Irish America
Irish America
Irish Traditional Music Festival, Snug Harbor, New York An Claidheamh Soluis/Irish Arts Center located at 553 West 51st Street in New York has long been a home for Irish culture on the East coast. Workshops offer free instruction in the Irish language, step and ceili dancing and a variety of Irish instruments. The Center's theater has established quite an off-Broadway … [Read more...] about Hibernia
Brian Brown, dubbed The Ninth Earl of Ballyportry, by the citizens of Corofin, County Clare, takes the stage in the small Greenwich Village club. It is "open mike" night. Brown follows three other stand-up comedians who wait hours to perform five minutes of material. There is no pay. "In fact," says Brown, beginning his act, "this club has a two-drink minimum for … [Read more...] about The Earl-y Bird and Other Stories
Section 31 Upheld by Euro Court For 20 years, the Irish government has deemed it illegal for members linked to the IRA or any of the other paramilitary parties to appear on radio or TV broadcasts. This applies to members of the republican Sinn Féin party as well, as the government has argued that broadcasting Sinn Féin members, even ones who are community leaders with seats … [Read more...] about Blazes Boylan
On April 20, Sean O'Faolain, one of Ireland's finest writers, died in a Dublin nursing home after a long illness. Bom in Cork in 1900, he left unfinished the second part of his autobiography, Vive Moi. But he also left behind a golden store of novels, plays, biographies and literary criticism, as well as several collections of short stories, of which he was a true master. In … [Read more...] about A Fond Farewell to Irish Writer Sean O’Faolain
In January of 1988, at 11 p.m., less than 20 hours before the Golden State Warriors professional basketball team were to play a home game, their flashy 6'7" forward, Chris Mullin, could most likely be found sitting in a local tavern gulping down one beer after another. Yes, he was fully aware that he had a game to play. Yes, he was fully aware that he should be sober instead … [Read more...] about High on Life
