The last few years of the great Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s life were spent with an Irishman. That Irishman was Barry O’Meara, a Dublin-born surgeon who caught the Emperor’s attention during his surrender on the British warship Bellerophon. This encounter would change O’Meara’s life, as he was personally requested by Napoleon to be his physician during his time on the island … [Read more...] about Napoleon’s Doctor
Books
A Taste of Joyce
By Colum McCann
The Ineluctable Modality of the Visible Sometimes it seems to me that libraries are the most democratic institutions in the world. From Dublin to New York, you will eventually find most if not all the great books within the walls of our great libraries. I often find myself in the hallowed halls of the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and 42nd … [Read more...] about A Taste of Joyce
Review of Books
Darina Molloy reviews recently published books by Irish authors In Ordinary Time: Fragments of a Family History by Carmel McMahon In putting her ‘fragments’ of family history to paper, enveloped in and book-ended by snippets from her own life, and relationships both good and bad (alcohol being the most destructive), Carmel McMahon has created a gorgeously moving … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Discover the untold story of the vital role the Irish played in the American Revolution
George Washington changed the world and saved democracy by defeating the British during the American War of Independence. The Irish role in the American Revolution, the war for the ages, has never been correctly reported. Because many of the Irish who fought were poor and illiterate and left no memoirs, their stories and role have never been told. Until now. The Irish played a … [Read more...] about Discover the untold story of the vital role the Irish played in the American Revolution
Darina Molloy’s Review of Books
By Darina Molloy
Forever Home By Graham Norton Living in a small town, Carol is well used to the way people know everything about you … or think they do, at least. As a divorced mother of one son, she is particularly susceptible to the sidelong glances, particularly when she starts seeing an older man. Declan’s wife left the family home years earlier, and his children really don’t like Carol … [Read more...] about Darina Molloy’s Review of Books