BUCHANAN: Dublin Time Machine
@buchanandtm.bsky.social
Drinker with a writing problem. Irish history and Irish future. Politics and poetry. Dubliner
An escaped lion roamed the streets of Fairview on a quiet Sunday afternoon in 1951! Back then, the Fairview Grand Cinema backed onto a small yard belonging to Bill Stephens, an Irish circus lion trainer whose animals were hired out to visiting shows and travelling acts.
February 3, 2026 at 12:30 PM
An escaped lion roamed the streets of Fairview on a quiet Sunday afternoon in 1951! Back then, the Fairview Grand Cinema backed onto a small yard belonging to Bill Stephens, an Irish circus lion trainer whose animals were hired out to visiting shows and travelling acts.
On this day in 1919 Eamon De Valera, assisted by Michael Collins, made a daring escape from Lincoln Prison in Lincolnshire England. Like some bizarre cartoonish cliché, the mission was accomplished using a copied key smuggled in a cake!
February 3, 2026 at 8:14 AM
On this day in 1919 Eamon De Valera, assisted by Michael Collins, made a daring escape from Lincoln Prison in Lincolnshire England. Like some bizarre cartoonish cliché, the mission was accomplished using a copied key smuggled in a cake!
The "Dublin Bay" prawns are more like mini lobsters with a hard pink shell, which they shed as they grow, and they've prominent claws, walk on the balls of their feet and wear Canada Goose jackets.
February 2, 2026 at 5:38 PM
The "Dublin Bay" prawns are more like mini lobsters with a hard pink shell, which they shed as they grow, and they've prominent claws, walk on the balls of their feet and wear Canada Goose jackets.
The Burning of the British Embassy in 1972 was a direct and furious response to the Bloody Sunday massacre that had taken place just three days earlier in Derry. On the 30th of January 1972, soldiers of the British Army’s 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights march.
February 2, 2026 at 11:23 AM
The Burning of the British Embassy in 1972 was a direct and furious response to the Bloody Sunday massacre that had taken place just three days earlier in Derry. On the 30th of January 1972, soldiers of the British Army’s 1st Battalion, Parachute Regiment opened fire on a civil rights march.
The Irish "Vanishing Triangle" is the large hypothetical area, roughly bounded by Dublin, Kilkenny, and Dundalk, where several innocent women went missing presumed murdered, mostly in the 1990s. Its become synonymous with victims like Annie McCarrick, JoJo Dullard, Fiona Pender and Ciara Breen.
February 1, 2026 at 11:27 AM
The Irish "Vanishing Triangle" is the large hypothetical area, roughly bounded by Dublin, Kilkenny, and Dundalk, where several innocent women went missing presumed murdered, mostly in the 1990s. Its become synonymous with victims like Annie McCarrick, JoJo Dullard, Fiona Pender and Ciara Breen.
The 1st of February, known as the Pagan festival of Imbolc and the Feast of St. Brigid, marks the beginning of Springtime. Imbolc is an ancient pre-Christian agricultural fire festival that was modified and assimilated into the Catholic church as a way to erase the pagan religion.
February 1, 2026 at 8:21 AM
The 1st of February, known as the Pagan festival of Imbolc and the Feast of St. Brigid, marks the beginning of Springtime. Imbolc is an ancient pre-Christian agricultural fire festival that was modified and assimilated into the Catholic church as a way to erase the pagan religion.
Some giant cathedrals have no soul despite the grandeur. Some tiny grottos have a sacred spirit in them, which makes you feel a divine presence. This Paddy’s Day, let's visit the tiny Oratory of the Sacred Heart.
January 31, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Some giant cathedrals have no soul despite the grandeur. Some tiny grottos have a sacred spirit in them, which makes you feel a divine presence. This Paddy’s Day, let's visit the tiny Oratory of the Sacred Heart.
On this day in 1984 a terrified, freezing 15- year-old schoolgirl called Ann Lovett was crouched in the fetal position, in agony, at the grotto of the Virgin Mary in Granard, Co. Longford.
January 31, 2026 at 8:39 AM
On this day in 1984 a terrified, freezing 15- year-old schoolgirl called Ann Lovett was crouched in the fetal position, in agony, at the grotto of the Virgin Mary in Granard, Co. Longford.
There is a 1,600 year old hidden holy well in an unexpected place. You likely passed it a thousand times. There was even a cryptic clue to its location on a now vanished old street sign for Nassau Street. The former Irish name mysteriously said, "Sráid Thobar Phádraig" (Patrick’s Well Road).
January 30, 2026 at 10:07 AM
There is a 1,600 year old hidden holy well in an unexpected place. You likely passed it a thousand times. There was even a cryptic clue to its location on a now vanished old street sign for Nassau Street. The former Irish name mysteriously said, "Sráid Thobar Phádraig" (Patrick’s Well Road).
On this day in 1972, British soldiers shot 30 unarmed civilians at a peaceful protest in the Bogside area of Derry. 14 were murdered, and dozens more were injured in what became known as the Bloody Sunday Massacre.
January 30, 2026 at 6:36 AM
On this day in 1972, British soldiers shot 30 unarmed civilians at a peaceful protest in the Bogside area of Derry. 14 were murdered, and dozens more were injured in what became known as the Bloody Sunday Massacre.
Grab your Old Spice and Brylcreem and get ready to dance around your handbag on the sticky floors. We are off to visit some Dublin nightclubs of the 1970s to the 1990s. In the 70s, nightlife operated under the conceit that booze could not be served late without a substantial meal.
January 29, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Grab your Old Spice and Brylcreem and get ready to dance around your handbag on the sticky floors. We are off to visit some Dublin nightclubs of the 1970s to the 1990s. In the 70s, nightlife operated under the conceit that booze could not be served late without a substantial meal.