Letter from the Editor

When losing sense of a time, it’s important to remember the things, or the people, which ground us. A line from Diana Evan’s exquisite Ordinary People recently reminded me of this: ‘If you entertain and act on every impulse that passes through your mind... you will find yourself in chaos. Hold on to the things that bind you’. Now that we have well and truly arrived at winter, and are approaching the end of a year defined by a seemingly endless summer, sources of reliability and time with loved ones, however limited, have become more valuable than ever. For many the burden of a new, even more constraining lockdown has been coterminous with the release of years of international tension. This, alongside news of the potential approach of a solution to months of skepticism and longing, suggests an onrushing of change — and some welcome optimism.

Some of the topics this issue discusses are the significance of Irish roadside art and ways to improve your own Gaeilge, a discussion of mutual aid and food justice, the art form of music in video games and a look at Lana Del Rey’s catalogue of music and poetry. Also featured is the newest instalment of our flash fiction series, as well as contributions from our talented team of student photographers and artists. Likewise, it is the launch of pieces written as Gaeilge in print, and I would like to thank the authors, as well as our team of Irish editors, who helped to achieve this decisive move forward for the publication. Once again, I would like to wholeheartedly praise each and every member of the TN2 staff who has patiently helped make this issue happen, especially in the context of unforeseeable restrictions.

Stay safe.

Sincerely,

Ursula