1936-2005 Irish-American author of the classic coming-of-age memoir Stop-Time, Frank Conroy died of colon cancer this April. He was 69 years old. Conroy, who was in charge of the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa for 18 years, was honored this year by Irish America in its annual Top 100 for his work with the program. Under his guidance, acclaimed writers such as … [Read more...] about Remembering Frank Conroy
Eileen Collins
Eileen Collins doesn't harp. She doesn't fixate, but instead fixes. And though she may have high standards for herself and her work, she is not a believer in perfection. When asked about the influence of her parents on her career (her father, James, was a postal worker, strapped for cash, yet able to contribute to her Catholic school education), she'll respond calmly with "they … [Read more...] about Eileen Collins
The Boxer
Looking out of a window of the famed Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, John Duddy's fresh young face lights up with sheer delight at even the sight of a blinding blizzard in early March 2005. Unperturbed, the 25-year-old fighter from Ireland says, "From the moment I arrived in New York I felt right at home here." It was in March 2003 that the middleweight boxer left his family back … [Read more...] about The Boxer
Choosing the Green
Everyone knows the story about Eamon de Valera supposedly being spared execution in 1916 because of his American birth. But de Valera was not the only 1916 figure who was second-generation Irish. His superiors during the Easter Rising, James Connolly and Tom Clarke, had been born in Scotland and England respectively. In fact, according to those at the heart of the Rising in … [Read more...] about Choosing the Green
The Irish Wolfhound
In 1770, Oliver Goldsmith wrote: "The last variety, and the most wonderful of all that I shall mention, is the great Irish wolf-dog, that may be considered as the first of the canine species...Nevertheless, he is extremely beautiful and majestic in appearance, begin the greatest of the dog kind to be seen in the world." This ancient native Irish breed, although noted in … [Read more...] about The Irish Wolfhound