Bookworm came across a very interesting book recently: Roger Stalley (ed.), Irish Gothic architecture: construction, decay and reinvention (Wordwell, 230pp, £29.99pb, ISBN 9781905569700). The Gothic style arrived in Ireland in the thirteenth century, being primarily associated with ecclesiastical buildings. Naturally, this multi-authored book begins with the construction of cathedrals, before focusing on the medieval construction … Read more
Titanic Belfast Titanic Quarter, Belfast www.titanicbelfast.com by Tony Canavan Located in an iconic building, Titanic Belfast opened to a fanfare of publicity, promising to be a world-class visitor attraction in Northern Ireland. A year later it has met its target for visitor numbers and has sustained its PR campaign. Its setting is a bonus, … Read more
In the name of the Republic TV3, 18 & 25 March 2013 Title Films by Pádraig Óg Ó Ruairc IRA leader Tom Barry once likened the more unsavoury aspects of the War of Independence to being dragged ‘down into the mire’. The two-part documentary In the name of the Republic, presented by Professor Eunan … Read more
A terrible beauty Title Films by John Gibney The General Post Office on Dublin’s O’Connell Street looms large in the iconography of the Easter Rising. Its position on the main thoroughfare north of the River Liffey and its role as the headquarters of the ‘forces of the Irish Republic’ ensure that it remains synonymous … Read more