Tag Archives: Ireland

Dracula Daily

Posted on May 2, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Starting tomorrow you can participate in a brilliant web project featuring the iconic vampire novel by Bram Stoker. Dracula Daily: “Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an epistolary novel – it’s made up of letters, diaries, telegrams, newspaper clippings – and every … Continue reading →

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Book of Kells

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

One of the highlights of a trip to Dublin for any bibliophile is a visit to the magnificent Trinity College Library. And the most popular attraction in the library is the amazing 9th century Book of Kells. The devotional text … Continue reading →

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Samhain Is Upon Us

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In Ireland Samhain was an ancient pagan festival that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the Celtic new year and long winter ahead. (Samhain translates to “summer’s end” in Gaelic.) Begining at sundown on October 31 and … Continue reading →

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Down the Glen

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Nearly a year ago, Irish musician Patrick Dexter began posting online videos of himself playing the cello. Since then, his open-air recitals, shot outside his picturesque cottage in Mayo on the rural west coast, have been viewed millions of times. The video … Continue reading →

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Take a closer look at your library

Posted on February 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Libraries Ireland has launched a new national advertising campaign asking everyone to “Take a Closer Look” at what their local library has to offer. A new video features real libraries and librarians and is part a wider national strategy to increase library … Continue reading →

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Hope For All Of Us

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The Bookseller has reported that Silence Under a Stone, by the 81-year-old Irish writer Norma MacMaster, has been shortlisted for the Society of Authors’ Awards. What is noteworthy is that it is also Norma’s debut novel. The book, which the Independent … Continue reading →

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Bram Stoker’s Dublin

Posted on October 27, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The last weekend in October has become the best time to visit Dublin each year since the advent of the Bram Stoker Festival and Halloween Parade seven years ago. The festivities always include a spectacular costumed parade, theatrical performances, musical … Continue reading →

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Mean Streets of Dublin

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Dublin in the Drizzle

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The 2018 winner of the Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year award is Manus Boyle Tobin. His short story “Drizzle on the Windscreen” is a single sentence narrative about a homeless Dublin taxi driver. Tobin has said that his … Continue reading →

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Winter Is Coming

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Tomorrow marks the  winter solstice —the shortest day and longest night of the year. In the northern hemisphere, the solstice also marks the official start of winter. Here on the east coast of the U.S., the solstice will be happen at … Continue reading →

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