Marjorie “Mo” Mowlam (1949-2005), was a British Labour Party politician who served as Northern Ireland Secretary from 1997-2001. She helped bring about the Good Friday Agreement, signed April 10 1998. Throughout her term as Secretary Mo proved a force to be reckoned with. All the while, she privately battled brain cancer, which was the cause of her death on August 19, … [Read more...] about Mo’s Mission
1998
Historic Times in Ireland
Irish America's publisher Niall O'Dowd wrote the following column on the occasion of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on April 5, 1998. Every once in a lifetime or so comes an opportunity to reflect on truly historic news which affects all Irish Americans of whatever class or creed. The peace agreement signed in Northern Ireland on Good Friday after much burning of the … [Read more...] about Historic Times in Ireland
Mrs. O’Leary Exonerated
March/April 1998
The truth would have made a great story: Catherine O'Leary, successful Irish immigrant businesswoman. She had five cows in her dairy and her husband Patrick was gainfully employed as a lathe-worker. As Catherine and Patrick slept on that dry October night in 1871, someone started a fire in their barn. The blaze grew into the Great Chicago Fire, killing 300 people, leaving … [Read more...] about Mrs. O’Leary Exonerated
Sláinte! New Wave Greens: Ireland’s Sea Weeds
Seawater and seaweed baths, known as thalassotherapy, are famous for their therapeutic benefits, and have long been popular in Ireland. Greek and Roman records from the first century BC mention herbal medicines and cosmetic preparations made with seaweed. Modern preparations include soaps, lotions, shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and even packets of powdered seaweed that … [Read more...] about Sláinte! New Wave Greens: Ireland’s Sea Weeds
What the Future Holds
Bear in mind these dead: I can find no plainer words. - John Hewitt, "Neither an Elegy nor a Manifesto" The New Year brings good tidings to a young couple I know, the birth of a baby boy, a welcome addition to their ever expanding family. Unlike his mother, a Belfast native, this boy will grow up outside the danger zone of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. Other children … [Read more...] about What the Future Holds