Irish America
Irish America
In the Brooklyn world of my childhood, Ireland seemed especially close at Christmas. While we kids looked forward to Santa, Mom and Dad were looking back to Ireland. Cards would arrive, and Mom would cherish each and every one, especially those from her sisters, my Aunts Una and Joan, who would include letters for her to linger over, her eyes growing all teary. My parents left … [Read more...] about A Child’s Christmas in Brooklyn
Given its status as one of the ten most numerous surnames in Ireland, the name Ryan is recognizable to most people as a telltale indicator of green in the veins. Less commonly known, however, is the fact that the great majority of these Ryans are actually O’Mulryans, an earlier form of the name that has been buried away over time. More unusual source names for Ryan are Ó … [Read more...] about The Undisgraced Ryans
The legacy of the statesman known as “The Liberator”, is explored over a two-day ‘school’ in his home place in Kerry. Cahersiveen, County Kerry. Population, 1041: Famous because it is the furthest point from Dublin – traveling westwards, the next parish is New York. Despite its remote location, it is a town steeped in history and surrounded by rugged beauty. And, since the … [Read more...] about Daniel O’Connell: His Legacy, His Impact, & His Home
I had only one day for Knocknarea, and it was the worst day. In Sligo to study at the W.B. Yeats International Summer School, I had decided to take my only free Saturday to climb Knocknarea, one of the two smooth limestone sides of the town’s weather-catching bowl, the other being Ben Bulben, both eulogized at one time or another by the town’s (and the island’s) most famous … [Read more...] about Knocknarea: A Hitchhiker’s Guide
‘In Banbridge Town in the County Down One morning last July, From a boreen green came a sweet colleen, And she smiled as she passed me by.' What is absolutely, positively true about Greer Garson is that she was born Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson to George and Nina Garson. From the beginning of her acting career until her death in 1996, she maintained her birthplace was … [Read more...] about The Star of County Down
