The Tile Films - RTÉ production of 'Invasion: The Normans'  provides an interesting insight to the character in Derbforgaill, Ireland's so-called Helen of Troy, developing the roles and political influence of the woman whose life would transform the history of Ireland.       

The world might be a far more interesting place if we recalled the people who left traces of their lives stitched into the landscape around us

Did you know that many everyday conveniences were invented by women? Margaret E. Knight revolutionised grocery shopping with her flat-bottomed paper bags, while Mary Anderson invented the windscreen wiper

Why is Mary O’Connell so little celebrated when she played such a key role in Irish history?

Oh, for a dress with pockets.

Hospitality is best experienced in person, of course, but reading Jennie Moran’s book is a close-run second.

THE anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, which fell on Sunday, is a date that continues to resonate for many reasons, not least because of the deep hubris in claiming the state-of-the-art ship was “practically unsinkable”.

IT FELT as if Cynthia Longfield, aka Madam Dragonfly, was present to mark the centenary of the St George expedition, the voyage that transformed this enthusiastic amateur, of Cork and London, into a professional scientist and explorer.

Farm servant Mary Gorman's life took an unimaginable course after giving testimony in the trial of Roger Casement, ending up in New York, where she disappeared from the historical record. What became of her? The search continues

At this time of year, I often think of Mary Gorman, a 17-year-old farm servant from Ardfert, Co Kerry, whose life was upended by what she saw in the early hours of Good Friday morning in 1916.