In the initial months of the Irish economic collapse, I lived like a down-and-out amongst the bohemians of Galway City. My hair was long, my clothes were scruffy and I had no greater aspirations in life above funding my next meal. As if things couldn’t get any worse, I joined a writing group. While, as a collective, the group…
Traveling better with Tubiquette
Even at the best of times, riding the Tube can be a labored and infuriating experience. And it’s not even the delays, cramped carriages or bronchiole clogging tunnels that’ll drive an otherwise sane person to screaming at non-English-speaking strangers, but more a confluence of small, regularly occurring, irritations; tourists standing on the left side of…
To Infinity and Beyond
According to its Amazon.co.uk receipt – archived in my Gmail inbox – I bought the thing nearly two years ago. Since then, I’ve moved house twice and it has occupied space – unread – on at least 3 different bookshelves. Finally, however, I’ve started reading Infinite Jest. Nearly two weeks in and just under 120…
The Many Disappointments of Camden Town
I recently happened upon The Sunday Telegraph’s former travel editor and columnist, Nigel Buxton’s blog. In one particularly sharp entry, Buxton recalls the 1959 memorandum he delivered to the newspaper’s Fleet Street offices, outlining his literary manifesto. The letter begins with a quote from Alexander Kinglake’s classic, Eothen, which I would like to share it…
The Charming Irrelevance of Russell Brand
Last night, I watched uncomfortably as Russell Brand ranted at Jeremy Paxman on BBC’s Newsnight. Coming across more as a disaffected first-year-undergraduate-soc-and-pol-student than any sort of credible political commentator, Brand demonstrated not only an unsettling propensity towards demagoguery, but to be the most frustrating kind of citizen. That is, one that doesn’t vote. In fact,…
The Hard Brass Backbone of Bristol
It is perhaps quite fitting that the ugliest part of Bristol’s city centre is its high-street Shopping Quarter. I cannot recall ever being in a district so under-representative of its host city as Bristol’s shopping quarter. Combining faceless high-street retail brands and desperately ugly, mid-20th century architecture , the shopping quarter is a ghetto of charmless consumerism to…
The Best of Living Dead Movies
Exploiting the current popularity of the zombie genre and since Halloween’s just a few months away, I present the best zombie movies to watch over the holidays. Shaun of the Dead (2004) Shaun of the Dead combines an intelligent and self-conscious script with enough violence and gore to keep any zombie movie enthusiast satisfied. For…
Much Love for Milwaukee
The citizens of Wisconsin are a people after my own heart. Combining a love of beer, a fixation with cheese based food products and a cheerful sense of humor, ‘sconsonites (‘sconsonians?) are very easy to get along with. Traveling North from Chicago, I made my way to Milwaukee, home of the Miller Brewery, Harley Davidson…
The Backlash Against Malcolm Gladwell
Earlier today, The Guardian’s website asked readers to submit questions which Stephen Fry would then relay to Malcolm Gladwell when the pair meet next week. Gladwell , you see, is currently publicizing his latest book, David and Goliath, on the topic of underdogs and overcoming adversity. Following a quick scroll through the page’s comments section, it…
Disturbing Moments in Animated Cartoon History
As a young teenager I was obsessed with weirdness. I surrounded myself with the bizarre. I embodied the odd. I watched horror movies compulsively, read extensively on the abduction techniques favored by different serial killers and studied the indoctrination methodologies of cult leaders (I could tell you more about the Manson Family than I could about members of…
Downtown Chicago in the Early Hours
Eager to shake the desynchronosistic hangover acquired by a transatlantic British Airways flight and having exhausted the hotel’s understandably sparse early-morning entertainment opportunities, I figured that a hike through the downtown Chicago area would perhaps prove the remedy I was looking for. For a major US metropolis, Chicago sure is quiet at 6am. In addition…
Hard Rockin’ In Chicago
In the summer of 2011, I spent several weeks traveling around America’s Midwest region. Following an unpleasant 10 hour flight from Dublin to O’Hare Airport, my traveling companion informed me that my first taste of the North American hospitality industry would be via a stay at Chicago’s Hard Rock Hotel. I was of two minds…
The Everyday Amusements of London Life
The frenetic pace of London life can often lead one to overlook the bizarre quirks that make this city such an entertaining place in which to live. Employ a keen eye and you don’t have to walk far before encountering some amusement or other. Sometimes juvenile, sometimes ironic, always interesting, here are a few of…
An Affair With Southern Italy
Of all the countries I’ve visited in the last few years, the place that has left the most impression is without doubt the Puglia region of Southern Italy. Effortlessly beautiful, this part of the world is home to a welcoming and generous people, outstanding Italian food and an amazing history. With time spent in the…
The Impossibility of Boredom in London
Although at times it can be a bit of a bummer (cramped trains, endless queuing, rotten winters, short summers, a disturbing obsession with class, the occasional damp personality), for the most part, living in London is pretty awesome. Before leaving Ireland to live in the Big Smoke, my Dad, taking inspiration from Samuel Johnson’s quip that…