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?
Archive
“Happy Days” For O’Casey and Beckett
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
Yankee Doodle Irish
By Bob Callahan July/August 1986
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
Dancing at Lughnasa
By John Simon March 1992
The Irish Take Broadway Brian Friel has been writing significant and respected plays ever since he captured the hearts and funnybones of the public with Philadelphia, Here I Come!, his first international success, in 1968. But it is with his latest, Dancing at Lughnasa, that he achieved the kind of success that leaves even him awed. For two years now it has been a steady hit … [Read more...] about Dancing at Lughnasa
The Irish Georgian Society
By Brendan Gill March 1992
Although the Irish Georgian Society has many admirers here in the United States, in my view it lacks sufficient appreciation and support on its native soil, (We Irish Americans are always quick to recommend appropriate behavior to our cousins back home.) The Society was founded some thirty years ago by the Honorable Desmond Guinness, resident of the village of Leixlip, in … [Read more...] about The Irish Georgian Society