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
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
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
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