U. Cronin's Blog, page 11
February 19, 2017
Gu-Gu-Geoghegan — Chapter 2 of 32
“Now, here’s the man himself!” Francie Ryan clapped a hand on Senán’s shoulder and led him past the deli counter towards the bread section, to where a slight figure dressed all in navy stood looking warily at the pair. “This … Continue reading →
February 11, 2017
Gu-Gu-Geoghegan — Chapter 1 of 32
The spent stillness of early Monday evening hung over the Foundation. Most of the cubicles were empty and closed up, the doors of the offices that ran along two sides of the building similarly shut. There was only the odd … Continue reading →
Gu-Gu-Geoghegan
I am going to try an experiment with my latest novel, Gu-Gu-Geoghegan. Instead of converting it into an e-book and indie-publishing it as I have my last three, I will blog it on Get Behind the Muse. Each week, I … Continue reading →
February 5, 2017
Bed-making, Breeding and Cats
One of the firmest (you will get the pun later!) cultural differences that I have noticed between Ireland and Spain is the importance of bed-making. Now, I’m no slob, was brought up well and will never leave undone a bed … Continue reading →
January 29, 2017
The Galanthophile
A man I once knew was prone to talking about snowdrops at this time of the year. He was a galanthophile — a collector of snowdrops — and from the beginning of February to the middle of March was in … Continue reading →
January 22, 2017
Why I Won’t Be Watching TVE 1’s New Series, Reinas
“Oh, Jesus,” I said to myself, “this has started out badly.” It was during an ad break on the supposedly ad-less Spanish national broadcaster, TVE 1, when I learned of a soon-to-be-aired period drama based on the relationship between Queen … Continue reading →
November 12, 2016
A Terrible Story
I have a terrible story. A true story. In 1950s rural Spain a young man who has been suffering from epilepsy all his life is offered a cure: “Go to Madrid, the big city. There’s a surgeon there — a … Continue reading →
November 6, 2016
Ashes to Ashes
There is a scene in the Cohen brothers’ The Big Lebowski where The Dude (played by Jeff Bridges) and his friend Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) are standing on the edge of a cliff with their deceased friend Donny’s (Steve Buscemi) … Continue reading →
October 18, 2016
Hey Dude, Where’s My Country? The Spanish View of Brexit
As an Irish man living in Madrid I find myself intrigued by Spanish attitudes to Brexit. Or, more correctly, attitude. Because, in this otherwise deeply divided country (left v right, republican v monarchist, secessionist v integrationist, Madrid v Barcelona, north … Continue reading →
October 2, 2016
Early Doors, Ken and Barbie and Minibrain: the New Scientific Jargon
Science, as well as being about how and why things work, has always been about naming things. You discover a new bacterium, a type of fungus or a mollusc and you give it a name, slotting it into the tree … Continue reading →
