Nick Maxwell With typical Irish flare for understatement, the series of events outlined in Colin Barr’s book came generally to be known as the ‘Callan case’, which conjures up images of an insignificant incident in the rural Ireland of the latter half of the nineteenth century. As the title of the book intimates, however, there were far … Read more
The Sanctuary Lamp Written and directed by Tom Murphy, B*spoke Theatre Company Arcola Theatre, London, 10 March–3 April Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork, 12–17 April Civic Theatre, Dublin, 20–24 April Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, 26–28 April Townhall Theatre, Galway, 4–7 May by Eamon O’Flaherty A brilliant production of Tom Murphy’s classic play dealing with themes … Read more
‘Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.’ (George Orwell) This is Ireland in 2010, not Nineteen Eighty-Four. Nonetheless, Orwell’s dystopian vision has much to teach a society, such as ours, that professes to be democratic. Freedom of access to the records of the state is a core … Read more
Bhí ann fadó agus fadó bhí. Dhá mbeinnse an uair sin ann ní bheinn anois ann. Dá mbeinn anois agus an uair sin ann, bheadh scéal úr nó seanscéal agam, nó bheinn gan scéal ar bith. Mar bhí sin rí agus bantiarna anseo in Éirinn fadó, agus phós siad. Agus chinn Dia leothab ná raibh … Read more
The Irish Folklore Commission, now the National Folklore Collection, was the first state-funded body to employ full-time collectors of folklore in the field. It is one of the world’s best and largest folklore collections. Owing to the interest of Scandinavian scholars of old and modern Irish and of Irish folklore, the influence of people such … Read more