The ethnic cleansing of Ireland: Emmett O'Connell reviews Sean O'Callaghan's book on the Irish whom Cromwell sent into slavery. "These Irish, anciently called Anthropophagi (maneaters), have a tradition among them, that when the devil showed our Savior all the kingdoms of the earth and their glory he would not show him Ireland, but reserved it for himself...They are the … [Read more...] about To Hell or Barbados
2001
Roots: Duffy, Duhig, Dowey and Doohey
The surname Duffy, the anglicized form of O'Dubhthaigh, is a personal name derived from the Gaelic word dubh, meaning black or swarthy. While the name is widespread throughout Ireland in different forms, the original homeland of the Duffy clan was Monaghan. Duffy appears most often in the 18th century list of clergy compiled for that county in accordance with the Penal … [Read more...] about Roots: Duffy, Duhig, Dowey and Doohey
Film Forum: JFK vs. the Joint Chiefs in Thirteen Days
On the morning of Saturday, October 20, 1962, I was in a station wagon with my family en route to Milwaukee's Billy Mitchell Field to hear President John F. Kennedy make a campaign speech for Democratic congressional candidates. As we moved slowly in a long line of cars to the airport, the radio reported that JFK had come down with a "slight cold" in Chicago and was returning … [Read more...] about Film Forum: JFK vs. the Joint Chiefs in Thirteen Days
Book Reviews
NON-FICTION Two new books could be grouped under the Lg "The Irish: Then and Now." First there's Irish America Coming into Clover: The Evolution of a Culture by Maureen Dezell. A Boston Globe staff writer, Dezell takes a rather irreverent look at Irish America in the year 2000. Some may be rubbed the wrong way by her not-too-veiled efforts to expose what may be … [Read more...] about Book Reviews
Music: The Reel Thing
Modern Ireland can boast plenty of pop superstars whose recordings sell in the millions. But if U2, Van Morrison, Sinead O'Connor and Enya are undeniably Irish musicians, is what they play really Irish music? When listening to the artists whose recordings are reviewed below, you won't have to ponder that interesting philosophical question. There's nothing more genuinely … [Read more...] about Music: The Reel Thing