Easter 1916 and the Annals of Irish History Few events in Irish history have been as momentous as the 1916 Easter Rising. What started out as a minor and unpopular rebellion by about 1,200 men and women became the spark which led to three years of full-scale war with Britain. And the Treaty which ended the War of Independence in 1922 created its own monster: civil war and … [Read more...] about 75th Anniversary of The Irish Uprising 1916
April 1991
The Readers’ Writer
For someone on a rigorous public relations schedule, Maeve Binchy is a remarkably personable interviewee. The Dublin author arrived in New York on a brief but hectic promotional visit for her new book Circle Of Friends and although she is pressed for time and does speak quickly, there is an unhurried air about her. I had never met Maeve before and felt that she conveys a … [Read more...] about The Readers’ Writer
Seamus Heaney’s The Cure at Troy
Seamus Heaney of County Derry holds the professorships of poetry at both Harvard and Oxford Universities. In the big kitchen of his house in Sandymount, Dublin, Heaney stood very straight, feet planted well apart, as we talked about the genesis and production of his first play, The Cure at Troy, his poetic and imaginative reworking of Sophocles' Philoctetes. He talked about … [Read more...] about Seamus Heaney’s The Cure at Troy
Book Review | Rebels: The Irish Rising of 1916
On February 24 the Sunday Independent newspaper in Ireland published an article which asked the question, "1916: How should we mark the 75th anniversary?..." That was leaving it late, wasn't it? The latest word from Ireland is that the Rising will be marked by a reading of the 1916 Proclamation from the steps of the General Post Office (main site of the fighting) by Prime … [Read more...] about Book Review | Rebels: The Irish Rising of 1916
Blazes Boylan
The Birmingham Six – Free At Last After 16 years of protesting their innocence, the cases against the Birmingham Six have collapsed and the men have been freed. The six men were in English prisons since 1974 because, in the words of Shane McGowan, they were caught "being Irish in the wrong place and at the wrong time.” The Court of Appeals in Britain, which has been examining … [Read more...] about Blazes Boylan





