I was expressing an interest in uilleann pipes and complained that the pipes are not well known and appreciated in Australia. They certainly are much admired in this house now. Continue reading
Filed under Of Literary Interest …
Learning about Australia from John O’Brien
For many in Ireland, ‘Around the Boree Log’ was our introduction to Australia. Continue reading
Jonathan Swift: On the Road to Ireland
Clive Probyn reads the Holyhead journal of 1727 as a turning point in his life. Continue reading
Yeats and Me
Growing up with Yeats, and making the pilgrimage to find him. Continue reading
A Christmas Sestina by David Harris
Our Christmas Day, the day that Christ was born,
a full nine months from when the angel told
the blessed Virgin what she could expect. Continue reading
New Irish Fiction
Sebastian Barry continues his McNulty family saga while Frank Connolly recalls the Dublin bombs of 1974. Continue reading
Remember hoping for an Australian Republic?
The story of Tom Keneally’s involvement in the Australian Republican Movement and of the many who supported a Republic from the foundation of Australian society. Continue reading
Poems in English and Irish
Finally, I gently clasp the dragonfly’s wings
and release it at the backdoor to fly away.
Was it a lost soul of a relative
From long ago looking for our prayers? Continue reading
Keneally’s Biographer on Towards Asmara
The New York Times compared Towards Asmara to For Whom The Bell Tolls in its open support for an armed struggle – a big, debatable comparison. Continue reading
Melbourne’s Finnegans Wake Reading Group
Raphael Slepon, founder of FWEET, on annotating Finnegans Wake. Continue reading
Tinteán 