Recommended The list of hefty novels which explore the terrible time of the Great Hunger continues to grow, and is all the more noteworthy because so many of the works are impressive. In the wake of older classics such as Liam O’Flaherty’s Famine, we’ve had Peter Quinn’s brilliant Banished Children of Eve and Kevin Baker’s Paradise Alley, both of which explored New York City … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Sláinte!: Runny Honey
One day last summer while inspecting the progress of my vegetable plants, I heard something that sounded like a giant cell phone on vibrator setting. Turning in the direction of the noise and peering under a tangled mass of grapevines, I found myself standing nose-to-buzz with a mass of bees that was considerably larger than a beachball. I freaked. Moving as smoothly as coming … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Runny Honey
January 27, 2009
This marks the anniversary of President Barack Obama’s first State of the Union address. President Obama traces his Irish roots to Moneygall in County Offaly. The United States Constitution states that the president “…shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and … [Read more...] about January 27, 2009
The Irish Oil Man: Dave O’Reilly
The highest- ranked Irish-born CEO in the U.S., and the longest- reigning CEO of an oil company, Chevron’s DAVE O’REILLY talks to Patricia Harty. Dave O’Reilly loves oil. It is why he became a chemical engineer. He doesn’t know how exactly this love came about – he wasn’t influenced by any American westerns featuring Texas wild-catters that populated the fledgling Irish … [Read more...] about The Irish Oil Man: Dave O’Reilly
The First Word: A Tide of Hope
I’m flying from New York to San Francisco in a window seat looking out over the great expanse that is America. It’s my favorite route to fly. As always I’m struck by the majesty of the countryside – the mountains and lakes and rivers and the tiny dots of houses that hunker down into the landscape like covered wagons. Invariably, the words to “God Bless America” … [Read more...] about The First Word: A Tide of Hope