On October 23, the New York Giants won its fourth game of the season, a 24-23 nail-biter over the Denver Broncos. After the game, head coach Tom Coughlin had his team in a circle, hands up high in victory and led a chant. "Duke! Duke! Duke! Duke!" "Duke" is the affectionate nickname given to longtime owner Wellington Mara, who had been the face behind the Giants organization … [Read more...] about In Memory of Wellington Mara
When Our Plane Hit the Mountain
"The first great adventure of my life," French Girl Guide Janine Alexandre recorded on 12 August, 1946, in her little notebook as she sat in an old war plane rattling its way over the decimated French countryside toward Ireland. The 16-year-old hadn't a clue just how great an adventure it would turn out to be. Sitting with Janine were 20 other girl guides, ranging in age from … [Read more...] about When Our Plane Hit the Mountain
Irish Eye on Hollywood
From PS I Love You to the latest gangster movie, the Irish are well represented in upcoming movies, writes Tom Deignan. ℘℘℘ Irish and Irish-American talent is very well represented on the November and December holiday movie schedule. Mid-November offers the release of two movies by legendary Irish directors. First there's Jim Sheridan's gritty Get Rich or Die Tryin'. Then … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood
Probing the Past
Peter Quinn wanted to do something simple. It was 1994 and Quinn had just published Banished Children of Eve, his epic novel of New York City and the Irish famine. Up until then, there had been a monumental gap in American literature. The Irish had been in New York City going back to the days when Peter Minuit, as legend has it, hoodwinked the local Algonquins and snatched up … [Read more...] about Probing the Past
Touch of the Poet
Many homes treasure family photos. The award-winning Irish actress Dearbhla Molloy recalls, "I remember, in my grandparents' house, a glass cabinet with a pair of handcuffs. "My grandfather Michael Ryan was a `freedom fighter' involved in the 1916 rebellion and the civil war. He went to prison several times during part of my mother's childhood." Referring to that unusual … [Read more...] about Touch of the Poet