The Irish Times books of the year: Fintan O’Toole’s favourite titles of 2021

Seeking inspiration for a book to read or give as a gift? This selection could help you

Ann Marie Hourihane: ‘Death shows us you can’t manage life’

Hourihane’s new book is a powerful exploration of death, dying and rituals in Ireland

Róisin Ingle: The Gay Byrne I knew – a friend, a mentor, a hero

We are a better, more mature, kinder country now because of Gay Byrne

Why Gay Byrne is Ireland’s greatest broadcaster

He combines a natural genius for broadcasting with ferocious professionalism

Video

Easter Rising shorts to screen at Dublin film festival

After ’16 films include animation telling the story of teenage rebel Vincent Byrne

Sal Khan’s free online school enters the real world

Interview: Sal Khan went from tutoring his cousin to setting up Khan Academy, a not-for-profit online school. He talks about his own education, and expanding his ‘flipped learning’ worldwide

The Sobriety Diaries: What I learned in one month without alcohol

In early May, a ‘normal Irish drinker’ undertook a minor social experiment: to give up drink for a month and write about it. Now it’s over. So is she getting drunk tonight?

Charles Haughey and the generators

No sweetness in bitter war against sugar

Fat has been given a reprieve as sugar gets the blame for everything from heart and liver disease to cancer

Bridget’s children: ‘I can close the door and it’s just me and the kids’

Homeless for much of 2013, this family are overjoyed that they will be spending Christmas in a house of their own

‘Pantomime? It’s harder to learn than Beckett’

Love it or loathe it, panto takes huge effort. For Twink, 38 shows in a fortnight mean there’s no time to lose in the rehearsal room

Nigella wants our love – and Charles Saatchi will use us to hurt her

Forget fraud: Nigella Lawson and her ex are doing battle for custody of the public’s approval

Gay Byrne’s punk radio: 'I’d say we’re down to about 300 doddery old fools'

The Sunday show, a mixture of jazz and giving out, is becoming cult listening, mainly for the darkness of Byrne’s presentation. His subject matter takes in everything from the pope’s fitness and spitting to Pat Kenny’s move

Memories of a mother’s drinking

Valerie Farragher’s alcoholism almost ruined the lives of her family. Now four years sober, she is trying to help other women avoid that terrible fate