Kerri ní Dochartaigh, born in 1983 in Derry when the Troubles were continuing to inflict pain and suffering on the citizens of Northern Ireland, has good reason to reflect on loss and division.   Sean Sheehan   Her formative years were spent amidst a traumatic period of murderous violence and […]

There is no writer more spiky than Jonathan Meades but no single word can sum up the sui generis blend of rage, sarcasm, common sense and virtue that characterises his pronouncements on life, the universe and everything. Sean Sheehan   Being a prose stylist, he can be unforgiving when encountering […]

It’s tempting to trace the peculiarity of Elizabeth Bowen’s writing to the bifurcating circumstances of her life. She was born, in 1899, into an Anglo-Irish family whose ancestor had arrived with Cromwell’s invasion in the 17th century.   Sean Sheehan   Her father’s mental ill-health occasioned a childhood move to […]

Visitors to London may think they are seeing the city when taking a selfie in front of Buckingham Palace or sitting on the steps of the fountain at Piccadilly Circus. Their time would be better spent with a copy of “Inventive vents” and, given how interesting it is, this guide […]