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Ruwa baya tsami a banza: Water does not become bitter without cause. There is a reason for everything. The Sahel throughout history has been known for many things. To the historically inclined, it is the region that produced empires like Wagadu, Mali and Songhai, and cities of world renown like Timbuktu. Today, the Sahel … Read more
I am a California native Irish traditional musician based in Ireland. I started playing music when I was around seven years old, beginning on piano and the Native American flute, which was my first wind instrument. My dad bought three of these flutes before I was born, and I am still playing them to this … Read more
For this Saint Patrick’s Day episode, Luke Sheehan asked Irish-American historian and New York history expert Terry Golway to help create an overview of the Irish American experience, with a focus on post-famine migration and the infamous Tammany Hall. Episode Credits: Host: Luke Sheehan Music: Loafing Heroes – https://theloafingheroes.bandcamp.com Produced by Massimiliano Galli – https://www.massimilianogalli.com … Read more
The Panopticon The panopticon is an architectural design for institutional buildings with an inbuilt system of control. Originated by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham it was later derided by historian Michel Foucoult as replacing fetters with hidden observers, thus creating a form of obedience that is based on information rather than force. … Read more
The con cometh The demon smirks, having laid out her wares. Will they see what she’s doing? Will they realise how they’re being taken in? Not all will grasp how an influencer works. She hopes they won’t. Her power over them depends on her ability to cajole and deceive. She insinuates herself into their thoughts, … Read more
One could easily mistake the names Francis, Goretti, Harry, Ingrid, and Joseph for the names of a bunch of digital nomads passing through Portugal in recent times. Yet these are the names of storms, or diluvial nomads, which have become regular visitors to Portugal, with varying degrees of impact: more or less gusty and rainy; … Read more
Review: Eros Rex, poems by Haley Hodges, Orison Books. Brimming over with desire, Haley Hodges’ collection Eros Rex reverberates ‘like the plucked string of a lute’ (‘Innocence’) with stark, sensuous questions about Christliness and control. Hodges’ poems insist upon the reader’s attention in much the same way as the poetic voice demands attention from those … Read more
Jenny Ní Ruiséil is a musician and Yoga teacher, based in the west of Ireland. She creates music inspired by her roots finding her voice through singing in the Irish language, as well as taking inspiration from medicine music around the world and devotional chanting tradition of bhakti yoga and other spiritual traditions. Jenny is … Read more
Review: Archiving Gaza in the Present: Memory, Culture and Erasure. Edited by Dina Matar and Venetia Porter (Saqi Books, London, November, 2025). While Israel has made Gaza synonymous with its genocide, a rich cultural heritage, now largely destroyed, paints a completely different picture. The introduction to Archiving Gaza in the Present: Memory Culture and Erasure … Read more