‘It was as if Louis Stewart and James Joyce were kindred spirits’
JoyceNotes was the great Irish guitarist’s only fully self-composed large-scale project. It’s finally being released, four decades after its first performance
Flann O’Brien
Anna Burns: ‘When I got damaged in surgery, nothing else mattered. I’ve always lived in survival mode’
The Booker Prize-winning author on writing through the pain, growing up in Belfast’s Murder Triangle and getting sober after leaving the ‘boozy’ city for London
Joseph O’Connor on Anthony Cronin: ‘Tension between content and style is where his wonderful energy arises’
Dead as Doornails ‘hugely important as a picture of its times, of the desolate condition of Irish writers and artists and the society around them’
A history of Ireland, as told through the medium of... rain
It has rained in Ireland every day of 2026 so far. From Samuel Beckett to Flann O’Brien, the country’s literary heritage is awash with the stuff
Ireland’s weather has been like our tax regime – a nice little arrangement. Until now
Delusion that climate change might take the edge off Ireland’s rubbish weather has finally been laid to rest
Even the most pinch-mouthed Ulsterman is yearning for a rain-free moment
Rain does a lot for popular culture. You’ll see a fair bit of it in Wuthering Heights if you check it out
The Irish Times view on the price of a pint: not so plain
Guinness is a multinational product, a cultural artefact and a shorthand for everyday affordability
Art in 2026: 10 shows to watch out for, from Phil Collins to Hilma af Klint
Echoes of the past haunt the year ahead. Are there lessons to be learned?
Annemarie Ní Churreáin: ‘There’s a deep respect embedded in Gaeltacht culture for troublemakers’
Poet reflects on how here upbringing has shaped her works, including her latest collection Hymn to All the Restless Girls
New poetry: Jessica Traynor, Molly Twomey, Alan Gillis, Dean Browne
Martina Evans on New Arcana; Chic to be Sad; Over Here; Afterparty
For Irish women writers, James Joyce was never a shadow but a light
Many Irish women writers have engaged with Joyce - both challenging and building on his legacy in their fiction. In studying them, I was also studying myself
Skipping pages – Frank McNally on trawling through the discarded library of a lifetime
A full-blown bibliophile, the deceased was said to have had up to 100,000 volumes
Ballet Go Backwards – Frank McNally on Patrick Kavanagh’s short-lived career as a dance librettist
This strange incident came about because of another surprising phenomenon little remembered today
Bloomsday was a sporadic, boozy and ill-mannered affair before becoming an annual event in 1994
In 1954 Flann O’Brien, Patrick Kavanagh and Anthony Cronin embarked on a drunken pilgrimage including public urination on Sandymount Strand
This is a housing strategy written by Flann O’Brien
Renters such as students who have to move each year will get hammered by this provision, while other tenants are more likely to stay put
Throwing shapes: Frank McNally on the mysteries of the Hiberno-English ‘gimp’
Ever since hearing the term applied to myself a while back, I’ve been wondering what it means too
Burning Issues: Frank McNally on an unfortunate metaphor, and the continuing mysteries of the ‘Flannagram’
Copies of At Swim-Two-Birds fell victim to the German fire-bombing of a London warehouse in 1940
Farren Away - Frank McNally on how the dreaded phantom ‘Flann’ picture struck again
Recurring misidentification is in one way an apt tribute to O’Nolan, who spent his career pretending to be other people
Non Habemus Librum: Frank McNally on Flann O’Brien’s unwritten epic about the election of an Irish pope
Like many unwritten masterpieces, the book was born and died in a Dublin pub
All Flowers in Time Bend Towards the Sun review: 19 artists united by Flann O’Brien’s avant-garde multiplicity
Lee Welch and Paul Hallahan’s show exhibits dynamic interplay between impermanence and sensuality
Tom Garvin obituary: Political scientist, author and inspiring teacher
One of a group of academics, along with Brian Farrell, Maurice Manning, Richard Sinnott and Fr Feargal O’Connor, who cemented UCD’s reputation for fresh political thinking
Molecules, metaphors and the place of science in culture
One is contained within the other, but how does that manifest itself?
Between Plymouth Rock and a hard place – Frank McNally on a Sunday night in Boston
An Irishman’s Diary
Room to Disimprove – Frank McNally on the demise of the drawing room and other social tragedies
An Irishman’s Diary
Royal Irish Vocabulary – Frank McNally on the OED’s latest update, which includes bockety, bean an tí and Old Segotia
An Irishman’s Diary
Clear the Decks - on Horslips, hairdressers, and painful memories
A teenage gig when Carrickmacross was called the ‘Nashville of Ireland’
New visitor centre at Custom House explores a wealth of history
The Custom House is seen as one of the most important buildings in Dublin
The year of Ulysses: 2022 marks centenary of Joyce’s experimental masterpiece
Beloved by millions, incomprehensible to millions more, the novel is now firmly embedded in Irish culture
David O’Doherty, the anti-Tommy Tiernan, is funny by osmosis
TV review: Along for the Ride with David O’Doherty, a perfect vehicle for his quirky wit
Scotch Broth – Frank McNally on whiskey-soaked summer schools, the Lough Ness monster, and Flann O’Brien’s poetic mews
An Irishman’s Diary
Courting Controversy – Frank McNally on literary laundering, political beachball, and the history of an infamous street
An Irishman’s Diary
Sporting Passions: Roddy Doyle on his enduring love for Chelsea
‘It’s never boring following them. Even this season has had ridiculous twists and turns’
Rise of Ireland’s far right relies on abandoned social conservatives
Nativist politics have not played a big role in recent Irish elections. Might that change?
Ménage à Trois – Frank McNally on the rule of three, hendiatris, and a plan to change the Olympic motto
An Irishman’s Diary
Struggling to get your head around NFTs? So is the rest of the world
Growing market for NFTs are a boon for digital artists, most of whom sell work for considerably less that $69m
Future Imperfect – Frank McNally on Patrick Kavanagh’s 1950s vision of the year 2021
An Irishman’s Diary
Arts&Antiques: Rare Jack B Yeats book in sale for bibliophiles
Private library of John Wyse Jackson goes under the hammer at Purcell auctioneers
Game, Set, Mismatch – Frank McNally on journalism’s favourite word, Billy Brennan revisited, and a tale of two Zoom events
An Irishman’s Diary
Training session – Frank McNally on the Irish-American cyclist who set a (train) track record
An Irishman’s Diary
Blindboy Boatclub: ‘I had the choice of being a psychotherapist or a mad bastard’
Mask-wearing podcaster and author is first guest at the Irish Times Winter Nights Festival
No Irish Need Apply – Frank McNally on the national hang-up about capital punishment
An Irishman’s Diary
Third Degree Byrnes – Frank McNally on an unexpected revelation in Myles na gCopaleen’s favourite pun
An Irishman’s Diary
On a literary journey with the main protagonist (within 5km)
An Irishman’s Diary travels from Fowler to Flann, via Shelley and Keats
Number of the Beast – Frank McNally on auspicious dates, inauspicious horses, and the theme of fertiliser in Flann O’Brien
An Irishman’s Diary
How lockdown has helped us to save money - and find new ways to spend it
Pricewatch: Meal kits and takeaway pints have become the new camping holiday
Grandeur with magical gardens on Blackrock terrace for €2.75m
The internal proportions at 2 Avoca Terrace are remarkable and the wow factor continues into the garden
The Irish Times view on artists’ incomes: pay them fairly
The arts are poorly paid in Ireland – and many artists are regularly asked, and expected, to work for free
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices