North as Religious Experience
And the people came from far, And they came from near, To see the troubadours.…
Browsing: Society & Culture
Wornington Word
The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. Knightsbridge. Notting Hill. Property. Harrods. Money. Bourgeoisie. Rolls.…
Seamus Deane: An Appreciation
John Calder spoke at the Abbey Theatre some years ago. The founder and director of…
A Brief History of My Father
In 1960 when I was seven, before TV, Radio Éireann was our window on the…
Mysticism for the Modern Skeptic
Five takeaways from my experience at Sattva Yoga Academy in india: Have an experience without…
It Is Good We Are Dreaming
‘We dream – it is good we are dreaming – It would hurt us –…
On (the) Money
If you follow me baby I’ll turn your money green I show you more money…
RTE Kitsch: Room to Improve
Patrick Freyne’s satirical 2020 Irish Times article ‘It is now late-period Dermot Bannon. He is…
Operation Mass Formation
We need to sing again. We need to be Irish. We need to socialise. We…
The Importance of Public Debate
At a recent debate organised by the English-Speaking Union (ESU) at its HQ, Dartmouth House…
What is Freedom?
Last week, the Russia-Ukraine-NATO tensions reached a crescendo when Russia decided to recognize both Luhansk…
A Fairy Tale of Dún Laoghaire 2
I knew the game was up when my mother told me that Santy had given…
The Empty Unconscious
Banality is the byword of mass consumerism There’s a piece of public art that for…
Ciarán O’Rourke: Breaking the Cycle
One Big Union is a self-published collection of essays by Irish poet Ciarán O’Rourke. The…
Towards the Brink of the Cataract
Unaware of the roaring cataract ahead, a small boy splashes in the dark river named…
Jack B. Yeats: Painting and Memory
Often overshadowed by his elder, Nobel laureate, brother W.B., Jack Butler Yeats occupies an exalted…
Where is Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World?
For Christmas two years ago, my mother bought me a copy of Sally Rooney’s novel…
Cuban Love Songs Launch
In a rousing introductory speech, retired diplomat Philip McDonagh described the publication of Cuban Love…
Shakespeare’s Wisdom in Troubled Times
As a barrister I am given to quoting from Shakespeare’s plays in closing speeches. This…
A Grá for the Language
An grá is an gráin, say these two words out loud, say them out loud…