Coming Home was a film that spoke to an America just coming to grips with the lasting effects of the Vietnam war. Though filmed in the late seventies, Coming Home takes places in 1968, a year that was marked by not only the escalating conflict in Vietnam, but also political and social turmoil within the... Continue Reading →
The Sapphires: a glimpse of Australia’s Stolen Generations
The Sapphires (2012). Directed by Wayne Blair, written by Keith Thompson and Tony Briggs, based on the 2004 stage play of the same name. The Sapphires is a 2012 musical comedy-drama that tells the story of an Aboriginal all-girl group in 1960’s New South Wales. Growing up on a reserve in Western Australia, sisters Gail,... Continue Reading →
Even more top Irish podcasts
Following on from my 2018 article (https://scealmilis.wordpress.com/2018/01/07/top-five-irish-podcasts/), I am taking a look at some of the best Irish podcasts around. Up to 90 Hosted by comedians Emma Doran and Julie Jay, Up to 90 looks at all things nineties. From Princess Diana to Michelle Smith, The Spice Girls to Courtney Love, and Friends to Fight Club, Up to 90 takes... Continue Reading →
Maeve Brennan: Ireland’s greatest forgotten writer
“Home is a place in the mind. When it is empty it frets. It is fretful with memory, faces and places and times gone by. Beloved images rise up in disobedience and make a mirror for emptiness." The above quote is from Maeve Brennan's novella The Visitor and was my first introduction to her. I discovered... Continue Reading →
Thrones and Roses: The history behind Game of Thrones, part 2
In a series of articles, I will look at the links between Games of Thrones and the Wars of the Roses, pointing to the real-life inspirations for several of the key characters in the series. For this study, I will be looking solely at how these events and characters are portrayed in the HBO series rather than... Continue Reading →
Thrones and Roses: The history behind Game of Thrones, part 1
With season 8 of HBO's Game of Thrones underway I thought I'd take a look at some of the historical events and figures that inspired the series. Although Game of Thrones is set in a distinctly fictional fantasy sphere, many aspects of the world portrayed in the series are reminiscent of medieval Europe. George R.R. Martin, the author of... Continue Reading →
A reassessment of ‘Poor Polidori’: a look at the life and times of John William Polidori
“ 'We will each write a ghost story', said Lord Byron, and his proposition was acceded to. There were four of us” (Shelley, Author's Introduction, 7). The above quote is from Mary Shelley's introduction to her 1818 novel Frankenstein and refers to the fateful night in the summer of 1816 where Lord Byron ordered the guests gathered at... Continue Reading →