In this episode, Dara is scratching his head at yet another mammoth failure of the England football team. He has genuine sympathy for the players who have once again come unstuck at a crucial moment in a top tournament. And to add insult to injury, the destroyer of English dreams came in the form of their old nemesis Argentina, who turned in a schizophrenic performance of pure cynicism and fearless, fluid attack. But this defeat lies on the shores of Albion and has been years in the making...
Annie Lord has got Dara examining the gender wars again as she releases her first novel, which is predicated on the seemingly evergreen premise that men are utterly useless and can only become optimal catches with female intervention. That idea is not so disturbing in and of itself, but the way it is presented in such matter of fact terms is just as problematic as the equivalent Manosphere rhetoric.
The Bessborough House controversy continues to rage while the Irish government struggles to locate its moral compass. Dara once again argues for the importance of public reparation and atonement as essential for healing wounds that are deeply embedded in the national psyche.
Annie Lord profile: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/12/people-treat-each-other-as-disposable-dating-columnist-turned-novelist-annie-lord-on-love-and-sex-in-the-age-of-apps
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