I have a theory. Endeavour is based on the same premise as Doc Martin. You probably think that sounds ridiculous but think about it. Both series feature introverted eccentrics who come up with elaborate solutions to complex problems. In one case they’re medical, in the other criminal. I recently bought box sets of both on…
Thomas O’Loughlin This essay is a continuation of the theme of the essay on the breaking bread published here recently. Whilst our common memory of the origin of the Eucharist is that Jesus took “bread and wine” (emphasising distinct materials), by contrast all our early texts notice that he shared “a cup” (the emphasis…
When adults pursue their own selfish ends it’s often the children that suffer, even if the excess of individualism comes nicely wrapped and rationalised. Last Thursday I was listening to an interesting discussion on cribs (the Christmas kind) on Liveline (RTÉ Radio One). It was quite positive – the live animals were being restored to…
With his death on November 17, the long life of the doyen of our composers – Seóirse Bodley – came to an end. May he rest in peace. Born in Dublin on April 4, 1933, Seóirse Bodley attended the CBS Coláiste Mhuire on Parnell Square where the curriculum was taught through Irish. Bodley also studied…
Age is Just a Number: Make the Best of Every Decade, by Francis Brennan (Gill Books, €19.99 / £17.99) Francis Brennan is not a young man, and yet he has conquered our attention on television and become a bestselling author. One can’t help wondering if he has some secret which might be of interest…
All My Wild Mothers: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss and an Apothecary Garden, by Victoria Bennett (Two Roads / Hodder & Stoughton, £16.99 / €19.99) Mens sana in corpo sans (a healthy mind in a healthy body) is an old saying, but its truth is borne out by this very evocative book. Most books…
With very little publicity, significant in itself, the ‘Safe Access Zones’ Bill passed in the Dáil last week. The only coverage I came across was on Newstalk Breakfast (Wednesday). It was unfortunately a short item, though the coverage was welcome and I thought presenter Shane Coleman (pictured right) was even-handed – increasingly Newstalk is the…
My Campaign in Ireland Part II: My Connection with the Catholic University, by John Henry Newman, with an introduction and notes by Paul Shrimpton [Newman Millennium Edition, volume XVII] (Gracewing, £35.00 / €40.00) For Catholics it may be enough that John Henry Newman is now canonised. But this in a way is a limitation on…
Ronnie O’Sullivan is generally regarded as the greatest snooker player of all time. In the just-released documentary about his life, Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Reason (Amazon Prime) we’re brought into the complexities of his life and game. At times he appears so good he’s on a different planet to his colleagues. He can do…
Dr Thomas O’Loughlin Anyone who sees a loaf of bread and slices it knows that there is something very basic about this foodstuff and this action of dividing it. Bread, so the saying goes, is “the staff of life”. But bread comes to us as loaves, and when we cut them up there is an…
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello