Now that Liam Neeson has done the Hollywood blockbuster thing with his very big, very violent hit Taken, he can return to the kinds of movies which have made him such a respected actor. Neeson is currently out shopping Five Minutes of Heaven, a drama about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. This, of course, is a very personal issue for Neeson who was born in Ballymena, Antrim, … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood
April May 2009 Issue
The History of the Clancy Brothers
As Liam Clancy remembers it, being asked to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show did not seem like a big deal. “We just did not understand the significance,” he told Irish America in a recent interview, during a publicity tour to promote a brilliant rerelease of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem performing live at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in 1963. Two years before that … [Read more...] about The History of the Clancy Brothers
Those We Lost
George Carlin 1937-2008 George Carlin, whose father was born in Donegal in 1888, died of heart failure on June 22. Born and raised in Manhattan, Carlin served in the Air Force before embarking on his comedy career as a radio DJ. In the 1960s he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and was a regular on Johnny Carson and other talk shows. In the 70’s he was arrested for his “Seven … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Ulster Scots at Stone Mountain Highland Games
For 38 years, Stone Mountain Park, northeast of Atlanta, Georgia, fills with the sounds of bagpipes, fiddles and harps during the third weekend in October for the Stone Mountain Highland Games and Scottish Festival. Expect thousands of Scots to don their family tartans for this year’s festival October 16-18. Last year the Ulster Scots were there in full force; their pavilion … [Read more...] about Ulster Scots at Stone Mountain Highland Games
Roots: The Famous Flynns
Flynn, or O Floinn in Irish, is high on the list of the most popular names in Ireland. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Flann, which, when applied to a person, connotes a ruddy complexion. The name can be traced throughout Ireland, but is more frequently found in the south around Cork and Waterford and in the north in Counties Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan. The … [Read more...] about Roots: The Famous Flynns