The garden is beginning to look a little woolly now that it’s the end of September; the apples and pears are falling from the trees and the courgettes have slowed so much that they have become a valuable commodity again. Even the beans are beginning to be defeated with the […]
Columnists
The saying ‘a wet and windy May fills the barns with straw and hay’ has indeed lived up to it’s billing. Weather has held up well through September and grain was harvested in good conditions. This, on top of a solid grass-growing spell in August and September, should stand farmers […]
The Great Fire of London is the worst in London’s history. First igniting in a baker’s shop on Pudding Lane belonging to Thomas Farriner, the fire swept through the city from September 2 until September 5 in 1666. While only six deaths were recorded, it destroyed a huge area, including […]
One of the pleasures of teaching English in secondary schools is the great choice of texts. The Leaving Cert choice is particularly eclectic and varies every two-year cycle. Those beginning their senior cycle this year could find themselves studying novels that explore the modern world we live in, like how […]
The ancient festival of ‘Samhain’ – the first day of Winter for the ancient Celts – was traditionally kept on November 1, now the Feast of All Saints, and the vigil of this day, ‘Oíche Shamhna’ (Hallowe’en), is still celebrated on the last night in October. Hallowe’en was originally a […]
I often feel a sense of sadness at this time of year. It’s a melancholy that is both nostalgic and foreboding: nostalgia for the summer that’s gone and foreboding of the winter ahead. This year however, I can’t complain. September has been such a beautiful month, stretching summer out for a […]