“WE don’t choose the stories we tell,” writes Laura McVeigh in Under The Almond Tree’s afterword, “they choose us.”

The testimony of a man aged 91, who died earlier this year, has provided an intriguing insight into the strong republican affiliations of a group of set dancers photographed at a crossroads in Ireland more than 100 years ago.

SPORT has become the life blood of communications, especially traditional television stations.

As Darren Shan releases the final instalment in his Zom-B tales, he tells Marjorie Brennan why he believes teenagers are reading as much as ever

Many so-called revolutionaries are cruel, ignorant and opportunistic men. They don’t have the heart and wit to do something creative with their lives. How much easier is it to tear down the hard work of others or shout some slogan to bolster their egos!

You might expect hefty Russian tome War And Peace to be the book that people are most likely to have lied about reading. 

LILY JAMES can’t believe the furore over the size of her waist in the new cinematic retelling of Disney’s Cinderella.

by Susan Pinker

Rose Tremain is one of England’s most significant writers. She’s won The Orange Prize; The Whitbread and the The James Tait Black Memorial Prize. She spoke to Sue Leonard about her latest collection of short stories.    

Rose Tremain

IF you ever want to test parental, familial and romantic bonds to see how cool-headed you really are, how much you actually love your children, and how strong your relationship is, pile them all into the car.

Bermuda shorts. Check. Swimming togs x2. Check. Factor 50. Check. War & Peace, Ulysses. Ch... Hold it a minute.

WILLIAM Shakespeare was born four and a half centuries ago this year; he was baptised on April 26, 1564.

The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics were officially brought to a conclusion on Sunday with a closing ceremony that celebrated Russia’s culture and heritage - as well as giving an indication of the country’s sense of humour.

In the House of the Interpreter

One man can make a difference and British film-maker Joe Wright does behind the lens of ‘Anna Karenina’.

RJ Palacio

Four new venues and a subtle change of name have allowed this classical festival to broaden its horizons, writes Nicki ffrench Davis

Speaking from Cannes about his new film, Killing Them Softly, actor Brad Pitt said: “We live in such a violent world.

Tolstoy

Richard Fitzpatrick looks at James Joyce’s short story collection, Dubliners, the focus of the One City, One Book festival in the capital

ONE of 10 children, Gabriel Walsh was brought up in poverty.

ALISON MAXWELL

Ratko Mladic could be on his way to face a war-crimes tribunal in The Hague as early as Monday, possibly joining his former ally Radovan Karadzic on trial for some of the worst horrors of the Balkan wars.

Tolstoy: A Russian Life

Oprah Winfrey has decided that it is the best of times for Charles Dickens.

WHAT sticks in the mind’s eye from a weekend of upheaval a month ago is the audacity of thought and movement shown by the Down players against Kerry.

In 1910 Russia, Valentin Bulgakov (James McAvoy), the newly appointed private secretary to the great Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer), arrives at the writer’s estate — the battleground for a very public war.

All eyes at tonight's Oscars will be on the showdown between 'Avatar' and 'The Hurt Locker'. Each has nine nominations.

Tributes were being paid today to Nobel-prize winning author and Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who has died aged 89.

Irish actress Anne Marie Duff joins a quality line-up for the shooting in Germany and Russia of the Leo Tolstoy bio 'The Last Season'.

A valuable literary collection including letters and a manuscript by WB Yeats will go under the hammer today.

Anna Kournikova says her millionaire jet-set lifestyle is a drag.