RTÉ Brainstorm piece on No Mate for the Magpie book

The novel No Mate for the Magpie was written by Frances Molloy (real name Ann Brady née McGill) in 1985. I have just written a short article on RTÉ Brainstorm discussing this unusual book. Read it here.

 

Cover of No Mate for the Magpie (London: Virago, 1985)

The narrative, told in the first person, deals with growing up in Derry and other parts of Northern Ireland in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and the way that the tense political situation put a strain on people's lives. The story is told in a wry humorous way and the author uses details from her own biography to highlight the sectarian divide that existed at the time and to tell the tale of how the main character, Ann McGlone, faced discrimination because of her religion.  

I enjoyed the book for its humour and unusual writing style but it can be sad to read about the way that the main character was treated by others (including her neighbours and work colleagues) just because she was born into a different religion. It is now more than 40 years since No Mate for the Magpie was first published in 1985. Ruth Carr described it as "one of the most original fictional responses to the Troubles to come out of Northern Ireland".

Ann Brady was listed (as Frances Molloy) in an anthology of female writers from Northern Ireland in the 1980s. The title of the anthology is The Female Line: Northern Irish Women Writers (Belfast, 1985). It seems, therefore, that her work was appreciated and that good things were expected of her. 

Sadly, she died of a stroke in 1991 at age 44. With scholars such as Dr Laura Kennedy (University College Cork) and Dr Jennifer M. Jeffers (among others) taking an interest in Ann Brady's work in recent years, it is good to see that her work has not been forgotten. Dr Laura Kennedy organised an event in the Museum of Free Derry in November 2025 to mark the book's 40th anniversary. Prof Jennifer Jeffers published a biography of Frances Molloy (Ann Brady) in 2025.

More Irish-themed covers of Le Petit Journal - Abbey Theatre Riot Feb 1926

I have previously written here about Irish-themed covers of the French illustrated periodical Le Petit Journal illustré. Another one to add to the list was published on this day (28 February) in 1926. It concerns the Abbey Theatre riot that took place in the Abbey Theatre in Dublin on 11 February 1926 when some audience members reacted angrily to a staging of Seán O'Casey's play The Plough and the Stars. You can find out more about the incident here.

 

Back cover of Le Petit Journal 28 February 1926. Image source. 

 

Page 2, Le Petit Journal 28 February 1926. Image source.  

The illustration of the riot was accompanied by a short description of what happened on the night. It was, according to the newspaper, 'something that could only take place in Ireland'. 'Things came to blows and the women grabbed each other's hair', it went on. 

W.B. Yeats tried in vain to separate the fighters and address the crowd but his efforts failed. The theatre was eventually cleared and closed. According to the newspaper, 'with the tenacity that marks the Celtic race, the directors of the Abbey and their actors claim that they will go on staging the play as they had planned'. 

WW1 Memorial Cross in Ieper/Ypres Belgium - RTÉ Brainstorm article

A tall stone Celtic Cross in the Belgian city of Ieper (Ypres) commemorates men from Cork in Ireland who died there during the First World War. I have just written a short article about the history of the cross for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

 

Photograph of the memorial with the cathedral in the background.

Ieper, known as Ypres during the War, was held by the forces of the Allied Powers right throughout the War. The cost of holding this strategic location was high for the Allies as well as the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire). Many hundreds of thousands died during the Three Battles of Ypres in 1914, 1915 and 1917.  

 

Photograph of the memorial showing a carving to represent the crest of Munster (three crowns) with some Celtic knot motif on the bottom.

After the War, Ieper was seen as 'holy ground' by ex-servicemen on account of all the lives lost there during the War and the near utter destruction of the town. I have previously written about the destruction and rebuilding of the town here. The memorial cross was unveiled in 1924 and by that stage, Ireland had gained its independence from Britain. 

The sacrifice of the Irishmen who fought in the British army during the War was remembered by their family and the community they came from. However, with independence came a fresh perspective on the Irish who fought and died during the War. 

 

Photograph showing the detailed carving of the Celtic motif on the shaft of the cross.

This article by Fionnuala Walsh on the 1914-1918 Online Encyclopedia covers how the attitude of Irish people to the War evolved over the years. This article by Edward Madigan deals with how the centenary of the War was marked in Ireland and how this provided a chance to look back on that period with a more objective outlook. The renewed interest in the story of the Irishmen who fought in the War that was prompted by events such as the Decade of Centenaries can be seen in the renewed links between Cork City Council and Ieper City Council that I mention in the Brainstorm piece. 

RTÉ Brainstorm piece on Le Goncourt des détenus

In France a literary prize is decided by prison inmates. It is called 'Le Goncourt des détenus' and I have just written a piece about it for the RTÉ Brainstorm website. Read it here.

 

The prize is similar to the regular Prix Goncourt literary award that has been awarded to the "best and most imaginative prose work of the year" but what makes this one unique is that it is prison inmates from 45 French centers of detention who read the books on the shortlist and decide who should receive the award. Find out more about it here.

Welsh newspapers online - Free resource

The National Library of Wales has digitised millions of articles from the its collection of historic newspapers. 15 million Welsh newspaper articles in English and Welsh are now available to view online for free. You can access the catalogue here.

 

Screenshot of the website for information. 

Through the search boxes, you can also specify if you want to search for cartoons, graphs, illustrations, maps and photographs. Below are some examples of the editorial cartoons you can find on the website.

 

'Leaving for the Gilded Chamber', The Cambria Daily Leader, 19 May 1914. Source.

 

'The Wash Outs', Abergavenny Chronicle, 16 November 1918. Source.

Visit to Cork Public Museum with a class

I am teaching an undergraduate module on 'France and the Great War' at the moment. It is a classroom based module but I thought it could be helpful for the students to look outside of the classroom for an alternative for one of our seminars - so I contacted the Cork Public Museum. 

The responsive to my initial approach to the museum was very positive and as a result of their work, we had a successful visit. It is great to actually see and feel items from that period (or authentic replicas) instead of just reading about them. 

 

Photograph of Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald's Park. 

Thanks to the curator Mr Daniel Breen and education officer Ms Jessica Cull for welcoming us to the museum and presenting relevant items that they took out from storage for us.

 

Frederick Douglass in Ireland 180 years ago - An Irish Diary

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born into slavery in America. He managed to escape and spent the rest of his life telling his story and campaigning for an end to slavery. He visited Ireland in 1845 to spread the word. I have just written an Irish Diary about his time in Ireland in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.

 

Mural of Frederick Douglass in Cork.

Douglass wrote his autobiography in 1845 and this caused quite the sensation - so much so that he thought it might be best to get away for a while. He toured Ireland on a speaking tour in the Autumn of 1845, visiting Kildare, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Belfast, Wexford and Waterford. He was positively received wherever he went. This surprised him as he was used to being treated differently in the United States on account of his skin colour. 

He also visited England, Scotland and Wales in 1845. There is a map here of all the towns where he spoke from Exeter in the south of England to Wrexham in northeast Wales and Aberdeen in Scotland.