Irish America

Irish America

2008

The French Connection: Cocaine in Ireland

By John Spain, Contributor
February / March 2008

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The death of top model Katy French a few weeks ago from a cocaine overdose has finally woken Ireland up to the fact that we are in the middle of a cocaine epidemic. Cocaine use has now permeated all levels of Irish society, from the boardroom to the bar. So much of it is being used that when RTE (the national television station) did a countrywide investigation a few weeks ago … [Read more...] about The French Connection: Cocaine in Ireland

The Trouble with Irish Language

By Sharon Ní Chonchúir, Contributor
February / March 2008

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With the Irish language under threat of extinction, you would think the Gaeltacht, small pockets of Ireland where Irish is still spoken, would be a safe haven for our native tongue.  Not so. The day is drawing to a close and the sun is setting in the sky.  In the dusky light, a farmer strides purposefully home, his feet heavy in earth-covered boots and a shovel slung over his … [Read more...] about The Trouble with Irish Language

The Magic of Yeats Country Lives On

By Bridget English, Editorial Assistant
February / March 2008

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Ed: This post originally appeared in the February / March issue of Irish America after Bridget English was sent on assignment to attend the Yeats International Summer School the previous summer. The Yeats summer school is now in its 56th year and still accepting applications. Click here for more information or apply. For almost fifty years now, Sligo has played host to the … [Read more...] about The Magic of Yeats Country Lives On

Innocence Shattered By Kennedy’s Assassination

By Michael C. Finnegan
February / March 2008

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“Wish I’d been a kid back then.” That’s my children’s usual reaction after listening to story swapping at family gatherings. “Then” was the 1960s. While they think of tie-dyed shirts,  rock-’n’-roll and sit-ins, I remember  before all that – to a time some people called Camelot – a brief shining moment when America charged headlong into the future but also firmly … [Read more...] about Innocence Shattered By Kennedy’s Assassination

She Writes What She Knows: Alice McDermott

By Chuck Leddy
February / March 2008

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More than any other writer over the past quarter century, Alice McDermott has chronicled the joys and tragedies of Irish-American families.  Alice McDermott’s novels explore love, loss, faith and family in the world of Irish Catholics living in post-World War II suburban Long Island, New York, where the author grew up. Charming Billy tells the story of Billy Lynch, his lost … [Read more...] about She Writes What She Knows: Alice McDermott