How the orphaned son of Irish immigrants ended up owning one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas. Kingsville, Texas: You look across the flat, dry miles stretching to the horizon, land that was even more foreboding 150 years ago, and wonder how an Irish river pilot could see this developing as the epicenter of the American cattle industry. This was the Wild Horse … [Read more...] about The King Ranch
Archive
The Irish in Australia
Commencing with convicts, feared and despised, and followed by free immigrants and settlers, the Irish became the dynamic force in Australia's evolution into a nation. ℘℘℘ The eyes of the world were on Australia this past September, as Sydney hosted the 2000 Olympic Games. A close observer will have noted that many of the Australian athletes, including swimmer Susie … [Read more...] about The Irish in Australia
Ties That Bind
Two successful Irish Americans share an experience of giving...more than money. ℘℘℘ Mary Pat Lyons O'Connor listened to the old woman, her grandfather's sister, Margaret, as she spun her narratives of the Irish Famine and the small fenced hillocks, famine graves, where hundreds of the nameless lie buried. The two women were in the sitting room of a three-room farm … [Read more...] about Ties That Bind
Film Forum: No Non-Irish Need Apply?
Ethnic casting issues in movies. Our moviegoing experience would be much diminished if we had never had the chance to see Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia, Greer Garson as Mrs. Miniver, Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, or Kenneth Branagh as Henry V. We would have been equally impoverished if we had not seen Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara … [Read more...] about Film Forum: No Non-Irish Need Apply?
Film Reviews: Tigerland
Starring Colin Farrell. Directed by Joel Schumacher. 20th Century Fox. ℘℘℘ Faster than a speeding bullet, it seems, onetime Ballykissangel actor Colin Farrell has shot to fame as the next "it" Irish actor. When you see his Vietnam war flick Tigerland, you'll see it's not just his good looks that got the young Dubliner all this attention. Swapping his Dublin accent for … [Read more...] about Film Reviews: Tigerland