95 Picadilly

One of my earliest memories is an old family Bible. I couldn’t tell you whether it belonged to my parents or my grandparents. I was too young to think of such things, but I can recall the feel of its red leather cover, the thin, yellowing pages near the front, and handwritten names carefully scribed…

By Shane Gilreath I think we all can admit that there’s a difference between acquaintances and friends. Most of us know that instinctively, even if we sometimes blur the line in society. Acquaintances occupy the edges of our lives – friendships, in a sense, but without much intimacy. Real friends, at least in theory, stand…

I recently watched “The Murder of Sandra Rivett,” a documentary that revisited the murder case that shocked the British establishment in the 1970s. A case that has long fascinated amateur sleuths and captivated the world’s press. Rivett, whom the documentary – with good reason – seeks to humanize, served as nanny to Lord and Lady…

By Shane Gilreath In life you have the first string and the second string, just like in sports. Over the weekend, I was reminded perpetually that I am second string in my own family. When you’re second string, you don’t necessarily get a say in what happens, but you’re expected to survive it, deal with…

By Shane Gilreath When I woke up Sunday morning, for half a second, I thought about rolling over and going back to sleep. Like many people, I’m not naturally a morning person, and the 8:30AM Holy Mass at my parish can feel exceptionally early on a lazy weekend morning. There’s a certain sense of obligation…

I try to keep this column pretty apolitical, but something happened last week in my home state of Kentucky that should open a lot of eyes. In fact, it should terrify Americans. There seem to be far more minions than independent thinkers these days – in both parties. For years, I poured my heart and…

There’s an old saying that life can turn on a dime, and over the last year, I’ve learned just how true that can be. Since losing my sister in April 2025, it has felt as though my life has been caught in a constant spiral. As many will know, grief has a way of moving…

“To be a Southerner was a matter of life-and-death importance during my formative years,” wrote the American-born Duchess of Windsor in her memoirs, The Heart Has Its Reasons. In her sentiment, she was not alone. As a child, the same attitude lived, devoutly and freely, in our home. I heard its stories and walked in…

I’ve told this story before, but a decade or so ago, Rendy – a dear, lifelong friend of mine – called to say I was on television. That wouldn’t have been anything unusual in a former chapter of my life, but what she meant was the cast of Southern Charm. “Your kind of people,” she…

I’ve called myself a jack of all trades and master of none, and there’s some truth in that. I tend to be arrogant enough to believe I can learn most things with enough time and effort. Writing, though, doesn’t quite follow those rules. It isn’t something you conquer so much as something you travel with.…