1992
Goodbye Columbus, Hello St. Brendan
By Abdon Moriarty Pallasch July August 1992
As the rest of America celebrates the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus arriving in the New World, Irish-Americans can boast that one of their own may have beat him by nearly 1,000 years. The idea that Irish monks in an ox-hide boat might have beaten the Conquistadors and the Vikings to America was largely relegated to Irish folklore before 1976. That year, British … [Read more...] about Goodbye Columbus, Hello St. Brendan
November 1992
First Word: The Belly of the Beast
Prison literature from John Mitchell's Jail Journal to the prison diary of Bobby Sands has a revered place in Irish literature and the latest addition, though written from a cell in far-off Lebanon, is easily a match for the best. I highly recommend An Evil Cradling, the story of Irish's hostage Brian Keenan and his five-year struggle for survival in various Beirut hellholes. … [Read more...] about First Word: The Belly of the Beast
Music Review: Nashville Finds Its Irish Roots
By Jim Kelton November 1992
The Chieftains are the most Irish of all commercial bands and, therefore, the most universal in spirit. They embody their musical heritage with such fierce allegiance to its true origins that nothing compromises their integrity. They work with ballet companies, symphony orchestras, classical Chinese ensembles, and even hard-edged rock stars with miraculous consistency. No … [Read more...] about Music Review: Nashville Finds Its Irish Roots