In pre-Christian Ireland, the spring celebration on May 1 was called Bealtaine. Household fires were extinguished several days before the feast and people were forbidden to rekindle them until Druid priests lit a ceremonial bonfire on the Hill of Tara, stronghold of the High King. When Christianity supplanted pagan customs a new spring celebration was introduced: Easter, … [Read more...] about Lent and Easter: The Fast and the Feast
Issues
The Master of Suspense Had Irish Roots!
By Kevin Lewis
August/September 1999
His mother was Irish born Emma Jane Whelan. His father’s mother was also Irish. Hitchcock was educated at a Jesuit school and remained a devout Catholic through out his life. Hitchcock also adapted Irish playwright Sean O’Casey’s “Juno and the Paycock” for the screen. The name Alfred Hitchcock summons up images of the impassive, corpulent, bald-headed man in a black suit who … [Read more...] about The Master of Suspense Had Irish Roots!
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Dorothea Lange’s Ireland
All photos © The Dorothea Lange Collection, The Oakland Museum of California, The City of Oakland. Gift of Paul S. Taylor.
March/April 1996
When photographer Dorothea Lange, best known for her haunting series of images from the Depression era, chose Ireland as her subject in the 1950s, she was not very happy with the way the finished product was presented in Life magazine. She was, however, deeply pleased with the way her photographic series portrayed the people and the land of Ireland. Lange had put pressure on … [Read more...] about Dorothea Lange’s Ireland
A Magical Music Tour
By Colin Lacey
March/April 1996
Colin Lacey reviews an eclectic mix of the latest albums on the Irish music scene. Twice as prolific as most performers half his age, Van Morrison shows no sign of slowing down after more than 30 years in the business. How Long Has This Been Going on (Verve/Exile Productions) is Morrison's third album in less than two years and follows last year's critically acclaimed Days Like … [Read more...] about A Magical Music Tour