There was a terrible silence in Omagh in the days after the bombing. It seemed that not even birdsong could be heard in a town that was full of life and joy and laughter when the world turned upside down on 15 August 1998. To those who know nothing of Northern Ireland it may seem distasteful to engage in the arithmetic of tragedy, but the difference with Omagh was that the … [Read more...] about The Last Word: The Far Side of Revenge
Photo Album: On the Town
Cigarette in mouth and mates by his side, Corporal James L. O'Brien stands on a street in Paris in 1918. O'Brien and his friend, Pat Donovan (far left) joined "because we felt it was the right thing to do. Quite a few of our friends had been drafted." Assigned to recruitment duty in Washington D.C., O'Brien and Donovan would put up their friends who came down to enlist. "At … [Read more...] about Photo Album: On the Town
September 30, 2001
Thousands of Irish, New Yorkers, and Irish Americans paid tribute to the many Irish and Irish Americans lost in the 9/11 attacks on this day in 2001. The mass took place at the Roman Catholic Holy Trinity Church in Manhattan and was celebrated by Bishop John Buckley of Cork. The Bishop of Killaloe, William Walsh, was also in attendance. … [Read more...] about September 30, 2001
September 15, 2001
In the wake of 9/11, all Delta, Aer Lingus and Continental flights resumed services to and from Ireland on this day in 2001. The first trans-atlantic flights since air service was cancelled following the terrorist attacks depart from Shannon and Dublin en route to New York, Chicago and Washington. Priority status was given to U.S. residents who had relatives injured or lost in … [Read more...] about September 15, 2001
The Hottest Thing in Hats
It's a hot night in Boston, hotter still in the narrow space of Studio Soto where barefoot models weave trance-like through the melting crowd. Exhibiting the kind of creative flair she's known for, Ballina-born designer and hat maker Marie Galvin had forsaken the predictable run down the catwalk during Boston Spring Fashion Weekend in favor of an art gallery show that … [Read more...] about The Hottest Thing in Hats