Ethnic casting issues in movies. Our moviegoing experience would be much diminished if we had never had the chance to see Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia, Greer Garson as Mrs. Miniver, Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, or Kenneth Branagh as Henry V. We would have been equally impoverished if we had not seen Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara … [Read more...] about Film Forum: No Non-Irish Need Apply?
Film Reviews: Tigerland
Starring Colin Farrell. Directed by Joel Schumacher. 20th Century Fox. ℘℘℘ Faster than a speeding bullet, it seems, onetime Ballykissangel actor Colin Farrell has shot to fame as the next "it" Irish actor. When you see his Vietnam war flick Tigerland, you'll see it's not just his good looks that got the young Dubliner all this attention. Swapping his Dublin accent for … [Read more...] about Film Reviews: Tigerland
Film Review: Two Family House
Starring Michael Rispoli, Kelly MacDonald, and Kevin Conway. Written and directed by Raymond De Felitta. Lion's Gate Films. ℘℘℘ In the tradition of films as diverse as Saturday Night Fever and Working Girl comes Two Family House, a charming movie about a blue collar guy who wants a little bit more than his drab background offers. Just don't go to this movie expecting … [Read more...] about Film Review: Two Family House
Roots: Using Church Records
To do successful family history research you must know where to look. Knowing the sources and what they can tell you is vital to success. Irish church records are probably the best place to start. They are among the earliest and undoubtedly the most comprehensive sources of personal information available to family researchers. They are often the only evidence of the … [Read more...] about Roots: Using Church Records
Who’s Rappin’ Now?
Tom Dunphy talks to Chris Byrne of Unity Squad. Chris Byrne is an unrepentant Fenian bastard. That's not a smear by this writer, mind you: the Brooklyn-born uillean piper, who recently departed the Irish agit-rock band Black 47 after a decade in that group, will freely tell you that – and rap you that – himself. That's clear on "Fenians," a track from Seanchai … [Read more...] about Who’s Rappin’ Now?