Power ballad – Frank McNally on the case for an Irish ‘Wichita Lineman’
Has anyone ever composed a musical eulogy, country or otherwise, to Ireland’s electrical repair crews?
Austrians battle with Irish terrain and ‘local dialect’ in Storm Éowyn relief efforts
Austrian crew set out for Ireland on Monday at 5am in their own cars, travelled through the night, sharing driving duties, and arrived 1,900km and 27 hours later
Last Poll and Chorus – Frank McNally on the end of 400 years of Trinity College elections
Dublin University can claim to have elected Jane Austen’s Mr Darcy, or a bit of him
Hit (and miss) parade – Frank McNally on the mixed fortunes of a who’s who list from 40 years ago
These lists always give hostages to fortune
Cardinal Red – Frank McNally on a cultural history of wind colour
The concept of a Dulux-style wind-colour catalogue was well established here and elsewhere
Poison Pen – Frank McNally on the late-blooming Violet Needham, children’s novelist extraordinaire
She had spent a long apprenticeship as a storyteller to nieces and nephews
Pointed reference – Frank McNally on the importance of being salient
Peace explains why the term “Monaghan Salient” has fallen out of use
Sleeveen and Jackeen: A History of Ireland in 100 diminutives
Number 70: Drisheen (stuffed small intestines of sheep, considered food in Cork)
(Southern) Cross Country – Frank McNally on Argentina’s 150-year-old Irish newspaper
The world’s longest-running Irish newspaper produced outside Ireland, and among the oldest of any kind in Argentina
Funny Peculiar – Frank McNally on the unhilarious St Hilary and the legal term named after him
The ancient Romans used to host Hilaria: public holidays marked by ceremonial rejoicing
House Private – Frank McNally on the apparent occupation of 15 Usher’s Island
The short manifesto in the window has more than twice as many full stops – five – as Molly Bloom’s entire soliloquy
Mapped Out – Frank McNally on a wealthy namesake’s mansion, destroyed in the Los Angeles fires
The house was built in 1887 for the Armagh-born multimillionaire Andrew McNally
Sculptor Exculpated – Frank McNally on the forgotten Irish creator of one of England’s most infamous statues
John Cassidy’s gravestone, in the Catholic section of Manchester’s Southern Cemetery, makes no mention of his Irish origins
Just a tweak, mid-winter – Frank McNally on the ups and downs of Christmas
They say mishaps come in threes so now I’m waiting for the next one, which is the worst part