A historical look at the Irish of Butte, Montana Marcus Daly, who became one of the richest men in the West, was born in 1841, in Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan, the youngest of eleven children of a farm family. At 15 he arrived in New York City with very little money and limited education. It took him five years to save enough money to buy passage to San Francisco where he had … [Read more...] about From the Emerald Isle to the Copper Mines
2000
A Fragile Peace
The Northern Ireland Assembly is back but intransigence could still damage the prospects for peace. Anne Cadwallader reports. Glimpse a furrowed brow or lips shut tight against gritted teeth at Stormont right now and you're looking at someone who was counting on the peace process ending in failure and recriminations. Those with a spring in their step, a whistle on their lips … [Read more...] about A Fragile Peace
Meet the Best
Tim Russert was one of the most influential political journalists in America. As the former host of the top-rated Meet the Press, he could make and break careers, but his own success story is a highly unusual one. Niall O'Dowd interviewed him in Washington D.C. in 2000. "He is absolutely the best, he does the most homework. In an era where everyone in the media is … [Read more...] about Meet the Best
Roots: The “Mul” Names
A large range of Irish names begin with the prefix "Mul." Examples include Mulcahy, Mulvihill, Mullally, and Mullan. These names have no familiar connections, but like the names beginning with "Gil," all have their origin in a common name form. They almost all derive from the Gaelic word "Maol" meaning follower, servant, or devotee. The name was invariably preceded by O as … [Read more...] about Roots: The “Mul” Names
The Last September: The Rules of Ascendancy
The spirit of Chekhov hovers over the Irish countryside in The Last September. Director Deborah Warner and screenwriter John Banville bring a powerfully elliptical sense of inevitable loss to this film about the waning days of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy. Based on the 1929 novel by Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen, The Last September is set on a country estate in Cork in 1920 … [Read more...] about The Last September: The Rules of Ascendancy