One of summer's finest gifts is its long hours of sunshine. This is especially true the farther one travels from the equator where a midwinter's night is so long that only a few hours of pale gray twilight feebly light the day. Halfway around the seasonal wheel, the sun blazes forth in the same locale for nearly a whole 24-hour period. This phenomenon has a very scientific … [Read more...] about Sláinte: Summer Blessings
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Return to Derry
I had almost a worm's-eye view of Bloody Sunday. I was working as a junior TV journalist covering a protest march through Derry on January 30, 1972, and like every other observer I was dumbfounded when the British Parachute Regiment opened fire on the protestors. I had just maneuvered my way over a low barricade of rubble when the shots rang out, and I flung myself on the … [Read more...] about Return to Derry
Irish Roots: Cusack The Warrior Clan
The Cusack name carries with it a fighting air. One of the most colorful examples is of one George Cusack whose parents wanted him to be a monk. He did not, so he ran away to fulfill every child's dream of becoming a pirate and was so ruthless, he was often known to throw his crew overboard during arguments. George may have gained his notoriety through his defiance, but … [Read more...] about Irish Roots: Cusack The Warrior Clan
Photo Album: Catherine’s Family
Catherine Flannely was born in Porturlin, County Mayo, Ireland around 1835. She married Anthony Moran from the nearby village of Baralty. Catherine and Anthony immigrated to America in the 1860s and settled in a small coal mining town near Scranton, Pennsylvania. They had twelve children. She is pictured here, along with her daughter Mary Ann and son-in-law Edward Donnelly. … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Catherine’s Family
A Darker Shade of Green
When Bill Clinton took the stage in Dundalk on his final presidential visit to Ireland last December, he could have had no idea how much of a welcome was waiting. In the late 1990s, the border town (population 30,000) had almost shaken off its El Paso image, a legacy from the Troubles, and was working hard at promoting itself as a center for multinational investment. … [Read more...] about A Darker Shade of Green