rish poetry is known for its lyricism and romanticism, and it might be seem strange to find beauty in the controversial ‘Fairy Tale of New York’, but comparisons can indeed be made between this popular song and traditional love poetry. Continue reading
As I was growing up in Edenderry, near Tullamore, in Ireland, my mother always made a Christmas pudding. The smells of the pudding, wrapped in cloth, pervaded the house with the scent of Christmas approaching. Continue reading
Some dainty morsels from Irish Literature… Continue reading
Some popular reads from Tintean for under a banyan or on the verandah in a cool breeze…. Continue reading
They broke the ground for the generations to follow. The Old Ghan railway was a major achievement, not only providing an essential service but in showing what is required to live and work in this challenging environment. Continue reading
Do children become the ‘littoral’ or interface that joins the émigré parent/s to the new homeland? Is the émigré in a transitioning state of ‘liminality’ until they have children born in the new country? Eamonn Wall says that having children connected him to his new home. Continue reading
Two more poems from Michael Patrick Moore reminding us of friendship and loss and love during this month of remembering Continue reading
Some of our Irish speakers and learners have appreciated the opportunity to stock up on new Irish language books in Dublin, attend daonscoileanna in Donegal and Waterford, and even to write as Gaeilge. Andrew Hogg provides this account of his recent travels in Bali looking for gamelan music, and an unexpected invitation to a wedding feast Continue reading
Today, a hundred and eighty years later I stand near his grave in the hot, dry semi-desert land of the Australian ‘outback.’ Emigrating to Australia in the 1860s and becoming one of the burgeoning numbers of the Irish diaspora, John, better known as Jack, was part of a heroic effort to develop this new and challenging land, so different in every way from the green fields of Tipperary. Continue reading
Barm Breac* Recipe It’s that time of year again. Ingredients 500g raisins cut in half 500g sultanas 1 cup brown sugar 2 tsp grated lemon rind 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 cup hot strong tea Two thirds cup Irish whiskey 4 eggs lightly beaten 3 and a half cups plain flour 3 tsps baking powder … Continue reading
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