The large turnout last Saturday at Bohernabreena cemetery in Dublin for the funeral of republican Noel Ryan, who died of cancer on 20 August, was but a small indication of the high esteem in which he was held. Free article

There were certain givens about an encounter with John Bowyer Bell, the writer, political scientist and artist who died in New York this week. It was a given that Bowyer Bell, or 'Bo' as his friends called him, would do most of the talking. It was a given that he would dismiss your opinions, no matter how strongly held, or reject your analysis several times in the course of the meeting, always in favour of his own unique worldview. Free article