The afternoon of Christmas Eve, just as it’s beginning to get dark, Mum opens the black oak sideboard in the hall. We crowd around, the little ones shoving and pushing. Frantic to see the treasures inside. The whole house already smells of Christmas – the ham simmered overnight in its blanket of floury paste, now … Read more
These are extraordinary times. Last month serial sexual abuser Harvey Weinstein, had his 23-year sentence squashed; a Channel 4 documentary aired new sexual misconduct claims against Kevin Spacey, and Woody Allen and Roman Polanski are feted at the Venice Film Festival. ‘Hiding in plain sight’ – and having ruthless lawyers – still seem to work … Read more
So, it’s Thursday night in Dublin, I’ve found some Poitin, and am thinking of Shane MacGowan. How very sad it is that he’s gone. ‘A Rainy Night in Soho’ playing on the radio. I had a funny connection with Shane. His wife Victoria gave me a photo of her and Shane for an auction, to … Read more
In the wake of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s extraordinary gaffe in Washington the day before Paddy’s Day, I‘ve been thinking about Monica Lewinsky, the intern he so crassly referred to in his ‘off the cuff’ remark. So who was Monica Lewinsky? What went on between herself and Bill Clinton, then the most powerful man in the … Read more
