Ronan O'Driscoll's Blog, page 3

https://chiefoneill.com/irish-music-h...

I’m delighted to report that EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin are selling Chief O’Neill as part of a hamper for budding Irish Music enthusiasts. I believe the fascinating life story of Francis O’Neill will appeal to anyone but particularly lovers of traditional music: “A Fascinating Hobby” in the words of Francis O’Neill himself.Click on this link to find out more: https://shop.epicchq.com/collections/...

Review of Demon Copperhead

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Exceptional! It was a long audiobook (21 hours) but captivated me throughout. The voice of Demon Copperhead will remain with me for a long time, as will the story. An updated take on Dickens's David Copperfield, Kingsolver unveils the hidden world of Appalachia, the brunt of many a joke and devastated by the Opioid crisis. Instead of the old story of country vs city, the underlying truth is this is one of self-sufficiency vs corporations (like Purdue Pharma) who make neglected people dependent on their highly addictive pain medication. There is so much more to the story: the horrors of foster care and addiction recovery, for example. There is lots of humour too, and an eye-opening exploration of "redneck" culture.



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https://chiefoneill.com/175th-birthda...

Happy Birthday to Francis! In other news, "Chief O'Neill" is now available at the EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum book shop.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-s...

Exciting news from Bradan Press! The cover art alone looks beautiful.

Review of Cir e

Circe by Madeline Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Excellent retelling of Greek myths with a feminist slant. Circe is all too human for the god she is and is a compelling character as a result.



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The Heart's Invisible Furies

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


No spoilers but the ending killed me. Lots of crying. What a beautiful book! Pulled me in from the start with the unique angle on Irish History: post WWII from the perspective of a gay man. Full of memorable characters, particularly his rakish (adapted!) father and eccentric mother. The story finishes in the present day with a full sense of Cyril's life and the hidden history of the Ireland he lived through.



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https://chiefoneill.com/cry-of-a-peop...

Cry of a People Gone by Richie Piggott Although I have been occupied with other things, I thought I should revisit this blog with a little review of Richie Piggott's magnificent Cry of a People Gone. Full disclosure, Richie is a friend of mine and helped me during my research on Chief O'Neill. I can easily say Richie's book is, in many ways, a continuation and culmination of what O'Neill began over 120 years ago....

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I thoroughly enjoyed the event at the Museum on July 19th: https://poor.farm/macdonald-museum/ It was remarkable how much everyone attending had some connection with autism and we had a far-ranging, in-depth discussion on the topic. Thanks to the generosity of the attendees, we raised $170 for Learningo: Community, Recreation & Education Society. I loved my trip to Middleton and look forward to visiting this beautiful part of Nova Scotia again.

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I am looking forward to the opportunity to speak at the Annapolis Valley MacDonald Museum in Middleton on Wednesday, July 19th. It will be part of the museum’s “What To Read Wednesdays” series. I hope you can join me at the museum for an evening of discussion on the themes of the book, particularly the importance of historical monuments and museums to contemporary society.Further details: https://poor.farm/macdonald-museum/

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/...

I will be on https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/... on Friday April 28th @ 7:20am to discuss Learningo: Community, Recreation & Education Society and our upcoming BEYOND Movie Screening. Hope you can listen in. We still have some tickets remaining for Sunday ☺️ #autismawareness