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 voteTue Dec 03 2024 - 18:59
For the birds — Frank McNally on folklorist and freedom fighter Ernie O’MalleyAn evocative writerFri Nov 29 2024 - 18:58
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 audienceThu Nov 28 2024 - 18:58
Parallel projection – Frank McNally on watching Gladiator II and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat back-to-backExtreme violence and European imperialismWed Nov 27 2024 - 18:59
When hospitality begins at home – Frank McNally on having a great welcome for yourselfThe great self-extended welcome seems relatively modernTue Nov 26 2024 - 18:58
Conflict of many colours – Frank McNally on a finely illustrated atlas of the Civil WarOn a colour-coded map, Kerry’s grim ratio of deaths is represented by a shade that looks like dried bloodFri Nov 15 2024 - 18:59
Lunar quest – Frank McNally on moon missions, misinformed quiz questions, and mountweazelsRevenge of the anoraksThu Nov 14 2024 - 18:59
The Dromcollogher cinema fire disaster – Frank McNally on a fateful day in 1926The death toll of 48 represented a tenth of the village’s populationThu Nov 14 2024 - 10:18
A Head of its time – Frank McNally on the bicentenary of Howth Road and more about wakesI now belatedly realise that the road starts in LondonFri Nov 08 2024 - 18:58
Alive and kicking – Frank McNally on the continued survival of the great Irish wakeThere were of course mountains of food brought by friends and neighboursThu Nov 07 2024 - 18:59
Ogham thoughts – Frank McNally on a new artwork, an old alphabet, and the longest word in IrishThe scribes of medieval Ireland, unlike Sinatra, never found their regrets too few to mentionWed Nov 06 2024 - 18:58
Imposter Boy – Frank McNally on another appearance of the Flann O’Brien who wasn’tA case of mistaken identity in the Devonshire ArmsMon Nov 04 2024 - 14:47
Push notification — Frank McNally on an “offensive” cycling term that refuses to dieThere is, for some cyclists, a principled objection to the term “push-bikes”Thu Oct 31 2024 - 18:58
Pork scratchings – Frank McNally on racist piggy banks, the decline of thrift, and the joy of building playgroundsAs he swallowed the money, Paddy rolled his eyes in delightWed Oct 30 2024 - 18:59
Anyone for Tennyson? Frank McNally on the lesser-known Charge of the Heavy Brigade, 170 years ago this weekendUnlike the celebrated catastrophe later the same morning, that was a success, although whether it was a charge at all is debatableFri Oct 25 2024 - 19:00
Skeleton service - Frank McNally on why horses’ heads (and the occasional saint) used to be buried under buildingsThe foundation sacrificeThu Oct 24 2024 - 19:00
Red Letter Day — Frank McNally on the Zinoviev Letter, an ‘October Surprise’ of 1924How decisive the letter really was is still debatedWed Oct 23 2024 - 18:58
Schmuck spreader – Frank McNally on the unholy resonance of an old Christian hymnSchmuck was once considered so offensive that people had to invent a politer alternativeTue Oct 22 2024 - 18:59
Old Haunt - Frank McNally on the sinister past of a Dublin street gardenA part of Ballybough that was once shunned by superstitious localsFri Oct 18 2024 - 18:58
Going Undercover – Frank McNally on an exhibition about the Irish of the French RésistanceA fitting venueWed Oct 16 2024 - 18:59
Apostrophe catastrophe – Frank McNally on a vexed punctuation markSquares and hardlinersTue Oct 15 2024 - 18:59
Pavement pinball – Frank McNally on the perils of rush-hour running Even pedestrians are less predictable than beforeFri Oct 11 2024 - 18:59
All agreed – Frank McNally on the surprise success of a play about the Good Friday AgreementAgreement is a funny and moving dramaThu Oct 10 2024 - 18:59
French connection: Frank McNally on how Percy French continues to unite Ireland, by peaceful meansA now-rare outing for the third verse of The Mountains of MourneWed Oct 09 2024 - 18:59
Red into the record – Frank McNally on why Maxim Litvinov’s Irish years were forgotten, and correcting a confusion of Joycean plaquesThe saga continuesTue Oct 08 2024 - 18:59
Poison Ivy – Frank McNally on the controversial origins of an annual Parnellite commemorationWomen were prominent in promoting the ivy tributeFri Oct 04 2024 - 18:58
Rocky Road to Russia – Frank McNally with more about Maxim Litvinov, the Cobblestone bar on tour, and the Battle of BalaclavaI peeped into the front room where, sure enough, there was a mass session in progressThu Oct 03 2024 - 18:59
Red lines – Frank McNally on the little-known story of an Irish translator in 1920s MoscowPerhaps the greatest legacy of May O’Callaghan’s communist sojourn was a story of enduring friendship and eventually loveWed Oct 02 2024 - 18:59
Litvinoff the land – Frank McNally with more on a Russian revolutionary’s Irish pastThe plot thickensTue Oct 01 2024 - 18:59
From Russia with question marks — Frank McNally on a famous revolutionary’s mysterious sojourn in IrelandMaxim Litvinov and the Inniskeen conundrumFri Sept 27 2024 - 18:58
How a Tipperary apple farm is managing climate changeCon Traas, son of a Dutch immigrant, installed fences to protect his trees from summer hailstormsFri Sept 27 2024 - 06:00
Duke of Hazard – Frank McNally on the literary pubs (and restaurants) of Dublin 2A new bar and a nod to JoyceThu Sept 26 2024 - 18:59
Look Behind You – Frank McNally on the surprising second life of a 1980s suitI’m proud that, helped by a long sabbatical, its working career has now spanned over 40 yearsWed Sept 25 2024 - 18:59
Breffni Benefactor – Frank McNally on the revolutionary largesse of Edgar Allan Poe’s Irish ancestorConspicuous generosityTue Sept 24 2024 - 18:59
Much Ado About Nothing – Frank McNally on the Shakespearean subtext of a great Anglo-Irish battle that never happenedThis month, 425 years ago, marks a pivotal non-event a few miles from CarrickmacrossFri Sept 20 2024 - 19:15
Field Outing – Frank McNally on an impromptu trip to the National Ploughing ChampionshipsIt was a jaunt reminiscent of the inaugural Bloomsday, albeit with more speed and less alcoholThu Sept 19 2024 - 19:00
Beetlemania – Frank McNally on Edgar Allan Poe, Cavan stereotypes and the storytelling insects of Fishamble Street An unlikely quest involving cryptograms, pirates and six-legged residentsWed Sept 18 2024 - 19:00
Diarmaid Ferriter: Why are Irish people so preoccupied with what others might think?The Revelation of Ireland 1995-2020 dissects Irish life over 25 years, with the benefit of hindsight and the opening up of archivesSun Sept 01 2024 - 06:00
Dutch Courage – Frank McNally on Irish echoes in an infamous battle of the second World War The advance on NijmegenFri Aug 30 2024 - 18:59
Missing Link – Frank McNally on the new Fomorians, a race of people who always fear they’re missing outWhen they are in exotic places, they are haunted by pictures of friends having more fun at homeThu Aug 29 2024 - 18:58
A test of metal – Frank McNally on the mysteries of the eponymous adjectiveWhat’s in a name?Wed Aug 28 2024 - 18:58
Visions of Mangan in the 21st Century – Frank McNally on a new book about the “Baudelaire of the Liberties”James Clarence Mangan was a rock star before his timeTue Aug 27 2024 - 18:57
Tattoo-for-three Special – Frank McNally on becoming the father of an all-tattooed familyCongratulations, the WhatsApp message said: ‘ur kids are all officially tatted’Fri Aug 23 2024 - 18:59
To boldly go – Frank McNally on Star Trek’s prediction of a united Ireland A Data-driven approach to unityThu Aug 22 2024 - 18:59
Strangman, Strong Woman – Frank McNally on the life and times of a pioneering Waterford doctorMary Strangman was the first elected woman member of Waterford CorporationWed Aug 21 2024 - 18:59
Electromagnetic Picnic – Frank McNally on a weekend of music, madness, and MRIsA festival of distractionTue Aug 20 2024 - 18:59
Forty Step Programme – Frank McNally on how to cross Dublin without passing a pubThe mystical attraction of the number 40Fri Aug 16 2024 - 18:59
Altius, Citius, Hibernicus – Frank McNally on an ambitious Irish sequel to the 1924 Paris OlympicsThe revival of the Tailteann Games was designed to emphasise Ireland’s ancient sporting lineageTue Aug 13 2024 - 18:58
A Fair Fouled? – Frank McNally on the case for returning Killorglin’s King Puck to his lofty platformGetting the goat up on his platform has proved controversial in recent yearsFri Aug 09 2024 - 19:00
