Recommended Two new books chart U2’s four-decade rise from Dublin to superstardom. They both remind you what an incredible journey it has been. First there is U2 by U2 (told by the band with the help from manager Paul McGuinness and author Neil McCormick), which promises a revealing and an unprecedented look at the band from within its inner circle. The photographs from the … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Archives for January 2007
Slainte: Holiday Cheer
A family recipe for eggnog that’s smooth as liquid silk, and kicks like a country mule Once upon a time, when the year-end holidays rolled around, no one outdid me in the celebration staging arena. Beginning Thanksgiving weekend, I made dozens of fruitcakes (heavily doused with Irish whiskey and drenched weekly thereafter) and hundreds (sometimes thousands) of cookies. On the … [Read more...] about Slainte: Holiday Cheer
Celtic Songbirds
Bringing to life the music we love Here’s a moderately interesting question: Do women lean towards male singers, and men towards women singers? Based on a sample poll of myself and my partner, the answer is a resounding yes, Van Morrison being the exception to the rule. Hence this month’s column, “Celtic Songbirds,” a glance at some of the best chanteuses out there. Of … [Read more...] about Celtic Songbirds
Our Epic Journey to Affluence
Future historians will not ask why Ireland boomed in the Ahern decade but rather why the coming of the Celtic Tiger took so long One hundred years ago, this country produced not just a great cultural renaissance but also one of the first successful anti-imperial movements of the 20th century, both designed to foster creativity and self-reliance in our people. But why did it … [Read more...] about Our Epic Journey to Affluence
The Falls and the Conways
The picture above shows the three Conway sisters, Jennie, Mary and Catherine, taken with their Conway cousins in 1909, at 55 Whitby Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. The sisters, though their dress and demeanor suggest otherwise, were only 16, 17 and 18 when this photo was taken. They had just arrived in America from Cranagh, County Tyrone at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains. Their … [Read more...] about The Falls and the Conways