To call you the greatest of all the Kennedys might strike some as lofty rhetoric. But it isn’t. You gave your life to your country, as surely as those patriots of old gave theirs for the United States and your beloved Ireland. A great Irish chieftain has passed. Sure, Jack became president and Bobby became a folk hero. But they never accomplished what you did throughout your … [Read more...] about Remembering Ted Kennedy
100th Anniversary of Celtic Cross at Grosse Île
“Children of the Gael died in the thousands on this island having fled from the laws of the foreign tyrants and an artificial famine in the years 1847-48. God's loyal blessing upon them. Let this monument be a token to their name and honour from the Gaels of America. God Save Ireland.” - Inscription on Celtic Cross, Grosse Île, Canada August 15, the Feast of the Assumption, is … [Read more...] about 100th Anniversary of Celtic Cross at Grosse Île
William Kennedy Wins Eugene O’Neill Award
Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Kennedy will be presented with the inaugural 2009 Eugene O'Neill Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish American Writers and Artists, Inc. (IAW&A) in Manhattan on October 16, Eugene O'Neill's birthday. As the first winner of the award, Kennedy is honored for his authorship of the Albany Cycle of novels centered around the … [Read more...] about William Kennedy Wins Eugene O’Neill Award
Frank McCourt on Frank McCourt
Editor’s Note: Frank wrote this piece for Irish America’s 20th anniversary issue. It was reprinted in memorium of Frank McCourt and his invaluable contributions to Irish American literature. Jim Sheridan came over to my table at the Lion’s Head bar and asked if I’d be interested in acting in a new play by a young man from Belfast, Terry George. Jim was artistic director at … [Read more...] about Frank McCourt on Frank McCourt
Irish Eye on Hollywood
In the next couple of years, acclaimed Dublin-born director Jim Sheridan (In the Name of the Father, In America) is planning to tell gritty Irish-American stories about gangsters in Boston and New York. This coming holiday season, however, Sheridan will be releasing Brothers, a dramatic film about a love triangle which will surely get some attention when it comes time to hand … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood