All around the world, the holiday season is a time to gather with family and friends, to share abundance, to feast, to reflect on the memories of joyful times past, and to make every effort to ensure that the future will be peaceful and prosperous for all. Here in the United States, the holiday season is celebrated in a myriad of ways bequeathed us by the thousands of … [Read more...] about A Universal Christmas
1998
Roots: Malone and Moloney
This month's pair of sound-alike names are Moloney and Malone. As with others that have been featured, they bear no relationship to each other. Moloney is derived from the Gaelic O Maoldhomnaigh meaning a descendant of a servant of the church. The name is also often spelled Maloney but the O'Moloney (or O'Maloney) form of the name is only rarely found. The family was originally … [Read more...] about Roots: Malone and Moloney
Where’s the Great Film on The Great Hunger?
It's a subject that's virtually taboo to moviemakers. Studios believe audiences wouldn't want to watch a story about such a grim historical period. But even though the events took place long ago, they remain a matter of vital concern to people throughout the world. Many books are written about the subject. Activists lobby for it to be taught in schools. Eventually, filmmakers … [Read more...] about Where’s the Great Film on The Great Hunger?
MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria
How journalist Januarius Aloysius MacGahan, the son of Irish immigrants, helped cause a shift in the European balance of power that made the liberation of Bulgaria possible. "Since my letter of yesterday, I have supped full of horrors. Nothing has yet been said of the Turks that I do not now believe; nothing could be said of them that I should not think probable or likely...But … [Read more...] about MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria
Irish Memories
From poor immigrant acceptance – the struggles and triumphs of an Irish American family My County Mayo-born grandfather, David Fleming, could not read or write. He had a brogue so thick I couldn't understand a word he said. But I knew one thing. He was Irish and proud of it. He had a favorite poem that he made me memorize and recite when I was six. It was called "Why I Named … [Read more...] about Irish Memories