All the great novels and stories of John Steinbeck slice into the American experience, clear to the bone. They are set in California, or along Route 66, where the Joads trekked across the southwest from the Dust Bowls. And Steinbeck himself, born with the century, was raised in Salinas, California, when it was still a small town on the last frontier of America. Yet the voice … [Read more...] about John Steinbeck: Voice of the Dispossessed
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
The Music Makers It's only in the last number of years that I realize how deep down into the soil of Ireland my roots really go. I had such a tremendous amount to draw on, and didn't realize it."-Tommy Makem The image is indelible -- five Irishmen, clad in Aran sweaters, chests out, singing songs of Irish humor, history, and freedom. The Clancy Brothers, along with Tommy … [Read more...] about The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem
Sláinte! Milk: The Other White Meat
Recently, I wandered into a used bookstore and was stopped in my tracks by a volume sitting on a table by the door -- a copy of the first cookbook I ever owned. It wasn't a fancy collection of gourmet recipes, just a child's Golden Book. The publishing date read 1950; I had been 3 years old. A price of $45.00 wits penciled on the flyleaf (about 20 times more than its original … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Milk: The Other White Meat
Sláinte! New Wave Greens: Ireland’s Sea Weeds
Seawater and seaweed baths, known as thalassotherapy, are famous for their therapeutic benefits, and have long been popular in Ireland. Greek and Roman records from the first century BC mention herbal medicines and cosmetic preparations made with seaweed. Modern preparations include soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and even packets of powdered seaweed that … [Read more...] about Sláinte! New Wave Greens: Ireland’s Sea Weeds
Hollywood’s New Golden Boy
He could have been a bartender, instead Dylan McDermott is one of Hollywood's hottest leading men. Coming off the unprecedented hat-trick of being TV's Best Actor (according to the Emmys and the Golden Globes), becoming one of TV's "Ten Sexiest Men" (according to People Magazine), and, most importantly, becoming one of the Top 100 Irish Americans (according to this magazine), … [Read more...] about Hollywood’s New Golden Boy





