Prince of the church – Brian Maye on Cardinal Michael Logue
His life spanned the land war, the Home Rule campaign, the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence, partition and the Civil War
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
Conflict of many colours – Frank McNally on a finely illustrated atlas of the Civil War
On a colour-coded map, Kerry’s grim ratio of deaths is represented by a shade that looks like dried blood
Lunar quest – Frank McNally on moon missions, misinformed quiz questions, and mountweazels
Revenge of the anoraks
The Dromcollogher cinema fire disaster – Frank McNally on a fateful day in 1926
The death toll of 48 represented a tenth of the village’s population
The spirit of 1965 – Kevin Rafter on Ireland’s first television election
Seán Lemass regarded Telefís Éireann with suspicion
Grief and remembrance – Ronan McGreevy on Dublin’s Armistice Day in 1924
The crowds that descended on the city took everyone by surprise, not least the Dublin Metropolitan Police
The Night Mayor – Oliver O’Hanlon on Jimmy Walker, New York’s colourful political kingpin
He promoted a raft of popular legislation to appeal to the masses
A Head of its time – Frank McNally on the bicentenary of Howth Road and more about wakes
I now belatedly realise that the road starts in London
Alive and kicking – Frank McNally on the continued survival of the great Irish wake
There were of course mountains of food brought by friends and neighbours
Ogham thoughts – Frank McNally on a new artwork, an old alphabet, and the longest word in Irish
The scribes of medieval Ireland, unlike Sinatra, never found their regrets too few to mention
Presidential bearing – Brian Maye on Erskine Childers
The first and only president of Ireland to die in office
Geography and destiny – Ronan McGreevy on the Boundary Commission
Northern nationalists felt abandoned by process
Imposter Boy – Frank McNally on another appearance of the Flann O’Brien who wasn’t
A case of mistaken identity in the Devonshire Arms
Magic and enchantment – Pádraigín Riggs on Traveller and storyteller Tomás Ó Cathasaigh
The stories contain clear traces of antiquity, and many focus on natural events
Push notification — Frank McNally on an “offensive” cycling term that refuses to die
There is, for some cyclists, a principled objection to the term “push-bikes”
Pork scratchings – Frank McNally on racist piggy banks, the decline of thrift, and the joy of building playgrounds
As he swallowed the money, Paddy rolled his eyes in delight
Dare-devil parliamentarian – Tim Fanning on the O’Gorman Mahon
One of the most colourful characters to roam the corridors of Westminster
Live from the GPO – Brendan Balfe on making waves at Radio Éireann
Terry Wogan was in the studio to mind me, as he said. This entailed pouring a jug of water over my head as I made my first live announcement
Seán MacBride: Despite the Nobel prize winner’s warning, the possibility of facing ‘the indescribable’ is greater than ever
‘Taboo’ against the use of nuclear weapons has come ‘under pressure’ in ongoing warfare once again
Anyone for Tennyson? Frank McNally on the lesser-known Charge of the Heavy Brigade, 170 years ago this weekend
Unlike the celebrated catastrophe later the same morning, that was a success, although whether it was a charge at all is debatable
Skeleton service - Frank McNally on why horses’ heads (and the occasional saint) used to be buried under buildings
The foundation sacrifice
Red Letter Day — Frank McNally on the Zinoviev Letter, an ‘October Surprise’ of 1924
How decisive the letter really was is still debated
Schmuck spreader – Frank McNally on the unholy resonance of an old Christian hymn
Schmuck was once considered so offensive that people had to invent a politer alternative
War and remembrance – Ronan McGreevy on the Battle of Le Pilly
A dark time for the 2nd Royal Irish Regiment
Bridges to the past – Brian Maye on architect John Benson
An impressive and lasting impact on the cityscape of Cork
Old Haunt - Frank McNally on the sinister past of a Dublin street garden
A part of Ballybough that was once shunned by superstitious locals
Head over heels – Alison Healy on cupid’s arrow
While the ship was going nowhere, it was full steam ahead for a love affair
Going Undercover – Frank McNally on an exhibition about the Irish of the French Résistance
A fitting venue
Philadelphia bound – Brian Maye on scientist and politician James Logan
In 1699, he sailed with William Penn to America to what became known as Pennsylvania
Life skills – Fionnuala Ward on essential knowledge
Some home truths that have never made it into any official educational material
Pavement pinball – Frank McNally on the perils of rush-hour running
Even pedestrians are less predictable than before
All agreed – Frank McNally on the surprise success of a play about the Good Friday Agreement
Agreement is a funny and moving drama
French connection: Frank McNally on how Percy French continues to unite Ireland, by peaceful means
A now-rare outing for the third verse of The Mountains of Mourne
Red into the record – Frank McNally on why Maxim Litvinov’s Irish years were forgotten, and correcting a confusion of Joycean plaques
The saga continues
The Metal Man of Tramore – 200 years of solitude on the Waterford coast
A childhood chant went: 'Keep far, keep far, keep far from me for I am the rock of misery'
Ted Kennedy vs the Trinity Maoists – John Mulqueen on fiery student debates
Kennedy had been invited to deliver the College Historical Society’s bicentenary address on the theme of Edmund Burke
Poison Ivy – Frank McNally on the controversial origins of an annual Parnellite commemoration
Women were prominent in promoting the ivy tribute
Rocky Road to Russia – Frank McNally with more about Maxim Litvinov, the Cobblestone bar on tour, and the Battle of Balaclava
I peeped into the front room where, sure enough, there was a mass session in progress
Red lines – Frank McNally on the little-known story of an Irish translator in 1920s Moscow
Perhaps the greatest legacy of May O’Callaghan’s communist sojourn was a story of enduring friendship and eventually love
Litvinoff the land – Frank McNally with more on a Russian revolutionary’s Irish past
The plot thickens
A matter of perspective – Colm Keena on lessons from a trip to Vietnam
I was the best show they’d seen for quite some time
A tale of two harps – Tim Fanning on Paraguay and the harp
The Paraguayan arpa has become the unofficial national folk instrument
From Russia with question marks — Frank McNally on a famous revolutionary’s mysterious sojourn in Ireland
Maxim Litvinov and the Inniskeen conundrum
Duke of Hazard – Frank McNally on the literary pubs (and restaurants) of Dublin 2
A new bar and a nod to Joyce
Look Behind You – Frank McNally on the surprising second life of a 1980s suit
I’m proud that, helped by a long sabbatical, its working career has now spanned over 40 years
Breffni Benefactor – Frank McNally on the revolutionary largesse of Edgar Allan Poe’s Irish ancestor
Conspicuous generosity
Goodness and Guinness – Tony Corcoran on pioneering doctor Sir John Lumsden
Guinness chief medical officer was a determined and courageous leader
Coughing up: Alison Healy on the strange and surprising world of online marketplaces
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s half-eaten lozenge is one of many curious items that have been advertised
Much Ado About Nothing – Frank McNally on the Shakespearean subtext of a great Anglo-Irish battle that never happened
This month, 425 years ago, marks a pivotal non-event a few miles from Carrickmacross
Field Outing – Frank McNally on an impromptu trip to the National Ploughing Championships
It was a jaunt reminiscent of the inaugural Bloomsday, albeit with more speed and less alcohol
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 residents
From Tipperary to Texas and the Great Storm of 1900
Galveston hurricane killed thousands of people, including an Irish nun
‘Dressing above her station’: Alison Healy on gowns and garda skirts
Men have been policing women’s clothes since Adam looked askance at Eve’s fig leaf
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