Blog

Wanted: White House Press Secretary. Running shoes essential. Good morning everyone. Last week, we awoke to the news that there is a vacancy in the White House press office again, following Katie Zacharia’s departure less than a fews days in the job. Quite the opening for anyone considering a career move. I found myself imagining...

Pictured at the All-Ireland Business Foundation Awards, where Paul Allen received the Award as “Media and Public Affairs Business Person of the Year 2026, was (L-R): Dr. Briga Hynes, All-Ireland Business Foundation Adjudication Board Chairperson, Paul Allen, founder of Paul Allen & Associates PR, and Henry Shefflin, Director & Co-Founder at Shefflin O’Neill   Communications...

Communications Professional Paul Allen Marks 35 Years in Communications and Public Affairs, Celebrating a Career at the Front Row of Politics, Media and Global Affairs.   One of Ireland’s most experienced communications and public affairs professionals, Paul Allen, is celebrating 35 years in the “Spin City” world of communications, media and public affairs, reflecting on...

Timing Is Everything. Even at 40,000 Feet. I often tell a story in communications workshops about the difference between a good pickpocket and a great one. The answer is Timing! Yesterday afternoon, Ireland’s new government jet a Dassault Falcon 6X touched down in Dublin. Built by Dassault Aviation, the aircraft carries a reported price tag...

Eastern Sentry Has Begun. Ireland Should Be Paying Attention. When a military operation is called Eastern Sentry, the clue isn’t subtle it’s in the name. It’s a heavy topic for a few days before Christmas. This is about watching, warning, and readiness. NATO has tightened its posture along the eastern flank. Defensive. Deliberate. Deadly serious....

It was a pleasure to meet again one of the great forces in world affairs, Hillary Clinton, and to reflect once more on the deep and enduring commitment that Hillary and Bill Clinton have shown for more than 25 years to peace on this island. I first met Hillary many years ago at her first...

Spotify Wrapped. The Brutal Annual Performance Review We Can’t Argue With and what it says about us? Every December, Spotify Wrapped sneaks into our phones and exposes the truth. Turn down the noise. Turn up the ambition and absolutely crank the tracks that move you. Now tell the truth did your Spotify “Wrapped”expose you? We...

RTÉ’s Another Long Day of Cock-Ups and It’s Only 3rd December. And in other news, Well done Tommy Meskill on the 6.1 new job! Only in Ireland could our national broadcaster, RTE with a budget the size of a small nation, confidently announced 6.1 that Simon Harris is the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence only...

Rage-Bait: The Word or two words that Defines Us (Unfortunately) today. Outrage might trend, but integrity makes history. Today, 1st December and every year, a word emerges that doesn’t just describe language it describes the behaviour of an entire era. This year, that word or two words is “rage-bait.” It’s the perfect term for a...

This must be the most difficult time in Ukraine’s history. I’ve been asking myself a simple question: “When did Ireland last take to the streets to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?” Harder question: “When did we last seriously call for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador?” And the hardest question of all: “When did anyone...