Reflecting on the past year, it appears to be a great time to be Irish. And if we Irish are being perceived as "great" at the moment, our creative artists are largely responsible. Time magazine's "Best of 1996" picked Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes as the best nonfiction book of the year, and it's been on the best-seller list for weeks now. Remember that wonderful review that … [Read more...] about The First Word: A Great Deal Left to Do
Slàinte! A Universal Christmas
By Edythe Preet
November/December 1998, republished in Winter 2024
All around the world, the holiday season is a time to gather with family and friends, to share abundance, to feast, to reflect on the memories of joyful times past, and to make every effort to ensure that the future will be peaceful and prosperous for all. Here in the United States, the holiday season is celebrated in a myriad of ways bequeathed us by the thousands of … [Read more...] about Slàinte! A Universal Christmas
Roots: Malone and Moloney
By James G. Ryan
November/December 1998
This month's pair of sound-alike names are Moloney and Malone. As with others that have been featured, they bear no relationship to each other. Moloney is derived from the Gaelic O Maoldhomnaigh meaning a descendant of a servant of the church. The name is also often spelled Maloney but the O'Moloney (or O'Maloney) form of the name is only rarely found. The family was originally … [Read more...] about Roots: Malone and Moloney
Where’s the Great Film on The Great Hunger?
By Joseph McBride
November/December 1998
It's a subject that's virtually taboo to moviemakers. Studios believe audiences wouldn't want to watch a story about such a grim historical period. But even though the events took place long ago, they remain a matter of vital concern to people throughout the world. Many books are written about the subject. Activists lobby for it to be taught in schools. Eventually, filmmakers … [Read more...] about Where’s the Great Film on The Great Hunger?
MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria
By Joe Farrell
November/December 1998
How journalist Januarius Aloysius MacGahan, the son of Irish immigrants, helped cause a shift in the European balance of power that made the liberation of Bulgaria possible. "Since my letter of yesterday, I have supped full of horrors. Nothing has yet been said of the Turks that I do not now believe; nothing could be said of them that I should not think probable or … [Read more...] about MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria