Irish America
Irish America
Culdalee We took the winding road west from Aclair, arrived at where we thought the turnoff should be, the boreen so overgrown you’d hardly know it had ever been the way. We waded down through the uncut field, down the steep hillside to the wild valley below. Thankfully, the cottage still stood, looking much as it did when I saw it last, forty years ago. “Culdalee,” my cousin … [Read more...] about Poem: The Stones of Culdalee
"Sometimes, in the middle of the afternoon if I’m feeling a little bit sleepy, Black will sort of lean in over Banville’s shoulder and start writing. Or Banville will lean over Black’s shoulder and say ‘Oh that’s an interesting sentence, let’s play with that.’ I can see sometimes, revising the work, the points at which one crept in or the two sides seeped into each other.” If … [Read more...] about Banville on Black
Slainte! Columnist Edythe Preet explore how "Feile Na Marbh "or "Feast of the Dead" became Halloween and includes a recipe for Irish Barm Brack, which is traditionally served in Ireland on this day. That which we know as All Hallows Eve actually began as a harvest festival several millennia ago in Ireland. Though the evening’s popular colors are black and orange, they might as … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Feile Na Marbh – the origins of Halloween
The latest in Irish and Irish-American music Beoga's How to Tune a Fish • Beoga An exciting new release from Compass Records, How to Tune a Fish by Beoga is sure to be a lively hit amongst long-time trad fans and newcomers alike. Eamon Murray’s presence on the bodhran is a dominant one. Trad music is by its nature very percussive, but Murray, a former All-Ireland champion … [Read more...] about Music Reviews
Nashville-based Compass Records has grown to become the most reliable and exciting source for new Celtic music. While it seems there is no conventional story of musical success, Irish American Alison Brown’s path was particularly unique. A former investment banker, Brown is now recognized as a premier banjoist and has recorded such critically acclaimed solo albums as Fair … [Read more...] about Charting Celtic Music’s Way Forward
