How the 1916 commemorations helped people connect on a personal level. “Everything is repeated, in a circle. History is a master because it teaches us that it doesn’t exist. It’s the permutations that matter.” - Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum We have had much to celebrate this year. Commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising had been anticipated for so long that when it … [Read more...] about 2016: Reflections on a Centenary
Frank Shouldice
Behind the Scenes at Dublin’s Croke Park
An inside look at the stadium that has been at the heart of Irish sporting events for over 100 years. I can’t keep up with Leonard Fearon. He walks as fast as he talks and he’s got a few thousand mouths to feed. So while young hurlers from Waterford and Kilkenny chase each other around Croke Park six floors below, I’m on the corporate level running after the chef. Fans may … [Read more...] about Behind the Scenes at Dublin’s Croke Park
Barney Rosset:
1922-2012
He helped change the course of publishing in the United States by championing avant-garde writers and beat poets. He defied censors in the 1960s by publishing D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer. He brought European writers such as Jean Genet and Samuel Beckett under his Grove Press imprint. He passed away on February 21 at the age of 89. … [Read more...] about Barney Rosset:
1922-2012
Irish Army Archives to go Public
The Irish Armed Forces is about to make a huge volume of historical documents available to the public by putting them online for general access. Lieutenant General Sean McCann, Defense Forces’ Chief of Staff, confirmed that an ambitious project will be carried out with the National Archives of Ireland, placing 36,000 pages of material online relating to military matters for the … [Read more...] about Irish Army Archives to go Public
Rory McIlroy Named Sports Star of the Year
Rory McIlroy was named RTE’s Irish Sports Person of the Year at a televised ceremony in Dublin. The 22-year-old golfer from Holywood, Co. Down capped a memorable year by winning the U.S. Open just two months after he suffered a meltdown when leading the field into the last day of the Masters. McIlroy held off fellow Ulsterman (and British Open winner) Darren Clarke to take … [Read more...] about Rory McIlroy Named Sports Star of the Year