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
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
Some of Bridget’s descendants in NSW 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
Three new Irish or Irish Australian fictions reviewed by book-devourer, Frank O’Shea Continue reading
Upcoming Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar on Heaney’s visit to Australia in 1994. Continue reading
A brilliant multi-layered Irish orphan story. Continue reading
History tells us that when the stakes were substantial, Pitch and Toss games could become extremely serious. In Dundalk in 1914 a man died following an altercation during a game of Pitch and Toss when an argument arose as to who was entitled to the winnings. Continue reading
From the beginning of European settlement, St Patrick’s Day in South Australia has been commemorated annually as a rallying call to express Irish identity in a new land. Continue reading
Tinteán 