h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I was pootling around in the Flea Market when I came across a partial entry on Flann O'Brien. A bit more searching found another unfinished one from Gnomon. I often feel that a very strong straight line can be drawn from O'Brien (aka Myles na gCopaleen) to Milligan, Python and Douglas Adams. As such, O'Brien really should be properly represented on this site.
I'd write it myself but a) I know nothing; 2) HTML makes my head hurt and; iii) I can't write for sour owl poop.
So. Are there any more Myles fans out there? And, Gnomon, how's the entry coming?

There certainly are - The Best of Myles has accompanied me through many trials, tribulations and perils.

I think the story with that one is that the original author was away for a while, and Gnomon took the Entry on. He's now back though, and working on it, as far as I know.

Lash LeRue took it on. What he's written so far is much better than what I'd written, so I handed my stuff over to him. That was about three weeks ago. I don't know whether he's made any progress since.

This is splendid news. Gotta go to work.

Lash LeRue was off in Peru for a while, wasn't he? I believe he's back now, though.

Love it. The rest didn't quite work though.

Lash LeRue was off in Peru
So nothing yet we can do
But Lash will return
To The Guide he(?) will turn
Keep a watch out in our Peer Review

'Ireland through the Looking-glass' is an excellent book about Brian/Flann/Myles. Like most great comics he was driven by sadness and anger. http://corkuniversitypress.typepad.com/cork_university_press/2008/11/ireland-through-the-looking-glass-flann-obrien-myles-na-gcopaleen-and-irish-cultural-debate.html

That looks interesting. Two of the books that I've got - the Everyman Complete Novels and Miles at War - have quite substantial essay about the chap. He definitely fits the tortured genius role.

Bit like 2legs then.

That does look interesting. Sometimes commentaries on Mr O'Nolan have all of his bitterness and none of his humour.

I'm of the view that 2legs isn't tortured ENOUGH.

B

I think that may be a view shared by 2legs

Brian O Nualláin (Flann) had family connections in both the Gaelic League and the Catholic Church: his uncle was a priest and Professor of Irish in the National Seminary of Ireland, Maynooth. Flann had the misfortune to become critical of those two aspirations.

He was a brilliant Gaelic scholar, but he could see that 'The Plain People of Ireland' would have to include the urban Irish, who had little or no Celtic background. Irish was never the mother tongue in any of Ireland's cities, not even Galway.

Gaelic Ireland just wasn't going to happen, without a lot more violence and uprooting than had already happened in the troubles.