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
January February 1998 Issue
Sláinte! New Wave Greens: Ireland’s Sea Weeds
By Edythe Preet
January / February 1998
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
The Irish in Texas
By Harry Dunleavy
January / February 1998
Irish settlers and their contribution in the formation and development of the Lone Star State. Irish immigration to Texas is so old that it has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and the marriage of Isabella I of Castile to Ferdinand II of Aragon. The union of the two Spanish Provinces, and the subsequent expulsion of the Moors after the Battle of Granada, paved the way for … [Read more...] about The Irish in Texas
Man of Aran
By Diana Barth
January / February 1998
Playwright Martin McDonagh, all the rage in London, comes stateside. Only Shakespeare has matched Martin McDonagh's record: to have four shows running concurrently on London's West End. This past summer McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan opened at The Royal National Theatre, while his Leenane Trilogy -The Beauty Queen of Leenane, A Skull in Connemara, and The Lonesome West … [Read more...] about Man of Aran