The Bells of St. Mary's: a tribute to a classic that humanizes Catholicism Anyone who has survived Catholic schooling -- in my case, eight years of torture by Dominican nuns, then four years of more refined sadism at the hands of Jesuit priests -- cannot help watching Leo McCarey's "The Bells of St. Mary's" with deeply mixed emotions. One of Hollywood's most popular religious … [Read more...] about My Guiltiest Pleasure
Baltimore’s Pied Piper
Gerard Shields profiles Mayor Martin O'Malley New Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley is renewing this harbor city's long Irish ties not only by his stunning election in a predominantly African-American city but also as leader of the area's most popular Celtic rock band, O'Malley's March. Brimming with knowledge of Irish history and rebel song, the 37-year-old former lawyer and … [Read more...] about Baltimore’s Pied Piper
From the Emerald Isle to the Copper Mines
A historical look at the Irish of Butte, Montana Marcus Daly, who became one of the richest men in the West, was born in 1841, in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, the youngest of eleven children of a farm family. At 15 he arrived in New York City with very little money and limited education. It took him five years to save enough money to buy passage to San Francisco where he had … [Read more...] about From the Emerald Isle to the Copper Mines
A Fragile Peace
The Northern Ireland Assembly is back but intransigence could still damage the prospects for peace. Anne Cadwallader reports. Glimpse a furrowed brow or lips shut tight against gritted teeth at Stormont right now and you're looking at someone who was counting on the peace process ending in failure and recriminations. Those with a spring in their step, a whistle on their lips … [Read more...] about A Fragile Peace
Meet the Best
Tim Russert was one of the most influential political journalists in America. As the former host of the top-rated Meet the Press, he could make and break careers, but his own success story is a highly unusual one. Niall O'Dowd interviewed him in Washington D.C. in 2000. "He is absolutely the best, he does the most homework. In an era where everyone in the media is … [Read more...] about Meet the Best