Jack McNulty is the Temporary Gentleman, a retired Irish soldier who served in the British Army during the Second World War. His story is also based on the maternal grandfather of the […]
Temporary Gentleman – Sebastian Barry – Book Review
American Smoke – Iain Sinclair – Book Review
American Smoke by Iain Sinclair – Review by Cormac Donnelly In “American Smoke” Iain Sinclair traces a path through the landscape of the United States and the channels of his memories, searching […]
Celebrating Seamus Heaney – National Concert Hall – 23-04-14
In truth, no one night could encompass the effect that someone like Seamus Heaney has had on Ireland. It’s an impossible task to take on, but the lovely night at the National […]
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air – Darragh McKeon – Book Review
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air by Darragh McKeon – Book Review by Helen O’Leary There are several things that particularly appeal about this debut novel that is set in April […]
Frog Music – Emma Donoghue – Audible Review
There is something that draws you in about the world that Emma Donoghue has created for her latest novel ‘Frog Music’. The book is set in San Francisco during 1876. It is […]
Film Freak – Christopher Fowler – Book Review
Film Freak by Christopher Folwer – Review by Mary Donnelly Like many readers I came to Christopher Fowler after seeing the rather arresting cover of Spanky in the horror section of a […]
Gruf Rhys and Alasdair Roberts @ Dublin Writers Festival 2014
The Programme of the 2014 Dublin Writers Festival has just been announced. We’ll do a full review of the programme later, but there’s a couple of events that jumped off the page […]
Things to do in Dublin (07-04-14 – 13-04-14)
This week, we’ve got a new production of ‘An Ideal Husband’ starting in the Gate. The Japanese Film Festival starts in the Lighthouse, and there’s the Spotlight seminar in the IFI. On […]
JKF’s Last Hundred Days – Thurston Clarke – Book Review
JKF’s Last Hundred Days by Thurston Clarke – Review by Cormac Donnelly When President Obama shook the hand of Raul Castro at the funeral of Nelson Mandela in December 2013, international media […]
Things to do in Dublin (31-03-14 – 06-04-14)
The clocks have done their springing forward and it’s starting to feel an awful lot like Summer! Yes, we’re hoping for a good one, and it should draw people out of hibernation […]
The Spinning Heart – Donal Ryan – Book Review
The Spinning Heart was the first published novel by Donal Ryan, and tells the tale of small town life in Limerick. The story is told as a collection of interwoven short stories. […]
Things to do in Dublin (24-02-14 – 30-03-14)
Dublin has recovered from the general madness of St. Patrick’s day and the world continues as before. There’s lots of new stuff to see and do around the city, so without further […]
Things to do in Dublin (17-02-14 – 23-03-14)
St. Patty’s day is here. Need I say anything else? Yes, tourists have engulfed our fair capital and are desperately seeking the promised land that is ‘Temple Bar’! Theatre The Abbey – […]
Things to do in Dublin (10-02-14 – 16-03-14)
It’s almost Paddy’s day, but the big day itself isn’t until next week! We still have a chunk of the festival itself on for you to explore. You can find out full […]
Celebrating Seamus Heaney – Tribute Night – National Concert Hall – 23-04-14
Seamus Heaney was Ireland’s greatest living poet and a Nobel prize winner, who sadly died in August of last year. Poetry Ireland and One City: One Book have organised a night to […]
Mark Kermode – The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex: What’s Wrong with Modern Movies – Book Review
Mark Kermode is a grumpy man. He is made more grumpy by the state of our cinemas- how they show movies, what they are showing, how they sell their tickets. Remember when […]
Gruff Rhys – American Interior
Gruff is back, with a new ablum, but also a film, book and an app! He’s back in a big way, as he says himself, it’s a “multisensory experience telling the incredible […]
Dublin Writers Festival 2014 – Preview – Emma Donoghue, Ray Davies etc.
Dublin Writers Festival kicks off this May, running from the 17th to the 25th. They’ve just announced a few events, with Ray Davies of the Kinks possibly the most the exciting of […]
The Free – Willy Vlautin – Book Review
The Free by Willy Vlautin – Review by Helen O’Leary Willy Vlautin’s reputation as a novelist is slowly growing. His last book was short listed for the IMPAC Prize but he still […]
Book Review: “Worst.Person.Ever.” Douglas Coupland
Is Worst. Person. Ever. one of the worst novels ever written? No, but Douglas Coupland’s 14th novel is without a doubt his worst.novel.ever. I say this from the point of view of […]
Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China – Guy Delisle – Book Review
This is one of Guy Delisle’s earliest Travelogues, with a trip to Shenzhen, China to oversee the completion of a children’s cartoon in 1997. Delisle spent a three month period in China, […]
Things to do in Dublin (10-02-14 – 16-02-14)
Love is in the air…. everywhere I look around… do do do, do do do. Yes, it’s another one of those holidays created by greeting card companies, if you want to be […]
Dotter of her Father’s Eyes – Mary & Bryan Talbot – Book Review
Dotter of her Father’s Eyes – Written by Mary M Talbot, Drawn by Bryan Talbot. Published by Jonathan Cape. This is a graphic novel written by Mary Talbot and illustrated by her […]
Willy Vlautin (Richmond Fontaine)- Gutter Bookshop – 28th Jan
Willy Vlautin may not be a household name, but many will know him better as the lead singer with the band Richmond Fontaine! Willy has also written a number of books, including […]
Things to do in Dublin this week (27-1-14 – 2-2-14)
Bill Callahan is in Dublin, yes, that Bill Callahan, of Smog fame, and even (Smog) fame, if you want to get precious about it. It’s hard to compete with that for your […]
Cuba in Revolution – Book Review
Why is Cuba Beautiful? Review by Sean Sheehan Cuba in Revolution, texts by Richard Gott, Peter Kornbluh, Mark Sanders (Hatje Cantz) Cuba, Andrew Moore (Damiani) There should be a place in everyone’s […]
Doomed – Chuck Palahniuk – Book Review
Doomed by Chuck Palahniuk Doomed is the second novel in a trilogy that started with Damned. In Damned Madison Desert Flower Rosa Parks Coyote Trickster Spencer finds herself damned to Hell after […]
Not Lost – A Story about Leaving Home – Sarah Maria Griffin – Book Review
Not lost is an unusual body of work from poet, journalist and sometimes novelist Sarah Maria Griffin. It takes us from the weeks before she left Dublin to the new world she […]
Things to do in Dublin this week (13-1-14 – 19-1-14)
We bid fond farewell to the first festival of the year, First Fortnight Festival will be back next year, with some luck. So what of this week? What’s in store for us […]
