The Message - George Hook and the Culture of Rape

George Hook and the Roots of Neanderthal Views About Sex

As the controversy about the Newstalk presenter refuses to die, the question needs to be asked: where does this poisonous stuff come from?

The Message - The problem with introducing an ID Card by stealth

When you are told that you need a Public Services Card to avail of social welfare or to renew a driving licence, it is mere semantics to claim that the cards are not compulsory…

When you are told that you need a Public Services Card to avail of social welfare or to renew a driving licence, it is mere semantics to claim that the cards are not compulsory…

Ireland vs Serbia: Is this the game that will get Martin O'Neill sacked?

Ireland’s World Cup hopes hinge on tonight’s do-or-die encounter with Serbia in Dublin. But as Niall Stokes writes, the paucity of tactical ideas on Saturday against Georgia – a recurring theme of O’Neill’s tenure – suggests the omens aren’t good. And if the result doesn’t go our way, it might just signal the end of his time in charge…

The Message - Why is North Korea being excluded from the nuclear club?

'You Raise Me Up' Makes Chinese TV Blockbuster Charlie Soong

Already one of the songs of the new century, Brendan Graham’s ‘You Raise Me Up’ has been selected as the end title track in a 30-episode epic on the man who is credited – along with his daughters – as a founding figure, in the People’s Republic of China

The Message - 1987: It Was A Very Good Year

The time for hiding from the lights was over. In so many respects modern Ireland was born in 1987. And central to that was the huge artistic and commercial success of The Joshua Tree...

The U2 Covers - No. 34: 'U2: The Stories Behind Their Greatest Songs'

Niall Stokes draws on his best-selling book Into The Heart: The Stories Behind The Songs Of U2 to offer a unique insight into the way in which some of the greatest songs in the history of popular music came into being.

The U2 Covers - No. 30: 'Bono: The Year That Shook My World'

From Hot Press' 2002 Annual, Bono spoke to Niall Stokes about all matters personal and political.

The U2 Covers - No. 23: 'U2 Goes Pop'

20 years ago, U2 came out with one of their most highly-anticipated albums, Pop. Niall Stokes met the band following its release for an in-depth interview.

The Message - Will Ireland become a Brexit bargaining chip?

With the damaging impact of Brexit on the UK becoming clearer by the week, the threat of a hard border in Northern Ireland is likely to be used as a bargaining chip in Britain’s increasingly threadbare negotiating strategy.

IMRO Confirms Appointment of Eleanor McEvoy as Chairperson

The Irish Music Rights Organisation has confirmed the appointment of the multi-award winning Irish songwriter, singer and composer Eleanor McEvoy as its new Chairperson, in succession to Keith Donald

Transfer of Ownership of the National Maternity Hospital from Sisters of Charity to St. Vincents Changes Nothing

There was what might have seemed like a dramatic development in the controversy surrounding the proposed new ownership of the National Maternity Hospital. But if all that is involved is shifting ownership from one religious interest group to another, then the issue remains as fraught as ever. By Niall Stokes

Music Cork 2017: Hot Press meets Island Records president Darcus Beese

The Message - Tech Monopolies and Surveillance Capitalism Undermine Our Democracy

Once upon a time, there was a vision of a digital utopia. Instead, we now have global tech monopolies, surveillance capitalism and extraordinary levels of political manipulation. Welcome to the modern world...

Leo Varadkar v Simon Coveney: Past Interviews and Profiles as the Fine Gael Leadership Contest Begins

With the decision of Enda Kenny to step down – finally! – as leader of the party with the highest number of TDs in Leinster House, a new Taoiseach is on the way. Here’s an opportunity to check back over our Hot Press interviews with the leading candidates, to see what can be gleaned...

The Message - Abortion: The People Want The Government to Legislate

The recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly may not be as far ahead of the public as politicians are claiming. But we also need legislation to prevent the covert use, and abuse, of personal data in the context of a referendum.

The Message: The National Maternity Hospital Must Not Be Given To The Sisters Of Charity

The controversy about the ownership of the National Maternity Hospital has invited a new focus on the charitable status of Church institutions – and the extraordinary and unwarranted financial privileges which they have enjoyed since the foundation of the State.

The Message - Things Are Going To Get Dirty

And no, this is not another Hot Press article encouraging mass promiscuity. It is about Brexit, and the push from the far right to completely undermine democratic politics.

The Hot Press 40th Anniversary Cover Exhibition Goes On Display This Friday

The cover of Hot Press is a national institution, coveted by emerging musicians and established stars alike. Now, the historic covers of the magazine – signed by the cover stars, and beautifully printed on specially chosen art paper – have been gathered together for a free exhibition, in the National Photographic Archive, Dublin. Introduction by Niall Stokes…

We Cannot Exonerate The Catholic Church In Relation To The Tuam Babies

Confirmation of the fact that the remains of hundreds of babies were buried in a so called ‘Mother and Baby’ home in Tuam, Co. Galway is testament to just how sick the attitude to sexuality promulgated by the dominant Church in Ireland really was. In special edition of The Message, on International Women’s Day, Hot Press editor, Niall Stokes reflects on an issue that has provoked outrage and anger.

The Message - The Enduring Legacy of The Joshua Tree

On March 9, it will be 30 years since the release of The Joshua Tree, a record that transformed U2 into the biggest rock band in the world. In this issue of Hot Press, we look back to the genesis of the album, how it was put together and and what made it work. And ask: has it stood the test of time?

The Message - Madness in the Garda Siochana

Over the past week, astonishing revelations have emerged about Garda collusion in a campaign of vilification which painted the whistleblower, Sergeant Maurice McCabe, as a sex offender. With the ‘Child and Family Agency’ Tusla being dragged into it, this has become a real horror story...

How Far Is Donald Trump Prepared To Go? - The Message From The Editor

With Steve Bannon directing operations, and aided and abetted by a bunch of power-crazed loonies, the answer is probably very far indeed. Things could get extremely nasty...

From Ireland to the US, citizens and musicians alike are getting more politically engaged

There's a rocky road ahead. And we’re not talking about the one from Galway to Dublin. The good news is that Irish musicians have become far more politically involved than ever before. The bad news is that we are all facing into a particularly difficult and uncertain future. So how can we all – citizens, musicians and the media alike – deal with the political challenges ahead, from the Referendum to Repeal the 8th to the effects of Donald Trump’s presidency, knowing that we have entered the post-truth world – and that this is the backdrop against which fascism has been gaining momentum?

From the archives: Hot Press met U2 back in 1987 following the release of The Joshua Tree

It took the combined force of Hot Press' Editor Niall Stokes and U2 journalist extraordinaire Bill Graham to thrash it out with the four members of U2 back in 1987 to uncover the method and the magic behind their seminal album THe Joshua Tree.

U2 Joshua Tree Tour: It Will Be Confirmed This Morning

Speculation has been mounting about a special U2 tour that would celebrate the release of their global smash hit album The Joshua Tree, 30 years on. Well, the announcement will be made this morning...

Frank Murray: A Final Farewell

The funeral took place yesterday of Frank Murray – the man who began his career as tour manager with Thin Lizzy, and worked with Elton John and The Specials, before managing The Pogues, as well as The Frames, The Lost Brothers and more, in what was a highly distinguished career.

The Message - Donald Trump: The Threat to the US is Real

Christmas may be coming - but in the wake of the most astonishing US Presidential election in living memory, the fear that a cadre of white supremacists may get their hands on the levers of power is growing. And it feels like uncharted territory...

Glen Hansard To Receive Oscar Wilde Award 2017

One of the leading lights of Irish music for the past 25 years, Glen Hansard has been chosen as the recipient of the Oscar Wilde Award for 2017 – which will be presented during Oscar week in the Los Angeles. No one is more deserving...

Men, Violence – and The Rise of Donald Trump

This is 2016 and very strange and deeply disquieting things have been happening in the US and here in Ireland. It might help if we stopped singing the praises of people guilty of butchering their families, Niall Stokes said in The Message, written in that pregnant pause between the opening of the polling booths and the calculation of the result in the US election. Clearly an afterword is required…

Mike McCormack Wins Goldsmiths Prize

There was an Irish winner tonight, as the novel Solar Bones found favour with the judges, in an award which aims to reward genuine innovation...

Bob Dylan and The Nobel Prize

The decision of the Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Prize for Literature to Bob Dylan had some culture snobs frothing at the mouth. Even Bob doesn’t seem to know what to make of it all.

Packed House For Wild Goose Lodge Premiere

It was an emotional occasion when the home-spun Irish epic was unvelied in Dublin’s Savoy Cinema last night.

The Message on Donald Trump: The Great Samuel J. Snort III Esq. Enters the Race

The World’s Greatest Rock Journalist has broken a decade-long silence to discuss his potential role in the Presidential stakes…

JP McMahon’s Aniar Retains Michelin Star

Considerable controversy has surrounded the trail-blazing Galway restaurant – but the Michelin judges say that it’s still right up there, at the top of the game.

The Message: And Then There Were Four

It is just over 40 years, since Larry Mullen put the note on the noticeboard in Mount Temple Comprehensive, which led to the formation of U2. As various contributions to this special issue of Hot Press confirm, that gesture changed the world for millions of people all over the globe. But that they are still together is perhaps the band’s greatest achievement...

The New Proclamation – Repeal The Eighth

The Hot Press Collective sends a message to the people of Ireland

Jackie Hayden and Peter Murphy For Wexford Lit Fest

Hot Press alumni are among the leading attractions at the upcoming Write By The Sea festival in Kilmore Quay

The Message: Niall Stokes - We Should Adopt The New Zealand Model

The Minister for Skills, Training and Innovation, John Halligan put his head above the parapet in relation to the laws on prostitution in Ireland. As it happens, he was right.

The Message: THE SOONER WE REPEAL THE 8th AMENDMENT THE BETTER

Irish people have moved on in a way that is genuinely impressive. Dr. Lara Kelly’s testimony on abortion is one example. But there is a new honesty among Irish politicians too that gives cause for optimism.

DJ Paul Claffey Features In Moving Video of Likely Murder Victim Sandra Collins

The family of the Mayo woman, who disappeared in December 2000, have called for an inquest into her death...

A Message to Nice: "Our hearts are with the bereft people of Nice in this terrible moment."

Anyone who has experienced the manifest beauty and wonderful joie-de-vivre of Nice at its best will have been deeply moved at the shocking mass murder on the Promenade des Anglais July 18. But Europe must look into its own heart too, to find answers..

HMV Not Aiming To Take On Netflix!

Reports that HMV are to close down their four Irish stores have been confirmed – but news reports that the company’s new online platform will go head to head with streaming giant, Netflix, are not accurate.

Virgin Media Secures Coronation Street and Emmerdale For 10 Years

Details are emerging of the deal, concluded yesterday, which saw Virgin Media – owners of TV3 – buy UTV Ireland

AFTER BREXIT, THE TROLLS WILL FLOURISH

The UK referendum was won by the Leave side on the promise that Britain would take back control of its borders. Their victory will stoke far right, anti-immigrant sentiment across the continent.

Brady, Hendrick and McCarthy Star As France Beat Ireland

For a wonderful 60 minutes, it seemed that Ireland might just oust the hosts France from Euro 2016. That dream may have died as a result of errors in Lyons yesterday – but the sense that Irish football is on the rise once more is a wonderfully encouraging one. By Niall Stokes.

Wes Hoolahan The Hero As Ireland Draw With Sweden

It was an enthralling day of football at Euro 2016, with Ireland getting off to a solid start in Group E – only to be trumped by a brilliant Italian win over Belgium.

Stop everything, Euro 2016 is upon us!

Irish Water and Repealing the 8th can take a back-seat as the Euros kick-off in France. Now all we need are a few Shane Long hat-tricks to seal the deal...

From The Archives: Let There Be Light On Same Sex Marriage

A year on from our historic and momentous 'Yes' vote on Ireland's same-sex marriage referendum, we look back at Niall Stokes' pre-vote message urging the citizens of Ireland to vote for freedom, equality and mutual respect

The Message: It Is Time to Educate Together

Religious control of schools promotes inequality, prejudice, division – and worse. It is also against the founding spirit of the Republic. It must be challenged now.

Guy Clark: After David Bowie and Prince Another Genius Departs

Guy Clark was one of the greatest songwriters of the modern era – and in Old No.1, he made one of the most extraordinary and enduring albums of all time. By Hot Press editor, Niall Stokes

The Message: Farewell to a Legend

Prince was the latest in a long line of black artists - from Sam Cooke and Otis Redding to Jimi Hendrix and Marvin Gaye - to push the envelope, both musically and culturally...

The Message: Our Patience is Running Out

Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil need to end the posturing and hammer out a deal, which will provide the country with a sustainable government.

The Message: 1916: History In The making

The Proclamation of 1916 was a powerful document. In recalling the momentous events of a hundred years ago, it is important not just to honour those who took part in the Rising, but- even more so- to see what we can learn in order to best shape our future...

The Message: The Party's Over

Where now for the Labour Party, after an electoral annihilation the scale of which outstripped all their worst fears?

The Message - Niall Stokes on the election's burning issues

As the nation heads to the polls, it’s vital to consider not just the candidates vying for our votes, but the type of country in which we want to live

An Interview With Enya: She Moves In Mysterious Ways

When Enya released Watermark in 1988, it WAS the beginning of one of the most remarkable chapters in the story of Irish music. With Nicky Ryan and Roma Ryan ever-present as collaborators, 80 million album sales and dozens of awards followed. Now, after a seven year hiatus, she is back with a new record, Dark Sky Island, and a determination to take the collective’s music to the world in a different way.

The Message: There Went the Bad Times

Darkness seemed to be everywhere in 2015. It is hard to maintain any sense of hope, when barbarism is so militantly on the rise. But if we don't, we surely will be lost...

The Message: From the Miami Showband to Le Bataclan

The orchestrated jihadist attacks on Paris were an abomination. And the worst of the atrocities took place at a rock gig in the Bataclan, where 89 people died. So where do we go from here?

The Message: The U2 Boys Are Back In Town

As the iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour finally approaches Irish shores, it's time to once again celebrate U2 - not just the best of Irish, but the greatest rock band in the world.

The Message: The Church's Control Of Education Must End

As recently highlighted by Roopesh Panicker, it is outrageous that, in 2015, educational discrimination on the basis of religion is still the norm in Ireland.

The Message: It's Not Easy Being Green

After the high of beating the World Champions, neanderthal tactics and selections by Martin O'Neill ensured that The Boys In Green could not match the Sunday heroics of our rugby team...

The Message: Why Mental Health Needs a Re-Evaluation

We've come a long way since the '60s, with music, literature, movies, TV and journalism all playing their part to reduce the stigma of mental illness. But reason must still prevail if we are to continue to make strides.

The Message: Shelter From The Storm

With Europe's response to the refugee crisis lacking in effectiveness and empathy, the threat of ISIS suggests WB Yeats' most chilling words are now perfectly fitting for these times...

The Message: Johnny Lyons: An Appreciation

Amidst the shock and grief of Johnny Lyons' premature passing, we pause to give thanks to a truly unique character for the countless laughs and many golden memories he gave us. Shine on, sir...

The Message: No Homes To Go To

As rental prices of houses and apartments skyrocket, especially in Dublin, thousands of Irish men, women and – unforgivably – children find themselves at grave risk of homelessness. Between them, local politicians and the Government must find a solution – and fast...

The Message: The Dope Show

It is easy to vilify those who take banned substances in the pursuit of sporting glory, but some of those who would be named and shamed are far more sympathetic figures than we would like to admit...

The Message: Rockin' All Over the World

...Or Ireland at least. Blazing rows erupted and staff members had to be pried apart, but the votes are in and the 50 best Irish gigs since Hot Press's inception have been settled on.

Berkeley: A Cosmic Injustice

The response to the tragedy in Berkeley was powerful and moving. But it is hard to listen to celebrities claiming a special relationship with God, when there are so many victims of tragedy – and of oppression– to think about...

The Message: When I Was A Cowboy...

Sunday June 14 marks the 20th anniversary of the legendary Rory Gallagher's tragic death. While the world has changed in many ways, the trail-blazing guitarist's impact is still keenly felt...

The Message: The Systematic Oppresson of Gays is Over

It was a joy to be alive in Dublin on the day the result of the referendum was announced. But there is still some way to go in the campaign for the separation of Church and State...

Patti Smith Interview

"We're uncompromising. We're uncompromising to a fault I think. Because sometimes we're wrong. Sometimes we wind-up up blind alleys. You know. Maybe Radio Ethiopia sucks. I Don't know. Me and Patti are the only ones that like it in the world. But I don't care 'cos when we put that on we feel great." - Lenny Kaye [First Published in Hot Press Volume 2 No 7, September 1978]

Let There Be Light

The referendum on same sex marriage is an opportunity for the citizens of Ireland to vote for freedom, equality and mutual respect – and in doing so to show the rest of the world what these words can really mean...

Five Irish Albums in Top 10

With Hozier, HamsandwicH, Paul Brady, Le Galaxie and Kodaline all doing well, we are witnessing a small boom in Irish music. So how can we ensure that it lifts an even greater number of Ireland’s finest into the charts?

The Message: We Need To Talk About Charlie

Irish people who genuinely believe in free speech need to support the scrapping of our blasphemy laws.

The Message: This Nation's Saving Grace

These are turbulent times, as Sinn Fein and socialist Independents find themselves in the unprecedented situation of topping the opinion polls. However you view this, pause to be thankful that there is no hard-Right movement of significance in Ireland, and no apparent appetite for one...

Glen Hansard Unveils New Songs At Film Fundraiser

It was one of those special Dublin nights. The occasion was a fund-raiser for a new short film, entitled Descend, directed by Hedi Rose, and written by Irish-based Texan screenwriter Margaret Miller. The location was upstairs in The 51 Bar on Haddington Road.

The Message: I Don’t Want To Be A Clock Watcher

Like paying to have your rubbish collected, Irish Water is another stealth charge, the genesis of which goes back to the decision to abolish household rates...

This One I Discovered Today: Imelda May covers Blondie

Check out her take on 'Dreaming'...

U2 - An Outstanding Artistic Force

When U2 released their latest album Songs of Innocence, it was the subject of heated controversy. While the arguments aren't over yet, the attention is gradually turning to the music...

The Message: Grace Under Fire

The hacking of Jennifer Lawrence's phone, and the leaking of her private photos, was a criminal action – and much of the subsequent reaction was downright nasty.

The Stigma Of Suicide

If we want to end the stigma associated with suicide, we first have to acknowledge the right to die. Far from being a threat, it is empowering to know that our future is in our own hands.

U2 'Songs of Innocence' - Album Review

Well known Dublin band are back with a crash, bang and wallop...

The Message: Ireland's Racism Problem

Ours is an increasingly multi-cultural society. However, our vast State bureaucracy has refused to move with the times. Fundamental changes are needed if asylum seekers coming to Ireland are to receive justice.

The Message: School Of Life

Your student years are a wonderful prospect, offering the possibilities of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll – but there is far more to them than that...

The Message: Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre...And Sadly Not Without Precedent

The bare facts of a new case which surfaced last week are utterly shocking. Will this be the final straw that shames Ireland’s legislators into adopting a sensible abortion policy?

The Message: Slaughter Of The Innocents

Israel’s indiscriminate massacring of Palestinian men, women and children is an outrage, and they appear to have total impunity to carry on doing it. So how do we go about putting a stop to the slaughter?

Garth Brooks: Victim of the Game

When Garth Brooks decided to launch his return to the live arena with a series of shows here, it was a huge statement of faith in Ireland and in his Irish fans.

Bill Whelan Interview - Whelan In The Years

On the 20th anniversary of Riverdance, composer Bill Whelan looks back at the phenomenon he gave birth to, recalls the fateful decision to sack Michael Flatley, discusses the Limerick City Of Culture controversy and shares his thoughts on the future of music in an era when fewer and fewer people pay for records.

The Message: Treated Like So Much Human Debris

The terrible truth is that there is nothing surprising about the revelations emerging about the treatment of young women and their children in mother and baby homes.

The Message – A Dark Day For Labour

The results of the local and European elections suggest that Labour is in deep trouble. With Sinn Féin beginning to leave the legacy of violence in the North behind, anything, it seems, can happen...

The Message: Something's Rotten In The State of Ireland

The head of the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, may have been duly delivered on a plate – but the rot in the administration of justice runs far deeper than any one individual...

The Message: Living on the faultline

The shocking story of a young family, forced to sleep in a car on the south side of Dublin, says it all about Ireland in 2014. The Government has to act decisively now or forever be shamed...