Reviews

  1. The quiet art of reading a physical book in publicOn a crowded train into Melbourne’s central business district, a paperback creates a small, defensible territory. The reader looks down, turns a page and…
  2. What My Morning Coffee Routine Taught Me About ConsistencyEvery weekday, just after six, I make my first coffee in the same small kitchen in Dublin. I weigh the beans, grind them, pour the water, and sit near the…
  3. A beginner’s guide to Dublin’s literary pub crawlDublin’s literary pub crawl is less a treasure hunt for celebrity ghosts than a walk through the city’s social history. Its route connects old Victorian and…
  4. Why folklore still matters in the age of algorithmsIrish folklore used to travel by voice. A story crossed kitchen tables, pub floors and winter fires, acquiring a new detail whenever it reached another pair of…
  5. How to find Dublin's best espresso without chainsDublin’s independent coffee scene is broad enough to make “the best” a dangerous phrase. The useful question is not which room looks most like a coffee…
  6. My favourite accessible books about Irish historyThese are my favourite books about Irish history that are accessible: works that carry the reader from one period to the next while explaining why events…
  7. What I learned about branding from Ireland’s tourist boardTourism branding can look deceptively easy when viewed from far away: green fields, ancient ruins, a friendly pub and the word “Ireland” are enough to sell a…
  8. How to plan a trip to the Aran Islands from DublinPlanning a trip to the Aran Islands from Dublin works best when you treat it as a small chain of decisions rather than a single day trip. The first is which…
  9. Why I keep two notebooksI keep a physical notebook alongside my digital one, and neither has fully displaced the other. The paper version lives in my bag, filled with half-finished…
  10. Dublin’s best pubs for live traditional musicDublin is one of the easiest cities in Europe in which to hear Irish traditional music without arranging a special tour. Walk into the right pub after dinner…