Irish America

February March 2012 Issue

Martin Hayes:
Rhythm and Strings

By Tara Dougherty, Music Editor
February / March 2012

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Whether playing solo or with the newly formed The Gloaming, Martin Hayes, the marvelously gifted fiddler, finds his mesmeric rhythm in the Irish tunes he learned from his father – the leader of the famed Tulla Ceili band – and other master musicians in east County Clare. The first time I heard Martin Hayes it felt like an earthquake. Not ten seconds into his first tune, the … [Read more...] about Martin Hayes:
Rhythm and Strings

The First Word: Something to Shout About

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
February / March 2012

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When we first published the magazine back in 1985, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with our slogan “Mórtas Cine,” which translates from the Irish as “Pride in one’s heritage.” As children we were warned about “pride” and its place at the top of the list of the Seven Deadly Sins. “Pride goes before a fall,” my mother would caution. Growing up in Ireland, surrounded by other … [Read more...] about The First Word: Something to Shout About

Irish Army Archives to go Public

By Frank Shouldice, Contributor
February / March 2012

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The Irish Armed Forces is about to make a huge volume of historical documents available to the public by putting them online for general access. Lieutenant General Sean McCann, Defense Forces’ Chief of Staff, confirmed that an ambitious project will be carried out with the National Archives of Ireland, placing 36,000 pages of material online relating to military matters for the … [Read more...] about Irish Army Archives to go Public

Rory McIlroy Named Sports Star of the Year

By Frank Shouldice, Contributor
February / March 2012

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Rory McIlroy was named RTE’s Irish Sports Person of the Year at a televised ceremony in Dublin. The 22-year-old golfer from Holywood, Co. Down capped a memorable year by winning the U.S. Open just two months after he suffered a meltdown when leading the field into the last day of the Masters. McIlroy held off fellow Ulsterman (and British Open winner) Darren Clarke to take … [Read more...] about Rory McIlroy Named Sports Star of the Year

Chuck Schumer’s Irish Bill

By Tara Dougherty, Music Editor
February / March 2012

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New York Senator Charles Schumer has gained a great deal of support from the Irish in America since mid-December, when he introduced an Irish visa bill to the Senate. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Patrick Leahy and Dick Durbin of Vermont and Illinois, respectively, would permit 10,000 Irish citizens to live and work in the United States per year on a newly proposed E-3 … [Read more...] about Chuck Schumer’s Irish Bill