Ricky Jay RIP
Ricky Jay, scholar of magic and mountebanks, “the greatest sleight of hand artist of his generation”, has died Here is a 1993 New Yorker profile of this extraordinary man. It…
Apologia pro blogging-vita sua
Apologies for the coinage. I have generally tried to avoid navel gazing too much on this blog; the reader can judge how successfully. However, I have recently been taking stock…
“he was an affectionate husband and tender father, in friendship steady and sincere; to all beneath him courteous, truly just and therefore universally esteemed and beloved. He lived under the influence of religion and died cheerfully supported by it ” – the grave of Jeffry Prendergast, buried in 1713 by his 99 year old father who would live to 111
Readers may note I am partial to the wisdom of gravestones , or even just a striking epitaph. . Trying to find out more about the holy well I came…
?Holy Well, Newcastle, Tipperary
Walking along a bit of the East Munster Way near Newcastle, Co Tipperary, I came across this sign: Beside it stood a wooden stile and this sign which says, basically…
Stained Glass from Church of Our Lady, Coolagh, Callan, Kilkenny
Coolagh is a little outside Callan; this church is part of Callan parish. It is also featured in the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage\: Appraisal Occupying a prominent position on a…
Erratum re Harry Clarke / Fethard
Early last year I posted on the stained glass of Augustinian Priory, Fethard. This includes this window depicting Our Lady of Fatima: I had picked up somewhere that it was from…
Monday Monster Movie – Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Once there was a simple, ordinary story of a simple, ordinary monster called Godzilla. This simple story explored, in a simple way, how a simple monster could simply attack a…
“Léim isteach sa ngluaistean / Níl deifir orainn a bheith ann / Lig do scíth go hiomlán” = “I’ll be riding shotgun / Underneath the warm sun / Feeling like a someone”
So here’s George Ezra’s megahit Shotgun in an as gaeilge version: zzx] Literal translation of chorus: “Jump Into the Car / We’re in no hurry / Take it easy,…
Séamus Sweeney 