Getting our oar in: Frank McNally on the perils of linguistic imperialism
Their eccentricity might be charming if it wasn’t for the assumption that everyone else speaks that way
Ernie O’Malley’s century-old memoirs now read like a nature writer at war
In his memoirs, the former IRA organiser wrote in unique detail about the Irish landscape as he travelled the country
Haunted by Hamlet: The sad story of Ireland’s greatest Shakespearean scholar
When Belfast-born William John Lawrence died in penurious English exile at the start of the second World War, his manuscript on the origins of Hamlet was lost too
Why experts believe Shakespeare may have had an ‘Oirish’ accent
Linguistic detectives believe Shakespeare would have said ‘divil’ instead of ‘devil’ and would have drunk a cup of ‘tay’
‘O, the drenching grey weather’: Irish rain in 40 wonderful phrases
From October to April, the walls of Limerick glistened with the damp
‘It’s the All-Ireland final of theatre’: The Plough and the Stars, 100 years on from its riotous first run
Frank McNally sits in on a new production of Seán O’Casey’s play and revisits the ‘chaotic scenes’ that greeted it in 1926
A history of Ireland, as told through the medium of... rain
It has rained in Ireland every day of 2026 so far. From Samuel Beckett to Flann O’Brien, the country’s literary heritage is awash with the stuff
From daring raids to a sudden absence, where have all of Dublin’s pesky seagulls gone?
‘I have long been slightly paranoid about seagulls and would not be surprised if they’re running night drills for an all-out attack on the civilian population’
Books of revelation: Frank McNally on a surprise twist in the Drumcondra book skip saga
In sharing a photograph of the redbrick terrace, I unearthed a hitherto unknown family connection
Rough diamonds: Frank McNally on a geometric oddity unique to Ulster (and Pennsylvania)
While most towns have squares, for some reason they’re called diamonds in the North – whatever shape they are
Not on your life: Frank McNally on the Northern Ireland football star who said no to This Is Your Life
When Tottenham captain Danny Blanchflower was ambushed by Eamonn Andrews and his big red book in 1961, he turned and ran
Stage IRA Man – Frank McNally on the real and pretend 1916 Rising of actor Arthur Shields
He went to the Abbey Theatre to collect a rifle hidden under the stage and join the fighting
Taxing times: Frank McNally on what links Thomas Kinsella, TK Whitaker and Myles na gCopaleen
It all started in December 1965, when Revenue returned a cheque sent by the curmudgeonly Irish Times columnist
‘As Irish as the pigs of Drogheda’ – Frank McNally on rise and fall of street singer Mary Connolly
After the Easter Rising, her patriotic ballads struck a chord with the public
Pucking for peace: Frank McNally joins the Irish Friends of Canada on a trip to watch ice hockey in Belfast
There was no violence at the ice hockey on Sunday, I’m happy to report