Over the years, I've spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about what it means to be Irish. Occasionally, my public writings and ruminations on the subject have led to me being described (and dismissed) as a "professional Irishman." If only it were true! Unfortunately, I'm still a semi-pro, forced to make a living at activities unrelated to my ethnic investigations.
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Bronx Irish Catholic
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Confessions of a
The Irish as Playful Souls
The old St. Patrick's Day quip about there being two kinds of people – those who are Irish and those who wish they were – turns out to be not so far from wrong. The research my colleague Michael Hout has carried out shows that there are a lot more Americans claiming to be Irish than one might expect from immigration records, because the children of ethnically mixed marriages … [Read more...] about The Irish as Playful Souls
Eoin McKiernan
The Educator
Dr. Eoin McKiernan, founder of the Irish American Cultural Institute, is widely acknowledged as one of the foremost authorities in the U.S. on Irish affairs. His resume includes author, lecturer, scriptwriter, TV presenter, columnist, and consultant. From 1987 until earlier this year, he penned the "Last Word" column for Irish America.
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We [the IACI] think that if there … [Read more...] about Eoin McKiernanThe Educator
Lust for Lust
A bawdy romance from the author of Angela's Ashes. When he awoke that morning Mordecai O'Callaghan found himself in such a desperate state of tumescence he immediately thought of Nora Moynihan down the road. Nora Moynihan, down the road, awakening at the same time, found herself in such a desperate state of lubriciousness she thought, "Dear God, I'll have to be put … [Read more...] about Lust for Lust
Rosie O’Donnell
Queen of Comedy
Rosie O'Donnell, the queen of daytime TV, recalls the time she and her family spent in Ireland shortly after the death of her mother.
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I remember eating salt and vinegar potato chips and having sweets, the candy, those Marathon bars, remember those? We used to go to the woods and my cousin would shoot cap guns and we'd hide in the bushes and watch the helicopters come … [Read more...] about Rosie O’DonnellQueen of Comedy