U. Cronin's Blog, page 13

Mugwort

Before the use of hops as bittering, flavour and aroma agents of beer became widespread in the late Middle Ages, all sorts of weird and wonderful herbs were employed to achieve the same effects. These herbs are known as “gruit” … Continue reading →

Limelight

Like most people, I have been using the word limelight for many years without knowing (or even considering) its origins. Lately, I happened to read Richard Kirwan’s excellent If Maps Could Speak — a history Ireland’s Ordinance Survey and memoir … Continue reading →

Washed Ashore

Every month or two, Some merciful vagary of current or tide, Carries a body to shingle shore or sandy slob. From Lough Corrib and the Galway river to the Claddagh Basin, Washed ashore. In off Blackrock with the white horses … Continue reading →

Camellia in Flower

How I wish to catch again the bright burst buds of our camellia in flower, Candy-red explosions on the west wall of my childhood home’s driveway in Ennis, Co. Clare, In April — or a good year, March — watch … Continue reading →

Not Fit for Purpose

The other evening I was in conversation with an Englishman when the topic of the Basque Country and the Basque language came up. The man was a retiree who had lived in San Sebastián for almost a decade over thirty … Continue reading →

The Ghost of Christmases Past

The ghost of Christmases past is present in the low amber light of the solstice sun. You make that journey every year, revisiting your childhood like a magus trekking over desert to lay golden gifts at the foot of a … Continue reading →

Caught in a Trap

Here’s an extract from my new book, Caught in a Trap, which is out now in Amazon and Smashwords:   Back at their hotel, having waved Ulick Delaney off into the night following a couple of rounds in an artist’s … Continue reading →

Beach House, Nov 29, 2015, La Riviera, Madrid

Sometimes it’s nice to be on the receiving end of a surprise, to have your expectations confounded. I had gone along to Beach House at the Riviera expecting a pleasant, if somewhat melancholy, show. I’ve been a fan of their … Continue reading →

Purity Ring, Teátro Joy Eslava, November 14, 2015

Going to see Purity Ring at the Teátro Joy Eslava, a stone’s throw from the very centre of Madrid — the un-plaza-like plaza of Sol — felt like an act of defiance in the wake of events less than twenty-four … Continue reading →

Doing the Christian Thing in West Cork

“How long will it take until Jesus is brought into the conversation?” went the joke. It usually wasn’t very long. More than once you pulled out your pint-sized New Testament in the college bar, And in between sips of Cidona … Continue reading →