One Irishman's Dream Becomes Another's Reality Joe Dowling stands in the amber glass ninth-floor lobby of the Dowling Studio in the gleaming new Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis. Outside the mighty Mississippi runs alongside the cobalt building designed by the French architect Jean Nouvel. This architectural marvel, which cost $125 million, is instantly impressive, its … [Read more...] about A River Runs Through It
The Master Hatter
Philip Treacy, whose beautiful hats are works of art, draws inspiration from his Irish country childhood As bells pealed out over the village of Ahascragh in County Galway, Father McManus stood under the eaves of his church, awaiting the bride. It was business as usual for the priest whose parish kept him busy most Saturdays with their weddings. And, as usual, unbeknownst to … [Read more...] about The Master Hatter
Imagining the Unknown
In his latest novel, Zoli, Dublin-born Colum McCann proves that part of his talent as a writer lies in his ability to imagine and capture the lives of the forgotten and oppressed. Colum McCann doesn’t write about what he knows. That, he insists, would involve sitting in the study of his apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, surrounded by books and family photos, … [Read more...] about Imagining the Unknown
Man at Work
Lauren Byrne talks to Brendan Gleeson, one of Ireland's most prolific actors, about his varied career. In real life he’s trimmer than his oversized movie presence, but at over six feet and with his thatch of red hair, several heads turned as actor Brendan Gleeson strolled into the lounge of Jury’s Hotel in Boston, the rain beating against the windows as if to make him feel … [Read more...] about Man at Work
A Southie Homecoming
Michael Patrick MacDonald talks to Lauren Byrne about growing up in South Boston. The last time I saw Michael Patrick MacDonald an air of tension swirled about him. It was 1999 and All Souls, his wrenching memoir of life in the notorious Irish enclave of South Boston, had just been published. The book had taken off like wildfire and Hollywood was calling, but in Boston it was … [Read more...] about A Southie Homecoming