I collect ironies, I even issue an #ironyalert on X/Twitter (ex-Twitter?) when I find them. There are some striking examples in relation to communication. Take the mobile phone for example – it promotes huge communication between friends, but can destroy communication with those who are in our company. How many times have we seen families…
Thomas McCarthy Testament, Micheal O’Siadhail (Baylor University Press, $24.99/ €22.99; distributed in Europe by Eurospan, email: direct.orders@marston.co.uk) In the Irish poetry world Micheal O’Siadhail has been a writer of towering brilliance for over 40 years. A life dedicated to language and ethics has seen him study in great depth both the structure of the…
Frank Litton Regime Change: Towards a Postliberal Future, Patrick J. Deneen (Forum Press/an imprint of Swift Press, £22.00/€27.50) Patrick J. Deneen’s Regime Change has attracted a good deal of attention. Reviewers have acknowledged his intelligence, his command of political philosophy and praised his writing skills. But they have baulked at his conclusions, claiming that…
It was good to see the theme of vocations getting prominence last week in the media. It was sparked by journalist Sean O’Rourke’s address to a gathering at Knock. He favoured encouraging young people to consider joining the priesthood. Stand-in presenter Jonathan Healy discussed the vocations crisis on the Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Friday). David…
Among the tributes to the late Jane Carty was one that struck a particular chord for me, “She helped young people fall in love – with music”. It was part of the death notice informing us of her passing on August 2 and funeral from St Patrick’s Church in Dublin’s Monkstown on August 11. She…
A History of the World in 500 Maps, Christian Grataloup and others (Thames & Hudson, £35.00/ €40.50) This is an interesting and unusual book. It was originally published in French a couple of years ago. Christian Grataloup is the overall editor; the introduction is by Patrick Boucheron; other associates were French academics; and the attractive cartography…
All Desire is a Desire for Being, Essential writings of René Girard selected by Cynthia L. Haven (Penguin Classics, £12.99pb/€15.50pb) Frank Litton We cannot get away from the ubiquity of violence in human affairs. The wars in Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan – the list goes on and on. The slaughter of Jews during the Second World War…
Sacraments in a Synodal Church, by Noel O’Sullivan (Veritas, €19.99) This is a book intended to be very much of the moment. With many years of work in both primary and secondary education, Dr Noel O’Sullivan lectures in systematic theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. So, he knows how things are meant to work and also…
Walfrid: A Life of Faith, Community and Football, by Michael Connolly (Argyll Publishing, £20.00 /€24.00) This is an exciting account of the life of a man from the west of Ireland who has left a permanent mark on the history of modern Scotland. Dr Connolly dexterously explores the story which should fascinate everyone interested in the…
I’m not a great fan of sumptuous costume dramas – sometimes there is too much costume and not enough drama. I was inveigled, not entirely against my will, to watch several episodes of Downton Abbey (Netflix). I found it very contrived, predictable and cliched. And yet because some characters and plot lines were interesting, I…
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello