Spotlight on Research
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Why is Valentine's Day chocolate getting so expensive?
The story begins with the cocoa bean’s supply chain, tracing its path from equatorial farms to factories and, ultimately, shop shelves, writes Dr Luca Castellanza of the School of Business
Friday, 13 February 2026
February or March: when does spring really begin?
Within the Celtic calendar, spring is defined as beginning on February 1st but climatological frameworks place its onset in March. Which is correct? asks Dr Nick Scroxton of ICARUS
Monday, 09 February 2026
How Brigit continues to inspire poets, writers and artists
An Irish woman who has been dead for over 1,500 years continues to inspire extraordinary creative expression, write Dr Niamh Wycherley, Prof David Stifter and Tiago de Oliveira Veloso Silva
Friday, 30 January 2026
How did the US become the main threat to the future of NATO?
As the United States moves away from NATO’s founding multilateral principles, the alliance faces a forced redefinition of its future strategy, writes Dr David Murphy from the Department of History
Monday, 19 January 2026
How two Meath men made a mark in 18th century America
Dr David Murphy from the History Dept examines how Meath–born Sir William Johnson and his nephew, Guy Johnson, played important roles as British colonial administrators in 18th century America
Monday, 12 January 2026
How to detect text which has been written by ChatGPT
ChatGPT-generated text is often more predictable than human writing and uses certain recurring words, writes Prof Jennifer Foster of the Hamilton Institute
Monday, 05 January 2026
A short history of extreme weather events at Christmas in Ireland
From frosty 1338, when Dubliners played football on the Liffey, to the epic snow of 2010, fierce weather conditions often hit Ireland over Christmas, writes Dr Carla Mateus of the Department of Geography
Monday, 22 December 2025
When holiday small talk hurts inclusion at work
Asking “Are you going home for Christmas?” may unintentionally exclude people with complex ties to home, writes a team of researchers including Dr Tatiana Andreeva of the School of Business
Monday, 15 December 2025
Is the Atlantic ocean's "wobble" a warning for Ireland?
The Atlantic between Ireland and Canada, which gives us our mild climate, is behaving strangely and is the only location on the earth's surface that has cooled, according to leading climatologists including Dr Gerard McCarthy of ICARUS
Monday, 08 December 2025
Could a box of 8mm amateur film reels change Irish film history?
Despite her youth at the time of her filmmaking, Flora Kerrigan's work shows someone ahead of her time and at the forefront of a transformative period in Irish society, write MU's Dr Sarah Arnold and Kasandra O'Connell of the IFI Irish Film Archive
Monday, 01 December 2025