Edythe Preet writes of the many reasons why Ireland is called the Motherland. Civilization began when hunter-gatherers learned to cultivate grain and evolved into permanent agricultural communities. Since males were the hunters and females the gatherers, anthropologists theorize it was most likely women who realized that grain grew from gathered seeds that could be … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Mother Earth
Issues
Country Girl – Edna O’Brien’s New Memoir
Edna O’Brien has published the memoir she swore she’d never write. Readers will be very glad she did. "You can write and I will never forgive you,” said Ernest Gébler, Edna O’Brien’s then husband, after reading her manuscript for The Country Girls. Published in 1960, O’Brien’s honest and intimate portrayal of two young women in the Ireland she had left behind was a … [Read more...] about Country Girl – Edna O’Brien’s New Memoir
Nuala – A New Documentary
Nuala O’Faolain shook Ireland and captivated the world with her forthright memoir Are You Somebody? A new documentary seeks to present a full picture of the woman behind the writing. For the millions who were astonished by Nuala O’Faolain’s Are You Somebody? The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman (1996), filmmakers Patrick Farrelly and Kate O’Callaghan have put together an … [Read more...] about Nuala – A New Documentary
Review of Books
Fiction Fever With her 2010 literary debut, The Walking People, Mary Beth Keane, the daughter of Irish immigrants, established herself as a writer who is especially sensitive to the experience of starting a new life in a new country. In her second novel, Fever, she has found a challenging but highly fitting subject in Mary Mallon, better known to history as Typhoid … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Music Reviews
The latest from Luka Bloom, Lúnasa, and Enter the Haggis. Luka Bloom This New Morning It is no secret that Ireland boasts some of the most potent singer-songwriters of modern music. Joining the ranks is Luka Bloom. Bloom has made a career in Ireland with his heartstring-tugging original songs and original interpretations of folk classics. This new record is pleasantly … [Read more...] about Music Reviews