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Irish Times
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Voice from the Grave – Frank McNally on a debut poetry collection from Niall Montgomery, 38 years after his death.
When Niall Montgomery died in 1987, an appreciation in this newspaper mentioned the imminent, posthumous publication of his first ever collection of poetry, 'ominously entitled Terminal '. The appreciator, 'M.S.' (his friend and occasional publisher in magazines, Michael Smith), added: 'I cannot express the bitterness of my disappointment that he will not be alive to see it.' But Smith needn't have worried because, for whatever reason, the thing Montgomery wasn't alive to see didn't appear then either. Instead, nearly 40 years later, a collection of the poems has only now finally seen the light, this time under the title Terminal 1 . While even more posthumous, it sounds less ominous than the 1987 version. If anything, it has taken on an ironic quality, thanks to the subtitle: 'Arrivals'. As it finally touches down, despite the four-decade delay, a Ryanair-style fanfare may be justified. READ MORE The recurrent aviation terminology is explained in part by Montgomery's day job as an architect, in which role he worked under Desmond Fitzgerald on the masterpiece that is the original Dublin Airport terminal. But Montgomery (1915 – 1987) was a man of many talents. A painter, sculptor, and influential literary critic, he was also an Irish Times columnist, doubly disguised, for many years. First, on an unknown but substantial number of occasions, he stood in for his friend Brian O'Nolan, aka Myles na gCopaleen. The possibility that any given edition of Cruiskeen Lawn could have been written by Montgomery or a third party has been credited with preserving O'Nolan's day job as a senior civil servant, at least until one too many attacks on his boss, the Minister for 'Yokel Government', precipitated his early retirement in 1953 Later, in the mid-1960s, Montgomery acquired his own Irish Times column, entitled The Liberties. For this he used the pseudonym Rosemary Lane, resulting in some indignant letters to the editor about 'Miss Lane's' opinions. In fact, Rosemary Lane was a defunct Dublin address, once the site of a tavern in which furtive masses were said during penal times, and today occupied by the Church of the Immaculate Conception, better known to Dubliners (and those who've read the opening line of Joyce's Finnegans Wake) as 'Adam and Eve's'. Alas, the short-lived column had obvious similarities in style to Cruiskeen Lawn – and why wouldn't it, since the author had so often deputised on that? And when sub-editors place them side-by-side one day, it provoked a fit of angry paranoia in O'Nolan – not a well man by then anyway. Montgomery promptly relinquished the job and so the literary Rosemary Lane disappeared from the map too. But Montgomery was also a reluctant poet: reluctant in the sense that he so revered the form, his own contributions had to be dragged out of him, by Smith and others. As the editor of the belated collection, Joseph LaBine, notes, the obscurity of Montgomery's early work drew a backhanded compliment once from a young Samuel Beckett. Criticising some better-known Irish poets of the time, Beckett named a few others of whom he knew 'nothing'. Then he singled out Montgomery's poetry, of which he knew 'nothing at all'. For Beckett, as LaBine jokes, there were degrees of nothingness: the kind applying to Montgomery was more absolute than the others. That didn't last. As he had with Joyce, Montgomery became one of Ireland's most respected authorities on Beckett's work, and in the process a good friend of the writer. Not only did Beckett come to know the architect well, he knew himself better in the process. After one epic essay ('a three-month job'), which Montgomery had sent to Paris for the subject's approval, Beckett responded: 'I learned a lot about myself I didn't know and hadn't suspected'. By 1955, in a warm letter, Beckett looked forward to their meeting on a possible return to Dublin the following year, and lapsed into Hiberno-English: 'If I do, and the family dying dead, it's the quare times we'll be having.' Montgomery wrote poems in both of Ireland's official languages and is not easy to read in either. He was a great admirer of jazz, drawing inspiration from it for his free, unconventional verse. He 'pays homage to Dublin and Joyce' (with a bit of Flann O'Brien too) LaBine notes, 'but his characteristic style, with its odd enjambment and capitalisation, anticipates beat poetry, particularly Allen Ginsberg's Howl (1956)'. Less happily, his early poems feature occasional outbursts of apparent ant-Semitism and misogyny. This may have resulted in part of Montgomery's urge to challenge the strict censorship of his era, with which he had an unusually personal relationship: his father was appointed the Free State's first film censor in 1923. Retaining certain offensive phrases 'for the sake of context', LaBine says: 'They should not be excused away but, in certain cases, are clearly the mistakes of a young poet.' Like a jazz lyricist of more recent vintage, the late Paul Durcan, Montgomery was an entertainingly eccentric reader of his own work. Luckily, we still have recordings. Among those speaking at the very belated launch of his debut collection, in the Irish Architectural Archive on Friday evening, will be the man himself.
Irish Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Watchdog clears Dalata's €83m deal for Radisson Dublin Airport
Dalata Hotel Group will give up the lease on the DAA-owned Maldron Hotel at Dublin Airport after the competition watchdog approved its bid to acquire the nearby Radisson Blu hotel from Alan McIntosh's Emerald Investments for €83 million. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said on Wednesday it had cleared Dalata's bid to buy CG Hotels Dublin Airport, which holds the long leasehold interest in the property. The CCPC said it had approved the €83 million transaction, subject to several conditions, one of which is that Dalata will have to surrender the lease on the nearby Maldron Hotel. Dalata said previously the Maldron lease is due to expire in January 2026. In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Dalata confirmed it had received approval for the acquisition and all conditions are now satisfied, with the transaction set to be completed before the end of the month. READ MORE Dalata said it is 'contractually committed to operating the Maldron Hotel Dublin Airport, under licence, into 2026, and will engage with the owner, DAA, to ensure an orderly handover of operations during the period'. Dalata chief executive Dermot Crowley said: 'We are pleased the regulatory approval process is now complete, and I am very excited about the future of the hotel within Dalata Hotel Group. 'I look forward to meeting the team at the hotel in the coming weeks and welcoming them into Dalata.' The transaction was notified to the CCPC last November, and the watchdog launched its investigation into the competition implications of the deal in April. CG Hotels Dublin Airport is a subsidiary of CG Hotels, which is linked to Mr McIntosh, a co-founder of Irish-listed home builder Cairn Homes, and his Emerald Investment Partners firm. The four-star hotel is on 4.4 acres to the east of Dublin Airport, comprising 229 bedrooms as well as meeting and events rooms. Dalata put itself up for sale in March, hiring investment bank Rothschild to carry out a strategic review of the business following a sustained period of underperformance by its stock. Earlier this month, the Dublin-listed group rejected a €1.3 billion bid from a Scandinavian consortium comprising Swedish peer Pandox, which owns hotels run under the Leonardo brand in Ireland, and Oslo-based Eiendomsspar, a leading shareholder in Dalata.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Paul Murphy returns to Ireland after being held in Egypt
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who was detained twice in Egypt while participating in the Global March to Gaza, has returned to Ireland. He was among a group of participants in the march from Ireland who flew back to Dublin. Speaking to journalists at Dublin Airport, the People Before Profit/Solidarity TD said that "this phase of the global march to Gaza is finished". However, he said that the international campaign for Gaza will continue and will focus next on the meeting between EU foreign ministers and Israel's foreign minister in Brussels next week. Mr Murphy said that all of the Irish people involved in the march "are fine" but there are others still detained in Egypt and for that reason he had to be careful "in terms of what comments we make about Egypt". He said he still does not have his phone back following his detention. Earlier, Mr Murphy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme that no other Irish citizens were currently detained in Egypt. Mr Murphy said it was not initially clear to him that he was being detained. "For the first three hours or so, it was just a slow, bureaucratic process. Things were taking a long time. I asked to leave and was told I couldn't. The whole time they had my passport, and it became clear that I was being detained, as unfortunately hundreds of have been in Egypt, and many people deported. "Yesterday, in total, I was in the police station for nine hours," he added. The TD for Dublin South West said that there would be no renewed attempt for the group to continue their march to Rafah, and that they were disappointed that they had not succeeded. Have now been released, thanks again for all the support. Others from #GlobalMarchToGaza still detained. Will comment further when I've left Egypt. Free Palestine 🇵🇸 — Paul Murphy 🇵🇸 (@paulmurphy_TD) June 16, 2025 "Obviously, we are disappointed that we didn't get to Rafah. But, we have had probably the largest international people-powered coalition for Palestine in a very long time." Hundreds of people went to Egypt for the Global March to Gaza, an international initiative intended to exert pressure for an end to an Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory and draw attention to the humanitarian crisis there. Mr Murphy said that pressure needed to be put on western governments to get Israel "to stop what they are doing".
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
First Look: Inside Dublin Airport's new Platinum VIP suites – with a chauffeur drive to your flight
Guests of Platinum VIP can expect private suites, a dedicated security channel and more… at a premium price, of course The golden age of air travel hasn't gone away – it just costs an extra €475. That price – rising on July 1 from the current fee of €395pp – buys you a few exclusive hours in Platinum VIP, Dublin Airport's little-known private terminal, where guests have ranged from Taylor Swift to Beyoncé, Bono, Prince Albert of Monaco and President Michael D Higgins.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘Match your words with actions' – Paul Murphy urges Simon Harris to do more for Palestinians after being detained in Egypt
On arrival in Dublin Airport with a group of around ten others, he called on the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to match his words of criticism of Israel with actions. Last week, Mr Murphy and members of an activist group had their passports taken and were held after attempting to walk to Rafah as part of a protest march highlighting the blockage of aid into Gaza. He was then detained for a second time in Cairo on Monday when he went to a police station to retrieve his mobile phone, which was being held by authorities. 'The main thing I'm asking Simon Harris to do, and we're asking Simon Harris to do, is not to do more for us - it's to match his strong words of criticism of Israel with actions,' he said. "To fully implement the Occupied Territories Bill, to stop the overflights of weapons going through our airspace, and to stop our Central Bank authorising the sale of Israeli bonds in the European Union,' he said. Surrounded by group members with Irish and Palestinian flags, Deputy Murphy said they had 'tremendous support from the Egyptian people'. 'It's clear that the Egyptian people are very, very supportive of Palestine. Obviously, we're disappointed with the stance that the Egyptian State took,' he said. "I'm fine. All the Irish people are fine. There are still some non-Irish people who are detained out there, so we're hopeful that they're released as soon as possible and we have to be kind of mindful of the fact that they're potentially still in detention and there's other Irish people who want to come home, in terms of the comments we make about Egypt.' Reacting to criticism from Independent Ireland party leader TD Michael Collins, who branded his trip to Egypt a 'march for publicity', Deputy Murphy people can make their own judgements. 'First of all, this is not my stunt at all. This is 4,000 people that were participating. I was actually a late participant in joining it. This is probably the biggest global coordinated march for Palestine that we have seen. And even though we didn't reach Rafah, we think we did succeed in highlighting what's happening,' he explained. 'Just yesterday 38 people were killed while queuing for aid, and this has become a pattern now, over 300 people in the last three weeks. 'I left on Thursday. I was in the Dáil on Thursday morning. I'm back today, back for the Dáil, today. I think most people in this country want politicians to do everything they can to stop this genocide. This is a contribution that I felt that I could make in supporting this people-powered movement that we have.' Deputy Murphy said the next focus now is on a meeting in Brussels next week. "We definitely recognise that this phase of the global March to Gaza is finished. We accept that we will not be reaching Rafah, and those who remain there will not be reaching Rafah. 'There's a meeting in Brussels next week when Foreign Affairs Ministers are meeting with the Israeli Minister for Foreign Affairs. We think that's horrendous in the context of the genocide that's been going on for 20 months. 'I think it's horrendous that Ursula von der Leyen is still talking about Israel's right to defend itself and blaming others for instability in the Middle East, considering Israel's ongoing genocide and then starting a war effectively with Iran. So that's our next focal point." Meanwhile, Mr Collins questioned what was the objective of the trip and said he would have advised Mr Murphy against travelling if he was a member of Independent Ireland. Mr Collins said it is 'Dáil time' and TDs are supposed to be working. He also questioned why Mr Murphy put himself in danger. 'As party leader, if one of my TDs came to me and said they wanted to go travelling. First of all, I'd say, it's Dáil time and it's work time, you're supposed to tend to your duties,' said Mr Collins at Leinster House. 'If it's a holiday during August or something, that's their own business. But certainly, why put yourself in danger? Why put other people in danger, because you are in a position of responsibility and you have to advise people of the dangers you're putting people in. I felt there was a danger and there was a danger for others. 'I think it was more done on the basis of publicity than maybe delivery. And delivery is for the people that is inside here, where democracy is held, where people are held to order, where we can speak our minds and he's well able to speak his mind [in the Dáil]. "It's his decision but it's a decision I'd question myself if it was within my party.' Cork TD Richard O'Donoghue said he hopes Mr Murphy is well and safe. 'You can protest, you can do all the same things of what he wanted to achieve, here. But to go over there and to put your life and other lives at risk, says to me you didn't think about the people you were leaving here behind you,' said Mr O'Donoghue. Meanwhile, Labour TD Duncan Smith said he would not criticise anybody who is trying to highlight the genocide in Gaza. 'I'm not going to be criticising any politician or citizen of this country or others who are doing what they believe they can to highlight what's going on in Gaza.' Mr Murphy has confirmed no Irish citizens are now under detention in Egypt. 'No other Irish citizens are still detained, thankfully. Again, there are many Irish citizens who are not leaving today, will still be there for a period of time and I'm kind of conscious about their safety and not putting them in in any jeopardy,' Mr Murphy told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. Mr Murphy said his second detention was a 'slow bureaucratic process' and things were taking a long time to resolve. 'But then, I asked to leave and was told that I couldn't leave and the whole time they had my passport. It became clear that I was being detained, as unfortunately hundreds of others have been detained in Egypt, many people deported.' He said his experience in Egypt 'pales into insignificance compared to what's happening in Gaza'. 'Just yesterday, 38 Palestinians were killed while queuing for aid. There's now over 300 Palestinians have been killed in those circumstances in the last three weeks,' he said. 'And the purpose of our global march to Gaza, which involved over 4,000 people coming here to Egypt from over 60 countries, was really to highlight the forced starvation that is happening and to call for a lifting of the blockade and allowing aid to flow.' Mr Murphy said he was held for around nine hours when he was detained for a second time and due to the slow nature of the process, it was unclear at first whether he was detained or not. It then became clear to him that he had been detained again because when he asked to leave the police station, he was told he was not allowed to. 'From our perspective, I mean we came here, the 4,000 people to try to march to Rafah in order to highlight what is happening in Gaza. 'Obviously, we're disappointed that we didn't get to Rafah, but we have had probably the largest international people-powered coalition for Palestine in a very, very long time. 'I think we did raise awareness about what is happening. And so, in the context of the severe Egyptian repression that is taking place, I'm conscious that look, there's still people in detention. There's still many, many people who won't be flying home.' While there will not be another attempt to enter Rafah, Mr Murphy said activists will now turn their attention to events like a planned meeting between European foreign ministers and the Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar in Brussels next week. 'For us, the main pressure we need to have is on Israel, to stop what it's doing in Gaza and on our own Government to stop their complicity. 'Obviously, many western governments and many of the people over there are coming from countries where the governments are actively arming and funding Israel.'
