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Articles by Roisin Lanigan
I Want You to Be Happy: The Sally-Rooney approved book of the summer
In the 18th century, great novels followed certain tropes. The love stories were grand and convoluted, often tragic but nearly always neatly resolved by the end. These were books about relationships which took place in grand country houses, in which communication was careful and often declared on some type of bucolic pastoral background. Marriage and babies inevitably followed. But that was then, and this is now.
Kneecap Strikes Back
The word fenian means many things, depending on who you ask. In early Irish mythology, the Fenians (or Fianna) were a band of warriors protecting the ancient Irish people. Later, during the Irish War of Independence, the label was used by groups of revolutionaries fighting to free Ireland from British control. In the war’s aftermath, the word took on a darker meaning in the north of Ireland, which remained part of the United Kingdom.
I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There (Paperback)
Renting is a nightmare... Áine should be feeling happy with her life. She’s just moved in with Elliot. Their new flat is in an affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops. They even have a garden. And yet, from the moment they move in, Áine can't shake the sense that there's something not quite right about the place...
March 3, 2026 By Roisin Lanigan By Roisin Lanigan As Gen Z’s “posting zero” philosophy gains momentum and AI reshapes creative output, the creative industry finds itself at a moment of reckoning. Is stepping away from the algorithm an act of rebellion, or a luxury few can afford? Roisin Lanigan investigates. You can have your lunch delivered by a drone, or get to your appointment in a car without a driver.
‘It’s the rubbish, female A-team!’ Derry girl Lisa McGee on her hilarious new mystery thriller
; ; ; Continue reading More for You ; ; ; Continue reading More for You
‘Sometimes you have to blow things up!’ Derry Girl Lisa McGee on her explosive new show – and why she hates London
‘Needed to feel badass’ … How to Get to Heaven from Belfast. Photograph: Christopher Barr/Netflix Photograph: Cr. Christopher Barr/Netflix How do you follow up a show about girls in Derry? With one about women in Belfast, obviously. That’s what Lisa McGee has done. Her new eight-parter, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, is as far away from Derry Girls as you can get when the distance between the worlds amounts to 70 miles along the A6.
How to be happy in England
If you want to test the happiness of a place, you should go there on the most depressing day of the calendar year — which is, statistically speaking, the third Monday in January. On Blue Monday 2009, shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland fell by 67%, and billions were wiped off the stock market. On Blue Monday 2025, Reuben Amorim gave a press conference in which he conceded that his team were “the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United”. And on Blue Monday 2026, I am in Skipton.
‘Wouldn’t it be lovely if I could shut up?’ Meet Lola Petticrew, TV’s most fearless actor
‘When I was growing up, it didn’t feel like a career in this industry was possible’ … Petticrew. Photograph: Dave Benett/Max Cisotti/Getty Images for Disney+ Few people are less daunted about the prospect of turning 30 than Lola Petticrew. “I used to be so afraid of getting old, and now I just think it’s the best thing ever,” they say. “I feel like I’m just coming into myself. And it feels fucking amazing.
How the chav went from jester to bogeyman
“Cynically, what happened was the right-wing stopped talking about these people as chavs, and actually tried to present themselves as the champions of the downtrodden against the liberal metropolitan elite” Owen Jones “Now political parties are appealing to working class voters directly, having realised they need them and become suddenly terrified that they’re all out burning asylum hotels”
Woke is back - or is it?
Winds in the east, mist comin’ in. Like somethin’ is brewin’ and ‘bout to begin. Can’t put me finger on what lies in store. But I feel what’s to happen all happened before. By which I mean – is woke back? It certainly feels like it. In the past few weeks Sydney Sweeney, of eugenicist jean ad controversy fame, had the dubious honour of being the star of one of the biggest film flops of recent history, maybe ever (her boxing biopic Christy made just $1.3m in its first weekend).
Donald Trump, the DUP and the Americanisation of our politics and society
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‘If you get it wrong, it’s sacrilegious!’ TV’s problem with Irish accents
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‘If you get it wrong, it’s sacrilegious!’ TV’s problem with Irish accents
‘I was very aware that I had to get it right’ … James Norton in Netflix’s House of Guinness. Photograph: Ben Blackall/Netflix Putting on a good Irish accent is an art. In the same way that pouring Guinness is an art, actually. And as with all artistic feats, people think, “Well, anyone could do that!” before swiftly finding out that anyone could not, in fact, do that. An accurate Irish accent, for a non-Irish actor, takes dedication, research, talent.
Titanic Street Preachers
A dispatch from Belfast, a city divided by religion, and thronged with megaphones and placards. In 2023, a video from the streets of Belfast went viral. Filmed during the city’s Pride parade, it featured street preacher Ryan Williamson telling crowds that gay people were rapists and child molesters. After the incident was investigated by the PSNI as a possible hate crime, Williamson told BBC Ulster’s The Nolan Show that his comments were ‘taken out of context’.
The New Crusades
It’s been quite a week for the special relationship. Not just a Chequers press conference and a Windsor Castle state banquet, but also a White House podcast and a Whitehall march: if the first pairing garnered more of the world’s attention, the second signals a trend that is increasing and disquieting in equal measure. The podcast was a special edition of The Charlie Kirk Show, hosted by JD Vance in honour of the slain activist.
Seeing the Irish tricolour flying in London, I felt ashamed
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Vice Is Broke and the risky business of selling cool
There was a time when Shane Smith was the coolest guy in the world. Or at least when he felt like he was the coolest guy in the world.
Kitchenese
Why the kitchen is heart of the home When you think of your dream home – or perhaps even your more flawed, but tangible actual home – what do you consider to be the heart of it? When you were growing up, did your family congregate in the living room, or in the crumby, over-lit mess of the kitchen? And do you do the same? None of these questions are Hinge prompts, although they ought to be. There are, perhaps, two kinds of people in this world: living room people and kitchen people.
Benidorm's greatest patriots
Dusk has fallen, but it’s still 30 degrees. Mobility scooters roll over streets sticky with spilled Buckfast and Bacardi Breezers. Distant shouts of “fuck the Pope” pierce the vape-clouded air. A poster advertises a Star Wars-themed sex show. Outside a disused insurance office, a topless middle-aged man assembles a crowd of around 50 people. His bronzed, distended stomach squeezes itself behind a huge drum.
Too Much TV review — Lena Dunham makes her small-screen comeback with sharp millennial satire
When Lena Dunham reached precocious fame with her series Girls (she wrote and sold the show to HBO aged just 23), she was primed to...
Glastonbury flipped the free speech debate upside down
“Keir Starmer, suddenly aware of the political element of Glastonbury, 55 years after it started and 40 years after it first linked itself to CND, was appalled” “Whether you find ‘death to the IDF’ a disturbing chant or not, it should be uncontroversial to say that the response to it is cynical and disproportionate” “Kneecap’s monthly Spotify reach has increased from less than a million to over 7m today. Bob Vylan’s Instagram followers and monthly Spotify listeners have surged dramatically”
Glastonbury flipped the free speech debate upside down
19 hours ago Punk duo Bob Vylan have been dropped from the line-up of a music festival in Manchester following their controversial appearance at Glastonbury. The group had been due to headline the Radar Festival at Victoria Warehouse on Saturday, but organisers confirmed in a statement they would no longer …
Sporting heroes and villains
Novak Djokovic goes into this year’s Wimbledon hoping to set one tournament record and equal another. If, on 13 July, he wins his eighth title, he’ll not only become the oldest singles champion in the Open era, he’ll also draw level with Roger Federer as the most successful men’s singles player ever. But one mark will always be beyond him. He’ll never be the most loved player the game has seen, not even close.
The money-spinning surprises of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has just returned for a second series. Should you care about this?
How the papal conclave became a pop culture phenomenon
Fandom is a strange beast. There are plenty of dedicated online and offline fanbases for things which have no business having stans. Some notable examples include the movie Tár; the professional relationship between Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown; the sexual undertones in the My Little Pony series; and now, the election of a new Pontiff.
The men who race pigeons
The easiest way to tell the difference between a racing pigeon and a street pigeon is to look at their feet. Feral street pigeons, raised on a cannibalistic diet of discarded fried chicken and stale breadcrumbs, have lurid red talons. Working pigeons’ claws are a smoother, paler orange. There are other differences, too. Racing pigeons have lush, proud plumage. They’re bigger — yet swoop gracefully, rather than descend en-masse to plague tourists on the South Bank.
The world has become addicted to rage - and 2016 might be to blame
I am trying to imagine your mental state as you read this. Perhaps your children are screaming. Perhaps the milk you used to make your coffee was dubiously sour. Did you wake up and look at your phone, which promptly delivered you some of the worst news possible, from indiscriminate locations across the world, instantly from the palm of your hand to your retinas? Perhaps you clicked off news websites and looked at emails that you shouldn’t read until Monday morning.
An extract from Róisín Lanigan's new novel, 'I want to go home, but I'm already there'
Róisín Lanigan’s new novel, ’I Want To Go Home, But I’m Already There’ tells the story of Áine, who has just moved in with her boyfriend Elliot in an affluent neighbourhood in London. Áine should be happy with life, given her new home is in such a good area, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops. They even have a garden.
With Love, Meghan is a lifestyle show for a lifestyle nobody can have
Meghan Markle is the unluckiest lucky girl in the world.
Should tenants and landlords be friends?
I didn’t know that my landlord was my friend until he told me so. The timing, admittedly, was suspicious.
Inside the troubling ‘Almond Mom’ trend: Why daughters are filming their anorexic mothers
As with many trends, it all goes back to the Hadids. Not Bella or Gigi, but Yolanda, the original supervillain “almond mom”. Back before fashion superstardom the Hadids appeared on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where Yolanda is filmed advising her famished daughter Gigi, then just starting out as a model, who complained of feeling weak after a “juice cleanse”. Yolanda’s motherly advice is sobering.
Lime bikes annoys half of London, but they’re so addictive to ride
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The vibes are omnipresent
Winds in the east. Mist coming in. Like something is brewing about to begin. If you can feel it in the air, you already know what I’m referring to. The vibes… The vibes are all around us. Amorphous and ephemeral, vibes are how we have begun to define all events, from political regime changes, to rebrands and mood shifts. Demure might have been named (ugh… fine, I guess), but it should have been “vibes”.
What’s it like in central London on Christmas Day?
It’s an extremely grey Christmas morning in 2023.
Have yourself a (tastefully) tacky Christmas
A few weeks ago, London hotel Claridge’s unveiled its Christmas tree.
Why is the American right obsessed with IQ?
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Why is the American right obsessed with IQ?
On Sunday, I was unfortunate enough to schedule a journey on the New York subway that coincided with Donald Trump’s homecoming rally. The train passed through Madison Square Garden, where Trump was flanked by Elon Musk, Dr Phil, Hulk Hogan and co with tales of how together they were going to take America “back” from an unnamed other. There, inevitably, the true believers who didn’t manage to get tickets to the Trump 2024 sideshow piled into the carriage, and, inevitably, an argument ensued.
Why Is The American Right Obsessed With IQ? - The Independent
On Sunday, I was unfortunate enough to schedule a journey on the New York subway that coincided with Donald Trump’s homecoming rally. The train passed through Madison Square Garden, where Trump was flanked by Elon Musk, Dr Phil, Hulk Hogan and co with tales of how together they were going to take America “back” from an unnamed other. There, inevitably, the true believers who didn’t manage to get tickets to the Trump 2024 sideshow piled into the carriage, and, inevitably, an argument ensued.
Forget incels, meet ‘femcels’ - the generation embracing ‘toxic femininity’
Rhiannon Lewis is not important. The men she sleeps with won’t text her back. She lives alone, surrounded by the belongings of her dead dad and her dead dog. Her sister bullies her, as does her old high school bully, who continues to harass her. At work, she’s ignored by her colleagues, passed over for a promotion and, perhaps worst of all, her boss insists on calling her “Sweetpea”. She is, in short, a loser. A loser, that is, until Rhiannon gives into her violent, homicidal impulses.
Gaudy, soulless - but bewilderingly popular: Inside the phenomenon of M&M’s World
There is a dark force in the middle of Soho. Like an abyss, it swallows up light and repels hope. It corrupts all those who grow close, trapping them in its embrace. Its tiers wind in on themselves like an Escher artwork. At its hollow centre, a DayGlo spiral staircase twists upwards to look out across the wasteland that is Leicester Square. Dante thought hell had nine circles, but there is a place more terrifying than anything he imagined in the Divine Comedy, and it has four floors.
Gaudy, Soulless – But Bewilderingly Popular: Inside The Phenomenon Of M&M’s World - The Independent | Everand
There is a dark force in the middle of Soho. Like an abyss, it swallows up light and repels hope. It corrupts all those who grow close, trapping them in its embrace. Its tiers wind in on themselves like an Escher artwork. At its hollow centre, a DayGlo spiral staircase twists upwards to look out across the wasteland that is Leicester Square. Dante thought hell had nine circles, but there is a place more terrifying than anything he imagined in the Divine Comedy, and it has four floors.
Step inside the Rose of Tralee, a beauty pageant like no other
William Pembroke Mulchinock fell in love with Mary O’Connor the first time he saw her, the story goes.
If I chose to move to London, can I moan about how expensive it is?
This summer I reached the milestone of having lived in London for a decade.
Cocaine may be ubiquitous in Britain – but it’s hardly cool: in fact it’s becoming cringe
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Reformer pilates is an expensive phenomenon – but it has a dark side
Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy Microsoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
Reformer pilates is an expensive phenomenon – but it has a dark side
Microsoft Cares About Your Privacy Microsoft and our third-party vendors use cookies to store and access information such as unique IDs to deliver, maintain and improve our services and ads. If you agree, MSN and Microsoft Bing will personalise the content and ads that you see. You can select ‘I Accept’ to consent to these uses or click on ‘Manage preferences’ to review your options and exercise your right to object to Legitimate Interest where used.
Reformer pilates is an expensive phenomenon - but it has a dark side
‘London has opened itself up to the girlies who wish to stretch and contort themselves into pretzels for about £30 a pop’ (iStock) Time is meaningless here. There is no clock in the dark, industrial room. I’m lying on a medieval rack of chrome and black leather. My leg is suspended over my head by a series of straps and it’s spasming wildly. I lock eyes with the woman next to me. She looks how I feel – in pain.
Reformer Pilates Is An Expensive Phenomenon – But It Has A Dark Side - The Independent | Everand
Time is meaningless here. There is no clock in the dark, industrial room. I’m lying on a medieval rack of chrome and black leather. My leg is suspended over my head by a series of straps and it’s spasming wildly. I lock eyes with the woman next to me. She looks how I feel – in pain. I watch as a bead of sweat drips from her forehead onto the rack, then close my eyes and listen to the sound of invariably the most beautiful Australian woman you’ve ever seen in your life count backwards from eight.
I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There
Renting is a nightmare. Áine should be feeling happy with her life. She’s just moved in with Elliot. Their new flat is in an affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops. They even have a garden. And yet, from the moment they move in, Áine can't shake the sense that there's something not quite right about the place...
The end of the house party
Everyone is drinking and singing along — badly — to karaoke classics in the parents’ bedroom. There’s an old Nintendo 64 in the corner.
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