Over recent decades readers of academic books on history and archaeology, and even some ordinary mass market trade books, will have noticed the increasing use of the term ‘Common Era’ (CE) rather than the older BC and AD for describing dates, the system familiar for centuries. This new usage arose from the reluctance of some…
Dictatorland: The Men Who Stole Africa by Paul Kenyon (Head of Zeus, £17) Peter Hegarty Many millions of Africans have lived under tyrants, endured long years of oppression, and watched in enraged impotence as the dictators squandered public money on the erection of grandiose monuments to themselves. What explains the rise of strongmen in so many…
Some of the things I like about Sunday Sequence (BBC Radio Ulster) are the variety of items and the decent length of the show, facilitating thorough discussion. Last Sunday’s episode started with the state of charities in the wake of the Oxfam controversy. Andrew Dougal, a former charity CEO, mounted a robust defence of the…
The 90th anniversary of the Oscar ceremonies is being held this year in the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles on March 4. Sadly, the possibility that home favourite Saoirse Ronan will reprise her Golden Globe victory for Lady Bird has been ruled out by the bookies. They make Frances McDormand the hot favourite for Three Billboards…
Family Histories of the Irish Revolution edited by Ciara Boylan, Sarah-Anne Buckley and Pat Dolan (Open Air, €24.95) J. Anthony Gaughan This collection of interesting essays concern persons who in one way or another were involved in the revolutionary years from 1913 to 1923. The essays are by relatives of these activists, some of whom were well-known,…
A Lost Tribe a novel by William King (Lilliput Press, Dublin, 2017). This novel derives from William King’s experiences as a clerical student and priest in the archdiocese of Dublin during the last fifty years. Through his character Fr Tom Galvin, a 70-something parish priest, he narrates the story of the Catholic Church in Ireland as…
Irish Women and the Vote: Becoming Citizens editors: Louise Ryan and Margaret Ward (Irish Academic Press, €19.99) Emily Keyes February 2018 marks the centenary of women over the age of 30 gaining the right to vote in Ireland and Britain, yet over 100 years and two feminist movements later, Irish women continue to struggle for equal…
Pat O’Kelly With conductor Fergus Sheil active as both artistic director of Wide Open Opera and Opera Theatre Company, it seemed a natural progression both companies would merge. And so they did. Formed last year, with generous beneficence from the Arts Council, the new company was launched under the banner of Irish National Opera.…
Silence under a stone a novel by Norma McMaster (Doubleday Ireland, €14.99) Ian d’Alton Written “out of my own life experience” (the author grew up in Cavan, and is a Church of Ireland minister) this novel is a sometimes difficult read. Not in the literary sense – its touch is sure, its construction works well and…
We’re well used to TV dramas scheduled for one episode per week, and in these days of box set binging (even if the ‘box’ is often virtual) it’s a nice kind of anticipation. Last week, however, ITV ran the new drama Trauma for three nights in a row. Tense and intriguing, with several unlikely plot…
Peter Costello
Brendan O’Regan
Aubrey Malone