaugh (pronounced ‘Murdock’ by Americans), an attorney, was found guilty of the murders of his wife Maggie and their younger son Paul at their home in South Carolina. The circumstances of the deaths were violent; both having been shot. The news outlets produced a n
When Majella Walsh was announced as the recipient of the Munster Regional Sole Practitioner of the Year award at the LEAP Irish Law Awards last month, she says her first reaction was one of some surprise. Those who know her professionally would not have been startled at the news. Noted by clients fo
During his long summer holidays in 1934, staying with a school friend’s family in Ireland, historian and author Richard Cobb remarked on what, to him, seemed like a peculiar practice: tram passengers discreetly crossing themselves every time the tram passed a church or roadside shrine, which a
Ireland’s statutory right to request remote working has reshaped workplace discussions since the pandemic, but with few successful legal challenges and no right to work from home, questions remain over whether the current framework delivers meaningful protections for employees, writes Anthony
Many parents have long had ambitions for their children to pursue careers in medicine or law, professions that are perceived as being synonymous with prestige, intellectual challenge and public service. John Magee, a partner at DLA Piper in Dublin, was seriously considering a career in medicine unti
Vladimir Putin’s penchant for assassinating his political enemies is nothing new for Russian rulers. His former employers, the KGB and, before that, the NKVD, were dab hands at it. Stalin’s order to murder Leon Trotsky in exile in Mexico has plenty of parallels today giving this book con
As Ireland drifts further from its legally binding climate goals, mounting emissions shortfalls are increasing the risk of court challenges, human rights claims and costly legal consequences for the State, writes Sarah Kirk. Ireland is set to miss its legally binding 2030 climate targets by a substa
Dr Róisín Á Costello, practising barrister and assistant professor, School of Law, Trinity College Dublin, and Olga Cronin, senior policy officer, Enforce, ICCL, outline their serious concerns about the Garda Siochana (Recording Devices) (Amendment) Bill 2025 which is set to pas
In this true, but often scarcely-believable, story Neil Root explains as best can be done the personal history of Peter Rachman before the latter arrived in Britain. His mysterious background relies for the most part on Rachman’s own undocumented explanations.
Proposals to ban under-16s from social media are a distraction from the fact that governments should enforce existing laws and force technology companies to redesign platforms rather than place further restrictions on young people, writes Noeline Blackwell. Yet again prominent politicians decree tha
The unsolved murder of Stevan Markovic, the Serbian bodyguard and associate of French film star Alain Delon, became an immense scandal in the Paris of 1968 engulfing the highest politicans in the land and highlighted Delon’s connections with gangsters. Rumours also abounded about orgies organ
A new Taliban family law regulation effectively legitimises child marriage and entrenches gender discrimination by restricting girls’ ability to challenge unions arranged on their behalf, writes Mahbooba Faiz. The recent promulgation of the “Principles Regulation on the Separation of Spo
In Argutinski v RTB [2026] IEHC 225 the High Court considered a number of technical issues in relation to service of a Notice of Termination of tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act 2004 (as amended). This article examines the statutory provisions in the 2004 Act and argues that where a notice
Irish Legal News presents the latest in a series of articles facilitating dialogue between criminal justice policymakers, practitioners and researchers. Lynn Clarke-Hearty explores recent research on the use of social science evidence in sentencing in Australia and New Zealand. Responding, Gemma McL

