They built the roads and the canals, and died in their thousands from yellow fever. They competed with slaves to load cotton on the ships bound for Liverpool. Ships that would return crowded with famine Irish. They owned coffee houses. They took part in politics and some lucky ones became millionaires and sugar plantation owners. Harry Dunleavy writes on the extraordinary … [Read more...] about The Irish in New Orleans
Feature
Dance Across the Sea
An Irish dancing teacher brings her American students back home. Christina Ryan is from Miltown Malbay a tiny, rural, coastal town in County Clare, and though she came to America five years ago she never really left it behind. In her new hometown of Richboro, in Bucks County, she slowly developed her Irish dancing school, and over the years a handful of dancers evolved into … [Read more...] about Dance Across the Sea
In Pursuit of the Supernatural
John Banville's first book, Long Larkin, was published in 1970; his most recent novel, Ghosts, has just come out. In the intervening years he has produced nine novels and received many awards. In 1989 he won the Guinness Peat Aviation Award for The Book of Evidence, which was also shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In addition to being one of the most highly regarded writers … [Read more...] about In Pursuit of the Supernatural
Captain Paddy and Son
Captain Paddy turned his boat around and pointed it toward the open waters of the North Atlantic. He has fished these waters along the rocky cliffs of County Donegal for so long that he no longer observes their rugged beauty. Sometimes he ventures far out to fish for salmon, today he would look for crabs and lobster and see to his numerous traps. The mighty gales and the strong … [Read more...] about Captain Paddy and Son
In the Name of the Father
Pete Postlethwaite astonished critics and cinemagoers alike with his performance in In the Name of the Father. It came as no surprise when the previously little-known actor won a coveted Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Guiseppe Conlon. Jane Campbell caught up with Postlethwaite in London, where they talked about the movie and the challenges of playing Guiseppe -- … [Read more...] about In the Name of the Father





