The sound of bagpipes in the distance drifts in through the open window of the yellow cab as I head down Broadway to New York University. It's the first real spring day after a long winter and the bagpipes seem to herald the return of warmer weather, and the renewal of the spirit that spring brings. How does one express the effect that that ancient sound has when it reaches … [Read more...] about Renewing the Spirit
Issues
Eugene O’Neill’s Tao House
By Joe Zentner
March/April 1996
Nestled in the foothills of the San Ramon Valley near San Francisco, a concrete block residence sits prominently amidst the landscape. At one time the site provided this country's only Nobel Prize-winning playwright a sanctuary in which to create masterpieces of American drama.Built in 1937, the home today serves as a memorial to Eugene O'Neill's contribution to this country's … [Read more...] about Eugene O’Neill’s Tao House
Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow
By Victoria Stewart
August/September 2010
Chicken today, feathers tomorrow. That’s how my mother described life with my father, James McQuilan Stewart, a Belfast-born charmer whose love of literature led to my career as an advertising writer. In this 1923 photo, he looks every inch the winner. He arrived in New York in the early 1920s, bringing with him an excellent head for figures, a great sense of humor and the … [Read more...] about Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow
Sláinte! Lent and Easter: The Fast and the Feast
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 Sláinte! Lent and Easter: The Fast and the Feast
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!