Culture

Nordic Mythology & Iceland’s Sustainable Transformation

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Renewable energy transitions have increasingly been recognised not only as technological and environmental imperatives but also as drivers of community resilience, socio-economic innovation, and energy security. In the Nordic region, ambitious renewable energy policies and high shares of renewables in energy consumption reflect a shared commitment to sustainability that encompasses social participation, democratic engagement, and … Read more

Poem: Chimera Times

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Chimera Times You’ve lived beyond your relevance— Another song, another age, Another line while in a trance, Routine by prompt, an empty stage. The art lives past the life, and all They want is what you did when young, The bright first thing, the curtain call, When fireworks flew and bells were rung. Yet still … Read more

Musician of the Month: Cedar Dobson

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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

Podcast: Ward Bosses and Alligator Bishops: Irish Americans and Tammany Hall with Terry Golway

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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

Fiction: PANOPTICON

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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

Poem: ‘The con cometh’

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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

Flash Fiction: Book Lover

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I cruise the Philosophy section of Hodges Figgis, watching, waiting. Like an old-fashioned spy I stand there on the third floor, book held up high for cover, my eyes glancing left then right over the top of it, solicitously. There are a lot of people around this afternoon; the rain has brought them in. For … Read more

A Tender, Provocative Interweaving of Earthly and Divine

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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

Cuckoo

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Cuckoo I fall to Wales between barred clouds and slate sea, trailing a long day like a banner. Coucou, I say, I am from Kinshasa.   Cwcw, they say. Soft rain rills desert dust from my wings. I am not a migrant; this is my second home. I fathom the woods for dunnocks. Zulus call me … Read more