On May 30, 2002, John B. Keane, author, raconteur, and much-loved Kerryman, passed away. Keane, at 73, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1994. The author of 18 plays and 32 works of prose and poetry, including Big Maggie, which played on Broadway in 1982, and The Field, which was made into an award-winning movie starring Richard Harris Keane captured the soul of rural … [Read more...] about John B. Keane Remembered
2002
Report From Ground Zero : The Documentary
Dennis Smith's gripping best-seller Report from Ground Zero will be the basis for a documentary airing on September 10, 2002. As Smith's book did, the ABC TV special lets the survivors speak for themselves, combining their accounts with film and video of the World Trade Center's initial construction, the attack itself, and the recovery at "the piles." Some highlights from the … [Read more...] about Report From Ground Zero : The Documentary
Music: Blink in America
Blink are back in Ireland to nail down the last few songs on what already sounds from an early demo tape like a very promising third album. After forming in 1992, the Dublin four-piece toured Britain for a couple of years but decided in '95 to make-or-break in the U.S. "It was really starting over for us," explains manager Aidan Lambert, whose younger brother Dermot is … [Read more...] about Music: Blink in America
Book Reviews
A sampling of the latest Irish books on offer. RECOMMENDED Telling an as-yet-untold story about the heroic FDNY mission of September 11, Terry Golway writes: "Lieutenant Bob Bohack faced the dilemma of his career. He had his orders: He was to help extinguish the fire on the 79th floor. But those orders were given before he heard rumors of missiles, of more airplanes heading … [Read more...] about Book Reviews
Sláinte! When an Apple is Ripe, it Will Fall
Several years ago after a rigorous day of exploring County Laois, I pulled into a pub for a well-deserved pick-me-up pint. It was a wee bit early for the local drinking crowd and the long bar held only one customer, a young man who looked more like a fellow whose regular haunt would be a Dublin watering hole rather than a remote country pub. His tweed jacket hugged the … [Read more...] about Sláinte! When an Apple is Ripe, it Will Fall