-
2 weeks ago | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
Where does the idea for a good podcast come from? As with most other good ideas in life, it often arises from the ashes of a late night out with friends. Over drinks, comedians Justine Stafford and Kevin McGahern were talking about their shared appreciation for Irish video clips that had gone viral (Stafford speaks fondly of one clip of a particularly enthusiastic bingo announcer). It was the catalyst that sparked a podcast idea. “Initially we thought: that’s the concept,” she recalls.
-
Jan 21, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
It wouldn’t take a huge leap of imagination to assume that life as a doctor is tiring. Especially life as a doctor in Ireland’s largest children’s hospital. But when Colin Black finished recording the audiobook of his medical memoir, Gas Man, his overriding memory was how exhausting the process was. Compared with his “real” job as consultant paediatric anaesthesiologist at Crumlin, the experience of reading aloud his own book in a recording studio was shockingly draining.
-
Jan 10, 2025 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
If you feel like your attention span has gone to the dogs, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Countless studies over the past 20 years show that on the whole, our attention spans are indeed getting shorter. The reason? We carry with us at all times the ultimate distraction in our pockets – phones. These dopamine-delivering digital devices are designed to be as addictive as possible, so it’s no wonder we feel compelled to check them every 10 seconds.
-
Sep 5, 2024 | 
mondaq.com | Cormac Kissane |Robert Cain |Aiden Small |Darragh Geraghty
The Report of the Interdepartmental Mortgage Arrears
Review Group was published this week. The Group first met in
October 2023 and examined the Irish framework for dealing with PDH
mortgage arrears against the backdrop of a changing interest rate
environment and the increased cost of living.
-
Aug 31, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
Dublin Fringe Festival celebrates its 30th birthday this year. To mark three decades of bringing challenging, adventurous, experimental and downright entertaining shows to the city, the festival is presenting 75 productions between Saturday, September 7th, and Sunday, September 22nd, with 520 performances across 29 venues, including 53 world premieres, nine Irish premieres and seven Dublin premieres. That’s a lot of numbers to get your head around, and a huge range of productions to choose from.
-
Jun 8, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
You know when people say they like to curl up with a good book? This is the kind they’re talking about. During lockdown on a cherry farm in Michigan, a woman tells her adult daughters about the time she had a summer fling with a now-famous actor. It addresses a simple and universally ignored truth: despite all evidence to the contrary, your parents did, actually, have a life before you were born. This warm, wise, wonderfully observed story from Ann Patchett is perfectly narrated by Meryl Streep.
-
May 21, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
When our son was learning to speak, something strange and adorable started to happen. For some reason he began replacing “F” sounds with “S” sounds. So if something made him laugh, it wasn’t “funny”, it was “sunny”. Fun became sun. Frog became srog. Coffee became cossee. This was five years ago, and he grew out of it, but many of these mispronunciations remain in our family’s lexicon. And they’re not the only ones.
-
Mar 16, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
Of all the saints on this list, Dymphna, who was born in seventh-century Ireland, had perhaps the most tragic life. Her story is one of violence, incestuous rage and madness, yet it is one with an unexpectedly uplifting epilogue. Her father was a petty king who suffered a mental breakdown after the death of his wife. In his delirium he tried to marry his daughter, so Dymphna fled Ireland for the town of Geel, in Belgium, where she founded a hospice for the destitute.
-
Feb 13, 2024 | 
emea.marriott.com | Darragh Geraghty
One of the most walkable capital cities in Europe, Dublin’s rich history is best enjoyed on foot — and it’s hard to take more than a few steps before spotting another fascinating window to the past. The good news is there’s also no shortage of fantastic places to eat and drink to recharge your batteries between bouts of sightseeing. From upscale Michelin-starred dining rooms to plush cocktail bars, here is a guide to the best that the Republic of Ireland’s capital has to offer.
-
Feb 11, 2024 | 
irishtimes.com | Darragh Geraghty
It’s hard to think of a more comprehensive way to announce to the world your supreme ignorance than promoting, condoning or engaging in the burning of books. Throughout history people have burned all kinds of books but all for the same reasons – suppression and condemnation of certain beliefs, ideas and values. Books on astrology were burned in ancient Rome. Martin Luther loved burning books. The Nazis couldn’t get enough of burning books. Neither, it has to be said, could the United States.
