Major Compton Smith News Today

A new book chronicles the life and times of a community in troubled times and will be of interest to anyone who wants to know how our past shaped our ...

IT’S the Sunday afternoon session at the West Cork Literary Festival and Cork writer Cónal Creedon steps into function room of the Maritime Hotel and begins to talk about his new book, Art Imititating Life Imitating Death, and, without seemingly drawing a breath, speaks non stop for a little more than an hour.

The annual Leeside literary event is back with live readings and discussions from the likes of Donal Ryan, and various other Irish and international writers 

While Covid restrictions have had a huge impact on organised events since last March, communities have still been recognising the events of a century ago that have shaped the Ireland that we know today. Over the weekend of Feb 13 the community in Mourne Abbey will recall one such event, an ambush that was to cost the lives of six IRA volunteers whose sacrifice is enshrined on a monument at the ambush site. On February 15, 1921 more than 50 volunteers under Commandant Jack Cunningham, 43 o...