Recent passings in the Irish and Irish American communities. Brendan Byrne 1924 – 2018 Two-term New Jersey governor Brendan Byrne died of a lung infection in January at the age of 93. Byrne is remembered as one of the most popular Democratic politicians in the state, as well as for his unimpeachable reputation for honesty. Byrne’s introduction of a state tax to improve funding … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Irish Fighting Irish
By Tom Condon, Contributor
Fifty years ago as of April 2018, the University of Notre Dame rugby club became the first team to represent the university in competition in Ireland. Tom Condon, then a senior on the squad, recalls the momentous five-game tour. Late in the morning of April 14, 1968, 15 young men representing the University of Notre Dame jogged onto the rugby pitch in Limerick City. The … [Read more...] about Irish Fighting Irish
Beckett Unplugged
Conor Lovett and Judy Hegarty Lovett, leading Beckett interpreters, and John Minihan, the photographer who captured Beckett on film, talk to Rosemary Rogers. Samuel Beckett created the greatest body of literary work – novels, short stories, poetry, essays, and, most famously, plays for theatre, radio, and TV – in the 20th century. But the Irishman and his artistic output is … [Read more...] about Beckett Unplugged
Wild Irish Woman: “Hello, Suckers!”
Singer, showgirl, and queen of the speakeasy during Prohibition, Mary Guinan was a genuine Irish American wild woman. Larger (and louder) than life, she had an even bigger heart. During the wild and jazzy New York of the 1920s, Texas Guinan was the wildest and jazziest dame in town. Born Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan in 1884, her parents were immigrants from Ireland who settled … [Read more...] about Wild Irish Woman: “Hello, Suckers!”
The Life of Brian
Known for his roles in the Academy Award-winning film The Hurt Locker and the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, Brian Geraghty stars in TNT’s new drama The Alienist, which premiered on January 22, and credits his success to his dad. ℘℘℘ From an early age, actor Brian Geraghty, who has appeared in two dozen movies, including The Hurt Locker and Jarhead, as well as acclaimed TV shows … [Read more...] about The Life of Brian