The BBC’s national question: Frank McNally on Edna O’Brien and ‘the North of Ireland’
Author’s 1979 TV appearance included an implicit history and geography lesson for British viewers
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
Dictionary on the Double – Frank McNally on the enduring literary life of Patrick Dinneen
Lexicographer was described by profiler as “in some ways, as mad as a March hare”
‘This wonderful horse seems to have been as remarkable in death as in life’ – Frank McNally on an unbeatable stallion
Eclipse was sufficiently revered that his death created a market for relics not unlike that of saints in medieval times
‘Ireland, more than other countries, ought to be a country of trees’
As chatelaine of Coole Park for decades, Lady Gregory nursed and nourished the demesne’s extensive woodlands
‘The whole position in Europe is one of uncertainty and of menace’ – John Mulqueen on Éamon de Valera’s foreign policy
The Government’s prioritisation of peaceful co-existence echoes the position adopted by de Valera in 1932 when he became acting president of the Council of the League of Nations
The ‘shipyard poet’ – Oliver O’Hanlon on playwright Thomas Carnduff
Born in Belfast’s Sandy Row, he was very proud of his Ulster roots but also proud to be Irish
Setting the Bar High – Frank McNally on pubs called The Irish Times (and more songs about newspapers)
An empire on which the sun never sets
Lexicographer at Large – Frank McNally on Dinneen’s Dictionary and the Dáil row about unparliamentary Irish
Myles na gCopaleen blamed Dinneen’s Dictionary for his decision to stop writing columns in Irish
For Whom the Bells Toll – Frank McNally on the ups and downs of “sound baths”
It’s another organised way to relax, like yoga but without the stretching
All fired up – Ita O’Kelly on keeping the homes fires burning
Looking back, I marvel at the sheer work of simply staying warm in an old house
‘A man of remarkable presence’: The physician and poet who gave his name to the Sigerson Cup
A physician, biologist, poet, author and cultural activist
The Real McCabe - Frank McNally on a great (and much-married) American newspaper columnist
He received the editorial equivalent of a 21-gun salute: “He was six columns ahead at his death”
Comic Stripped - Frank McNally on the cancellation of P.G. Wodehouse
His presumed crime was to make a series of broadcasts from Berlin in 1941
Signifying Nothing - Frank McNally on a new linguistic plague
A little bell had started to ring in my head every time he said ‘very significant’ again
Thrilling tales – Oliver O’Hanlon on novelist Katherine Thurston
Her best-selling novels dealt with various themes, including love, addiction, adultery and gambling
Leaning into love – Alison Healy on St Valentine and Dublin
A city with three Love Lanes, not to mention a Ring Street and a Bride Street
Assurance and zeal – Brian Maye on trade unionist Séamus Redmond
Redmond played a key role in the Marine Port and General Workers’ Union
Hardebeck Edition – Frank McNally on an Anglo-German musician who became the “blind bard of Belfast”
He travelled widely in the Gaeltacht areas of Ulster on a mission to save traditional airs from oblivion
Anti-social climber – Frank McNally on the pioneering cat burglar Robert Augustus Delaney
Handsome, charming, and well-dressed, Delaney was a popular figure in the West End of London
Digging Up History – Frank McNally on the McMahon, and other once-famous spades
You didn’t call a spade a spade – you called it a “McMahon”
In the name of the father – Frank McNally on the waning tradition of family nicknames
There was a ‘Boss’, a ‘Yankee’, ‘Pipes’, ‘Mick Miley’, ‘Wee Mick’, and ‘Slasher’, among others
Princess Margaret’s Galway island visit: ‘By the cut of you, you’re a lady. Will you take a drink?’
Éamon de Valera and Princess Margaret were in the same room of a cottage on Tawin Island - just not at the same time
Saoirse Ronan has died only six times, Liam Neeson 31
When it comes to the deaths, or near-deaths, of fictional characters, JR Ewing of Dallas fame must surely be one of the most memorable
Power ballad – Frank McNally on the case for an Irish ‘Wichita Lineman’
Has anyone ever composed a musical eulogy, country or otherwise, to Ireland’s electrical repair crews?
A Tale of Two Richards – Marc McMenamin on two oft-confused Limerick men
Richard Francis Hayes and Richard James Hayes
Last Poll and Chorus – Frank McNally on the end of 400 years of Trinity College elections
Dublin University can claim to have elected Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy, or a bit of him
Hit (and miss) parade – Frank McNally on the mixed fortunes of a who’s who list from 40 years ago
These lists always give hostages to fortune
Glad rags – Colm Keena on clothes and society
So many people in the wealthiest, most free, most democratic societies in human history opt to wear what is comparatively drab clothing
Nato and Irish neutrality – John Mulqueen on a vexed political issue
For some, neutrality became a sacred cow associated with high moral purpose
Cardinal Red – Frank McNally on a cultural history of wind colour
The concept of a Dulux-style wind-colour catalogue was well established here and elsewhere
Poison Pen – Frank McNally on the late-blooming Violet Needham, children’s novelist extraordinaire
She had spent a long apprenticeship as a storyteller to nieces and nephews
From here to Timbuktu – Alison Healy on a byword for the most remote and distant place imaginable
Thanks to globalisation, Timbuktu is not so remote any more
Physician, soldier, explorer and naturalist – Marc McMenamin on Maj Richard WG Hingston
His life’s passion was the study of natural history
The beat goes on – Alison Healy on Holocaust survivor and musician Saul Dreier
“I am very happy when I play . . . music is life”
Pointed reference – Frank McNally on the importance of being salient
Peace explains why the term “Monaghan Salient” has fallen out of use
Sleeveen and Jackeen: A History of Ireland in 100 diminutives
Number 70: Drisheen (stuffed small intestines of sheep, considered food in Cork)
(Southern) Cross Country – Frank McNally on Argentina’s 150-year-old Irish newspaper
The world’s longest-running Irish newspaper produced outside Ireland, and among the oldest of any kind in Argentina
Funny Peculiar – Frank McNally on the unhilarious St Hilary and the legal term named after him
The ancient Romans used to host Hilaria: public holidays marked by ceremonial rejoicing
Comrades – John Mulqueen on the price of a divided left
Petty differences should be resolved quickly, as Labour discovered just one year after its first breakthrough in a general election
The father of Irish surgery – Brian Maye on Robert Adams
Adams published extensively in such medical areas as heart disease, arthritis and gout
House Private – Frank McNally on the apparent occupation of 15 Usher’s Island
The short manifesto in the window has more than twice as many full stops – five – as Molly Bloom’s entire soliloquy
Mapped Out – Frank McNally on a wealthy namesake’s mansion, destroyed in the Los Angeles fires
The house was built in 1887 for the Armagh-born multimillionaire Andrew McNally
Sculptor Exculpated – Frank McNally on the forgotten Irish creator of one of England’s most infamous statues
John Cassidy’s gravestone, in the Catholic section of Manchester’s Southern Cemetery, makes no mention of his Irish origins
Just a tweak, mid-winter – Frank McNally on the ups and downs of Christmas
They say mishaps come in threes so now I’m waiting for the next one, which is the worst part
Tower of strength – Brian Maye on Sinéad de Valera
She proved a prolific author of children’s books in later life
Oranges in winter – Noel Costello on Valencia
‘It’s winter here, Noel,’ was the succinct reply to a question regarding a choice of attire
New light on The Dead – Ray Burke on John Huston’s classic film
Hollywood film distributors had a ‘complete aversion to the title’, according to the production notes
Lord of the Ring – Tim Fanning on pioneering boxing writer Pierce Egan
The publication in 1813 of the first volume of Boxiana marks an important moment in the history of modern sports journalism
Independent thinking – John Mulqueen on the power that Independent TDs can wield
Throughout the 1980s, when FitzGerald and Haughey vied to be taoiseach, Dáil divisions could be very narrow indeed
Ghosts in the machine – Colm Keena on hovering spirits from the past
When you reach a certain age, the world can seem to be populated with ghosts
Spreading the News – Ray Burke on a play by Lady Gregory that resonates to this day
The leading actor, Willie Fay, said that the cast had put tremendous pace into the comedy – ‘the pace of a hard football match’
The oldest working building in Belfast – Paul Clements on Clifton House
Clifton House is one of the city’s finest Grade A-listed Georgian buildings, but the stylish exterior belies the social deprivation that brought it into existence
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