Recent passings in the Irish and Irish-American communities Frank Carson 1926 – 2012 After a long battle with stomach cancer, comedian Frank Carson died at the age of 85 in Blackpool, England. Carson was born on November 6, 1926 to an Irish Italian family. He was raised in Belfast and began his stand-up career after winning ITV’s Opportunity Knocks talent show. He went on to … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Archives for March 2012
Photo Album: The Wealth of the World
At rest, this picture belongs to a wedding album from 1966. Plain, awkward even, it was composed by the photographer whose job it was to snap the parents of the groom. It doesn’t speak of small Galway farms disappearing over shoulders, the ride over the sea, their names. They are Edward Donohoe and Winnie, who was first Una Ryan, then Winnie Donohoe and, for an afternoon, Jane … [Read more...] about Photo Album: The Wealth of the World
What America Can Learn From Ireland
The Last Word: Birth Control is a Medical Issue, Not a Religious One The Irish, a fiercely independent people ruled by another country for centuries, have a unique appreciation for irony. As an advocate for reproductive rights in Ireland, I saw the travesty in a church-sanctioned anti-contraception policy that harmed women and families in the name of saving them from sin. … [Read more...] about What America Can Learn From Ireland
Irish-American Heritage Month Announced by Obama
March 1, 2012
The first of March marks the beginning of Irish-American Heritage Month in the U.S., a time, according to President Obama, to celebrate the "indomitable spirit of those Irish Americans whose strength helped build countless miles of canals and railroads; whose brogues echoed in mills, police stations, and fire halls across our country; and whose blood spilled to defend a Nation … [Read more...] about Irish-American Heritage Month Announced by Obama