The media landscape is ever-evolving, and how we consume news, opinions and features is constantly shifting. One major player in the business in recent years, however, is Substack – the platform that allows writers and content creators to publish ‘newsletters’ that land in subscribers’ inboxes on a regular basis.

Substack was founded in 2017 and now has over 5 million paid subscribers (although some newsletters are free of charge), and many of its top newsletters, like Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American, reportedly generate millions in annual subscriptions.

There are newsletters for all tastes and topics imaginable – but here are five of the best Irish Substacks to check out…

1. Aisling Marron’s Notes from New York

Former Irish Times columnist Aisling Marron moved her young family from Dublin to New York several years ago, and it’s been an absolute joy to follow along her daily escapades, from early bouts of homesickness to a woman wholeheartedly embracing all that the Big Apple has to offer. Notes from New York’s wry takes on American culture, filtered through the lens of an amusingly cynical Irish person (and her husband and kids), are always delivered with a droll sense of humour. She’s moving back to Ireland this summer – let’s hope Notes from Dublin keeps the ball rolling.

2. JP McMahon’s Investigations of Irish Food

When it comes to Irish cuisine, there are few more knowledgeable or engaging writers than Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon. The proprietor of several Galway restaurants (including Aniar) has published several books, including the brilliant An Irish Food Story. His Substack posts provide equally evocative personal memories and facts about Irish cuisine (from strawberries to buttermilk to three-cornered leeks), as well as asking bigger questions like ‘Why don’t we celebrate food in Ireland?’


JP McMahon

3. Savage Hunger by Louise O’Neill

If you’ve read any of Louise O’Neill’s novels, you’ll already be aware of her talent as a writer who is capable of weaving engrossing stories. The Cork native’s Substack is equally engaging, allowing the Asking for It author to tackle topics in shorter form and often with a more personal thrust. In the recent past, she has written about topics as diverse as her eating disorder recovery, her shenanigans on a trip to London, her journey with Invisalign and nerve-fraying insight into the publication of her work. From the frivolous to the profound, it’s always worth a read.


Louise O’Neill

4. The Point Of Everything and The Bad Arts

It’s no secret that the opportunities to write about Irish music and culture in any meaningful way are being eroded at a worrying rate – which makes Substacks like The Point of Everything all the more crucial. Journalist Eoghan O’Sullivan not only gives a platform to rising Irish acts often overlooked by many media outlets, but his long-form interviews with musicians are often hugely enlightening. Journalist Zara Hedderman’s The Bad Arts is equally worthy of your time if you’re a music fan, incorporating both Irish and international acts as well as personal recommendations from her own notebook.

5. Changes with Annie Macmanus

The former BBC Radio 1 DJ has reinvented herself as a novelist in recent years, but her non-fiction writing, as seen on her Changes newsletter (which was previously a podcast) is also brilliant. Here, you’ll find some beautifully personal writing, the occasional longread and the captivating ‘Changes Q&A’, where she asks a variety of guests to answer the same six illuminating questions on the topic of change. Paid subscribers also have access to her monthly Rooster newsletters, where she recommends the various bits and bobs that have been floating her boat lately.

Lauren Murphy is the host of pop culture podcast Get Around To It – listen to an episode here