Going Gone – Frank McNally on the rise and fall of Irish go-go dancing
Plus: Diplomacy requires envoys of bad luck to avoid Spain’s and Argentina’s embassies on Sunday
Scuff and tumble: Frank McNally on the art of ageing pubs (also applicable to literature)
In Riga, Paddy Whelan’s pub went to great lengths to ensure it looked authentic
Baltic banter: Frank McNally on taking part in a ‘conversation festival’ in Latvia
Discussions ranged from the philosophical ‘am I who I am?’ to the Pythonesque ‘what has the EU ever done for us?’
Talking Italian: Frank McNally on Joyce, Beckett and 250 years of language studies in Ireland
Joyce’s studies had been shaped by Giordano Bruno – a man considered a ‘terrible heretic’ in his own lifetime
Ale, St Kilian: Frank McNally on Irish beer evangelism, Canadian modesty and ‘Corke’
Adding an ‘e’ to Cork is baffling, but it makes 'whisky' taste better
From Cillian to Kylian: the unlikely modern popularity of a seventh-century saint
Mbappé bears standard French spelling of forename that has roots in modern-day Cavan
You’re Fired: If the US Declaration of Independence had been delivered by Donald Trump
Unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of cryptocurrency
The banned writer who explored the eroticism in Irish folklore
She wrote about lesbian women’s sexuality and the eroticism of Irish folklore, earning acclaim and a ban in Ireland
Bad beatitude: the Sermon on the Mount updated for the Gen Z faithful
Never mind the meek and the poor in spirit – here’s a new VIP list of entrants to the kingdom of heaven
Cross purposes – Frank McNally on a stressful collision of sport and literature in Kells
Tailteann Games was held nearby in old times when, perhaps, Monaghan may have fared better than Louth
Castle martyrs – Frank McNally on unwelcome side effects of Ireland’s EU presidency
Security concerns at Dublin Castle are leading to drastic measures, but not for the first time
Transfer window – Frank McNally on the closing stages of a dramatic GAA summer
As an exiled Monaghan supporter, it’s fair to say this has been a freakish summer for the county fans
Cursive Frankenstein – Frank McNally on the horrors of handwriting in middle age
Decades of using typewriters and computer keyboards have since obliterated all confidence in my cursive writing style
The mysteries of a Dublin pub name
You can take a stand in the pub, but make sure to stand a drink too
From Monaghan to ‘Spud Island’, Canada: 1830 exodus back in focus after Mark Carney visit
Prince Edward Island has a distinctly Irish flavour, with McKennas to the fore – but that’s only half the story