Terry George's latest movie, Some Mother's Son, is a universal story which will haunt long after the final credits run, writes Laoise MacReamoinn. There's a savage irony in the opening sequence of Some Mother's Son. In newsreel footage from 1979, Margaret Thatcher, British prime minister-elect, greets the press, and with a sweet, thin smile claims to see herself as continuing … [Read more...] about Of Women and War
Tales from the Deep
By Laoise MacReamoinn
January/February 1997
Colum McCann, one of the hottest new Irish writers on the literary scene, talks about his career with Laoise MacReamoinn. Colum McCann, the New York-based Dublin-born writer who burst on to the American literary scene last year with his first novel, Songdogs, which the New York Times called "powerful, strong and sure," and whose first collection of short stories, Fishing the … [Read more...] about Tales from the Deep
The Steward of Irish Theater
By Diana Barth
January/February 1997
Although the brilliance of actor Donal McCann is well-known abroad – even a Dublin cabdriver praised him as a "great actor" to this writer on the trip from the airport to the city center -- McCann's name seems a well-kept secret in the U.S. That oversight should be corrected when Donal McCann opens, in the starting role, in Sebastian Barry's luminous, moving, poetic memory play … [Read more...] about The Steward of Irish Theater
Roots: The O’Neills
By James G. Ryan
January/February 1997
There are several different septs of the O'Neills in Counties Clare (where the name is also spelt O'Nihill), Waterford and Carlow. The most famous of the O'Neills, however, are the O'Neills of Tyrone, in the province of Ulster. The name in Gaelic means descendant of Neil or Niall, which was, and still is, a popular personal name in Ireland. In the U.S. the name is sometimes … [Read more...] about Roots: The O’Neills
The Life and Times of John O’Brien
The movie Leaving Las Vegas, based on John O'Brien's novel, stunned audiences and had critics raving. But the coming success did not mean much to O'Brien, who took his own life soon after selling the movie rights. His new work, finished by his sister, also reflects his dark side. Writer John O'Brien did not live to see the phenomenal success of the movie based on his novel, … [Read more...] about The Life and Times of John O’Brien