A look at books - Irish fiction and non-fiction literature to get your teeth in to

By Jane Casey

A look at books- Irish food and fiction

Lara Marlowe is best known as a distinguished foreign correspondent for The Irish Times, but she is equally well known in Ireland for her writings on French art.  Painted With Words is her luminous new collection of essays on some of the world’s greatest painters.

“Painting is not done to decorate apartments,” wrote Pablo Picasso. “It is an instrument of war against brutality and darkness.”

Conan O'Brien says goodbye to Newt Gingrich's campaign

Michael Fassbender plays a robot in "Prometheus" - Video goes viral

A look at books - Irish cooking, history and fiction

Can you call yourself Irish if you don’t own at least two Irish cookery books by Darina Allen? Simply put no one else has ever assembled the classic Irish dishes with the range and scope and appreciation for Irish tradition that she has.

In Irish Traditional Cooking Allen has assembled over 300 recipes that are as wholesome and unpretentious and the books title. Allen is a seasonal cook, which means she lists dishes that are in tune with the produce on offer year round, which makes this book an especially worthwhile purchase for discerning cooks.

Looks at Books - New books reviewed for your consideration

Fighting Tuesdays
Edited By Emily Firetog and Declan Meade

FOURTH year, or transition year as its also known, is the much beloved year bookended by two fearful exams in the Irish school system. For students it’s the year when you can relax a bit and begin to discover your teenage identity finally. If you’re lucky it’ll be one of the happiest of your life too.
In Fighting Tuesdays the Stinging Fly Press invited students in that age bracket to submit original short stories, 24 of which have been selected for this book.
What makes this one worth your time is the remarkable sophistication in evidence in these pages. These stories aren’t just powerful; they’re a timely portrait of modern Ireland.
Spanning the great themes of friendship, love, bullying, drugs, alcohol, football and finding yourself, the humor and the dialogue crackle with the fierce urgency of youth itself.
Dufour, $15.95.

Look at books - Oscar Wilde, Irish history, and savage NYC fiction

How to pour a perfect pint of Guinness from a can

Gavin Friday - Irish pop genius - VIDEO

Saint Patrick's Day pants - your holiday sorted

Turn heads and maybe win some new admirers before or after the parade. You can pick 'em up by clicking here.

The three little wives of Newt Gingrich

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More US politics news from IrishCentral

John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban, seeks Irish citizenship - POLL

Michael Fassbender's first nude scene discovered

The Academy's decision to overlook his work was a widely lamented travesty, but an expected one, considering their track record on mature themes and nominations.

Male nudity has always been a bridge too far for the sensitive types who compile the nominations but thankfully Fassbender's not concerned. In fact he recently had a laugh at all the fuss his latest film caused in some quarters.
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Phillip Glass opera Satyagraha is extraordinary

Based on the life of Ghandi, with illuminating reference to the lifelong struggle of fellow titan Martin Luther King, the performance achieved moments of extraordinary beauty.

This being a Phillip Glass work it was also ponderous, aching, celebratory, stirring and at times - yes - seriously dull.

Veteran's Day - World War Two veterans photographed - PHOTOS

'I wanted to make people more aware of our veterans’ sacrifices and help put people’s lives into perspective,' Sanders told CNN.

Photographed above is James Tobin, who fought in the Pacific.

An Irishman's view of the Wall Street shenanigans

Here's an Irishman's view of the Wall Street shenanigans. The language is colorful and probably not safe for work - you have been warned!

Apple's iPhone Siri app is baffled by Scottish people

Asking Apple's iPhone Siri app to 'create a reminder' is a bit of a challenge in Scotland:

Irish Writers Take Manhattan

'The writers we’re bringing over are Irish writers we’ve been associated with for a few years,' says Stinging Fly editor Declan Meade. 'It’s work that we want to showcase. And we’ve also asked Irish writers who live here in New York to contribute to the event as well. So the works will be from the perspective of people who live here and from the people we’re bringing over from Ireland.'

Not only a magazine, but now also a publishing press, in recent years The Stinging Fly has become the recognized launch pad for a new generation of Irish talent. Created as the Celtic Tiger economy was taking flight, since that time it has helped launch the careers of writers like Emma Donoghue, Eamon Grennan, Kerry Hardie, Michael Harding, Claire Keegan and James Kelman.

Get your Halloween Princess Beatrice hat here - straight from Kate and William's wedding

‘A Tribute to Harrigan & Hart’ at Symphony Space in NYC

An all-star concert, the once in a decade night will remind us that before there was George M. Cohan the songs of his hero Edward 'Ned' Harrigan, the Irish American songwriter and playwright, were the toast of Broadway.

The concert takes place on the hundred year anniversary of Harriagn's passing and through story, song and dance you'll see the artists of the calibre of Athena Tergis and Susan McKeown take to the stage to recreate numbers that will live in your memory.

Tip Sheet recommends: Bogboy at The Irish Arts Center

Charismatic, focused, instinctive and pitch perfect, Fox’s performance is the key to the success of Deirdre Kinahan’s tender and accomplished new play.

Book your tickets HERE

Noctu Irish Dance at The Irish Repertory Theatre: Kill for a ticket

Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney to read at 92nd Street Y

In a very special evening to open the 92nd Street Y Unterberg Poetry Center’s 2011-2012 season, Ireland’s Nobel Laureate (and arguably the world's finest living poet) Seamus Heaney will read from his poetry. 

The best iPad keyboard on the market

But all that portability comes at a cost: no keyboard! If you write a little (or a lot) you're going to need some typing options.

To date wifi key boards have been marketed with varying degrees of success. One thing seems to untie them - the Bluetooth cursor half second lag that drives professional wordsmiths nuts.

Rory's story about marriage

8 on Broadway already hottest ticket in town

The show will be performed as a fundraiser at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Sept. 19. Casting already includes Anthony Edwards, Morgan Freeman, Cheyenne Jackson, Christine Lahti, Rob Reiner, Yeardley Smith and Marisa Tomei.

Lance Black, the screenwriter for the Harvey Milk biopic starring Sean Prenn, spent months pouring over the trial transcripts and interviews, and the one night only show will be directed by Tony Award-winning actor and director Joe Mantello.

New & Improved Texas Conservatives

C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Off Broadway

Describing a meeting with a fellow Irishman in England he wrote: 'Like all Irish people who meet in England we ended by criticisms on the invincible flippancy and dullness of the Anglo-Saxon race…'

Careless sticker placements

Third grader bait, courtesy of the internets - click here for more.

Recommended: Cary Fukunaga's "Jane Eyre" - VIDEO

Let's face it, remakes of Jane Eyre are have been a cottage industry for decades. But the new one directed by Cary Fukunaga is hugely worth your time this week because his visual flair is remarkable, as is his insistence that the tale be told at all times through the vulnerable but courageous spirit of the title character herself.

Fukunaga's film succeeds because he insists on the primacy of human interaction and he is never seduced by the period or the admittedly ravishing costumes and settings.

It's a quiet and immensely thoughtful film that works its magic on you discreetly, until you realize somewhere near the end its had a cumulative and revelatory power that sends you reeling into the street.

New York's First Irish Theatre Festival returns - celebrating Irish playwrights

New York’s groundbreaking First Irish Theatre Festival is still the only theater festival in the world that's dedicated entirely to Irish playwrights.