The festival of Lughnasa was observed in Ireland at the end of the productive period in agriculture, and in folk circles, it is said to correspond with the third stage in life when it is time to reflect on maturity, achievement, and fruition. The four festivals that mark the beginning of each season in Ireland are Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain. The period of Lughnasa … [Read more...] about Lughnasa: Embracing Maturity
Greg O’Brien: Fighting Against Alzheimer’s
One man’s mission to document his battle against early-onset Alzheimer’s. When Greg O’Brien wakes up each morning in his Cape Cod home, he starts with the 5 Ws – the who, what, when, where and why central to journalistic inquiry. He’s asked these questions many a time throughout his almost 40 years working as a reporter, editor and publisher. The difference is that now he’s … [Read more...] about Greg O’Brien: Fighting Against Alzheimer’s
“I Believe in Her:” An
Interview with Author
Kevin Jack McEnroe
At 29, Kevin Jack McEnroe calls his grandmother, the actress Joanna Moore, his “guardian angel.” He credits her, and his debut novel Our Town, a fictionalized account of Moore’s life and struggles with failed relationships and substance abuse, with helping him come to know himself better. So much so that got a tattoo of her on his left arm just after the book was … [Read more...] about “I Believe in Her:” An
Interview with Author
Kevin Jack McEnroe
Sláinte! Eat Your Veggies
While most people think of Ireland as a nation of “meat and potato” eaters, vegetables and dairy products are also a vital part of the Irish diet. One of my favorite Irish proverbs concerns Ireland’s most famous vegetable: “Be eating one potato, peeling a second, have a third in your fist, and your eye on a fourth.” For me the adage implies: Always have a back-up … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Eat Your Veggies
What Are You Like?
Anne Enright
Anne Enright was born in Dublin, where she now lives and works. She has published three volumes of stories, one book of nonfiction, and five novels. Her 2007 novel, The Gathering, won the Man Booker Prize, and her novel, The Forgotten Waltz, won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. She is currently the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction. Her most recent book, … [Read more...] about What Are You Like?
Anne Enright