Megan Nolan

Writer and journalist

Megan Nolan is an Irish writer and journalist based in London. Publications include The New York Times and the anthology of Irish writing Winter Papers.

Fly on the Wheel: Megan Nolan on a lost classic of Irish fiction

Books • 14 Oct 22

The Luke Kelly statue by Vera Klute in Dublin's Sheriff Street (Pic: Paul Kelly)

Vanishing Dublin - Megan Nolan on a city in crisis

It's a bit of a cliche for an expat to bemoan how much Dublin has changed since they left it, but sometimes you have to forgive a well deserved lapse into nostalgia.

opinion • 10 Oct 19

Why Joker is the year's most controversial movie

Today, after weeks of thinkpieces, furious tweets, and scathing indictments, the film Joker will finally be released.

Culture • 04 Oct 19

Tom Hanks at the premiere of Disney's Toy Story 4

Disney Plus and the monopolisation of streaming

In March this year, Disney completed a monstrous $71.3 billion deal in which it acquired the vast majority of 20th Century Fox. There were several important and intriguing results to the merger...

Opinion and Analysis • 28 Aug 19

Taylor Swift in the forthcoming screen version of 'beloved musical' Cats

The problem with Cats, The Lion King & the uncanny valley

It's been an interesting week for anthropomorphised felines, with The Lion King now on general release and the trailer for Cats emerging to widespread revulsion...

Film • 31 Jul 19

What makes bad culture bad?

What makes bad culture bad? And more importantly perhaps, what makes bad culture good?

Culture • 13 Jul 19

Lil Nas X: 'His fans aren't just enjoying a catchy summer song, they're moved and energised by him as a person.'

How Old Town Road became the musical sensation of the year

I'm not going to pretend I was one of the early adopters of the insanely catchy, life-affirming, world-conquering record-breaking Old Town Road by Lil Nax X, now the longest-running number one hip-hop song of all time in the Billboard Hot 100...

Music • 06 Jul 19

"Pride becoming more accessible and mainstream is often seen as a negative thing for understandable reasons, but there is a positive way to look at its expansion too"

The changing face of Pride

There may be many difficult conversations to be had about how the Pride festival has changed, but it's also worth appreciating what the event means

Pride • 28 Jun 19

The six newest members of Aosdána: (Top, L to R) Anna Burns, Aideen Barry, Margaret Irwin West (Bottom, L to R) Niall McLaughlin, Doireann Ni Ghriofa, Clare Langan

Why Aosdána matters: Megan Nolan on Ireland's creative elite

Earlier this month, six new members were elected to Aosdána, the association of Irish creative artists. Five of them, I was delighted to see, were women, including the winner of the Booker Prize, Anna Burns, and the poet and essayist Doireann Ni Ghriofa.

Culture • 25 Apr 19

Strike a Pose: why there's more to drag than RuPaul

When news came that RuPaul's Drag Race was going to produce a UK version, I asked a good friend of mine, a transgender drag artist, what they and their drag peers made of the move.

LGBTQ • 13 Apr 19