Monthly Archives: August 2010

Argyll peninsula: Lochs, Scots… and two whisky barrels

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

There are two types of season in Scotland,” Billy Connolly once quipped, “June and winter.” As the warm evening sun flickers one final time on the calm, aquamarine waters of Loch Goil, near Loch Lomond, before disappearing behind the ruins … Continue reading →

Posted in Irish Independent, Travel | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Nick Ward – Closing the Circle

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

In the 19th century Fastnet rock was nicknamed ‘Ireland’s teardrop’. This small, clay-slate island, 11 miles off the coast of Cork, was, for many emigrants, the last glimpse of land before America. A hundred and fifty years after the coffin … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Irish Examiner | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Football, Football, Football

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

Last week I played in Amnesty international’s annual Edinburgh critics versus comics football match. Not only was a chance for comics to get their own back for those one-star reviews but it was all for a good cause – to … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy, Guardian, Sport | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A satire on schooldays puts Paul Murray at the top of the class

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

In Ireland, small talk is not what it was. For centuries, Irish people chatted idly about the weather, then, for one crazy decade, it was difficult to buy a pint of milk without being invited to give an opinion on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, The Herald | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Edinburgh Festival Reviews

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

I’ve been in Edinburgh on and off during August, doing some reviews for a couple of local magazines, The List and Fest. It’s been great fun – I’ve seen some great stuff as well as the inevitable dross – but … Continue reading →

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Experimental work proves the novel is far from dead

Posted on August 23, 2010 by admin

Review of Tom McCarthy’s excellent Booker-nominated novel C from the Sunday Business Post. Literary spats seldom make news headlines, but Gabriel Josipovici’s description of Martin Amis, Ian McEwan , Julian Barnes and Salman Rushdie as ‘‘prep-school boys showing off “, … Continue reading →

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