It had been many, many, years since my sister and I had been upstairs on a double decker bus. Just holding on to the two side bars on the steps going up was enough to bring back memories of running up those steps as teenagers and of boys using them to swing down without touching the steps, to the annoyance of the bus conductor. Continue reading
all public bodies are now obliged to do at least 20% of their annual advertising in Irish and to spend 5% of their advertising budgets on advertising in Irish in the Irish language media. Continue reading
Two books of history, one recent, and one book that is actually a novel. Continue reading
I decided to read classics I had not read, and to reread some that I had. I was interested to see if books I had loved on a first reading when I was young, remained beloved. Continue reading
The very earliest communal gathering and feasting for which we have solid evidence are known as fulachta fia. These were the locations where an animal, probably a deer or boar, was cooked following a hunt. The sharing of food is a social act that creates and maintains bonds and obligations within a group or community, which seems to have been the entire function of these feasts. Continue reading
Tea drinking may be associated with English culture, but it is still very much part of Irish culture too. Continue reading
I suppose Nanny Hanley sticks out in our memories more because of her photography. Continue reading
Former footballer gives a riveting account of the workings of the fraud squad, from an insider’s perspective. Continue reading
To enhance this understanding, there are two male actors on stage playing, respectively, Leopold Bloom (Chris Broadstock) and Blazes Boylan/Stephen Dedalus (Luke Belle). They also remain on stage, mostly in the background and provide visual context in the numerous vignettes or re-enactments of events referred to by the Mollys, including appearing as representations of various male characters. Continue reading
In some ways, John Gilligan is the ultimate Irish joke, a small man of limited intelligence who managed by dint of violence to persuade those around him that he was the boss. Continue reading
Tinteán 