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Lifestyle: Culture and society

All entries for Culture and society

But the crowd called out for more

Dr John Wallace | 13 July 2009

With the explosion of summer festivals over the last few decades, Dr John Wallace looks at the music event that began it all. We like festivals. They can generate fantasy and freedom. Some fans plan their music festivals from the... Read more

Thumbin' — the lost art of the Irish teen

Berna Cox | 04 July 2009

Berna Cox writes that young people these days are missing some weird and wonderful experiences now that hitching a lift is no longer an option or a necessity. There is a generation on the rise who, despite thinking that they... Read more

Changing seasons and eras at Trinity

Dr John Wallace | 28 June 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at a new book on Trinity College Dublin and its progression through the acdemic year. Its history goes back much further, however, to 1166. The Trinity Year is a tribute to Ireland’s earliest university. Trinity College,... Read more

Don't waste your time and money at the checkout

Berna Cox | 19 June 2009

Berna Cox says that she used to be a loyal shopper but she now sees the value in being able to go anywhere and buy anything without 'thrift guilt'. A couple of years ago, I was doing my supermarket shopping... Read more

Form and function and on budget

Dr John Wallace | 18 May 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at a 'pop-up' book that examines five buildings by one of the most innovative and important architects of our time — Frank Gehry. Architecture is a utilitarian activity because people have to live and work in... Read more

Insights into the life of a careful correspondent

Dr John Wallace | 06 April 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at an insightful new book that sees the publication of a selection of letters written by Samuel Beckett from 1929 to 1940. This book contains a comprehensive range of letters written by one of the greatest... Read more

A rocky road ahead for Irish economy

Dermot O'Leary and Conor White | 02 March 2009

A Rocky Road Ahead – Irish Economic Commentary was produced recently by Dermot O’Leary, Chief Economist in Goodbody Stockbrokers. Conor White outlines its main points. Recent concerns about Ireland Inc. have been centred on the ability of the Irish economy... Read more

Surgeons' secrets in the last century

Dr John Wallace | 20 February 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at Barry O'Donnell's new book, which reveals a few home truths about surgeons and surgery in Ireland . ‘Nothing, absolutely nothing, in the hospital’s experience had prepared it for what lay ahead.’ This is a story... Read more

The lost lives and loves of a silent generation

Bette Brown | 20 February 2009

Bette Brown writes that Sebastian Barry's award-winning novel, The Secret Scripture, should be read by everyone in the medical field. One might recoil from a novel set in a mental hospital in Roscommon as holiday reading. But Sebastian Barry’s The... Read more

Taxes and the Troubles tackled in Lynch biography

Kealan Flynn | 10 February 2009

Jack Lynch – A Biography, by Dermot Keogh (Gill and Macmillan, €26.99). Kealan Flynn writes that a new biography of Jack Lynch offers us a rare insight into how past political leaders dealt with economic difficulties. Dermot Keogh’s biography of... Read more

Wittgenstein's philosophy and life made him a hero

Dr John Wallace | 12 January 2009

Dr John Wallace looks at one of the great cerebral heroes of the 20th century, Ludwig Wittgenstein, a philosopher who had a deep attachment to both medicine and Ireland Philosophers are not expected to be heroic, but two certainly are.... Read more

Cockney rebel: Jools Holland and his music

14 December 2008

Jools Holland has spent the last 30 years meeting his musical heroes and playing with them live on TV. He has also received an OBE for his achievements as a musician, bandleader and presenter. Though now a ‘national treasure’,... Read more

Cascades a shoe-in for cosmetic surgery

Berna Cox | 24 November 2008

Berna Cox on the latest cosmetic surgery trend to have your cascades and cankles perfected. For women obsessed with 'elegant' shoes, it's a relatively small cost compared to the shoes themselves. Thankfully, I’m happy with my cascade. What a relief.... Read more

Pop goes the girly weasel

Berna Cox | 29 October 2008

Berna Cox ends up with helmet hair and stripey legs after a three-day 'pampering' session and decides that with all the stress, time and money involved, it's just not worth the hassle I don’t think I’m a very good girl.... Read more

Watch out, there are women on campus

Dr John Wallace | 21 October 2008

Dr John Wallace looks at the early years of women’s participation in third-level education in Trinity College Dublin, when women were perceived as being 'a danger to the men' A book called A Danger to the Men?, edited by Susan... Read more

Second time around can be just as sweet

Berna Cox | 08 October 2008

Berna Cox writes that although society finds it acceptable when a widower remarries, it's a different story when a woman marries again — but she doesn't intend on going anywhere for quite a while. Recently, I met a woman from... Read more

Everything in Paris starts at a cafe table

Dr John Wallace | 04 October 2008

Eighty years later, the number of cafés multiplied and they were often used by the leaders of the Revolution, such as Danton and Robespierre. Indeed, it was the chefs of those aristocrats who lost their heads who set up many... Read more

Secrets of Newgrange

Terence Cosgrave | 03 October 2008

Terence Cosgrave recommends a new book on the history and archaeology behind Newgrange, Ireland's finest historical site. It’s rare that an academic book retains its scholarship, while also being a page-turning read. Most academic books that have a high degree... Read more

New lease of life for Trinity stables

Dr John Wallace | 16 September 2008

Dr John Wallace looks at the launch of the stables of the Provost’s House in Trinity College as a new research centre. At the end of Grafton Street, just inside the railings of Trinity College bordering Nassau Street, is a... Read more

How to reel in a good catch

Berna Cox | 30 August 2008

Berna Cox writes that young women today are increasingly 'dating down' — paying less attention to snaring what has traditionally been thought of as 'a good prospect' and paying more attention to love and friendship. A few years back, an... Read more

Tring to make a name for myself...

Berna Cox | 15 August 2008

Berna Cox thinks that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but as far as she's concerned, her name is 'Berna' - whatever it says on her passport Last month, a judge in New Zealand made a... Read more

Has the Irish welcome been ruined by wealth?

Berna Cox | 22 July 2008

Berna Cox thinks that Ireland's bad attitude to tourists sums up how recent economic prosperity has robbed us of all our charm and left us with no soul. There was a time, maybe 30, even 20 years ago when we... Read more

YSL — anarchist of the fashion world

Dr John Wallace | 19 July 2008

Dr John Wallace takes a look at the life of the man who consolidated the reputation of Paris as the fashion capital of Europe. Yves Saint Laurent died in Paris on 1 June this year, aged 71. He was born... Read more

SMUM's the word when it comes to modern parenting

Berna Cox | 05 July 2008

Berna Cox on the new categories of parenting styles — and why she is very glad she does not fit into any of them. I’m confused. I don’t know who I am. I’ve been trying to decide just what exactly... Read more

Children of a lesser frock

Berna Cox | 23 May 2008

Berna Cox on the phenomena that is the Irish First Communion - particularly for girls - and how the day has become much more than a religious celebration for everyone involved. The various months of the year have particular associations... Read more

Serial killer doctor who built 'house of horrors' in Chicago

21 April 2008

Dr Patrick Rowan on a 19th-century doctor who is thought to have killed over 200 victims in all manner of grisly ways before hanging for his crimes, aged just 36. Dr Harold Shipman’s murders created widespread shock when they were... Read more

Best woman for a man's job

Mary Anne Kenny | 10 April 2008

Mary Anne Kenny on the life of Victorian surgeon Dr James Barry who, for 46 years, hid the fact that he was actually the daughter of a Cork grocer. If the saying is true that ‘the best man for the... Read more

Operator, we have a problem!

Berna Cox | 26 March 2008

Berna Cox bemoans the sophistification of modern mobile phones that offer every possible service — but are impossible to use. She longs for the days of the early phones, when the only technical ability needed was the skill to bend... Read more

Vain hope of a 'scoop'

Berna Cox | 17 March 2008

Berna Cox wonders if she really has what it takes to be a hard-nosed professional journalist... or if she's just too vain to scoop the really big news stories of the day I think I might be a rotten journalist.... Read more

Turn on and tune out to attention-deficit TV

Dr Pat Harrold | 05 March 2008

Does everything have to be 'dumbed down' for today's younger audiences or are we not crediting them with enough intelligence, wonders Nenagh GP Dr Pat Harrold Recently, I watched a documentary about Jack Doyle, the talented boxer, singer and boozer.... Read more

I read the news today, oh boy!

Berna Cox | 28 February 2008

Berna Cox says that while surveys constantly show that most people want more 'good news' stories from the media, when presented with them, they switch off Throwing out old newspapers is a time-consuming job. Just as I go to throw... Read more

It's snot mucus - or is it?

Berna Cox | 12 February 2008

Berna Cox investigates sinister forces who are getting up her nose - and the noses of the Irish public - by not using a certain four-letter word that our UK neighbours wouldn't sniff at Somewhere out there, Big Brother is... Read more

'The Book of Poo' is a stinker!

Mary Anne Kenny | 11 February 2008

Mary Anne Kenny goes a bit potty over a new book which, among other things, assures us that everything that emanates from US President George Bush is safe and secure and will not be spread throughout the world - if... Read more

Fashion or passion? — the story of the iconic Che image

Dr John Wallace | 07 February 2008

Dr John Wallace looks at the background to the world's best-known photograph of Cuban revolutionary, Che Guevara. The image of Che Guevara, medical doctor and revolutionary, has been reproduced on every surface capable of holding an image. Che was youthful,... Read more

Bursting for a Wii...

Berna Cox | 07 December 2007

Every year, around this time, I start to lament that I don’t have small children anymore. Christmas is no fun without charming little children in a state of high excitement waiting on Santa to bring them their heart’s desire on... Read more

A Munthe on the Isle of Capri

Dr Patrick Rowan | 23 November 2007

Axel Munthe’s The Story of San Michele is perhaps the most famous book of reminiscences ever written by a doctor. When it was first published in 1929, it sold millions of copies and was translated into 45 languages. At the... Read more

Best to remember... and to smile

Berna Cox | 23 November 2007

A few years ago, I was involved with a reminiscence project that aimed to gather and record reminiscences of bygone times. It was an interesting experience and, in an effort to make the group leaders competent and professional in our... Read more

I do- but terms and conditions apply

Berna Cox | 09 November 2007

If you are of the marrying persuasion, have a think about your big day– bride looking beautiful, groom shaking with nerves, bridesmaids fussing, and misty-eyed mothers sniffing and dabbing their eyes. Sweet strains of Purcell float from the choir (or... Read more

Trick or treat, give me something nice to eat

Valerie O'Connor | 02 November 2007

When I was growing up Halloween was one of the most thrilling days of the year. You got to cut up one of your mum’s old sheets and stick your head through it, cover your face in soot and wander... Read more

Support your local Shakespeare

Berna Cox | 26 October 2007

There was a rumble in the media lately about theatre-goers not minding their manners. There were letters in the national press giving out about noisy punters who spoiled the theatre experience for others by clinking glasses, rattling ice and, of... Read more

Fantastic flower's sorry history

Thecla Scully | 26 October 2007

Every drug company has a list of historic blunders, but only one can lay claim to the mass marketing of heroin. Synthesised first in 1874 by Alder Wright, an English chemist working at St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London,... Read more

Dinosaurs and disease

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 19 October 2007

Born in 1755, James Parkinson would go on to lead an extraordinary life of achievement, endeavour and controversy. He is best known for the disease that now bears his name, but barely remembered for his contributions to geology, society and... Read more

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman

Berna Cox | 12 October 2007

Sometimes, when I’m wearing my lecturing hat, enthusiastic students ask me what’s the best thing about being a journalist. What is it really like as a job? Who have I met? Who have I interviewed? What were they like? Do... Read more

Its days are numbered but its history is rich

Dr John Wallace | 05 October 2007

The British NHS has handed over the keys of the Radcliffe Infirmary to Oxford University. A new book casts an affectionate backward glance at two centuries of outstanding medical achievement by Oxford’s first hospital. Some of the greatest innovators in... Read more

China: a specialist in the art of covering up

Thecla Scully | 28 September 2007

Sometimes it seems like everything is ‘made in China’, and now along with Gap jumpers, Nintendo Game Boys and every variety of plastic toy ever imagined, China is a major exporter of lips, breasts and other body parts amenable to... Read more

Feeling a little in the pink

Berna Cox | 28 September 2007

What do you think when you think pink? Chances are, you immediately think something girlie and frivolous. Maybe an image of Barbie in her pink convertible pops into your head. Or perhaps a picture of a new baby girl swaddled... Read more

Family meals- a thing of the past in modern Ireland

Val O'Connor | 21 September 2007

A recent survey published by Bord Bia stated yet another fact that we shouldn’t really be alarmed by, relating to food and eating habits in our new, ‘shocked-into-the-future’ Ireland. In urban areas of Ireland, not specified but I’m sure we... Read more

Receiving music therapy together

14 September 2007

Music therapy is advocated by a paucity of clinical evidence in modern health care literature. The group music therapy service is offered in three day centres within Mayo Mental Health Services and places equal emphasis on both the needs and... Read more

Pubs rich with history

Dr John Wallace | 07 September 2007

Medical students at TCD will have noticed that the Lincoln Inn bar at the back of Trinity, between Nassau Street and Westland Row, has finally reopened its doors after a long absence. During this period, the students had the comfort... Read more

How to get your daughter, or your son, into Oxford

Dr John Wallace | 31 August 2007

As a headmaster of a public school once said: “If your son is a clever boy send him to Balliol College, Oxford. However, if he is not clever, still send him to Balliol, Oxford.” What the headmaster here clearly believed... Read more

Zero tolerance for size zero

Grace Mernagh | 17 August 2007

Zero, zilch, nada. No matter how many ways you say it, it still means the same thing: nothing. In fact, the last time I heard it was when I checked my bank account by phone and was told, ever so... Read more

How underground hospitals saved the lives of soldiers

Dr Robert O'Sullivan | 17 August 2007

The Channel Islands are to the west of France and are a part of the United Kingdom. In 1940, after the fall of France, they became occupied by Germany. Hitler saw them as being crucial for a number of reasons.... Read more

Pen mightier than the spoon

Val O’Connor | 17 August 2007

Recent years in popular culture has seen the rise of food as a well-oiled topic. What was once the basic sustenance of three meals a day has become the subject of TV shows, food books and miles of aspirational lifestyle... Read more

Weather or witch - I'm sorry

Berna Cox | 03 August 2007

There’s a very good chance that I’m responsible for the horrible weather this summer. I think I put a hex on it. Jinxed it. I didn’t mean to, you understand, but I think I did it nonetheless. There were a... Read more

A culture vastly different from the rest of America

Dr Thecla Scully | 03 August 2007

Visiting the Amish community in Pennsylvania can be a rewarding and unsettling experience for outsiders who venture there. It is a place frozen in another time. Green rolling hills are dotted with Holstein cattle and weather beaten barns, people live... Read more

As it was in the beginning

Dr John Wallace | 27 July 2007

First published in 1952 and recently updated, Dublin 1600-1860: The Shaping of a City is a portrait that both charms and convinces. The story of Dublin’s development is told here in a lively and individual way by architectural historian, Maurice... Read more

Shame we have lost the art of befriending a neighbour

Berna Cox | 20 July 2007

All over the country, Macra na Feirme was encouraging people to touch base with their neighbours and organise events like ‘Know Your Neighbour Weekend’ last weekend, that would bring neighbours together and let them get to know each other. This... Read more

Even the mighty have to fall

Dr Robert O’Sullivan | 13 July 2007

Ulysses S Grant, for Americans is one of the most famous past presidents of their country. No child in America can expect to leave school without having a knowledge of his civil war exploits and it is the image of... Read more

Someday I'm gonna fly away, leave the traffic to yesterday

Berna Cox | 06 July 2007

Regrettably, I didn’t win the Lotto this week, which is a shame really, because I had it spent. Actually, I had it spent a few times over. On reflection, maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t win it this week–... Read more

Book tells of a city in revolt in the first major strike by Irish workers

15 June 2007

City in Revolt is the story of Jim Larkin and the Belfast Dock Strike of 1907. John Gray tells the story of the summer of 1907 when the unskilled workers of Belfast, Protestant and Catholic, unite in strike action which... Read more

The naked truth about commuting

Berna Cox | 08 June 2007

Something happened the other day that has me worried. There’s a good chance I might be a prude. Or maybe I’ve just become a grown-up. Maybe I’m turning into an old person– and a grumpy one at that. Whatever the... Read more

Scientific progress is unscientific

Aisling Byrne | 08 June 2007

Scientific progress is a fundamentally unscientific concept. To progress implies a goal towards which we are progressing– an ideal or a good; in this case presumably the good of mankind. Moral vision needed We cannot bandy the term medico-scientific progress... Read more

Why exams give me heebie-jeebies

Berna Cox | 25 May 2007

Every year around this time, I start getting the heebie-jeebies. The various media machines starting cranking up their coverage of the Leaving Cert and I shiver at the thought. I’m not admitting how long ago it is since I did... Read more

Slow food can be good food

Dr Prannie Rhatigan | 18 May 2007

Slow Food is an international organisation that was founded in 1989 by Carlo Petrini, an Italian food writer who was walking down the streets of Rome one evening when he saw Italian children coming out of a fast-food restaurant. He... Read more

If you're going to mitch, do it properly: bring a soft cushion and a good book

Berna Cox | 27 April 2007

This time of the year– I’ve never known what to call it– is special. I suppose it’s technically spring but every day is promising summer with mega-long evenings and lazy times ahead. I love it. Even as a small child... Read more

If hit by paraskavedekatriaphobia you should probably take to bed

Berna Cox | 13 April 2007

Paraskavedekatriaphobia. Now there’s a word. It’s not in my trusty little electronic Oxford but if you Google it, you get 21,000 hits. Any ideas? Here’s a clue– it’s related to triskaidekaphobia. Here’s another clue– look at the date of this... Read more

If you believe this, you will believe anything I tell you

Berna Cox | 30 March 2007

On his East Coast Radio show last year, Joe Harrington announced that Bray was to become part of Co Dublin. On the same day, Michael Cahill on his show on 2FM announced that the Government was going to introduce tolls... Read more

Sad tale of a loyal dishwasher that plunges household into mourning

Berna Cox | 16 March 2007

I’m gutted. Beside myself. Feeling guilty. Disloyal. Foolish. Angry. Stupid. Sad. All sorts of emotions and adjectives are assaulting me today. As I write this, my kitchen is under water and I’ve lost an old friend. Both things are difficult... Read more

Elegant squares of Georgian Dublin

Dr John Wallace | 09 March 2007

Squares, as an architectural form, are found across all ages and in all cultures. The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dr Steevens Hospital and Trinity College are all early examples of Dublin architecture where a central, enclosed area or garden formed the... Read more

Pass me those men and I'll wipe the floor with them

Berna Cox | 02 March 2007

I have always given men the benefit of the doubt when it comes to domestic issues. When others all around me start bitching and giving out about how useless men are, I’ve always tried to be reasonable. I’ve even stood... Read more

The return of Dublin's grand old lady

Dr John Wallace | 23 February 2007

Oliver St John Gogarty once asked ‘What would Dublin do without the Shelbourne?’. Gogarty who had consulting rooms in a building that has now become part of the famous hotel posed the question at a time when The Shelbourne was... Read more

If you love your job it will never seem like hard work

Berna Cox | 02 February 2007

For the most part, I enjoy what I do for a living. No more than anyone else, I have my off days. I think everyone does. No matter how much in love you are with your work, there inevitably comes... Read more

LIFE through a lens captures some of the world's great events

Dr John Wallace | 12 January 2007

LIFE magazine, since its inception, has been fortunate in attracting some of the best photographers in the world. A new book showcasing their work gives ample proof of their skill. In the early 1930s, a new range of small precision-made... Read more

Catching snowflakes on your tongue

Berna Cox | 05 January 2007

Ever since I was little, the month of January has filled me with good intentions. And, ever since I was little, they’ve come to nothing. Each year, I make a list of resolutions the length of your arm and, slowly... Read more

Christmas is in my heart

Berna Cox | 15 December 2006

Here’s a question: When does Christmas start? This year, I saw adverts for Christmas party nights as early as July; Christmas merchandise was creeping into the shops in August; and by the time Hallowe’en came around, the witches’ hats and... Read more

Who do you think you are?

Berna Cox | 08 December 2006

Up until relatively recently, I was quite content that I knew who I was and where I came from. I remember both my grandmothers and, whereas both my grandfathers were deceased before I came on the scene, family stories abound... Read more

Music therapy hits right note

Tríona McCaffrey | 08 December 2006

My interest in the role of arts in health began over four years ago as an undergraduate music student in Trinity College Dublin. I recall being intrigued and inspired by a Monday afternoon colloquium on music therapy presented by Dr... Read more