Tinteán

Irish Melbourne on the Kulin lands, 1835-2024

this talk offers six snapshots from the 190 years of the Irish and their descendants who settled in Melbourne on the lands of the Kulin nation. Short overviews are offered of settler and Indigenous histories, followed by stories about Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, my great-grandfather John Noone, Archbishop Daniel Mannix, and Uncle Wayne Atkinson. Continue reading →

A New History of Irish Showbands

The showband era also witnessed intense competition among bands vying for audience attention and record deals. This competitive environment fueled innovation and creativity, leading to the emergence of new musical styles and trends within the showband scene. Continue reading →

Irish Community Gatherings Part 3

Irish gatherings in antiquity that have survived into modern times, and their ritual functions. Continue reading →

Srúill dhorcha Dark stream and other poems

D’fhiafraigh sí san amhrán/
arbh eol duit cad is grá ann
She asked in the song if you knew what love was but didn’t hear your answer, and the world went on its way, Continue reading →

Two Irish non-fiction books

A book about Child Abuse, and early Christianity. Continue reading →

Symbiosis between an Artist and their Work

While Beckett’s encounter with Joyce teaches him he must follow a different creative path from Joyce’s to achieve his purposes, the same cannot be said of Lucia. Continue reading →

Thomas Meagher, Constitutionalist Father of a Revolutionary

It says something about our collective love of celebrity, chaos and flashy headlines that the subtitle of this book is the ‘Forgotten father, of Thomas Francis Meagher’…There is no doubt however, that the life and times of the father are a history worth telling… Continue reading →

Another Joycean, a Thespian, reviews ‘Rainbow Girl’

Nothing is funnier than unhappiness. Well, in the theatre, anyway. Continue reading →

1 in 7 babies born in Ireland’s baby homes died.

Missing Persons offers an important counternarrative to the unsatisfactory official histories perpetuated by the various inquiries into institutional abuse. The Commission of Investigation is just the latest iteration. Its significance, however, does not lie Continue reading →

What’s on in July and Beyond

Christmas in July, a free public lecture and a course, multiple events at the Celtic Club. And another Joyce play. No excuses to be bored or not go out! Continue reading →