Category Archives: Uncategorized

“Now is a Moveble Feast: a Celebration of the Life and Work of Anne Le Marquand Hartigan”

Anne Le Marquand Hartigan’s family, friends and colleagues pay tribute to her life and work When: Wednesday 3rd May at 7:00 p.m. Where: Irish Writers Centre, 19 Parnell Square North, Dublin 1, D01 E102 Participants: Louise C. Callaghan, Lucy Collins, … Continue reading

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Read for Ukraine (reposted from March 17th 2022)

At a recent “Dialogues on War” event organised by PEN International, in a conversation between Andreiy Kurkov and Philippe Sands, Kurkov was asked what people could do to support Ukrainian writers. “Read their books”, was his reply. Sands’ own incredible, … Continue reading

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Halyna Kruk and Olesya Zdorovetska in conversation (Rathmines Library, 14th November 2022)

Halyna Kruk is a Ukrainian poet, children’s writer, translator, literary critic and professor of medieval studies at the University of Lviv. She has also been a vice-president of PEN Ukraine. Olesya Zdorovetska is a performer, composer, curator and educator. She … Continue reading

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Another Alice: Interview with Shauna Gilligan

Thanks to Shauna Gilligan for this generous, thoughtful interview about the new Arlen House Classic Literature edition of Another Alice. There’s a Foreword by Paula McGrath and an Afterword by Lia. Cover image by Carmel Benson. This is #53 in … Continue reading

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Edith: A Novel (Interview with Martina Devlin)

1921. While Treaty negotiations are being conducted in London, Ireland is a restless, uncertain, dangerous place. Edith Somerville is in her family home, Drishane House in Castle Townshend. The Somervilles, an Ascendancy family, have been there for centuries but their … Continue reading

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SEASPIRACY

The documentary Seaspiracy is harrowing to watch but you must watch it. Everyone on the planet should see it, urgently, because one of its major impacts is to break the news of how far advanced we are in our reckless … Continue reading

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Margaret Keane Family’s Appeal Successful

(Update on previous blogs) A quick note to say that the Keane family’s Appeal, heard by Morag Ellis QC Dean of the Arches, (Province of Canterbury) on Wednesday 24th February, has been successful. This means that the family can erect … Continue reading

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Labour Party Irish Society Zoom (Supporting Margaret Keane’ s family campaign for an inscription in Irish on her headstone)

Last night the UK Labour Party Irish Society held a Zoom meeting concerning the case of a headstone in the graveyard of St Giles’ Church in the Diocese of Coventry. The family of Margaret Keane, who died in 2018, went … Continue reading

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Tree

This week’s grief was that we had to cut down a spruce tree that was thriving but too close to the house. Its roots threatened all kinds of trouble.  We bought this tree to brighten the room where my mother was dying, … Continue reading

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Launch of Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann

On Sunday, 15th November 2020, the new Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann held an event to mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer and to launch our new organisation. Strange to say of an online event but: there was a really … Continue reading

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