"I've got to go. Diarmuid's show is coming on." My otherwise devoted mother has cut short more than one transatlantic phone call with those words. If you haven't yet encountered Diarmuid (pronounced Dermot) Gavin's friendly face under its mop of curling hair, trust me, it's only a matter of time before you do. In England, the success of his television garden makeovers show … [Read more...] about Gavin’s Flower Power
The Hold Steady
A whole world resides inside a Hold Steady CD, one in which Catholic girls tap a drug haze for a sense of spirituality, where small-town-Minnesota kids struggle for cool nicknames, and where a pimp named Charlemagne strolls the street in sweat-pants. Often, Hold Steady characters created in one track will resurface on another track. The rock and roll band possesses a unique … [Read more...] about The Hold Steady
A Sampling of the Latest Irish Books
Biography THE SECRET LIFE OF OSCAR WILDE Neil McKenna There is no shortage of Oscar Wilde biographies out there. And, at this point, it would seem difficult to suggest that there are any "secrets" left to tell about the always-controversial Irish-born writer of plays, poetry, novels and more. But Neil McKenna seems to have broken new ground in his acclaimed new book The … [Read more...] about A Sampling of the Latest Irish Books
Mother Antonia
Two years ago, Washington Post journalist Mary Jordan, introduced Mother Antonia to our readers. That same year, she and her husband, a fellow journalist at the Post, won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles they wrote chronicling corruption in the Mexican prison system. Since then, the Irish-American husband-and-wife team have spent countless hours interviewing Mother … [Read more...] about Mother Antonia
See You in September
Americans vacation in July. Europeans do it in August. No one goes anywhere in September. During the peak summer months, regardless of continent, the shops are crowded, the beaches are jammed, flights are overbooked, and hotels (if you can even find one with a vacancy) charge astronomical rates. Come September, beds are bargains, shops offer sales, and beaches are bare. Hint: … [Read more...] about See You in September