Laptop by Desmond Egan (The Goldsmith Press, € 20.00 / £16.00) William Adamson Desmond Egan once wrote that poetry is essentially a dialogue, an insight into the universal through the particular experience, and in his latest collection, Laptop, this thought is taken to a level of intensity rarely found in poetry today. The book itself is…
The Aztec Myths: A Guide to the Ancient Stories and Legends by Camilla Townsend (Thames & Hudson, £14.99 / €17.99) I have long been fascinated by the great civilisations of the ancient Americas, the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru, whose fall was brought about by the savage incursions of the Spanish conquistadores. The…
In welcoming the audience to the opening of the 2024/25 season at the National Concert Hall, Chairperson Maura McGrath and CEO Robert Read pointed out that the season would be “one of the most ambitious to date comprising more than sixty concerts and other events, showcasing some of the world’s most exciting and dynamic musicians…
Life in modern times can be fractious, fractured, frustrating… and that’s only the fs! Seeking calm in such an environment can be a very attractive proposition. Last Monday morning on Oliver Callan (RTÉ Radio 1) the host had a timely conversation with Capuchin Brother Richard Hendricks, priest and poet, about the ideas in his new…
John Redmond and Irish Parliamentary Traditions edited by Martin O’Donoghue and Emer Purcell (UCD Press, €30 / £24.90) This volume includes seven papers delivered at a symposium to honour John Redmond held in March 2018 as part of the Decade of Centenaries commemorations. To these two further papers have been added for publication. The aim of…
D-Day: The Oral History by Garrett M. Graff (Monoray / Octopus Publishing, £25.00 / €30.00) D-Day was the turning point in World War II. On that day, June 6 1944, 160,000 troops stormed the Normandy beaches. They set up a battle front of more than sixty miles over five different beaches – their code names forever…
The Book of Iona: An Anthology edited by Robert Crawford (Polygon / Birlinn, £12.99) The remote island of Iona has a special place in the memories and affections of thousands of people in Scotland and Ireland. In my own case, I still recall, so very distinctly it is like a dream, my first visit to the…
The lengths a ruthless man is willing to go to in order to protect his job is explored with searing authenticity in Anand Tucker’s The Critic (15), a gothic tale of blackmail, bribery and clandestine assignations set in post-Oscar Wilde, post-Jazz Age London. Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is a theatre reviewer. His secret lifestyle (he’s…
In the modern media landscape that is so fragmented it is rare to find a programme that draws huge numbers, but we got one last week. Yes, it was the much-anticipated Harris v Trump the US Debate (Sky News, Wednesday) – too early in the morning. It was a sign of its significance that it…
Vexed: Ethics beyond Political Tribes by James Mumford (Bloomsbury Continuum, £16.99 / €20.50 ) Politics are everywhere. We’ve had the British general election, currently the drama of the United States’ presidential election, and the prospect of our own general election in November. As the tumult, the divisions, the competition fill our screens and the pages of…
Peter Costello
Brendan O’Regan
Aubrey Malone