Cultural links between Cork and France - RTÉ Brainstorm article

Cork and France have been trading together and sharing culture and ideas for hundreds of years. I have just written an article for RTÉ Brainstorm looking at 6 people who exemplify the cultural connection between the two places. Read it here.

John O'Sullivan and James Joyce in Paris. Image source.

A little background - As Ireland holds the 6-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (Jul-Dec 2026), it was decided to link up counties in Ireland with countries in the EU. It is known as the EU Presidency Country Pairings. In this initiative, Cork was linked with France, so it makes sense to dig a little deeper into the historic connection between Ireland's southern capital and la France.

Included in the list of people I chose for this article are Bishop John O'Brien (1701-1769), the artist Henry Jones Thaddeus (1859-1929), Professor Mary Ryan (1873-1961), the operatic tenor John O'Sullivan (1877-1955), the musician, academic and composer Seán Ó Riada (1931-1971), and the graphic artist Jean-Thomas (Tomi) Ungerer (1931-2019).

Cathal Ó Sándair - An Irish Diary

Cathal Ó Sándair (1922-1996) was the best-selling Irish language author of all time. He wrote more than 160 books in Irish and sold more than 500,000 copies. I have just written An Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about Ó Sándair's life and work. Read it here.

Front cover of Na Mairbh a d'Fhill by Cathal Ó Sándair. Image source.

His first book was Na Mairbh a d'Fhill. It was incredibly popular with its target audience, which was children and teenagers. Ó Sándair's Réics Carló series of books that followed the escapades of the star private detective Réics Carló were snapped up by his young readers. 

It is fitting, therefore, that an award at An tOireachtas each year for the best children's book in Irish is called 'Gradam Réics Carló'. There are five books in the running for this year's award and you can find out more information about it here.

Apart from the detective series, Ó Sándair wrote a western-style series called Réamonn Óg and a series on interplanetary space travel called Captaen Spéirling. Copies of his books can be found in libraries all over Ireland and you can even find examples of his work in the British Library in London and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. 

Museum visit - Cork Public Museum

Thanks to the curator of the Cork Public Museum Mr Daniel Breen for welcoming my 2nd year undergraduate class today. They viewed items in the museum's collection from the First World War and heard from historian Mr Gerry White about the period. 

Photograph of the Cork Public Museum.

It's nice to get out of the classroom and touch pieces of history. I look forward to hearing from the students how they found it when I see them again next week. 

Le Canard enchainé in RTÉ Brainstorm piece

The French weekly newspaper Le Canard enchainé is an usual paper. It is in print since 1915 and does not carry any advertising. Instead, it relies solely on subscriptions and sales at the newsstand. That is not all - it is known for its investigative reporting on the great and the good of French society and of course, its cartoons. I have just written a short piece about the history of the newspaper for RTÉ Brainstorm. Read it here.

Masthead of Le Canard enchainé.

As mentioned in my piece, Le Canard has had many scoops over the years, including the 'Affaire des diamants' (which implicated the then President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing) and the 'Fillon Affair' (which implicated the former Prime Minister François Fillon and his Welsh-born wife Penelope). 

Released every Wednesday, it now available online as well as in print. 

Launch of Freedom of Speech in the Press in Times of Conflict, Dublin 6 October 2026

The edited volume Freedom of Speech in the Press in Times of Conflict: Historical Perspectives From Ireland and Europe has been launched!! A good crowd attended the launch of the book in the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) on St Stephen's Green, Dublin on Tuesday 6 October 2026. See here for details of the book.

Three of the editors with special guest Dr David McCullagh.

Thanks to Dr David McCullagh (presenter with RTÉ) who spoke very positively of this new volume at the launch. We also had contributions on the night from editors Dr Aoife Whelan and Felix Larkin, as well as the Series Editor at Peter Lang, Dr Eamon Maher. 

Photograph of some of the contributors at the launch.

It is great to see the book in print at last and it's nice to see that it is already stocked in university libraries in England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Canada and the USA.

Book Launch - Dublin 6 October 2026

Please join us to launch Freedom of Speech in the Press in Times of Conflict: Historical Perspectives from Ireland and Europe in the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), 86 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 at 6pm on Tuesday 6 October 2026.

Edited by Prof Richard C. Allen, Felix M. Larkin, Dr Oliver O'Hanlon and Prof Aoife Whelan, the book will be launched by the historian and broadcaster Dr David McCullagh.

The book came about following a conference organised by the Newspaper and Periodical History Forum of Ireland (NPHFI). The book's table of contents is reproduced below and you can order a copy of the book on the publisher's (Peter Lang) website. It is the latest in Peter Lang's series on Studies in Franco-Irish Relations. Thanks to Eamon Maher (Series Editor) and Anthony Mason (Peter Lang) for their assistance during the publishing process.

Register here to attend the book launch on Tuesday 6 October at 6pm.

Irish Diary on disappearance of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt 1967

The Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt (1908-1967) went swimming at a secluded beach in Victoria in December 1967. He was never seen again. Read my Irish Diary in the Irish Times newspaper about the disappearance of Harold Holt.

Photograph of Harold Holt swimming. Image source.

Holt enjoyed swimming and snorkeling. His disappearance was a shock to his fellow countrymen and women and led to a whole range of conspiracy theories (which probably developed further as his body was never recovered despite an extensive search operation). 

At the time of his disappearance, Holt was an experienced politician who was seeking to develop Australia's relationships with other countries in the region and further afield. As a senior minister in Sir Robert Menzies' governments from 1949, he frequently visited London, New York and Washington for meetings of the Commonwealth and international organisations like the World Bank. 

Holt supported sending Australian troops to Vietnam during the Vietnam War and used the slogan "All the way with LBJ" when visiting the White House in June 1966 to show his support of the US President Lyndon Baines Johnson and his approach to the War. You can find out more about Holt's time in office in this resume on the National Archives of Australia website.

Irish Press, 21 October 1966.