The musicians who made being Irish "cool." The year was 1985. At roughly about the same time that U2's Bono was stage-diving into the massive crowd gathered for Live Aid, the charity concert organized by former Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof to help eradicate world hunger, the first issue of Irish America was being prepped to roll off the presses. It's been a wild 15 years for … [Read more...] about Music: Rockin’ 15
Film Forum: The Patriot
Round two of Mel Gibson's war with the British. ℘℘℘ Jack L. Warner once said he hated the kind of movie in which the hero "writes with a feather." Hollywood's aversion to the quaint details of a distant historical period helps account for the scarcity of films dealing with the American Revolutionary War. But reluctance to alienate Great Britain probably had more to do with … [Read more...] about Film Forum: The Patriot
Roots: The Curran Clan
The surname Curran is common in all four provinces in Ireland, but especially in County Donegal and throughout Ulster. The name is also prevalent in the south of Ireland, appearing many times in the County Tipperary Hearth Money Rolls of 1665-7. Currans showed up frequently as Waterford residents in the census of 1659. The 1901 census in Kerry counted 142 Curran or Currane … [Read more...] about Roots: The Curran Clan
Last Word:
15 Years a Growing
Fifteen years is a mere flicker in the continuum of time, but for us here at Irish America it is a landmark and a measure of how far we have come.
Back at the beginning when we were ready to launch Irish America in November 1985, it was just an idea and a dream. Many harbor such dreams – indeed, last year alone over 18,000 new magazine titles were launched in the United … [Read more...] about Last Word:
15 Years a Growing
September 27, 2000
Thirty-three years after the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses was released, Ireland finally decided to lift the ban on the film. Many consider Joyce's great novel to be "unfilmable." However, Joseph Strick, an idealistic American director, decided to take up the project. His adaptation, much like the book, drew much controversy. Many scenes were cut at … [Read more...] about September 27, 2000