Donal Ryan at his best. His central characters are four women of four different generations. Continue reading
Filed under Book review …
Tóibín being Tóibín.
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
Irish-Australian Gothic
McKinty’s The Island is a page-turner, and often quite chilling and surprising in the turns it takes. Continue reading
New Irish Fiction
Three new Irish or Irish Australian fictions reviewed by book-devourer, Frank O’Shea Continue reading
Between Two Hells
One hundred years ago this month, Ireland found that it had to deal with former comrades fighting and killing each other. Continue reading
New Irish Fiction
Two new writers and one well established. Continue reading
Sixty Years of Ireland
One of Ireland’s best-known writers and his take on the years since he was born in 1958 Continue reading
New Irish Fiction
Three recent novels with Irish authors or Irish themes. Continue reading
Gentle Stories of Loss and Longing
A language needs nurturing, love and polishing to keep it present. This is no easy feat when we are far away from the home country
where pieces of it spill into our daily lives whether on road signs, TV or generally in the way we speak English in Ireland and how we express ourselves. Continue reading
A Biographer Reflects
The offspring of a full suite of 8 Irish great grandparents, Brenda Niall grew up in a cosily inwardly-focussed Catholic world, until and beyond her university training. This was not unusual in her era Continue reading
Tinteán 