Following The Foos: #7 Paris
Paris is one of those cities in the world which conjures up a preconceived familiarity in a person’s mind such is its revered status and its obsequious representation in both …
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The Irish Winter Through History
Since a very young age I’ve always been fascinated with meteorology. As a child I messed around with thermometers, rain gauges and weather vanes, breaking some of the former and …
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Rewarding Reads- Eilish and Niamh
This is the second in our ‘rewarding reads’ series! Sit back and enjoy some beautiful language and musical poetry thanks to the library staff of Laois Libraries. Both of these …
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Following The Foos: #6 Prague
There was a lot riding on this particular trip to Prague in August 2012 when I went to see the band play in the city. You see, when I made …
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Kevin O’Higgins and the Knockbeg connection
During the first lockdown this year I was doing some tidying when I came across the 1991 Knockbeg Annual. I had boarded in Knockbeg College (in County Laois, 2 miles …
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Rewarding Reads- Karen, Triona and Catherine
If we are to be honest, there is nothing as satisfying as a good nose through someone else’s shelves! These days, however, the opportunities have dried up and beyond scrolling …
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Following The Foos: #5 Toronto
As no doubt many of you have already experienced first-hand, a particular peril of organising a trip which requires a connecting flight in order to reach your final destination is …
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End your day a positive way!
It is very easy these days with winter approaching to feel overwhelmed by the news and the COVID pandemic. I now really miss and appreciate the things I used to …
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Wildflower Gardening
Biodiversity has become a bit of a buzz word. But it would be a mistake to think of it as just a trend because behind it, is the serious issue …
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Following The Foos: #4 Berlin
A common feature to be found across a number of Europe’s major cities is that they all have a cosmopolitan feel due to a combination of the city’s own unique …
Read MoreA Journey to the Otherworld: Discovering Irish Folklore
I entered the world of academia at UCD in 2008. Faced with the worse recession Ireland had faced in decades, I made the bold decision to study history at university. …
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Ireland’s First Witch Trial
When we think of witches, we often think of Salem, but one of the first witch trials happened right here in Ireland. In 1324, Dame Alice Kyteler was accused of …
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Following The Foos: #3 Lisbon
A citation which is frequently adopted to express the rewards of travel is one attributed to Rick Steves, who asserts that travel can serve to expand the range of colours …
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Following The Foos: #2 Washington DC
Following the death of the late John Hume in August 2020, a TV documentary about the man was broadcast which gave a glimpse into the privileged position which Ireland and …
Read MoreDerek Mahon: Bearing Witness to History.
The late Belfast-born poet Derek Mahon came to particular public attention early on during the ongoing COVID pandemic. RTE featured his poem ‘Everything is going to be alright’ in late …
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Julia Donaldson, the Poetess of Picture Books!
Long before I joined the hallowed halls of Laois Libraries, I was an avid fan of Ms Donaldson and her works. She first came to my attention when my three …
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Following The Foos: #1 Helsinki
This year the American rock band Foo Fighters celebrate their 25th anniversary. Theirs was the very first rock concert I ever attended as a wide-eyed seventeen year old in the …
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6 reasons to start reading Patrick O’Brian today
It all began in 1998. He was a young midshipman being buffeted about the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars while I was a 15 year old school girl struggling to …
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Rereading Rebecca ( How did I ever think this was Romantic?)
I must have been an idiot, or as Maxim de Winter puts it (ever so eloquently during his marriage proposal) a ‘little fool’. After the early sunshine at …
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Dystopian Novels: The Future is always Present and Present.
This writer is not a huge fan of Sci-Fi. Fact is that I’ve always preferred realist novels to the sort of fiction that negotiates imaginary worlds, starships and cutesy robots. …
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