On the role and selection of prescribed text lists
Some comments on the recent NCCA ‘Report on the role of prescribed text lists in Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate English and the processes involved in text selection.’
Read MoreDeborah Levy's 'August Blue'
Deborah Levy’s new novel August Blue will give pleasure to all who enjoyed her superb three-book ‘living autobiography.’
Read MorePerspectives on the Teaching of English in Post-Primary Education
Perspectives on the Teaching of English in Post-Primary Education, edited by Kevin Cahill and Niamh Dennehy, is a comprehensive and valuable collection of essays on the way the subject is taught and studied in Ireland.
Read MoreGreg Ashman's 'Cognitive Load Theory'
Greg Ashman’s Cognitive Load Theory in the Little Guide for Teachers series is a lucid short book on this important idea.
Read MoreAlice Winn's 'In Memoriam'
Alice Winn’s début novel In Memoriam is a fast-paced revisiting of the First World War in fiction, this time concentrating on a highly-charged erotic relationship between two schoolfriends, Ellwood and Gaunt.
Read MoreWilliam Trevor: 'The Piano Tuner's Wives'
An analysis of William Trevor’s short story, ‘The Piano Tuner’s Wives’, a masterpiece of fiction.
Read MoreClaire Keegan's 'So Late in the Day'
Claire Keegan’s 2022 short story ‘So Late in the Day’ is further evidence of her excellence, and George Saunders talks about it brilliantly.
Read MoreBeaver Island, Michigan
An article on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.
Read MoreReview round-up, June 2023
A round-up of short reviews from the Fortnightly newsletter, from January to June 2023.
Read More'Youth' by Kevin Curran
Kevin Curran’s new novel Youth captures four teenagers in contemporary Balbriggan, on the cusp of adulthood.
Read More'The Great White Bard' by Farah Karim-Cooper
Professor Karim-Cooper’s The Great White Bard: Shakespeare, race and the future is a rich and provocative look at the plays with a fresh eye.
Read MoreAn English Lawn, July 1871
A poem based on the opening of Henry James’s masterpiece The Portrait of a Lady.
Read MoreTen Points on Leaving Certificate English
Some thoughts on where we are with Leaving Certificate English, as Senior Cycle Reform gets closer, and as the AI revolution gathers pace.
Read MoreOn the English Leaving Certificate fuss of 2009
A post published originally in June 2009, following the incident when Paper 2 Leaving Certificate English had to be rescheduled, and there was a media firestorm.
Read MoreLeaving Certificate English 2023: Paper 2
An analysis of the literature paper at Higher Level in the 2023 Leaving Certificate.
Read MoreLeaving Certificate English 2023: Paper 1
A response to Paper 1 (English Language), Higher Level, in the 2023 Leaving Certificate.
Read MoreBilly O'Callaghan's 'The Paper Man'
Billy O’Callaghan’s new novel The Paper Man is a beautifully-crafted story of the now-forgotten Austrian footballing genius Matthias Sindelar and his young lover Rebekah, connecting Vienna in the 1930s and Cork City in the 30s and 80s.
Read More'Searching for Juliet' by Sophie Duncan
Sophie Duncan’s Searching for Juliet: The Lives and Deaths of Shakespeare’s First Tragic Heroine is a wide-ranging account of the many afterlives of one of literature’s most famous protagonists.
Read MoreCaravaggio and 'King Lear'
King Lear and Caravaggio’s ‘The Taking of Christ’ were created at the same time, in two different countries, by two artists who never met each other: but they share a lot.
Read MoreTwo webinars
Two free webinars in the 2023-24 academic year: on Hamlet, and on cognitive science (an introduction).
Read More