The roads of early twentieth-century rural Ireland may have been safer for the fact that Parnell did not live to see the advent of the motorcar. According to a society hostess acquaintance, he was ‘always in a hurry; he could never wait for anything; to wait for a train was anguish to him, he would … Read more
Of all the properties under the control of the Office of Public Works, St Audoen’s Church must be the most unusual, in remaining a parish church where services are still held, just as they have been for over 800 years. Not far from the much grander Christ Church Cathedral, St Audoen’s is perhaps just as … Read more
The forthcoming ‘decade of centenaries’ looks like being a busy time for publishers. Within that decade, the centenary of the Easter Rising seems to be getting singled out for particular attention. March saw the launch (in the GPO!) of the ambitious ‘16 Lives’ series, published by O’Brien Press. The first titles in the series (James … Read more
Muide Éire was a strikingly ambitious history of the depiction of Ireland and the Irish on both big and small screens, from The Quiet Man to The Late Late Show. Written by Ruth Lysaght and directed by Cathal Watters, the four episodes of the series eschewed a chronological narrative and, instead, picked out four themes … Read more
Irish history, as recent public controversies about republican violence during the War of Independence have made clear, remains an ideological minefield. Against this background, making a film about one of the most controversial republicans of the last century, Frank Ryan, presents obvious challenges. Before the first scene of The enigma of Frank Ryan had been … Read more