Farewell to Jan Morris, the writer who shaped how the outside world sees us
Transgender pioneer, the last surviving member of Hillary's Everest team, and one of the world's greatest travel writers – Jan Morris, who died this week aged 94, was one of a kind.
The Spinoff
‘Sir Dan Donnelly’, Ireland’s unbeaten underdog and scourge of English fighters
At the Curragh 200 years ago, the Dublin pugilist was facing defeat when a kiss from his manager’s sister revived him and a legend was born.
Irish Times
Migraines are the thieves of time. Some suffered spend several days a month in their grip, confined to darkened rooms in debilitating, nauseating pain. So news of a breakthrough drug had investigative journalist and migraineur Lydia Monin on the case.
North and South
There are said to be places where the earthly encounters the divine, and Vence in the south of France may be one of them.
Wellbeing
The story of a New Zealand soldier who helped to defend Trinity College Dublin during the Easter Rising.
Radio New Zealand
Lydia Monin: How I finally made friends with my curls
There’s no need to go through the daily grind of meticulous grooming that seemed so important pre-pandemic. And there’s never been a better time to embrace natural curls.
Irish Examiner
What do you do when your baby just won’t sleep? Many consult the experts and their bestsellers, but as Lydia Monin found out, sometimes the experts really don’t know best…
Maternity & Infant
When her daughter was diagnosed with a life-threatening peanut allergy, Kiwi mum Lydia Monin turned her home into a nut-free zone. But life outside is a never-ending risk assessment, she says.
NZ Herald
Sifting Ideas to Sort our Happy Place
How much can the design of a city influence the happiness of its residents?
Press
Christchurch remains a bastion of admiration for author Charles Dickens as this year the world celebrates 20 years since his birth.
Press
In pursuit of the scoop - at any cost
The demise of Britain’s 168-year-old tabloid newspaper News of the World over phone hacking has shown just how far some journalists are prepared to go to get a scoop. But the practice of doling out the cash to secure an exclusive is centuries old - Christchurch hosted a pioneer of chequebook journalism in 1883.
Press
Canterbury celebrated its 159th anniversary this week. Lydia Monin takes a look at the controversial Irishman who founded the new settlement.
Press
Beauty & The Beasts
Two Welshmen who masterminded the swashbuckling British and Irish Lions series win nearly half a century ago inadvertently set the All Blacks’ platform for Rugby World Cup glory. Lydia Monin travels to the coal-mining village where it all began to turn this sporting theatre of 1971 into a film.
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In the Dolphin’s Wake
As a symbol of the season’s spirit, we could do much worse than Pelorus Jack, who knew a bit about goodwill towards all humankind.
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Pluck of the Irish
The long-running Irish Rose of Tralee is mixture of high farce and competition.
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Fighter For Two Peoples
Charismatic politician Sir James Carroll had not travelled beyond Australia when he was invited to visit the battle zones of France.
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Ireland’s Bloody Birth
The disastrous uprising by Irish nationalists 100 years ago was audacious street theatre with bit parts played by Kiwis.
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Homegrown Holmes
On a visit to New Zealand in 1920, Arthur Conan Doyle found a real-life equal of his famous sleuth.
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This Time With Feeling
New Zealand is not the only rugby nation whose pre-match ditty inspires mixed feelings in players and spectators.
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Into The Storm
The stories of two formidable nurses - one a Kiwi - who risked all in the Spanish Civil War are at last being told.
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The Original
Almost a century after his death, the first All Blacks captain is still creating bonds between NZ and the land of his birth.
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Ever After
A little corner of Dublin tells the story of the birth of Handel’s Messiah, for many as much a part of Christmas as trimming the tree.
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Fire Brand
An exhausting phone chat with comedian turned social revolutionary Russell Brand may or may not be cause for concern.
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For Whom the Bell Rang
Among Ernest Hemingway’s literary inspirations was a Kiwi brawler, a Gisborne-born former plumber named Tom Heeney.
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Hearts & Minds
New Zealand’s earliest Scots also used the bloody exploits of long-dead rabble-rousers to whip up support.
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Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes
You don’t have to have read all of Ulysses’ quarter of a million words to take part in the annual celebration of Joyce’s epic.
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A Time to Remember
Ireland is coming to terms with its World War I losses.
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Torture By Hope
When your baby won’t sleep, should you shut the door and wear earplugs, or never leave them to cry? There’s a mind-boggling array of parenting books offering “cry-it-out” to “no-cry” solutions and just about everything in between. But Kiwi mother Lydia Monin, living in Ireland, who battled for three and a half years to get her daughter to sleep, wishes she’d never consulted the so-called experts cluttering up her bookshelf.
Canvas, NZ Herald
Deck the Hall
Christ Church was a rich source of inspiration for a famous book.
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A woman not to be forgotten
The very first It Girl was a barmaid in a Christchurch hotel who dazzled a famous author. We don’t have her photo, but we have her story.
Press
Doyle embroiled in war of words
When the famous creator of Sherlock Holmes visited Christchurch 90 years ago, one of his must-sees was a performance by Darkie, the barking spiritualist dog. Lydia Monin reports on the less-than-enthusiastic welcome for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Press
A Kiwi's Christmas in Wales
As Dylan Thomas reminds us, it’s all about perception versus reality.
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Lessons Learned
More than a decade on from the Canterbury earthquakes, much has been learned about how to strengthen our heritage buildings. Structural engineer Dr Dmytro Dizhur has been embedded in that learning journey.
Heritage New Zealand
Sign of The Times
Dublin’s commemorative plaques shine a light on the stories of the people associated with some of its most iconic buildings.
Heritage New Zealand
A Place in the Heart
Thanks to an imaginative – and generous – proposal, a much-loved historic home in Auckland’s Mt Eden is shifting into public hands.
Heritage New Zealand
The Heat Is On
As new threats emerge - such as an increased incidence of wildfires due to climate change - effective fire protection for heritage sites is now more important than ever.
Heritage New Zealand
Standing Firm
With many of our important heritage buildings being crafted from wood, what is some of the latest thinking on how we protect and conserve timber buildings and the contexts in which they sit?
Heritage New Zealand
Challenge & Opportunity
Covid-19 has wreaked havoc in many sectors, including among nations heritage organisations, in which revenue and member support are driven strongly by domestic and international tourism. What are the implications for heritage retention and conservation?
Heritage New Zealand
Communication Stations
The story of the transatlantic cable
Heritage New Zealand
Set in Stone?
As perceptions of who stands on the right side of history shift along with the sands of time, historic monuments become lightning rods for discussion
Heritage New Zealand
Uncorking the Past
The recent renaissance of Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard using cutting edge DNA techniques reflects a new global interest in viticultural heritage
Heritage New Zealand
Real Story of Pious Pugilist
Notorious impostor Arthur Clampett charmed a huge amount of money out of adoring Christchurch women when he came to New Zealand 120 years ago but pretending to be the brother of a famous American boxer. Writer and documentary filmmaker Lydia Monin tells the story.
Press
I Could Have Been a Contender
A profile of boxer Herbert Slade.
Tū Mai
Back in Vogue
The New York Public Library in Manhattan is the place to see and be seen.
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