My favourite joke about the JFK assassination concerns the dyslexic who thought President Kennedy was murdered by the ICA – the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. One could be forgiven for expecting Oliver Stone to have finished with conspiracy theories surrounding his death with the humungous JFK back in 1991. Not so. He’s still banging on about…
When something is a right you shouldn’t have to kick up a fuss to vindicate it, yet it often seems to be that way. These thoughts were prompted by episodes of Liveline (RTÉ Radio 1) last week, at its best when championing the rights of the vulnerable. Last week there were so many stories of…
When a person who holds opinions not beloved by media folk is called onto a current affairs show, it can feel like being called to the principal’s office for a ticking off. I’ve been there. It felt like that when Mary Wilson interviewed Anna Sochanska, the Polish Ambassador to Ireland, on Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio…
Following Wexford Festival Opera’s conclusion on Halloween, Irish National Opera (INO) raised its curtain on Beethoven’s Fidelio at Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre earlier this week with further performances tomorrow and Saturday, November 12 and 13. Around 1802 Beethoven became acquainted with the play, Léonore, by French author Jean Nicolas Bouilly. Reading it in a German translation…
The Doré Illustrations for Dante’s Divine Comedy by Gustave Dore (Dover Art Library, £12.99) Gustave Doré (1832-1883): Master of Imagination Hardcover by Erika Dolphin and others (Flammarion, £31.96) William Blake: Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’, the Complete Drawings edited by Sebastian Schutze (Taschen, £29.00) Four centuries ago Italy, indeed the whole of Christian Europe, was absorbing the news that the…
Every Bush Aflame: Science, God, and the Natural World by John Feehan (Veritas, €16.99/£14.61) Dr Christopher Moriarty The first creation story in the Bible – the ‘six day’ account – is remarkable in being, in its essentials, a scientific document. Its writer observed nature and made deductions from his observations. Above all, he postulated the need…
The Celtic Myths that Shape the Way We Think by Mark Williams (Thames & Hudson, £20.00/$23.99) This book ought to have a wide readership for it explores an area of modern literature that has, since the mid-Victorian era, exerted great influence over writers, artists and filmmakers in these islands. Mark Williams was born in London and…
Father William Doyle, A Year’s Thoughts edited by Alfred O’Rahilly (Te Deum Press, $US16.95 /€19.95) This is a useful collection of prayerful reflections from the pen of Fr William Doyle, a spiritual leader who touched many souls during his career as a retreat-giver and for a long time after. A Jesuit priest and military chaplain, he…
Crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed has caused unnecessary conflict and division, has fractured social discourse and has damaged our trust in institutions and people. When a journalist is interviewed on a controversial topic, you expect them at least to try and be impartial, even if you know where their sympathies lie. My admiration of…
The late lamented Princess Diana is once again centre stage in Spencer. Featuring Kristen Stewart in the title role, it’s set at Christmas in the 1990s. She spends a traumatic weekend with the Royal family at Queen Elizabeth’s Sandringham estate. It’s a speculative piece by the great Pablo Larrain, allowing him to re-visit the terrain…
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello