True Colours – Frank McNally on the late Kenneth Kaunda’s Irish connectionsAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Jun 18 2021 - 19:01
Marching to a Drumlin Beat – Frank McNally on Brendan Behan’s ‘mad republican’ from MonaghanAn Irishman’s DiaryThu Jun 17 2021 - 19:01
Racing Uncertainty – Frank McNally on myths, mistaken memories, and the Ascot Gold CupAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Jun 16 2021 - 19:01
Seconds Out – Frank McNally on the unexpected comeback of James Joyce’s semi-legendary boxer Myler KeoghAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Jun 15 2021 - 19:01
15,000 and counting – our record-breaking chess correspondent passes another major milestoneAn Irishman’s DiaryMon Jun 14 2021 - 19:01
On a Dilemma of the Horns – Frank McNally wrestles with the enduring mystery of a Bob Dylan song lyricAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Jun 11 2021 - 19:01
(No) Danger Here – Frank McNally on how George Orwell got it badly wrong about footballAn Irishman’s DiaryThu Jun 10 2021 - 18:01
Baptism of Fire – Frank McNally on the Irish Free State’s incendiary originsAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Jun 09 2021 - 19:01
Cross-Border Beethoven – Frank McNally on a surprise connection between Beethoven and Big TomAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Jun 04 2021 - 19:01
Scotch Broth – Frank McNally on whiskey-soaked summer schools, the Lough Ness monster, and Flann O’Brien’s poetic mewsAn Irishman’s DiaryThu Jun 03 2021 - 19:01
Courting Controversy – Frank McNally on literary laundering, political beachball, and the history of an infamous streetAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Jun 02 2021 - 19:01
Seance of Scholars – Frank McNally on an event marking St Columcille’s 1,500th birthdayAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Jun 01 2021 - 19:01
Tribal Diatribe – On Lafcadio Hearn and the Irish love of bad languageAn Irishman’s DiaryFri May 28 2021 - 19:01
Paris Disagreement – Frank McNally on the fall of the Paris Commune, 150 years ago this weekAn Irishman’s DiaryThu May 27 2021 - 19:01
Russ in Urbe – Frank McNally on an existentialist question of Hiberno-EnglishAn Irishman’s DiaryThu May 27 2021 - 00:01
Thunder on the Mountain – Frank McNally on a busy weekend for Bob Dylan’s Irish disciplesAn Irishman’s DiaryTue May 25 2021 - 19:01
Swan Song – Frank McNally on the mysterious origins of Molly (aka Polly) BawnAn Irishman’s DiaryFri May 21 2021 - 19:01
No Man’s Land Commission – Frank McNally on the case for opening Ireland’s ‘most important social archive’An Irishman’s DiaryWed May 19 2021 - 19:01
A time to bare arms – Frank McNally on an appointment with the vaccinatorsAn Irishman’s DiaryFri May 14 2021 - 19:01
Talking Funny – Frank McNally on the mysteries of foreign accent syndromeAn Irishman’s DiaryThu May 13 2021 - 19:01
Festooned with Saxons – Frank McNally on the mysterious origins of a famous sporting phraseAn Irishman’s DiaryWed May 12 2021 - 19:01
A Turn for the Better – Frank McNally on the view from one of Dublin’s most dramatic cornersAn Irishman’s DiaryFri May 07 2021 - 18:45
Faithfull Friend – on the late Paddy Rossmore, a reluctant celebrity who revolutionised drug treatment in IrelandAn Irishman’s DiaryThu May 06 2021 - 19:01
Horsemen, Pass By – Frank McNally on the dramatic backdrop of a Dublin polo match on May 6th, 1882An Irishman’s DiaryWed May 05 2021 - 19:01
Hinges of History – How Napoleon’s fate may have swung on the closing of a gate at WaterlooAn Irishman’s DiaryWed May 05 2021 - 00:01
Absent Trends – Frank McNally on the trail of missing apostrophesAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 30 2021 - 19:01
Fiends in High Places – Frank McNally on Walpurgis Night in New York and DonegalAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 30 2021 - 00:01
Ménage à Trois – Frank McNally on the rule of three, hendiatris, and a plan to change the Olympic mottoAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Apr 28 2021 - 19:01
Born to Burn – Frank McNally on the ‘phoenix of the plant world’ and its many namesAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Apr 27 2021 - 19:01
Nom de Grrr – Frank McNally on the rules of dog-naming in FranceAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 23 2021 - 19:01
Drumlin Dramatist – Frank McNally on how Tyrone Guthrie made jam (and Hamlet) among the hills of MonaghanAn Irishman’s DiaryThu Apr 22 2021 - 19:01
Sick Transit – Frank McNally on the doomed Irishmen who were the first Europeans to cross AustraliaAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Apr 21 2021 - 19:01
Patriot Games – Frank McNally on political art theft, football as opera, and Lenin’s Irish accentAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Apr 20 2021 - 19:01
Hedge Schooling – Frank McNally on being given haws for thoughtAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 16 2021 - 19:30
Playwright of the Western World – Frank McNally on 150 years of JM SyngeAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 16 2021 - 00:01
Moneypoint Memories – Frank McNally on disaffected dockers, Shannon admirals, and the Colleen BawnAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Apr 14 2021 - 19:01
A Bit of Afters – Frank McNally on a cornerstone of Hiberno-EnglishAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Apr 13 2021 - 19:01
Frank McNally on A History of Northern Ireland in 100 EuphemismsAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 09 2021 - 18:30
Bard of the Boulevards – Frank McNally on poet Charles Baudelaire, born 200 years ago on this dayAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 09 2021 - 00:01
Pond Life – Frank McNally on the short but colourful history of the Phoenix Park Star FortAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Apr 07 2021 - 18:30
The Hills are Alive – Frank McNally on the ups and downs of Phoenix Park historyAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Apr 02 2021 - 18:30
Western Wail – Frank McNally on ‘grigging’, Mayo-baiting bus brands, and John le Carré’s homecomingAn Irishman’s DiaryThu Apr 01 2021 - 18:45
Cryptical Elliptical – Frank McNally on the mystery of the 90-second crossword solversAn Irishman’s DiaryWed Mar 31 2021 - 18:15
Black and white issue – Frank McNally on badgers, balcony scenes, and onomastic recyclingAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Mar 30 2021 - 18:40
Say it again, Sam – Remembering Sam McAughtry, who would have been 100 this weekAn Irishman’s DiaryFri Mar 26 2021 - 19:01
Diminished responsibility – Frank McNally on the lesser-seen TadhgeenAn Irishman’s DiaryThu Mar 25 2021 - 19:15
The traditional joke is all but dead. Help us resurrect it by sharing your favouriteWe have never needed a laugh more. Share your jokes and we’ll publish the funniest onesThu Mar 25 2021 - 06:00
Future Imperfect – Frank McNally on Patrick Kavanagh’s 1950s vision of the year 2021An Irishman’s DiaryWed Mar 24 2021 - 18:30
A name to be reckoned with – Frank McNally on the importance of being TadhgAn Irishman’s DiaryTue Mar 23 2021 - 18:35
