With the New Year in mind, Edythe Preet writes about Robert Burns: Scotland’s Immortal Bard. In case any reader has ever wondered how a gal named Preet could claim Irish ancestry, here’s my genealogy: my maiden name was Burns, my father was George Burns (mom heard many a “So are you Gracie?” wisecrack), and dad’s mom was a McCaffrey, born in County Fermanagh. Like thousands of … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Auld Lang Syne
A Southern Celtic Christmas Concert
The sudden death five years ago of the Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) evoked an unprecedented outpouring of grief around the world. Generally acknowledged as the greatest poet of the age, Seamus (as he was known to everyone) was beloved as much for his down to earth humanity as for the wisdom, honesty and lyrical beauty of his work. A rare interview with Heaney is one … [Read more...] about A Southern Celtic Christmas Concert
Photo Album: My Wonderful Irish Mother
My mother, Patricia Duffy, was born December 7, 1927. She was one of two children raised by Rose and Frank Duffy in Oakland, California. Frank Duffy and his brother came to the United States from County Cavan, Ireland. Frank had a small grocery store in Oakland, which afforded them a lovely home near a small creek in Oakland Hills. Mom said that Grandpa’s Irish brogue was so … [Read more...] about Photo Album: My Wonderful Irish Mother
Celebrating thePast and Present
Niamh Hyland sang “Silent Night” in Irish, and a hush fell over the room – a splendid room with tall windows, looking out over Central Park. So often at Irish events, music is the thread that holds it all together, acting as the link to the ancestors across the generations, and this occasion was no different. It was December 12, and some 250 Irish and Irish Americans were … [Read more...] about Celebrating thePast and Present
The 17th Christmas
The Greyhound roared up the Jersey Turnpike in the rain, its fierce power leaving the cars behind, the thick wheels ripping through the gathering pools of water with the driving stateliness of a cruiser. The bus that was carrying us home for that 1952 Christmas smelled of stale smoke and damp wool; on that detail, memory does not fail. Sailors stood in the aisles, soldiers … [Read more...] about The 17th Christmas