Enda O’Doherty writes: Many of us may be aware of the rather disparaging remark Shakespeare’s friend and rival Ben Jonson – a highly educated...

Slowly but surely – and barring sudden reverses in the progress we have made – Ireland will be returning to social and cultural life...

During lockdown a range of our habits has been broken, and in some cases resuming them doesn’t seem something to look forward to. For many, contemplation of resuming even the simplest and most harmless of habits spurs the thought: I’m not really sure I want to do that any more.

The terms ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator’ are not mutually exclusive, in the present or in the past. History matters and cannot be ignored. But in trying to shape a peaceful future for Ireland we should be aware of the danger of too much history, in particular a one-sided obsession with past wrongs.

A major new biography of a monumental figure in modern Irish history. Griffith has been typified as ‘the last Young Irelander’ and Owen McGee’s account reflects on this by examining the different conceptions of Irish nationalism that existed before and after the formation of the Irish state.

Drawn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood through his strong conscience and sense of social justice, Thomas MacDonagh became a member of the Provisional Government and a signatory of the 1916 Easter Proclamation before his execution in 1916.

An account of the life of one of the founding members of the Irish Volunteers. Ceannt fought during the Rising, surrendered when ordered to do so by superior officer Patrick Pearse and was executed by firing squad aged 34.

After the Rebellion, came the trials. 3,226 men and women were rounded up and brought to Richmond Barracks in Dublin, where they were screened for trial, deportation or release. Nearly 2,000 men and women were deported and interned. 160 prisoners were tried by Courts Martial. Most trials lasted about 20 minutes or less. 90 death sentences were passed and 15 were carried out. This book provides a powerful analysis of an uncomfortable moment in history when the rule of law gave way to political imperatives.

This classic text explains how the Irish Volunteers, encompassing a new generation of Irish men and women, oversaw the development of a new and re-energized movement, free from much of the party-political machinations and interference that had hindered Irish nationalist attempts at self-determination in previous decades.

Despite the obstacle of being based in the same county as one third of Britain's military strength in Ireland, the Kildare IRA played an important role in the War of Independence running a successful military campaign and playing a crucial role in intelligence gathering.

The city of Cork experienced a political odyssey between Easter 1916 and the end of 1918. Irish Republicans evolved from a marginalised group to become undisputed political masters. The First World war created the context for this political transformation in Ireland's third- largest city.

Contemporary Ireland, north and south, was founded in the decade 1912-23. From the signing of the Ulster Unionists' Solemn League and Covenant to the partitioning of the country and subsequent civil war in the Irish Free State, a series of events shaped Ireland for the century to come.

A study of the Battle of Ashbourne in 1916, when the 5th Batallion of the Irish Volunteers confronted the RIC.

Explorations of history-making, commemorations and heritage in modern times.

This study supplies the first contextually precise account of the male gender anxieties and ambivalences haunting the culture of Irish nationalism in the era preceding the Irish Free State.

This engaging and provocative work consists of 29 chapters and discusses over 50 mostly non-fiction books that capture the development of Irish social and political thought since the early seventeenth century.

The New Dubliners is a collection of true stories from multicultural Dublin. It is about life in the Irish capital as experienced by young foreign nationals and the “new Irish”. The style is fresh and the lives are interesting, often fascinating.

Drawing together the themes of music, sport and culture, this lively collection investigates commonplace elements of Irish life, both in Ireland and abroad.

The first full length biography of one of Ireland's leading artists

Offers interpretations of youth and childhood in Irish culture. The result is a complex and provocative view of childhood experiences in modern Ireland.

Theoretical perspectives on Irish visual texts.

A collection of articles from an observant Pole living among the Irish.

Philosophical essays in memory of Gerald Hanratty.

Seven years since the sudden death of John O'Donohue, in print for the first time, a poignant and inspirational collection of radio conversations and presentations, based on John’s radio work with former RTÉ broadcaster and close friend John Quinn.

There’s no denying that the Eurovision Song Contest remains one of the most enduring phenomena of popular culture –and, perhaps, also one of the strangest.