Category Archives: The Journal of Music

‘That is the Writer’s Decision!’: The Legacy of Desmond Fennell

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To mark the publication of ‘The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell’ on 6 June, Journal of Music Editor Toner Quinn reflects on his experiences working with the writer and their correspondence over almost twenty years.

A few years before Desmond Fennell passed away on 16 July 2021, he wrote to me and asked me to be one of his literary executors. I had begun publishing articles by Desmond in 2000 and, a year later, edited a collection of essays about his life and work. This was followed by publishing his part-memoir, The Turning Point: My Sweden Year and After, and, two years later, his pamphlet, Savvy and the Preaching of the Gospel.

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What Now for the Arts Council?

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After a failed IT project costing €6.675 million and the departure of Director Maureen Kennelly, the Arts Council faces a crisis of trust and direction. What does it mean for those who work in the sector?

It has been a difficult week for the Arts Council. With the stepping down of Maureen Kennelly on Wednesday, it has lost a Director who had a deep understanding of what it is like to work in the arts, and on Thursday, its senior staff and Chair were questioned by the Public Accounts Committee for over three hours regarding the failed IT system that has now cost €6.675 million.

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History Repeats Itself as British Authorities Get to Decide Who the Terrorists Are

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A member of Kneecap has been charged with a terrorism offence, but those in power continue to look away from the deeper crisis.

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The World Can Criticise Kneecap, But They Have Started Something

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The controversy surrounding the Irish rap band has obscured deeper questions about power, conflict and resistance, but they won’t go away. (Article first published in the Journal of Music on 30 April.)

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RTÉ Culture: Radical Irish Thinker Desmond Fennell Celebrated in New Volume

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RTÉ Culture has published a piece about The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell, a new book that I have co-edited with Jerry White. Read the news piece here. Pre-order the book here.

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IFI to Host Special Screening of ‘Cinegael Paradiso’ to Mark Publication of ‘Count Me Out’

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Screening to take place on Sunday 4 May at 1.30pm. Book here.

The Irish Film Institute (IFI) has announced that it will host a special screening of Cinegael Paradiso, directed by Robert Quinn, on Sunday 4 May at 1.30pm. The event marks the publication of Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn, the new collection published by Boluisce Press and edited by Toner Quinn.

Tickets for the screening are available now at www.ifi.ie.

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Coming this June: ‘The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell’

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I’m pleased to announce the publication of ‘The Radical Thinking of Desmond Fennell’ this June. See more here: https://journalofmusic.com/news/boluisce-press-publish-radical-thinking-desmond-fennell

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Review in Film Ireland

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Film Ireland has published a review of Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn. Read more here: https://filmireland.net/2025/03/23/review-count-me-out-selected-writings-of-filmmaker-bob-quinn/

To purchase Count Me Out, see here.

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A Review in the Irish Times of ‘Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn’

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The Irish Times has published a review of ‘Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn’. Read more here: https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/review/2025/03/15/count-me-out-by-bob-quinn-the-real-nuggets-are-in-the-personal-stories-of-this-important-film-maker/

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RTÉ Culture publishes extract from ‘Count Me Out’

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To mark the publication of Count Me Out: Selected Writings of Filmmaker Bob Quinn, RTÉ Culture has published an extract in which I write about my father and growing up in the Conamara Gaeltacht. Read the full article here: https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/0228/1497308-growing-up-in-the-conamara-gaeltacht-with-my-maverick-father/

The book is available to purchase here: https://journalofmusic.com/shop