Red into the record – Frank McNally on Peadar O’Donnell’s libel case against the Irish Rosary magazine
The trial had its origins in the ‘Red Scare’ general election of 1932
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
Remembering the many talents of broadcaster, activist and historian Máire de Paor
Committed socialist and feminist lived through a time when attitudes to women in Irish society were decidedly narrow
The day Winston Churchill attacked Ireland over its neutrality
Even the then pro-British Irish Times admitted to an uneasy feeling that Winston Churchill had gone a little too far
She is one fertile bird: ‘Nothing Concepta does surprises me any more’
John Dolan’s goose Concepta has produced goslings on three separate occasions in the past year
Irish Blood, Irish Heart: Frank McNally on a Mancunian hibernophile, Sir Norman Moore
He was struck by, among other things, the level of classical learning in 19th century Ireland, even among the poor
Throwing shapes: Frank McNally on the mysteries of the Hiberno-English ‘gimp’
Ever since hearing the term applied to myself a while back, I’ve been wondering what it means too
Burning Issues: Frank McNally on an unfortunate metaphor, and the continuing mysteries of the ‘Flannagram’
Copies of At Swim-Two-Birds fell victim to the German fire-bombing of a London warehouse in 1940
Holy Irish, partly French – Frank McNally on 800 years of St Laurence O’Toole
A shrine in France credited the Irishman with 256 miracles
Combustible character: Brian Maye on prickly Irish chemist William Higgins
The Sligo-born scientist laid claim to being the first to postulate the existence of atoms
The Frenchwoman who fell in love with Ireland and Irish republicans
Étiennette Beuque’s interests in Irish affairs in the 1920s and 1930s led her to write several books on Ireland
Academic questions: Frank McNally on Titanic terriers, epic expense accounts and the rise of the ‘full professor’
Try claiming for a piano-playing secretary today and see what happens
Not so merry - Frank McNally on the month of May’s somewhat ominous reputation
Those of cautious temperament urge us to hold on to our overcoats until June
Farren Away - Frank McNally on how the dreaded phantom ‘Flann’ picture struck again
Recurring misidentification is in one way an apt tribute to O’Nolan, who spent his career pretending to be other people
Mice don’t have the power to remove the veneer of civilisation. Rats, on the other hand ...
Rodents go ever on
Ireland’s call: John Mulqueen on a man who highlighted our neglect of maritime heritage
Words were not enough for the maritime scholar, he remained an activist
Everyone wants to be in the loop. But what if there is no loop?
In the Gospel According to Judas, the notorious traitor was in the loop and the other apostles weren’t
Non Habemus Librum: Frank McNally on Flann O’Brien’s unwritten epic about the election of an Irish pope
Like many unwritten masterpieces, the book was born and died in a Dublin pub
Frightfully unfashionable: Frank McNally on the century-long decline of adverbs
‘Beastly’ and ‘ghastly’ were still going strong in the mid-20th century novels of Enid Blyton, but ‘awfully’ and ‘frightfully’ were dying out
A count in arrears – Frank McNally on a first-ever solo exhibition of the life and work of Casimir Markievicz
Markievicz was a prominent figure in Dublin’s social and artistic life for a decade
The Impartial Reporter: Celebrating 200 years of one of Ireland’s oldest provincial newspapers
The Impartial Reporter ran stories of the Great Famine, the Home Rule crisis and covered the Easter Rising of 1916
Gone but not forgotten: final beats of the Dublin Metropolitan Police
Force that had policed the capital for almost 90 years vanished 100 years ago this month
The Green Road on Clare Island isn’t really a road
The island in Clew Bay was purchased by the Congested Districts Board in 1895
Over on Out: Frank McNally gets to the bottom of a mysteriously familiar phrase
`It took out’ was a common phrase among the people of Cullyhanna, Crossmaglen, and Culloville
All Yellow - Frank McNally on singing Emily Dickinson, Joyce’s advanced maths, and quantum mechanics in Blackrock
I now know, for good or bad, most if not all of Dickinson’s poems can be sung to the tune of a traditional American ballad, The Yellow Rose of Texas
Out of My Mind? Frank McNally on a search for the sentence-ending superlative, ‘took out’
Investigating what I thought was a common figure of speech has led to some bewildering results
A literary stroll: Frank McNally explores the streets of Dublin’s north inner city
I like to imagine Emily Dickinson sitting on the Royal Canal bench discussing punctuation with Brendan Behan
Sherlock Homes and a curious tale of fiddles, bagpipes and the trees of Cremona
Famous literary detective had an intriguing knowledge of Italian violin manufacture
Broad church – Alyson Gavin Lysaght on the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist in Sandymount
Before the first World War it was the target of riotous demonstrations by members of Dublin’s Orange Order protesting at its ‘Romish’ liturgy
Confounding Father - Frank McNally on the centenary of a radical Irish-American priest.
Fr Peter Yorke played a central role in politics, journalism and labour relations in the San Francisco archdiocese
The Irish (and Redmondite) origins of the Augusta National Clubhouse
Denis Redmond who designed what is now the clubhouse might be baffled by what it has become
Dooley Dooby Doo - Frank McNally with more on the origins of a famous “Joycean” ballad
Sheet music of the Jerome song sold a million copies
Child of Prague Spring – Frank McNally on a sun-soaked country wedding
The Child of Prague is a statue of limitations, apparently: its responsibilities begin and end with blue skies
“Put him in to get him out” — Brian Maye on Easter Rising veteran Joe McGuinness
His byelection victory in 1917 was an indication of a profound change in the direction of Irish politics
‘I’m from The Irish Times,’ I said. ‘This is massage parlour,’ she replied
Colm Keena: My professional life has been spent wandering the city, poking into places I might not be welcome
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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