Tagged with Irish culture

New activities to see in Dublin: a traveller’s tale

New activities to see in Dublin: a traveller’s tale

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

At Swim-Two-Birds: mad Sweeny and the artist

At Swim-Two-Birds: mad Sweeny and the artist

I cannot remember exactly how I discovered the book in my teens. What I can remember is the experience of reading it for the first time, of getting lost in its marvellous, frenzied chaos and laughing aloud. It holds a unique appeal for me as an artist because, like a spiral staircase, it tricks you into thinking that you are simultaneously working towards a destination and moving away from it. Continue reading

A Platinum Anniversary: Seventy Years of teaching Irish Dance in Australia

A Platinum Anniversary: Seventy Years of teaching Irish Dance in Australia

Jeanette Mollenhauer In 2020, I wrote an article about two Irish dance teachers who had been awarded the Order of Australia medal (https://tintean.org.au/2020/03/07/honours-for-australian-irish-dance-teachers/). One of those teachers is Geraldine Ryan, and this year marks the 70th anniversary of her formal qualification as an Irish dance teacher. She had already been teaching Irish dance; she began classes … Continue reading