Saint Francis of Assisi and the wolf of Gubbio St Francis of Assisi, canonised in 1228, a mere century after his death, must be one of the most universally venerated saints in the world, a man widely respected beyond the Christian community. This is partly due to his special relationship with birds and animals. In…
Irish saints are, of course, not the only ones to have curious associations with birds and animals. Two remarkable instances are the lives of the Northumbrian St Cuthbert, and the even more remarkable legend of the Father of the Church, St Jerome. These are worth contrasting with our Irish saints. St Cuthbert and the otters…
St Kevin and the birds The little monasteries of early Christian Ireland derived their monastic ideals from the desert fathers of Egypt. But instead of some cave or remote hill top such as was to be found in the Libyan desert or in Sinai, they remained faithful to the notions of the ancient Celts, whose…
St Brendan and the sea beasts Brendan of Clonfert must be the most famous Irish saint after Patrick himself. Today, whereas most of the Irish saints listed in the in the reference books are hardly known, Brendan stands out, and this is entirely due to his fame as a sailor. He is always ‘Brendan the…
In the Shadow of Vesuvius: a Life of Pliny by Daisy Dunn (William Collins, £9.00 / €11.90) The Natural History by Pliny the Elder, translated with an introduction by John Healey (Penguin Classics, €15.99 / £9.99) The Letters of the Younger Pliny translated by Betty Radice (Penguin Classics, £9.99 / €9.42) A life of Pliny? Yes please, I said,…
Whistlestop Tales: Around the World in 10 Bible Stories by Krish Kandiah and Miriam Kandiah (Hodder Faith / Young Explorers series, £10.99 / €12.99) This well-intentioned book for younger readers highlights an increasing problem in today’s culture. With the disappearance of the classics (Greek and Roman) from the curriculum, and the ever-narrowing perspectives of history being taught, young…
London-Irish voices from our great Diaspora 1851 These days we hear a great deal about the Irish Diaspora. But all too often this means the life stories of those who did well in other parts of the world; the mass of emigrants become in a sense an amorphous cloud of exiled poverty. Now and again…
The Black & Tans 1920-1921: A Complete Alphabetical, Short History and Genealogical Guide by Jim Herlihy (Four Courts Press, €50/£45.00, also in paperback) Back in 1971 the Rev. Professor Edward Norman remarked in his controversial History of Modern Ireland that journalist Richard Bennett›s sensational 1959 book on the Black and Tans, the only one that then existed, read…
Research in Victorian newspapers and journals occupies much of my time away from these pages. The other day searching through the 1891 volume of WT Stead’s influential Review of Reviews, I came across an item which it seemed to me would be of great interest to many of our readers, a “lost poem” by no less…
Joyce the Student: University College 1898-1902, Dublin by John Kelly (Gleoiteog Press, €15.50/£12.99) During June an air of Joycean enthusiasm descends on Dublin, with all kinds of events — and even non-events in the eyes of some — taking place. This year, however, a local writer makes a real contribution by the publication of a book,…