Irish America

Irish America

Books

Country Girl: A Memoir by Edna O’Brien

By Edna O'Brien

Fall 2024

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In this excerpt from her memoir, Edna O'Brien returns to Ireland to build a house in which she hopes to avail of the "peace of that passeth understanding," only to find that even the best-laid plans can go awry. It was to Donegal, in the most northwestern tip of Ireland, that in the 1990s I headed, in order to build a house. The very place names so rough and musical, the … [Read more...] about Country Girl: A Memoir by Edna O’Brien

Book Notes: Enright Honors McGahern

By Tom Deignan

Fall 2024

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Next year will mark six decades since celebrated Irish novelist and short story writer John McGahern was censored and banned in his own country. Now, another celebrated writer – Anne Enright, Ireland’s first-ever “laureate” for fiction – is commemorating McGahern’s life and career with fond memories as well as new revelations. Back in 1965, McGahern wrote The Dark, which … [Read more...] about Book Notes: Enright Honors McGahern

But Always Meeting Ourselves

By Colum McCann
IA Newsletter, June 15, 2024

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A LONDON nursing home. The shape of a figure beneath the sheets. My grandfather could just about whisper. He wanted a cigarette and a glass of whiskey. “Come up on the bed here, young fella,” he said, gruffly. It was 1975 and I was 10 years old and it would be the first — and probably last — time I’d ever see him. Gangrene was taking him away. He reached for the bottle and … [Read more...] about But Always Meeting Ourselves

Maid as Muse: Emily Dickinson’s Irish Connection

By Aliah O'Neill
June / July 2010

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Aífe Murray tells Irish America the story of how an Irish maid influenced Emily Dickinson's poetry and saved it from destruction. Genius does not exist in a vacuum. This was the message taken away from Aífe Murray, author of Maid as Muse, when she spoke at Glucksman Ireland House on March 25th. The topic was Emily Dickinson, whose poetic prowess has been understood as the … [Read more...] about Maid as Muse: Emily Dickinson’s Irish Connection

God Box: A Daughter’s Story

By Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University
IA Newsletter May 4, 2024

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When Mary Lou Quinlan (GABELLI ’82) was an M.B.A. student attending classes during the evening while working full time at Avon Products, she pursued what she believed would be her lifetime career. She worked incredibly hard to realize her dreams of becoming a successful corporate businesswoman, moving from Avon into the advertising world where she was SVP/EVP at DDB and … [Read more...] about God Box: A Daughter’s Story