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
Filed under Irish Studies …
The Irish Travellers
Is this increased interest resonant of the current Australian focus on Indigenous recognition? Or is it a reflection of more attention to the topic of Irish Travellers in the Irish education curriculum? Continue reading
Irish history and its popular versions
But as books must and will be produced to meet the demand, it is now both timely and fair to ask what kind of ‘Irish history’ are we going to have? As a race, we have an extraordinary habit of make-believe. Continue reading
A Really Embarrassing Moment at St. Pat’s
My students were full of energy, fun-loving and were certainly not vindictive or in any way mean, but they loved playing pranks… Continue reading
The Dictionary and Lost Irish Words
Is there bias in dictionary compiling? Ultimately, yes. Continue reading
Tribute to Sinéad O’Connor
So much has been said, in media all over the world, interviews, music played and replayed, so many tributes. For me? the shattering realization, she’s gone. Continue reading
Reflecting on The Banshees of Inisherin
I read The Banshees of Inisherin as an allegory of this vicious civil conflict, told in a loose but recognisable metaphor of the breakdown of a once close friendship. Continue reading
Fintan O’Toole’s Latest – an antipodean perspective
For the marginal outsider like myself, this book explained the geopolitical realignments that occurred so quickly and unexpectedly in Ireland between 1958 and 2018. Continue reading
What’s On – August to September, 2023
Lughnasa Bacon and Cabbage Night, Films to watch, Courses, conferences and seminars to attend, and a Battle of the Bands. Continue reading
Community Gatherings in Ireland: part two
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
Tinteán 