. To this day, we have a saying in Irish ‘Bhí togha gacha bí agus rogha gacha dí le fail ann’, The finest of every food and the choice(st) of every drink was to be had there. This is believed to originally date from bards of one to two thousand years ago. As a chieftain or king, one’s reputation had to be maintained, or enhanced and these ‘songs of praise’, so to speak, were pivotal in this regard. Continue reading
they were usually ‘a reused glass spirit, wine or mineral bottle often containing a carved wooden cross, with a ladder leaning against it inside, sometimes (but not always) filled with water’. The water was usually holy water, or at least marketed as such. Continue reading
The other songs cut straight to the chase of the reality of war. Mrs McGrath and Johnny, I hardly knew you. They give a heartbreaking perspective on the horror and futility of war and although tinged with humour they give a firsthand account of the injuries and lifelong disabilities inflicted. Continue reading
. At a charity event, in the Wicklow mountains, Martin Byrne was faced with the task of feeding 1,500 people (no, that’s not a typo) with Colcannon. What did he do? Well, I’ll tell you. Continue reading
Women’s World Cup The Irish Women’s team have qualified for the Women’s World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. Their qualification was the result of a 1-0 win over Scotland in Hamden Park, Glasgow in October. That victory was tarnished after a social media posting of the team singing part … Continue reading
by Michael Patrick Moore ‘Come here to me, let me tell ya, don’t the living be busy today?’comings and goings on Graftonand on Merrion; where the craic is good,O’Donaghues is full. There are footsteps on quay, bridge and streettapping away like rain on tin,all servants of masters with somewhere to be or someone to meetand … Continue reading
The cast of Love’s Old Sweet Songs was led by the magnificent and maleficent MC, who, in true music hall style got us all wound up and raring to go for the opening of the show musical eisteddfod – a turning point / ‘tuning fork’ in the road in Joyce’s life. Continue reading
Book Review by Frank O’Shea A GUEST AT THE FEAST. By Colm Tóibín. Picador 2022. 305 pp. $34.99 Colm Tóibín is the current Laureate for Irish Fiction, succeeding Sebastian Barry. As part of that role, he will be expected to deliver a number of public lectures; it is not clear whether this book is part … Continue reading
Book review by Frank O’Shea HAVEN. By Emma Donoghue. Picador 2022. 257 pp. $32.99 Some years ago, Tintean carried an article by Mike O’Shea about a day trip to Ballinskelligs by a group of 19 from Killarney, https://tintean.org.au/2017/10/06/a-day-on-skellig-rock/. The article told that up to ten boats, each with a dozen people, visited the island every … Continue reading
12 November 22: Ulysses for everyone – a guided tour This interactive course, a mix of presentation and discussion of text, assumes no prior knowledge of Ulysses, although having read the five chapters we recommend (1, 4, 6, 13, 18, or as many as you can manage), will certainly help to make the day a richer reading experience … Continue reading
Tinteán 