Name Shame – Frank McNally on the continuing tragedy of the forename “Kevin” and a bad night for “Shamrock” in London
A dramatic decline in a name’s prestige
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
Kiss of Death? – Frank McNally on the rise and fall of mistletoe
The plant and its associated kissing custom continue to be rare here
O Holy Fright – Frank McNally on an ‘uplifting’ carol service
The world premiere of David Stifter’s hymn, set to music by Ryan Molloy, was a triumph
Keeping it lit – Frank McNally on attending the global premiere of Gloomsday
The chronological aphelion of Bloomsday
Pages from history – Felix M Larkin on the Freeman’s Journal
It’s a century since the final edition appeared on December 19th, 1924
Remembering Robert Armstrong: Ronan McGreevy on a gardener whose life was disrupted by two world wars
The proud, stubborn and courageous Monaghan man chose a path which led to his premature death
Decayed Centenary - Frank McNally on the history of Irish brain rot
A rather uninspired choice as Oxford University Press word of the year? Maybe not
The Eyes Have It - Frank McNally on the feast day of St Lucy
The name Lucy shares its origins with the word lux, Latin for light, so it’s no coincidence her feast day coincides with the darkest time of the year
No Bloom at the Inn – Frank McNally on the delayed debut of a new (and old) Dublin pub
I just hope the ghost of Burton’s most famous non-customer has not entered an objection
The last seanchaí – Marc McMenamin on the life of Seumas MacManus
The life of Seumas MacManus, author and dramatist
Feargus O’Connor: Irish leader of one of the world’s first major working-class movements
Chartism got its name from the People’s Charter, and aimed to give ordinary working-class citizens a voice in a reformed political system
Ol’ Man River – John Mulqueen on singer and activist Paul Robeson
As a musician he had one great ambition – to explore the origin of African-American songs
Leap in the dark — Frank McNally on the obscure origins of an Irish religious insult
Religious ‘jumpers’ seem to have been largely associated with the far west of Ireland
Prose and Con — Frank McNally on the rise and fall of a famous local newspaper
In its brief existence, The Taxpayers’ News achieved the distinction of giving John B Keane his print debut
Souper imposed - Frank McNally on Famine insults and Flann O’Brien’s debt to Con Houlihan
Under the influence
Pint of order – Frank McNally on getting to the ballot box
At 9.30pm, mid-pint – and mid-point too – I tore myself away to vote
Form and function – Brian Maye on architect and novelist James Franklin Fuller
He oversaw the building and renovation of churches all over Ireland
Belleek prospect – Brian Maye on pottery entrepreneur Robert Williams Armstrong
Armstrong’s drive, vision and hard work were poorly rewarded
Swift justice – Frank McNally on the height of the Drapier’s Letters controversy
Jonathan Swift also fanned the flames with songs and poems written for a popular audience
Parallel projection – Frank McNally on watching Gladiator II and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat back-to-back
Extreme violence and European imperialism
When hospitality begins at home – Frank McNally on having a great welcome for yourself
The great self-extended welcome seems relatively modern
Revving up the Shamrock – Alison Healy on the car that never quite got motoring
Wilbur Curtis did not have the luck of the Irish as he tried to get his project up and running
Innocence and mischief – Desmond O’Neill on the humorist and social commentator Erich Kästner
A gift for the absurd
Rhyme and reason — Alison Healy on Longfellow’s Wreck of the Hesperus
How did the wreck of an obscure US boat gain such a foothold in our lexicon?
Poet of the Troubles – Oliver O’Hanlon on Padraic Fiacc
When the Troubles broke out, he would come to refer to his native city as “Hellfast”
Hitler’s Irish volunteers – John Mulqueen on two Irish POWs who volunteered for the Waffen-SS
Irish POWs were isolated in a special camp near Friesack, where they were bombarded with anti-British propaganda
Sharpened pens – Alison Healy on the cattier side of writers
Writers seem to relish eviscerating their fellow artists whenever they get a chance
“I remember” – Tim Fanning on the power of cinema to unlock the secrets of memory and nostalgia
Cinema-going in Dublin was a less luxurious affair in the 1980s
Prince of the church – Brian Maye on Cardinal Michael Logue
His life spanned the land war, the Home Rule campaign, the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence, partition and the Civil War
Conflict of many colours – Frank McNally on a finely illustrated atlas of the Civil War
On a colour-coded map, Kerry’s grim ratio of deaths is represented by a shade that looks like dried blood
Lunar quest – Frank McNally on moon missions, misinformed quiz questions, and mountweazels
Revenge of the anoraks
The Dromcollogher cinema fire disaster – Frank McNally on a fateful day in 1926
The death toll of 48 represented a tenth of the village’s population
The spirit of 1965 – Kevin Rafter on Ireland’s first television election
Seán Lemass regarded Telefís Éireann with suspicion
Grief and remembrance – Ronan McGreevy on Dublin’s Armistice Day in 1924
The crowds that descended on the city took everyone by surprise, not least the Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Night Mayor – Oliver O’Hanlon on Jimmy Walker, New York’s colourful political kingpin
He promoted a raft of popular legislation to appeal to the masses
A Head of its time – Frank McNally on the bicentenary of Howth Road and more about wakes
I now belatedly realise that the road starts in London
Alive and kicking – Frank McNally on the continued survival of the great Irish wake
There were of course mountains of food brought by friends and neighbours
Ogham thoughts – Frank McNally on a new artwork, an old alphabet, and the longest word in Irish
The scribes of medieval Ireland, unlike Sinatra, never found their regrets too few to mention
Presidential bearing – Brian Maye on Erskine Childers
The first and only president of Ireland to die in office
Geography and destiny – Ronan McGreevy on the Boundary Commission
Northern nationalists felt abandoned by process
Imposter Boy – Frank McNally on another appearance of the Flann O’Brien who wasn’t
A case of mistaken identity in the Devonshire Arms
Magic and enchantment – Pádraigín Riggs on Traveller and storyteller Tomás Ó Cathasaigh
The stories contain clear traces of antiquity, and many focus on natural events
Push notification — Frank McNally on an “offensive” cycling term that refuses to die
There is, for some cyclists, a principled objection to the term “push-bikes”
Dare-devil parliamentarian – Tim Fanning on the O’Gorman Mahon
One of the most colourful characters to roam the corridors of Westminster
Pork scratchings – Frank McNally on racist piggy banks, the decline of thrift, and the joy of building playgrounds
As he swallowed the money, Paddy rolled his eyes in delight
Live from the GPO – Brendan Balfe on making waves at Radio Éireann
Terry Wogan was in the studio to mind me, as he said. This entailed pouring a jug of water over my head as I made my first live announcement
Seán MacBride: Despite the Nobel prize winner’s warning, the possibility of facing ‘the indescribable’ is greater than ever
‘Taboo’ against the use of nuclear weapons has come ‘under pressure’ in ongoing warfare once again
Anyone for Tennyson? Frank McNally on the lesser-known Charge of the Heavy Brigade, 170 years ago this weekend
Unlike the celebrated catastrophe later the same morning, that was a success, although whether it was a charge at all is debatable
Skeleton service - Frank McNally on why horses’ heads (and the occasional saint) used to be buried under buildings
The foundation sacrifice
Red Letter Day — Frank McNally on the Zinoviev Letter, an ‘October Surprise’ of 1924
How decisive the letter really was is still debated
Schmuck spreader – Frank McNally on the unholy resonance of an old Christian hymn
Schmuck was once considered so offensive that people had to invent a politer alternative
War and remembrance – Ronan McGreevy on the Battle of Le Pilly
A dark time for the 2nd Royal Irish Regiment
Bridges to the past – Brian Maye on architect John Benson
An impressive and lasting impact on the cityscape of Cork
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