Frank McNally
@frankie49.bsky.social
đ€ 5426
đ„ 1552
đ 454
Chief writer of An Irish Diary, The Irish Times
Duelling church bells, ZĂŒrich.
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about 5 hours ago
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In the CafĂ© Odeon, ZĂŒrich, where Joyce & Lenin used to drink circa 1916, albeit at different ends of the bar.
3 days ago
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Bumped into an old friend in ZĂŒrich
3 days ago
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Life imitates art
6 days ago
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âLeafy-with-love banks and the green waters of the canal Pouring redemptionâŠâ
8 days ago
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reposted by
Frank McNally
David Stifter đ”đđŠ
12 days ago
@frankie49.bsky.social
on St Dunstan, Hiberno-Latin and Visio Tnugdali:
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
Another extremely popular Hiberno-Latin text, Nauigatio St Brendani, is currently available for a great discount at:
shop.dias.ie/product/navi...
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Devil in the detail: Frank McNally on the diabolical reputation of St Dunstan
The 10th century holy manâs demonic pact is blamed for the occasional frost around his feast day
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/20/devil-in-the-detail-frank-mcnally-on-the-diabolical-reputation-of-st-dunstan/
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reposted by
Frank McNally
Des FitzGerald
13 days ago
One to enjoy with a âïž today - Frank McNally celebrating 20 years and 3,500 Irishman's Diary columns in the Irish Times đ Consistently for me the best read in the paper...and one of the main reasons I subscribe. No pressure
@frankie49.bsky.social
!
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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Here are 20 things I have learned in 20 years of writing An Irish Diary
Deadline fears, the law of typos and becoming a master diarist are just some
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/19/it-beats-working-frank-mcnally-on-20-years-of-writing-a-column/
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Moody May sky
19 days ago
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Summer in Dublin, nearly.
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19 days ago
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âAll changed, changed utterly by the bookâs editors. A terrible infelicity is born.â
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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Suspended sentence â Frank McNally on English revisionism and 1916 executions
If any Methuen editors are reading, there are two problems with your footnote
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/12/suspended-sentence-frank-mcnally-on-english-revisionism-and-1916-executions/
20 days ago
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Frank McNally
The Irish Times
25 days ago
Strained relations â Frank McNally on the usefulness of Irish for keeping track of your cousins
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Strained relations â Frank McNally on the usefulness of Irish for keeping track of your cousins
Did the Irish system of accounting for family arise from Brehon Law?
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/08/strained-relations-frank-mcnally-on-the-usefulness-of-irish-for-keeping-track-of-your-cousins/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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Feel bad about cooking him. Looks like itâs been a rough day already.
25 days ago
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âHours earlier I had watched from the same window an illegally parked car being clamped. I should have known that, whatever about the owner, this would come back to haunt me.â
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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Unchained melody: Nocturnal declamping is part of the soundtrack to city life
Eavesdropping can bring you into a world of fascinating speakers and conversations
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/07/unchained-melody-nocturnal-declamping-is-part-of-the-soundtrack-to-city-life/
25 days ago
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reposted by
Frank McNally
David Stifter đ”đđŠ
27 days ago
@frankie49.bsky.social
about Hiberno-English "scaraveens", probably a form, with inorganic s- and pronounced with an anaptyctic vowel, of Ir. garbhshĂon "rough weather".
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
Medieval Irish garbáčĄĂn is attested as far back as the Late Middle Irish In Cath Catharda: /1
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Clouds in cuckoo land: Frank McNally on the meteorological âscaraveensâ of May
Caught unawares by the sudden cold spells that happen this time of year? Blame the cuckoos
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/06/clouds-in-cuckoo-land-frank-mcnally-on-the-meteorological-scaraveens-of-may/
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Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 1 month ago
Any portent in a storm: Frank McNally on dogfights, doomsday and a tale of two Dundalks
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Any portent in a storm: Frank McNally on dogfights, doomsday and a tale of two Dundalks
Robert Ross, royal diplomacy and linguistic battles over whiskey
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/05/02/any-portent-in-a-storm-frank-mcnally-on-dogfights-doomsday-and-a-tale-of-two-dundalks/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 1 month ago
Road to perdition: Frank McNally on the strange, tragic fate of a Kerry historian in 1920s America
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Road to perdition: Frank McNally on the strange, tragic fate of a Kerry historian in 1920s America
A new documentary tells the story of Patrick Foley, who left Dingle in 1909 and died violently in mysterious circumstances
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/30/road-to-perdition-frank-mcnally-on-the-strange-tragic-fate-of-a-kerry-historian-in-1920s-america/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 1 month ago
Walpurgis Night: Frank McNally on the superstition of April 30th
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Walpurgis Night: Frank McNally on the superstition of April 30th
The sinister reputation of the date has origins in folklore of northern Europe
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/29/wall-to-wall-walpurgis-night-frank-mcnally-on-superstition-of-april-30th/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 1 month ago
Cultural exchange: Frank McNally on the mutual benefits of being an occasional tour guide
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Cultural exchange: Frank McNally on the mutual benefits of being an occasional tour guide
I suggested my guests look up Raglan Road on a well-known Swedish institution
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/28/cultural-exchange-frank-mcnally-on-the-mutual-benefits-of-being-an-occasional-tour-guide/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 1 month ago
Brussels Brouhaha â Frank McNally on trying to make sense of EU capital
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Brussels Brouhaha â Frank McNally on trying to make sense of EU capital
Mood in Brussels, as detected during two days of press briefings at least, was poised between worried and smug
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/24/brussels-brouhaha-frank-mcnally-on-trying-to-make-sense-of-eu-capital/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 1 month ago
Last Post and Chorus: Frank McNally on memories of a long-lost Dublin restaurant
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Last Post and Chorus: Frank McNally on memories of a long-lost Dublin restaurant
Kaminski snr bought the restaurant some time after he graduated from Trinity College in the 1950s
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/23/last-post-and-chorus-frank-mcnally-on-memories-of-a-long-lost-dublin-restaurant/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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Great win for the good guys in the drumlin derby.
#GAA
#elclasico
about 1 month ago
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At the start line of a robot half-marathon in China. This one could have a big future in soccer.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
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âHaving notions in the Irish sense is not usually fatal either. The worst it may earn you is an unlimited period of community service (the community service of giving your neighbours something to complain about).â
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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How a 16th-century English failed monk tried to bridge Anglo-Irish linguistic gulf
You wouldnât want to mistake squish for huff
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/17/united-notions-frank-mcnally-on-past-attempts-to-bridge-the-anglo-irish-linguistic-gulf/
about 1 month ago
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Frank McNally
JamesJoyceGazette
about 2 months ago
Green Smoke â Frank McNally on the history of a nationalist tobacco shop, circa 1904
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
via
@frankie49.bsky.social
@irishtimes.bsky.social
#JamesJoyce
#Ulysses
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Green Smoke â Frank McNally on the history of a nationalist tobacco shop, circa 1904
Its precious visitor books were rescued decades later from a barrow on Dublinâs quays
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/16/green-smoke-frank-mcnally-on-the-history-of-a-nationalist-tobacco-shop-circa-1904/
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 2 months ago
Dearly imparted: Frank McNally on Paddy the philanthropist, the BBC banning of Clannad, and Beckettâs womb with a view
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Dearly imparted: Frank McNally on Paddy the philanthropist, the BBC banning of Clannad, and Beckettâs womb with a view
Might Paddy Dear be persuaded to throw a few million our way, for the relief of distress in dear old Ireland?
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/15/dearly-imparted-frank-mcnally-on-paddy-the-philanthropist-the-bbc-banning-of-clannad-and-becketts-womb-with-a-view/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 2 months ago
Wilde Romantic Way: Frank McNally on the rise and fall of Oscarâs amorous father
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Wilde Romantic Way: Frank McNally on the rise and fall of Oscarâs amorous father
Not all of William Wildeâs exploits are commemorated on a plaque
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/14/wilde-romantic-way-frank-mcnally-on-the-rise-and-fall-of-oscars-amorous-father/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 2 months ago
Frank McNally on a Dublin womanâs attempt to assassinate Mussolini, 100 years ago
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Frank McNally on a Dublin womanâs attempt to assassinate Mussolini, 100 years ago
Itâs hard to say for sure what drove Violet Gibson
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/10/frank-mcnally-on-a-dublin-womans-attempt-to-assassinate-mussolini-100-years-ago/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 2 months ago
High on life â Frank McNally on Aldous Huxley, psychedelic drugs and why artists love depicting drapery
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High on life â Frank McNally on Aldous Huxley, psychedelic drugs and why artists love depicting drapery
For the artist or mescaline taker alike, Huxley concluded, âdraperies are living hieroglyphsâ
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/09/high-on-life-frank-mcnally-on-aldous-huxley-psychedelic-drugs-and-why-artists-love-depicting-drapery/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
Enda o Dowd
about 2 months ago
Touching diary in the IT Frank McNally: A heart-stopping epitaph on the grave of a little-known teenager
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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Frank McNally: A heart-stopping epitaph on the grave of a little-known teenager
A stone in Romeâs âProtestant Cemeteryâ commemorates Rosa Bathurst, who drowned in 1824, aged 16
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/08/frank-mcnally-a-heart-stopping-epitaph-on-the-grave-of-a-little-known-teenager/
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âAgainst strong competition from dead celebrities, the most moving epitaph in Romeâs Protestant Cemetery is on the grave of a little-known English teenager.â
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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Frank McNally: A heart-stopping epitaph on the grave of a little-known teenager
A stone in Romeâs âProtestant Cemeteryâ commemorates Rosa Bathurst, who drowned in 1824, aged 16
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/08/frank-mcnally-a-heart-stopping-epitaph-on-the-grave-of-a-little-known-teenager/
about 2 months ago
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
about 2 months ago
âThatâs the wrong Irelandâ: The eternal quest to find a pub showing Czechia v Ireland in Rome
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âThatâs the wrong Irelandâ: The eternal quest to find a pub showing Czechia v Ireland in Rome
After finding myself lost in translation, it didnât help that every available TV was showing Italy v Northern Ireland
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/04/07/thats-the-wrong-ireland-the-eternal-quest-to-find-a-pub-showing-the-game-in-rome/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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Monday blues
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about 2 months ago
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Packed for a picnic, Rome.
about 2 months ago
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Mylesday at the Palace Bar, marking the 60th anniversary of the death of Brian OâNolan, aka Flann OâBrien, aka Myles na gCopaleen (as another late great newspaper man, Con Houlihan, looks on).
2 months ago
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Frank McNally
Joe Culley
2 months ago
Happy 60th anniversary He was a fine pancake
@flannobriensoc.bsky.social
@frankie49.bsky.social
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Frank McNally
The Irish Times
2 months ago
Plaques broad and narrow â Frank McNally on Dublin street honours big, small and missing
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Plaques broad and narrow â Frank McNally on Dublin street honours big, small and missing
City keen to celebrate citizens and even daft causes, but one omission needs correcting
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/26/plaques-broad-and-narrow-frank-mcnally-on-dublin-street-honours-big-small-and-missing/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
2 months ago
Born-again poet â Frank McNally on the confused centenary of Frank OâHara
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Born-again poet â Frank McNally on the confused centenary of Frank OâHara
New Yorker had two âbirthdaysâ, one of which was to spare his parentsâ blushes
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/25/born-again-poet-frank-mcnally-on-the-confused-centenary-of-frank-ohara/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
2 months ago
Pidgeon homed â Frank McNally on the repatriation of an Old IRA man from 1970s London
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Pidgeon homed â Frank McNally on the repatriation of an Old IRA man from 1970s London
Souvenirs from traditional military salute for veteran at Glasnevin risked an awkward explanation or two
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/24/pidgeon-homed-frank-mcnally-on-the-repatriation-of-an-old-ira-man-from-1970s-london/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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Theres no place like Rome. Very excited sbout doing this.
www.eventbrite.it/e/casa-della...
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Casa Della Cultura Irlandese 'Presents'
La Casa della Cultura Irlandese returns to you with our third annual evening of Irish and Italian music and word.
https://www.eventbrite.it/e/casa-della-cultura-irlandese-presents-tickets-1983137836654
2 months ago
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
2 months ago
The Irish airman who survived one of the most dangerous jobs of the second World War
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The Irish airman who survived one of the most dangerous jobs of the second World War
OâDwyer and his colleagues were on the front line of an intelligence war
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/20/the-irish-airman-who-survived-one-of-the-most-dangerous-jobs-of-the-second-world-war/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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reposted by
Frank McNally
David Stifter đ”đđŠ
2 months ago
The famous medieval Irish episode(s) of a ship seen flying in the air, retold by
@frankie49.bsky.social
with a cameo appearance of Prof John Carey (UCC) and an excursion 1890s Texas:
www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-i...
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SpĂĄs Tailteann â Frank McNally on the mystery of flying ships in ancient Meath
Perhaps the strangest twist in the taleâs evolution is the one by which it turned up in 1890s Texas
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/19/spas-tailteann-frank-mcnally-on-the-mystery-of-flying-ships-in-ancient-meath/
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
3 months ago
High-level hyperbolics: Frank McNally on the Irish approach to bigging things up
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High-level hyperbolics: Frank McNally on the Irish approach to bigging things up
Be it song lyrics about a beautiful place or the fight to rebuild a public toilet, use of language is always key
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/18/high-level-hyperbolics-frank-mcnally-on-the-irish-approach-to-bigging-things-up/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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RIP Dolores Keane, the voice of Ireland
m.youtube.com/watch?v=aIU1...
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Dolores Keane - Let It Be
YouTube video by Dolphin Music Group
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aIU1lN5JZq4
3 months ago
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Dublin lamppost
3 months ago
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Incroyable
#FRAvENG
3 months ago
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What a game. Brilliant performance by Ireland. And now, even though I feel very dirty saying this: Come on England!
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3 months ago
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reposted by
Frank McNally
The Irish Times
3 months ago
Ron for your life: Frank McNally on what the late Ron Delany could teach table quizzers
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Ron for your life: Frank McNally on what the late Ron Delany could teach table quizzers
Not that The Irish Times team needed any help crossing the finish line first to claim victory in the annual Dublin Rape Crisis Centre corporate quiz night
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/an-irish-diary/2026/03/13/ron-for-your-life-frank-mcnally-on-what-the-late-ron-delany-could-teach-table-quizzers/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky
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After many near misses,
@irishtimes.com
finally wins the big annual Dublin Rape Crisis Centre quiz, thanks in part to the late Ronnie Delaney, whose Olympic winning 1500m time (3.41.2) was the tie-breaker.
3 months ago
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âDuring an idle moment at a High Court hearing on the Burke case recently, I found myself wondering about the difference in meaning, if any, between the words âshoutingâ and âroaringâ.â
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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With Francis Brennan at the launch of Frank OâDowdâs Parody Poems and Prose on Sunday in
@booksupstairs.bsky.social
3 months ago
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