Actor Barry Ward, 32, plays the lead role in Jimmy’s Hall, directed by Ken Loach with a screenplay by Paul Laverty, the movie is based on the life of Leitrim man James “Jimmy” Gralton, who returned from the U.S. in the early 1930s and set up the local hall as a place for young people to dance, learn music, and take part in political discussions. He soon comes under fire from … [Read more...] about What Are You Like? Actor Barry Ward
Issues
Roots: Is Oscar Irish?
Oscar Wilde, the playwright, novelist, poet, and critic of world renown, has long been labeled Anglo-Irish, but an examination of his roots puts the question of Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde’s Irishness to rest once and for all. All Irishmen must feel a little defensive when someone points out that some of our famous writers are Anglo-Irish – as if they are just … [Read more...] about Roots: Is Oscar Irish?
All Too Human: An Interview with Author Rob Doyle
Breakout novelist Rob Doyle discusses the existential strands of isolation that run through his debut, as well as the processes of writing, his relationship with Ireland, his views on Irish and American literature, and finally what he’s working on next. The publication of Dublin native Rob Doyle’s debut novel, Here Are the Young Men ushered in the arrival of a new literary … [Read more...] about All Too Human: An Interview with Author Rob Doyle
Review of Books
Recently-published books of Irish-American interest. NON-FICTION Poets and the Peacock Dinner By Lucy McDiarmid Virginia Woolf wrote, “one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well,” a message that permeates Lucy McDiarmid’s sumptuous new book Poets and the Peacock Dinner. McDiarmid, a professor of English at Montclair State University in New … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Sláinte! Flower Power
The long days of summer are upon us, and gardens everywhere are in bloom. Admiring the pretty flowers will satisfy some, but Sláinte columnist, Edythe Preet, likes to eat her plants. Freshly picked salads from one’s own garden, even if only from a few container plantings, are one of the great gourmet pleasures. And nothing pretties a bowl of mixed greens like a confetti of … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Flower Power