Ireland's changing. Fast. Where once the country stirred up images of threadbare tweed jackets, alcoholism and an omnipotent church, Ireland has become the new Land of Opportunity. Nowhere is the change more apparent than in Galway, the heart of Ireland's west and, once a year, host of the country's largest arts festival. "In the late '80s, unemployment was at 20 percent, … [Read more...] about The Galway Arts Festival
Politics and the Pulitzers
Politics always makes good fodder for art. This year, two Irish-American Pulitzer Prize winners -- playwright John Patrick Shanley and San Francisco Chronicle photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice -- found inspiration in recent events. Fitzmaurice won in the category of feature photography for her images of an Iraqi boy's reunion with his mother. Irish America Top-100 honoree Shanley … [Read more...] about Politics and the Pulitzers
The View to Liberty
Unbeknownst to many, Lady Liberty has a girlfriend. Thanks to the Irish immigrant turned prominent Brooklyn businessman Charles Higgins, Liberty has gazed directly into the eyes of a statue of Minerva – who stands contentedly in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery – for the past 85 years. Since its founding in 1838, many prominent New Yorkers have been buried in the cemetery, … [Read more...] about The View to Liberty
Co-Operation Ireland’s Annual Dinner
Co-Operation Ireland, a non-partisan charity dedicated to promoting peace throughout all of Northern Ireland and Ireland, held its annual dinner on March 14 at the New York Plaza. The evening highlighted the organization's 26 years of peace and reconciliation work and honored the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, Paul Murphy, MP (above). ♦ … [Read more...] about Co-Operation Ireland’s Annual Dinner
Remembering George F. Kennan
1904 – 2005 On March 17, the world lost one of the greatest diplomats of the 20th century, George Kennan, who died at the age of 101 at his New Jersey home. A descendant of Irish-Scotch settlers of the 18th century, Kennan was born in Milwaukee, February 16, 1904 and became one of the most influential men on American soil, shaping American diplomatic, political and military … [Read more...] about Remembering George F. Kennan