Contents

Ciaran Carson celebratesIrish traditional musicians

Deirdre Mask on multicultural Ireland

Tim Kenny on the collapse of DetroitTom Mac Intyre’s “Memoirs

New fiction by

Robert Welch & Hunter Liguore

Eibhlín Evans & Jonathan P. Watts on W.G. Sebald

New poems and translations by Vona Groarke, Frankie Sewell, Sam Gardiner, Christopher Whyte & Cathal Ó Searcaigh

PLUS: “The Light of Other Days/Solas ó Ré Eile”, a remarkable photographic portfolio by Jim Maginn

Quote from the Back Cover “One thing I love most about Ireland is its almost ancient sense of self, its powerful identity, the shelves of books in Eason’s exploring every nook and cranny of the country (books that people actually buy!). It’s also what I like least about it. Ireland’s solid brand, its seeming desire to pin its identity to the bogs, to Guinness (a multinational conglomerate!) and to bestsellers explaining how the Irish taught the world anything worth knowing, makes it so hard for us newcomers to feel like we belong. I was walking along the Old Seamus Quirke Road in the Galway rain in Wellington boots when a man in a tweed cap stopped me for some conversation. ‘I see you’ve learned about our weather quickly!’ he announced cheerfully, pointing to my sensible footwear. I was grateful for the chat — but how did he know how long I’d been here?” from “Fitting In” by Deirdre Mask