Surprise(d) guest: Frank McNally on the mysteries of Irish-English and the story behind the world’s greatest collection of Joyceana
Invited to join a conversation on Irish-English, I found my biggest challenge was to shut up
An Irish Diary
An Irish Diary
The lilting Cork accent in my local Lidl reveals a truth about automated voices
Plus, filling in the blanks and the real meaning of life
Praise for Frank McNally on 20 years of Irishman’s Diary
Readers salute wit, humility and cultural insight
Devil in the detail: Frank McNally on the diabolical reputation of St Dunstan
The 10th century holy man’s demonic pact is blamed for the occasional frost around his feast day
Here are 20 things I have learned in 20 years of writing An Irish Diary
Deadline fears, the law of typos and becoming a master diarist are just some
Bearing fruit: Fionnuala Ward on the trials and tribulations of waiting for fruit to ripen
They are hard. Harder than hard. Hard as the proverbial hobs of hell
All not so quiet on the Western Front – Denis McClean on the 16th Division’s fate in trenches
Telegrams were arriving by the score to all corners of Ireland advising that a loved one had died on the Western Front
Ballinode to Joy: Frank McNally on quiet roads, noisy weather and the perils of Monaghan football
A fellow county man has taken on the challenge of getting people out on their bikes in Monaghan - although not, alas, on Inniskeen Road
All Well and Good – Frank McNally on the holy (and unholy) waters of Kilmainham
Nearby and unseen, the holy well gurgles on
Remembrance Day: Peter Murtagh on a Wicklow golf club’s 100-year-old tradition and a very special trophy
In 1942, the year he had hoped to be playing golf in Delgany, Leslie Butler’s colleagues in the RCB instituted a prize in his name
Suspended sentence – Frank McNally on English revisionism and 1916 executions
If any Methuen editors are reading, there are two problems with your footnote
The Irish photographer who put Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier at ease in early courtship
Edward Quinn also helped make Audrey Hepburn famous and took thousands of pictures of Pablo Picasso over a 20-year span
I experience the guilt of not pounding the streets when I’ve nothing else on
Fionnuala Ward on the ups and downs of being a byelection canvasser
Strained relations – Frank McNally on the usefulness of Irish for keeping track of your cousins
Did the Irish system of accounting for family arise from Brehon Law?
Unchained melody: Nocturnal declamping is part of the soundtrack to city life
Eavesdropping can bring you into a world of fascinating speakers and conversations
Clouds in cuckoo land: Frank McNally on the meteorological ‘scaraveens’ of May
Caught unawares by the sudden cold spells that happen this time of year? Blame the cuckoos
All about the Bass – Frank McNally on a Joycean angle to a million-pound question
No small beer for winner of TV quizshow’s jackpot
Ireland’s last stone-built cathedral: ‘It can be seen for many miles out at sea’
Cathedral’s construction fund contained only £250,000 when John Sisk & Son Ltd agreed a tender price of £600,000 in 1957
Shape-shifting alien known as ‘The Thing’ traumatised a generation of Irish children
The Bowl of Light was filled with coloured plastic flames and had a short tenure on O’Connell Bridge
Any portent in a storm: Frank McNally on dogfights, doomsday and a tale of two Dundalks
Robert Ross, royal diplomacy and linguistic battles over whiskey
Road to perdition: Frank McNally on the strange, tragic fate of a Kerry historian in 1920s America
A new documentary tells the story of Patrick Foley, who left Dingle in 1909 and died violently in mysterious circumstances
Walpurgis Night: Frank McNally on the superstition of April 30th
The sinister reputation of the date has origins in folklore of northern Europe
Cultural exchange: Frank McNally on the mutual benefits of being an occasional tour guide
I suggested my guests look up Raglan Road on a well-known Swedish institution
Fresh bread from the oven: childhood memories and the aroma of baking
I still have a strong emotional link with the rich, foamy smell of yeast
Hard going – Mae Leonard on the lure of Punchestown races
Traditions and history come alive at racing festival that remains a big draw
The mood in Brussels is poised between worried and smug
Mood in Brussels, as detected during two days of press briefings at least, was poised between worried and smug
Last Post and Chorus: Frank McNally on memories of a long-lost Dublin restaurant
Kaminski snr bought the restaurant some time after he graduated from Trinity College in the 1950s
City slickers: John S Doyle on the launch of In Dublin 50 years ago
None of the five of us who put together the first issue had any experience in publishing
A language divided: Charting the rise of American English in everyday Irish speak
From ‘reaching out’ to ‘grabbing a coffee’, our way of speaking is clearly changing
The Irish origins of an increasingly popular theology in the US
Believers of rapture theology assert there will be a second coming of Jesus Christ and a day of judgment
Demolition man: Gerard McCann on Fanum House, said to be one of Belfast’s ugliest buildings
The building just across the road from the loyalist Sandy Row area housed offices of RTÉ, Sky and The Irish Times
How a 16th-century English failed monk tried to bridge Anglo-Irish linguistic gulf
You wouldn’t want to mistake squish for huff
The nationalist tobacco shop that hosted James Joyce and Arthur Griffith
Its precious visitor books were rescued decades later from a barrow on Dublin’s quays
Dearly imparted: Frank McNally on Paddy the philanthropist, the BBC banning of Clannad, and Beckett’s womb with a view
Might Paddy Dear be persuaded to throw a few million our way, for the relief of distress in dear old Ireland?
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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