A Door Into The Dark is back, with host Catherine Hickey, grizzled veterans Eorann Kavanagh and Sean O’Brien, and fresh faced newbie Eoghan Cleary, as they provide some insights into the struggle for power, and the cost of its pursuit, in medieval(ish) England.
Catherine Hickey is joined by Georgia Lee Flynn, Eorann Kavanagh and Patrick Murtagh to discuss the powerful, playful poet Seamus Heaney. Seamus Heaney is a beloved Irish poet, winner of the Noble Prize for Literature, and former resident of the Garden of Ireland. In this pod, the crew discuss their love of Heaney, his use of allusion, aural imagery and a unique, playful tone that manages to discuss personal events in such a way that they are given magical, mythical and eternal qualities. Great art is capable of turning our ordinary existence into something extraordinary, and in Heaney, we have a diamond.
Our first foray into the Junior Cycle shows us deliberating a challenging question; was William Shakespeare anti-Semitic? Georgia-Lee Flynn, Sean O'Brien, and your host, Catherine Hickey give the question some thought, while Second Year student Oliver O'Neill delivers Shylock's iconic monologue from 'The Merchant Of Venice'.
When a man cannot even decide if he wishes to be or not, it is unlikely he is going to be very productive. Is Hamlet's procrastination understandable, or unbelievably frustrating? Let's take a deep dive with Georgia-Lee Flynn, Sean O'Brien, and your host, Catherine Hickey.
'A Door Into The Dark' makes a return, just in time for our 3rd and 6th Years getting ready to take their exams. In this episode, Georgia-Lee Flynn and Sean O'Brien join Catherine Hickey to discuss the central theme of corruption in 'Hamlet'.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
-George R.R. Martin
This week, our host Catherine Hickey is joined by Eorann Kavanagh, Georgia Lee Flynn, and Sean O'Brien, to discuss the pleasure of reading during the summer holidays. It is, without doubt, one of the finest pleasures in life, to be sitting somewhere comfortable, in the sun, with nothing much to do, engrossed in a novel. We take a trip down memory lane to discuss some of the books that left a mark on us when we were teenagers, and planted a love of reading in us all. E-mail us at englishdepartment@templecarrigschool.ie if you have a particularly fond memory of falling in love with a book, and be in with a chance to win a book voucher.
The picks below are not an exhaustive list, if you want to try to get into reading and you would like to be pointed in a particular direction, talk to your teacher!
Georgia Lee's picks
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes - Suzanne Collins
Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Webtune - free app for listening to audio books (including the popular show Heart Stopper)
Graphic Novels & Manga...they're free, easy to read, and entertaining!
Catherine's picks
Romeo & Juliet - William Shakespeare
Harry Potter (series) - J.K. Rowling
Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Mildred D. Taylor
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
The Testaments - Margaret Atwood
The Hawthorne Legacy - Jennifer Lynne Barnes
The Shardlake Series - C.J. Sansom
The Thursday Murder Book Club - Richard Osman
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Eorann's picks
The Hunger Games (series) - Suzanne Collins
The Red Queen - Phillipa Gregory
Agatha Christie (any book!)
1984 - George Orwell
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Hitch-hiker's Guide To The Galaxy (series) - Douglas Adams
Sean's picks
The Belgariad (series) - David Eddings
The Discworld (series) - Terry Pratchett
The Plot Against America - Philip Roth
The Stepford Wives - Ira Levin
This Perfect Day - Ira Levin
The Boys From Brazil - Ira Levin
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling - Podcast (on Spotify)
This week, without regular host Catherine Hickey, Patrick Murtagh and Sean O’Brien go wildly off topic as they discuss Dickinson. Taking detours through Delgany, Darwin’s ‘Origin Of The Species’, shifty lawyers, Elvis Presley and Coca Cola advertising campaigns, the gruesome twosome get cosy with The Lady in White.
This week, Catherine is joined by Sean O’Brien and former St. Columba’s College English teacher John Fanagan. John’s experience as an English teacher of 35 years is touched upon, as well as his unbridled passion for Shakespeare’s works. To any and all young people listening, it is important to find these things you are passionate about, it will keep you young! Please do enjoy! We have had a couple of busy weeks but we have a flurry of episodes to come in the final few weeks.
.
This week, our host Catherine Hickey is joined by Sean O’Brien and history teacher extraordinaire John Simpson. John provides the inside track on all things Monaghan, as he grew up near ‘Billy Brennan’s Barn’, just off the Iniskeen Road. We discuss the difficult character that he was, and the moments of beauty that he found in this turbulent life.
This week, our host Catherine Hickey is joined by Patrick Murtagh and Sean O’Brien to discuss one of their favourite poets: Elizabeth Bishop. Bishop’s discerning eye for detail, her emotional depth and knack for writing from unique perspectives mean that she can be one of the more challenging poets to study at Senior Cycle. Here, we put on the hard sell, and let you know that if you take your time with Bishop, it can all be ‘rainbow, rainbow, rainbow’ for you too.
Credit goes to Harry Dagg and Johnny Lumley for their renditions of ‘Sestina’ and ‘Filling Station’.
This week our host Catherine Hickey is joined by Georgia-Lee Flynn, Eorann Kavanagh, and 6th Year students Lily McCann and Amy Kennedy to discuss Shakespeare’s ode to young love, Romeo & Juliet. Did Shakespeare nail it? Is this the perfect depiction of romantic love? Still? After all these years? Join the gang as they bring the Bard’s most beloved story within their bending sickle’s compass, and take a short flight on love’s light wings.
Its 1606, in the jolly old town of London. Jesuit revolutionaries have just tried to blow up Westminster, women are being accused of witchcraft across the country. There is a new king, who hails from the mysterious, dark hinterland of Scotland. Who can make sense of this crazy world? Who has skills at writing thrills to pay the bills? Who likes his shirt with frills? William 'Netflix Exec' Shakespeare!
This week, our host Catherine Hickey is joined by Sean O’Brien and Temple Carrig‘s principal Alan Cox (proud member of both the Mathematics and Economics departments of the school), to discuss the context within which the play was written, and how best to view Shakespeare now as a modern audience member.
As a school, we have decided to look at issues surrounding gender identity in the world we now live in. Four hundred years ago, Shakespeare was also investigating the pitfalls of masculinity in his tragedy 'Macbeth'.
Join Catherine Hickey, Patrick Murtagh and Sean O'Brien as they discuss masculinity in 'Macbeth'.
Welcome to the first episode of the TCG English Department's podcast 'A Door Into The Dark'! Each week, we will bring you a conversation about different English texts that are on the Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle courses. We want to share our passion for the subject, and hope that it sparks passion in those who listen and take part.
If there is a text you would like to hear about, or even contribute to (we would like students to get involved too!), please e-mail englishdepartment@templecarrigschool.ie
Our first episode discusses the concept of ambition in the Shakespearean tragedy 'Macbeth'.
We're back for our 2022/2023 edition with a new crop of podcasters, talking about Sophie Toscan du Plantier, top-rated crisps and pet peeves, and some general chat led by Rowan...
Controversy and Double Standards abound in this episode
And we're back after an extended hiatus! Serial Killers and Controversial Topics start this new classes podcast off!!
Interview with Mr Simpson and Ms Stout, trends in and out this year, and an interview with Lil Xipz and his collective all the way from Ohio
Controversial Music and an Interview with Ms Keogh
Movies, Football and Toy Shows, as we welcome students back in the New Year!
