Hitler’s Irish volunteers – John Mulqueen on two Irish POWs who volunteered for the Waffen-SS
Irish POWs were isolated in a special camp near Friesack, where they were bombarded with anti-British propaganda
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
Sharpened pens – Alison Healy on the cattier side of writers
Writers seem to relish eviscerating their fellow artists whenever they get a chance
“I remember” – Tim Fanning on the power of cinema to unlock the secrets of memory and nostalgia
Cinema-going in Dublin was a less luxurious affair in the 1980s
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
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
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