Irish America
Irish America
My grandfathers, George Kennedy and Peter McDonald, died before I was born. I came to know something of them through talks with my parents and other relatives, a few artifacts, death certificates and obituaries, and two photographs that defined them for me forever. Both photos are working-class portraits. The portrait of George Kennedy is with three other men who are, I … [Read more...] about Two Grandfathers
"What The Crying Game is saying is that there is a war going on there — a war that nobody is admitting to. There is a conspiracy and an accepted level of violence, but what it comes down to is warfare. To that extent, it is about Ireland." Irish director and screenwriter Neil Jordan is speaking at a press conference about his latest movie. Currently playing to packed movie … [Read more...] about Tears of Joy for Jordan
In 1744, Joseph Leeson, a member of a prosperous Dublin family and soon to become the First Earl of Milltown, embarked on his first tour of the European continent to further his education and collect objects of art for his stately new country mansion in County Wicklow. A compelling portrait depicting Leeson in a sumptuous fur-lined robe was painted in Rome during this trip by … [Read more...] about Master European Paintings
Geraldine Fitzgerald left her home in Graystones outside Dublin as a young girl and moved into the city to pursue her career in the theater, a career that would eventually take her to the stage in New York and to the Hollywood screen. Along the way she would come in contact with a host of characters, including the great Orson Welles, and Laurence Olivier with whom she would … [Read more...] about Geraldine Fitzgerald: A Woman for All Seasons
Most grandparents take their grandchildren to the playground. Dennis Clark takes his to picket the homes of politicians. Though the kids may never acquire the perspective he has from growing up in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood during the Great Depression, Clark wants them to avoid the "cocoon of American consumerism" and to have compassion for the have-nots. Clark, a … [Read more...] about Philadelphia’s Feisty Irishman
