Anyone for Tennyson? Frank McNally on the lesser-known Charge of the Heavy Brigade, 170 years ago this weekend
Unlike the celebrated catastrophe later the same morning, that was a success, although whether it was a charge at all is debatable
Skeleton service - Frank McNally on why horses’ heads (and the occasional saint) used to be buried under buildings
The foundation sacrifice
Red Letter Day — Frank McNally on the Zinoviev Letter, an ‘October Surprise’ of 1924
How decisive the letter really was is still debated
Schmuck spreader – Frank McNally on the unholy resonance of an old Christian hymn
Schmuck was once considered so offensive that people had to invent a politer alternative
Old Haunt - Frank McNally on the sinister past of a Dublin street garden
A part of Ballybough that was once shunned by superstitious locals
Going Undercover – Frank McNally on an exhibition about the Irish of the French Résistance
A fitting venue
Pavement pinball – Frank McNally on the perils of rush-hour running
Even pedestrians are less predictable than before
All agreed – Frank McNally on the surprise success of a play about the Good Friday Agreement
Agreement is a funny and moving drama
French connection: Frank McNally on how Percy French continues to unite Ireland, by peaceful means
A now-rare outing for the third verse of The Mountains of Mourne
Red into the record – Frank McNally on why Maxim Litvinov’s Irish years were forgotten, and correcting a confusion of Joycean plaques
The saga continues
Poison Ivy – Frank McNally on the controversial origins of an annual Parnellite commemoration
Women were prominent in promoting the ivy tribute
Rocky Road to Russia – Frank McNally with more about Maxim Litvinov, the Cobblestone bar on tour, and the Battle of Balaclava
I peeped into the front room where, sure enough, there was a mass session in progress
Red lines – Frank McNally on the little-known story of an Irish translator in 1920s Moscow
Perhaps the greatest legacy of May O’Callaghan’s communist sojourn was a story of enduring friendship and eventually love
Litvinoff the land – Frank McNally with more on a Russian revolutionary’s Irish past
The plot thickens