President Clinton's Economic Advisor to Ireland When Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell announced he would not seek re-election it came as a surprise to many, not least his Maine constituents who had given him 80 percent of the votes in the 1988 election. When the 61-year-old senator then turned down a Supreme Court nomination to the great disappointment of the President, … [Read more...] about George Mitchell’s Mandate
Interview
Des Bishop’s Mia Mamma Hits New York
IA Newsletter January 8, 2022
If “home” is a special but complicated word for most Irish people, this is doubly true for Des Bishop. Born in New York, Bishop went off to Ireland at the tender of age of 14. But what began as a kind of lark to make sure Bishop stayed focused on school turned into a calling as a popular comedian, performer, and TV personality. For years, Bishop has been doing the thankless … [Read more...] about Des Bishop’s Mia Mamma Hits New York
Larry Kirwan’s “Paradise Square” is
Broadway-Bound
IA Newsletter October 30, 2021
For over 30 years, Larry Kirwan’s voice provided the soundtrack for Irish American and Irish immigrant life.
As the frontman for legendary Celtic rockers Black 47, Kirwan went from playing punky jigs and reels in small clubs in the Bronx, to gigs on network TV and packed festivals and stadiums.
The Wexford native rode the wave of 1980s and 1990s immigration from … [Read more...] about Larry Kirwan’s “Paradise Square” is
Broadway-Bound
Peter Quinn’s Novel Redux
"Quinn has a way of making ordinary things, the ordinary or wise or inadequate thoughts of many persons in many circumstances not only convincing but merely actual: an ability that can remind a reader of James Joyce in stories like The Dead and in Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." – John Crowley (from a new addendum to his original review in the New York Times 27 … [Read more...] about Peter Quinn’s Novel Redux
Tom Deignan Interviews…
Tom Deignan is a teacher, author, and columnist. Tom has been a contributor to Irish America for 25 years on arts and entertainment, history and current affairs. He is currently working on a book about America during the Ellis Island years. His writing has appeared in newspapers such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Star-Ledger, and National Catholic Reporter, as well as … [Read more...] about Tom Deignan Interviews…