Irish America
Irish America
When we decided to focus on the Irish American contribution to education in this issue we found we needed a wide lens indeed. On every level, from pre-school to the universities, Irish Americans have left their mark. Religious orders sent representatives from Ireland who in an amazingly short time founded schools and colleges. Young Irish women became the backbone of the public … [Read more...] about Saints & Scholars
The Understanding A short story written especially for Irish America by best-selling Irish novelist Maeve Binchy. Liam's mother came to see him for a week in New York every year around Memorial Day. He thought this was a good time to invite her, hot enough to be a bit exotic, not so hot that it would make her think he lived in a furnace. He planned the visit very … [Read more...] about Celtic Romance
The British general election, set for April 9, could be the most crucial contest in the modern era, one which could redefine terms such as "Britain" and the "United Kingdom." At stake is the future of Scotland as an integral part of the British mainland. Devastated in the Thatcher era by huge unemployment, the rising tide of Scottish nationalism threatens to force a withdrawal … [Read more...] about First Word: Break-up of an Empire?
When Shivaun O'Casey first met Irish-born Nobel Literature Prize winner Samuel Beckett, she was a shy young girl of 16 studying acting in London. In the 32 years that have followed that meeting, she has kept in close contact with Beckett, now recognized as one of the leading 20th century playwrights, whose dark visions of life inspired a revolutionary stage movement called … [Read more...] about “Happy Days” For O’Casey and Beckett
This is a song about George M. Cohan. CO-HAN, not Coen. And yet, when I was growing up in a factory town in Connecticut, I always thought he must have been this older Jewish guy. Jimmy Cagney called him "the greatest song and dance man of all time." "George M. Cohan," Cagney said, "is the real leader of our clan.” This is also a song about the history we have let slip through … [Read more...] about Yankee Doodle Irish
