U. Cronin's Blog

Irish Monks Invented the Space Between Words: atributetothegreatestirishinventionofalltimewrittenonstpatricksdaytwothousandandtwentythree

Forget about the submarine, round towers and Sudocream. Forget about the black stuff, Lilt, and Bailey’s Irish Cream. Forget about the high cross, the round tower, the black-tarred currach,  The beehive cells in Star Wars, the Books of Kells, Lismore, … Continue reading →

Blanket

Over ten years ago we gave our youngest daughter the nickname “Blanket”, and even though she doesn’t now display the behaviour that earned her that moniker, it has stuck. As a toddler she used to get very antsy and irritable … Continue reading →

Continuous Improvement

“He only sleeps for four hours a night.” “He gets up at five o’clock every morning.” “He doesn’t sleep during the week at all, maybe an hour here and there.” We’ve all heard these phrases being reverentially used about some high-performing … Continue reading →

Barbarism Begins at Home

It was a stick. An ordinary six-foot bamboo cane, just like any other six-foot bamboo cane. But it was mine. And it had been bought with a purpose in mind: to give support to a sapling laburnum that I had … Continue reading →

Vanity, Shame and Pride

I’m undergoing a treatment for sun-induced skin damage, which involves the application of a DNA analogue that kills actively dividing cells. With a bit of luck this chemotherapy will eliminate all those pre-cancerous boyos, who, with a few more UV-driven … Continue reading →

Limerick Lambic

I made my first lambic beer recently. As a brewer, this represents a step into the unknown for me. Why? Because I have no control over the outcome. As I type, my fermentation bucket sits in my garden shed – with … Continue reading →

The Football World Cup: Milestones Along a Lifeline

It’s funny as we look back over our lives the milestones we use to mark to them. For younger people it can be school years, as in: “That happened when I was in fourth grade” or “I met him when … Continue reading →

The Good, the Bad and the Cover Version

I have nothing against cover versions. They are at the heart of rock and pop music. In fact, until the Beatles started the trend of a band writing and performing their own material, all of the hits of the day … Continue reading →

When Rock Goes Orchestral

Picture the scene: craggy, aging rock band in the Royal Albert Hall, held in the dark embrace of a symphony orchestra. The frontman, bespectacled for the occasion, and forgoing his usual leather and denim look for formal evening wear, poses … Continue reading →

Labacally – The Witch’s Bed: Chapter 19 of 19

After using the court tombs for many centuries, however, some tribes then sealed off their entrances and turned their backs on the monuments and rituals that their forbearers had relied on. What caused this great shift? Perhaps the ancestors in … Continue reading →