Navigating spam emails: ‘I’m overwhelmed that my address won me ‘the sum of $500,000’’
It is heartwarming to know so many people are thinking of me and ready to offer unexpected gifts
In a Word
In a Word ... Swiftie (the originals)
Those of us who admire Jonathan Swift, the contrary old weed, were the original Swifties
In a Word ... Word
‘Words are like leaves and where they most abound, much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found’
In a Word...Collective
For instance, why ‘a murder of crows’? It seems too harsh. Or ‘an unkindness of ravens’?
A joey is the perfect description for a word within a word
‘Masculine’ contains within it the word ‘male’. Another is ‘chicken’ with ‘hen’ within, and ‘honourable’ with ‘noble’ within. Isn’t that thrilling?
In a Word...Caesar
You still have an awful lot of fans out there. They gave me an insight into how you probably felt that March day in the forum
Brace yourself, Brigid: Tips to look after your husband from a 1950s publication
‘Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure’
When Roscommon girls were ‘useless for cooking or anything else’
There was fury at an educational committee meeting in the 1930s about women training to enter the workforce
Santy, I want to grow up to be free of cares. Can you arrange it?
In a Word... Puddle: Coming towards me was a happy little girl in her shiny new wellingtons with her happy young father. They were passing a puddle and she just jumped right into it
When we invaded Ballaghaderreen in the 1960s, the town did not suffer blow-ins gladly
In a Word: Infamy
In a Word ... November
Scorpios can be ‘complicated, needy and just plain difficult to get along with’. Be careful out there!
Is the demise of the Irish pub upon us?
In a Word... Demise: A relentless series of pub closures represents a fate worse than death for many. At least death is a conclusion
Words are like leaves? On the contrary, Alexander Pope
A letter sent to Hollywood executives in 1934 by a young New York man looking for a job as a screenwriter proves the English satirical poet was fallible
In a Word ... Karma
Judging by the number of August birthdays in our family it would seem November is a favoured month for indulging the family passion
In a Word ... Clandestine
My grandparents fell in love, decided to get married secretly in the local church, went to a céilí and then returned to their homes, separately
In a Word ... Fame
Pity the high-profile person who may cross that certain threshold of public attention
Men’s underpants are a dismal science indeed
In a Word: Briefs. The Men’s Underwear Index is seen as an indicator of the health of an economy
An alcohol-free bar? In Ireland? Risky business indeed
In a Word: The Virgin Mary Bar in Dublin has closed due to lack of interest
In a Word ... Daffodil
Most people think of Wordsworth when the words ‘poetry’ and ‘daffodils’ are linked, but 17th century Herrick was there first
In a Word... Dublinese
I realised years ago that even a proficiency in Irish, English and the vernacular was nowhere near enough for communicating with Dubliners
In a Word...Fool
On this first day of April, and along with Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice, let us play the Fool
In a Word ... Malapropism
One of the great mangler’s of the King’s English is former taoiseach Bertie Ahern
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