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Frank McNally on samba football, Joycean art, and the last great Irish harper

Frank McNally on samba football, Joycean art, and the last great Irish harper

Standing invitations

Wed Mar 29 2023 - 20:00
Second Innings – Frank McNally on a post-independence cricket revival in Co Meath

Second Innings – Frank McNally on a post-independence cricket revival in Co Meath

Wielding the willow

Tue Mar 28 2023 - 19:00
Noose headline – Frank McNally on a famous escape from the hangman

Noose headline – Frank McNally on a famous escape from the hangman

The extraordinary tale of Thomas Lonergan

Fri Mar 24 2023 - 19:00
Postal posers – Frank McNally on doing a table quiz in the GPO

Postal posers – Frank McNally on doing a table quiz in the GPO

If I was an asset, I was a distressed one by the end

Thu Mar 23 2023 - 19:20
Connacht Capitol - Frank McNally on Ireland’s little-known ‘Washington’

Connacht Capitol - Frank McNally on Ireland’s little-known ‘Washington’

In support of its Washingtonian aspirations, it also has a White House

Wed Mar 22 2023 - 20:06
Hanging on every word –  Frank McNally on a suspense-filled night at the theatre

Hanging on every word – Frank McNally on a suspense-filled night at the theatre

The long drop

Tue Mar 21 2023 - 19:22
Prefixes and Postscripts  –  Frank McNally on American superlatives, souperism, and St Patrick’s Week hangovers

Prefixes and Postscripts – Frank McNally on American superlatives, souperism, and St Patrick’s Week hangovers

History haunts everything in Ireland, or nearly

Fri Mar 17 2023 - 19:00
Out and proud – Frank McNally on the many Irishtowns of Ireland

Out and proud – Frank McNally on the many Irishtowns of Ireland

A telling vestige of the island’s history

Thu Mar 16 2023 - 19:01
Nangle of attack – Frank McNally on the BBC boycott, famous donkeys, and the Ides of March

Nangle of attack – Frank McNally on the BBC boycott, famous donkeys, and the Ides of March

Surnames and destiny

Tue Mar 14 2023 - 19:30
Standing Orders – Frank McNally on ovation inflation at the theatre

Standing Orders – Frank McNally on ovation inflation at the theatre

Only a few dissidents sit and applaud politely

Fri Mar 10 2023 - 19:01
Mountain Rescue – Frank McNally on a great Irish escape in wartime Europe

Mountain Rescue – Frank McNally on a great Irish escape in wartime Europe

A daring journey in the Pyrenees

Thu Mar 09 2023 - 19:32
Hot bots and parking lots –  Frank McNally on the ups and downs of technology

Hot bots and parking lots – Frank McNally on the ups and downs of technology

The chatbot signed off wishing me “an awesome rest of your day!”

Wed Mar 08 2023 - 19:00
Commemorating Kate Kennedy - Frank McNally on a belated memorial to a great American educator from Meath

Commemorating Kate Kennedy - Frank McNally on a belated memorial to a great American educator from Meath

Kennedy became the first woman to run for state office in California

Tue Mar 07 2023 - 19:15
Public House Premier – Frank McNally on the phenomenon of Tipperary publicans in Dublin

Public House Premier – Frank McNally on the phenomenon of Tipperary publicans in Dublin

Public house pre-eminence

Fri Mar 03 2023 - 18:59
Cyclists on the footpath – Frank McNally on a permanently hostile debate

Cyclists on the footpath – Frank McNally on a permanently hostile debate

The debate over road and footpath use here is a permanently hostile one

Thu Mar 02 2023 - 18:59
The Ole Shooting Match – Frank McNally on how Ireland helped launch one of America’s most controversial organisations, the NRA

The Ole Shooting Match – Frank McNally on how Ireland helped launch one of America’s most controversial organisations, the NRA

The story begins with an epochal event 150 years ago this summer

Wed Mar 01 2023 - 18:59
Monkey Business – Frank McNally on Enrico Caruso’s indecency trial, as immortalised by James Joyce

Monkey Business – Frank McNally on Enrico Caruso’s indecency trial, as immortalised by James Joyce

Famed tenor protested his innocence

Fri Feb 24 2023 - 19:28
Calming America – Frank McNally on how the Ronald Reagan shooting made a celebrity of an Irish-American doctor

Calming America – Frank McNally on how the Ronald Reagan shooting made a celebrity of an Irish-American doctor

Dennis S O’Leary became an unexpected celebrity

Thu Feb 23 2023 - 19:00
Stage Frights – Frank McNally on ‘Gentleman Johnny’ Burgoyne, GB Shaw, and Broadway’s biggest flop

Stage Frights – Frank McNally on ‘Gentleman Johnny’ Burgoyne, GB Shaw, and Broadway’s biggest flop

Burgoyne displayed a comic talent for which some admirers believed posterity might forgive his military record

Wed Feb 22 2023 - 16:59
Saved – Frank McNally on a former church that houses the Internet Archive

Saved – Frank McNally on a former church that houses the Internet Archive

The challenge of archiving the entire internet is an ever-more complex thing

Tue Feb 21 2023 - 19:00
Tip of the iceberg: Frank McNally on generous taxi-drivers and guilt-trip gratuities

Tip of the iceberg: Frank McNally on generous taxi-drivers and guilt-trip gratuities

On the long trail of the ‘wicked dollar’ tipping system

Fri Feb 17 2023 - 19:17
Saints and Sinners – Frank McNally on the Holy Joes and hell-raisers of Notre Dame

Saints and Sinners – Frank McNally on the Holy Joes and hell-raisers of Notre Dame

The quality of the college’s sports facilities do not suggest a reliance on miracles

Thu Feb 16 2023 - 19:00
Catholics Cornered – Frank McNally on how a university in Indiana became the ‘Fighting Irish’

Catholics Cornered – Frank McNally on how a university in Indiana became the ‘Fighting Irish’

The fame of Notre Dame and its sports teams

Wed Feb 15 2023 - 19:44
Brew-ha-ha – Frank McNally on loopers, lexicography, and fermented hay

Brew-ha-ha – Frank McNally on loopers, lexicography, and fermented hay

Looper is one of those words that usually needs a qualifier

Tue Feb 14 2023 - 19:00
Bridge Over Troubled Porter – Frank McNally on the rise and fall of the ‘loop-liner’

Bridge Over Troubled Porter – Frank McNally on the rise and fall of the ‘loop-liner’

Courts would hear that the “loop-line trade” attracted the worst kinds of drinker

Fri Feb 10 2023 - 19:00
First among prequels – Frank McNally on Irish cinema’s original MacDonagh and a subplot involving Flann O’Brien

First among prequels – Frank McNally on Irish cinema’s original MacDonagh and a subplot involving Flann O’Brien

MacDonagh’s 1922 comedy Cruiskeen Lawn inaugurated the cinematic career of the multitalented Fay Sargent

Thu Feb 09 2023 - 19:00
Turbulent priest – Frank McNally on Fr Clarence Duffy and a religious rebellion in 1970s Cavan

Turbulent priest – Frank McNally on Fr Clarence Duffy and a religious rebellion in 1970s Cavan

Priest came out of semi-retirement to lead a rebellion by parishioners

Wed Feb 08 2023 - 19:00
Ring of Truth – Frank McNally on Graham Greene and the Bells of Shandon

Ring of Truth – Frank McNally on Graham Greene and the Bells of Shandon

Still ringing bells

Fri Feb 03 2023 - 19:00
The Plot Thins – Frank McNally on France’s latest contribution to civilisation: the short-story dispenser

The Plot Thins – Frank McNally on France’s latest contribution to civilisation: the short-story dispenser

The concept is best suited to urban commuters: captive but fleeting readerships

Thu Feb 02 2023 - 19:00
Old flames – Frank McNally on the traditions and lore of Candlemas

Old flames – Frank McNally on the traditions and lore of Candlemas

“If Candlemas be bright and clear, there’ll be two winters in one year”

Wed Feb 01 2023 - 19:00
A step in your spring – Frank McNally on vernal Februarians, St Brigid’s Fire, and the origins of Bridewell prisons

A step in your spring – Frank McNally on vernal Februarians, St Brigid’s Fire, and the origins of Bridewell prisons

Whenever it starts, spring is a season of the mind

Wed Feb 01 2023 - 11:23
Orange Disorder – Frank McNally on easy peelers, mob violence, and the birth of serendipity

Orange Disorder – Frank McNally on easy peelers, mob violence, and the birth of serendipity

Oh my darling clementines

Fri Jan 27 2023 - 19:00
Banjaxed by Banshees  –  Frank McNally on Achill Island tourism, weird wineries, and a Tyrone ghost story

Banjaxed by Banshees – Frank McNally on Achill Island tourism, weird wineries, and a Tyrone ghost story

"Banshee strives to produce some of the best damn pinot noir in Sonoma County"

Thu Jan 26 2023 - 19:47
Road less travelled – Frank McNally on Percy French and the real-life Petravore

Road less travelled – Frank McNally on Percy French and the real-life Petravore

French’s song portrays the men of Petravore as badly smitten with the beautiful Eileen Óg

Wed Jan 25 2023 - 19:40
Time, Gentleman – Frank McNally on the famous clocks of Dublin

Time, Gentleman – Frank McNally on the famous clocks of Dublin

Some once-celebrated Dublin clocks now survive only in literature

Tue Jan 24 2023 - 19:30
The Four Proud Unpronounceables of Ireland  –  Frank McNally on Britain’s struggles with Aoife, Niamh, Saoirse, and Siobhán

The Four Proud Unpronounceables of Ireland – Frank McNally on Britain’s struggles with Aoife, Niamh, Saoirse, and Siobhán

Anglo-Irish cultural misunderstandings

Fri Jan 20 2023 - 19:15
Champion the Wonder Word  –  Frank McNally on the murky origins and global popularity of the word ‘shenanigans’

Champion the Wonder Word – Frank McNally on the murky origins and global popularity of the word ‘shenanigans’

“The Great Match Against Time”

Thu Jan 19 2023 - 19:30
Twilight of the Gods – Frank McNally on Meath sunsets, Russian Vine, and the dangers of visiting fairy forts

Twilight of the Gods – Frank McNally on Meath sunsets, Russian Vine, and the dangers of visiting fairy forts

Sunset may be the best time to see Irish landscapes

Wed Jan 18 2023 - 19:00
Run for the Hills - Frank McNally on a modern re-enactment of Dublin Castle’s great escape

Run for the Hills - Frank McNally on a modern re-enactment of Dublin Castle’s great escape

The Art O’Neill Challenge

Tue Jan 17 2023 - 19:30
Let us bray  –  Frank McNally on the Feast of the Ass

Let us bray – Frank McNally on the Feast of the Ass

The relative esteem in which asses are held

Fri Jan 13 2023 - 19:35
Slaves to the truth – Frank McNally on learning history in the novels of Patrick O’Brian

Slaves to the truth – Frank McNally on learning history in the novels of Patrick O’Brian

Haunting the seas

Thu Jan 12 2023 - 19:30
London Crawling – Frank McNally on Hamilton, the British rail strike, and the importance of looking right

London Crawling – Frank McNally on Hamilton, the British rail strike, and the importance of looking right

A visit to Paddington Station

Wed Jan 11 2023 - 19:00
Philo and the Paycock  –  Frank McNally on a Thin Lizzy commemoration’s rise and fall

Philo and the Paycock – Frank McNally on a Thin Lizzy commemoration’s rise and fall

The annual commemoration of Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott has turned 36, the age at which he died

Tue Jan 10 2023 - 19:00
Frank McNally: What has the EU ever done for us?

Frank McNally: What has the EU ever done for us?

Before cheap flights were ushered in by deregulation Paris and Prague were about as accessible for most Irish people as space is now

Fri Dec 30 2022 - 12:52
Present Imperfect  –  Frank McNally on Vincent van Gogh, O Henry, and the Three Wise Men

Present Imperfect – Frank McNally on Vincent van Gogh, O Henry, and the Three Wise Men

You really shouldn’t have

Fri Dec 23 2022 - 19:30
Sale Incomplete  –  Frank McNally on why Evelyn Waugh decided against a move to Ireland

Sale Incomplete – Frank McNally on why Evelyn Waugh decided against a move to Ireland

“No native capable of doing the simplest job properly”

Thu Dec 22 2022 - 19:26
Frank McNally on the ripples of Argentina’s famous win and the scheduling perils of extra time

Frank McNally on the ripples of Argentina’s famous win and the scheduling perils of extra time

The perils of extra time

Wed Dec 21 2022 - 22:13
On a peak, mid-winter –  Frank McNally gets a new angle on the winter solstice at Newgrange

On a peak, mid-winter – Frank McNally gets a new angle on the winter solstice at Newgrange

Sunlight on the solstice morning

Tue Dec 20 2022 - 19:30
Emigrant’s Content  – Frank McNally on the joys of coming home at Christmas

Emigrant’s Content – Frank McNally on the joys of coming home at Christmas

Never had I felt so welcome

Fri Dec 16 2022 - 19:15
Mar Dhea - Frank McNally on the unusual prevalence of rock stars called John Maher

Mar Dhea - Frank McNally on the unusual prevalence of rock stars called John Maher

“Yep, rhymes with car or Mars bar”

Thu Dec 15 2022 - 20:30
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