I love the Irish Times.
I started grabbing it almost daily from the Clark's down the street to get a flare for the area as well as to do the daily "easy" "medium" and "hard" Sudoku challenges.
But then I started getting into the opinion pages and the column "An Irishman's Diary" by Frank McNally.
It has taken a while to understand the paper -- not only because of the region-specific issues, but also because of the different phrases they use. The main headlines are of two ilk: they are either region-specific news (lately its all about the economy and debt or the current debate in parliament: abortion and whether or not there should be an allowance for suicide and/or health of the mother), or they are rewrites from an article from a larger newspaper like the New York Times.
You also get a flare for the culture. Yesterday there was an article about how lazy French workers are. If there is a bank holiday on Wednesday, they take the whole week off.
I love the letters. You get these personal notes from the locals on every topic ranging previously published columns in the newspaper to the problem of foxes running rampant in the city and whether or not it is a problem (there was a smart little back-and-forth on that one) to the naming of the new Liffy bridge (one letter argued that the "suspension" is killing them), to a note about a grandfather and the new technology of tea bags (what do I do with this?) to the pronunciation of the letter "H" ("haitch") (this topic has lasted for several days so far including one letter where the writer alliterated his entire note with "h's", to 1916 and the rising.
The Irishman's Diary is pretty great too. Sometimes it is a bit hokey, but at its best McNally combines excellent Irish lore and customs with a funny anecdote. His description of the Burren from a trip he took this weekend is excellent. He also has a fun little article about a tourist scam that is worth your read. McNally also has a humorous guide to Irish culture and customs.
I started grabbing it almost daily from the Clark's down the street to get a flare for the area as well as to do the daily "easy" "medium" and "hard" Sudoku challenges.
But then I started getting into the opinion pages and the column "An Irishman's Diary" by Frank McNally.
It has taken a while to understand the paper -- not only because of the region-specific issues, but also because of the different phrases they use. The main headlines are of two ilk: they are either region-specific news (lately its all about the economy and debt or the current debate in parliament: abortion and whether or not there should be an allowance for suicide and/or health of the mother), or they are rewrites from an article from a larger newspaper like the New York Times.
You also get a flare for the culture. Yesterday there was an article about how lazy French workers are. If there is a bank holiday on Wednesday, they take the whole week off.
I love the letters. You get these personal notes from the locals on every topic ranging previously published columns in the newspaper to the problem of foxes running rampant in the city and whether or not it is a problem (there was a smart little back-and-forth on that one) to the naming of the new Liffy bridge (one letter argued that the "suspension" is killing them), to a note about a grandfather and the new technology of tea bags (what do I do with this?) to the pronunciation of the letter "H" ("haitch") (this topic has lasted for several days so far including one letter where the writer alliterated his entire note with "h's", to 1916 and the rising.
The Irishman's Diary is pretty great too. Sometimes it is a bit hokey, but at its best McNally combines excellent Irish lore and customs with a funny anecdote. His description of the Burren from a trip he took this weekend is excellent. He also has a fun little article about a tourist scam that is worth your read. McNally also has a humorous guide to Irish culture and customs.
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