Articles
Essays, reviews, and commentary on literature, history, politics, and ideas.
Interrupted Lives
Fate dealt harshly with both JG Farrell and Stewart Parker, two hugely gifted Irish writers who died in their forties
Oscar Wilde and the Irish
Far from being a marginal figure in independent Ireland, Wilde was viewed with considerable interest and good will.
Weimar Stories
The German-Dutch writer Hans Keilson reached a new English-speaking audience when his novels from the 1930s were reissued. This rediscovery came when Keilson was 100.
West Cork and The Writing of History
In reply to Dr Eve Morrison
An Awfully Big Adventure
Patrick Leigh Fermor was a man of great talents who inspired affection and deep friendship among those who knew him and who was fortunate in the friends he made.
Understanding the Serbs
David Ralph’s recent essay on the war in Bosnia merely added to the mountain of incomprehension that British journalists raised about the region’s war.
The Noble Earl
A historical novel based on a fourteenth century Hiberno-Norman chieftain reminds us that Ireland was a multilingual and multicultural country long before any of us were born.
The Opening to Others
Believers make use of supernatural stories to give detailed content to and make more tangible the sense of openness to the transcendent, openness to strangers.
Oscar and the Irish
A history of Oscar Wilde’s reputation in Ireland is uplifting and rhetorically adroit. But perhaps we should also ask if it is true.
Theories of Everything
Markets on their own will neither guarantee their own continuation nor broader societal prosperity. They rely on inclusive and adaptable political institutions, which in turn are created by political choices.
War, Death and Hubris
The British are good at remembering their history in Afghanistan, but then so are the Afghans. The two versions are irreconcilable.
Sharp Mind, Sharp Tongue
Hugh Trevor-Roper was an historian of exceptional gifts, but some wondered why he needed to spend so much time hating people.