Irish America

Irish America

November December 1993

Sláinte! Christmas – Winter Solstice

By Edythe Preet

November December 1993

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Christmas season is the time to eat, drink and be merry! Wherever one goes it seems, someone is slicing up a fruitcake or pouring a glass of holiday cheer. Surrounded as we are by Madison Avenue merchandising it's easy to forget that at this time of year we are participating in one of the oldest rituals known to humankind. Eons before the birth of the Child whom angels praised … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Christmas – Winter Solstice

Roots: Unusual Irish Names

By James G. Ryan

November December 1993

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My recent article on "That's Not an Irish Name" has prompted a lot of comment from readers with interesting names, and theories about their derivation. I must also acknowledge one mistake. Bill Delaney of Philadelphia corrected me on the name Delaney, which had been given as an example of the many Norman names with the prefix "De." Delaney, however, is of course, derived from … [Read more...] about Roots: Unusual Irish Names

Hibernia

By Irish America Staff

November December 1993

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In 1863 President Lincoln proclaimed the first national designation of a date for Thanksgiving. He named the fourth Thursday in November and Lincoln's choice remained undisturbed for 75 years. In 1938 President Roosevelt essayed moving the day back a few weeks. He gave as his reason the complaints of merchants that Christmas and Thanksgiving were too close and the public spent … [Read more...] about Hibernia

To Hell and Back

By Jane Campbell

November December 1993

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Ex-hostage Brian Keenan speaks to Jane Campbell about his book, his experiences, and his life post-imprisonment. In 1985 Brian Keenan, feeling that his life was stagnant, left his native Belfast for a teaching job in Beirut. That he both sought and found change and a challenge is an irony not lost on him, but the change — capture and imprisonment by fundamentalist Shi'ite … [Read more...] about To Hell and Back

Harrison Ford

By Frances Haines

November December 1993

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The king of Hollywood talks to Frances Haines about his controversial role in Patriot Games Son of an Irish Catholic emigrant, Harrison Ford has weathered the storm of Irish-American protest over Patriot Games. From his father, Chris, who found that his religion and ethnic origins prevented his getting work in the New York of the 20s, Harrison has always fiercely defended his … [Read more...] about Harrison Ford