Another year comes to a close. As we have done in the last few years, Tinteán will be having a break in January 2026. We are a small, volunteer, editorial collective that enjoys bringing articles and stories that reflect the Australian Irish connection. We could not do so without the regular contributions from commentators, reviewers, poetry and prose writers. In just this year alone, they have been Rónán McDonald, Georgina Fitzpatrick, Steve Carey, Jules McCue, Michael Boyle, Patrick Deely, Colin Ryan, Mary Darcy, Imelda Murphy, Siobhan O’Neill, Kevin Foster, Robert Glass, Val Noone, Ynez Galtry, James Groome, Siobhan Dooley, Philip Harvey, Dan Boyle, Dr Enda V. Murray, Pat Walsh, Jeff Kildea, Peter Hansen, Anthony Quinn, Josepha Smith, Bernie Brophy, Eda Hamilton. Bringing these items to you have been the behind-the-scene editors Julie Breathnach-Banwait in Brisbane, Frances Devlin-Glass and Linda Rooney in Melbourne, and Dymphna Lonergan in Adelaide.
This year we increased our Irish language focus with a regular series of interviews with Irish language poets in Ireland organised by Julie Breathnach-Banwait who is based in Brisbane. This year we also continued to honour our late friend Frank O’Shea in our monthly coverage of books, no match for Frank’s meaty reviews, but more personal responses to what we are reading, and we have expanded this to what we are watching and attending.
This year once again we had Irish film reviews from various Australian contributors as part of the Irish Film Festival in Australia. Our editor Linda Rooney was the liaison and organisor of these film reviews.
A special thanks to Andrew Macdermid, our patient and generous administrator.
Déanaimid comhghairdas ó chróí leis an Uachtarán nua Catherine Connolly
Tinteán offers its warmest wishes to Ireland’s new President, Catherine Connelly. Naturally we are delighted that this Uachtarán represents many Irish people who have returned to Irish with a wish to develop speaking and listening skills beyond the classroom. Already she has outlined her vision to bring the language in from the margins (ón imeall) and on a practical level her office is committed to making Irish a daily working language. Catherine Connolly’s own story of taking up Irish again is inspirational to those who have come under scrutiny for liking this language: the point of it; the politics of it. But we persist for the love of it, for the challenge of it, for the cultural lifeline it provides at times when we feel adrift. As the poet Seamus Heaney said, the Irish language offers ‘ways of being at home.’
Here in Australia there are small volunteer groups who have organised weekly Irish language classes, monthly pop-up Gaeltachtaí and comhráite, and annual daonscoileanna. These are important anchor points for the Irish in Australia and especially for young Irish people in the country, and their involvement in these get togethers ensures that long-term residents keep up with modern Irish.
Tinteán will return in February 2026.
Tinteán 