A selection of quotes – some poignant, some hilarious – from commencement addresses by Irish and Irish-American speakers throughout the States. “We better understand that we are just part of a bigger whole and not divided by political labels or gender or race, but are stronger as a nation because of what binds us. Those differences are our heritage. Identities do matter and we … [Read more...] about Quote Unquote: Commencement Addresses
Issues
Those We Lost
Recent passings in the Irish and Irish-American communities. Katie Beckett 1978 – 2012 In 1981, Katie Beckett, at the age of 3, helped bring about major healthcare reform. On Friday May 18, at the age of 34, she passed away due to complications from a digestive disorder. Born Mary Katherine Beckett in 1978, Katie contracted viral encephalitis four months later. The disease, … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Irish Eye on Hollywood
The latest in Irish and Irish-American film and television. 1. A husband-and-wife political team in which the man is a womanizing former president and the woman is currently serving as Secretary of State. . . Sound familiar? Well, if you’re thinking of the Clintons, you’re only partially right. Because just such a family is also at the center of the USA cable network’s new … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood
Joe Duffy Made Me Famous, Dingle Saved Me
When Mary Tolan’s backpack – containing her wallet, passport and six months of writing – was stolen in Ireland, she thought all was lost. Over the course of five weeks on the Dingle Peninsula, she found something even more important. "So you’re the American who lost everything, are you?” asked Vincent O’Gormain, who with his wife, Sile, owns a Dingle Peninsula bed and … [Read more...] about Joe Duffy Made Me Famous, Dingle Saved Me
Running Rings Around the Empire: The 1908 Olympics
As Britain hosts the Summer Olympic Games in London, we look back on the first great modern Olympic confrontation between the United States – most of whose top athletes were Irish – and Britain, which took place in London in 1908. Notably, they were the last Olympic Games at which the judging committee was made up entirely of people from the host country. In 1908, as the … [Read more...] about Running Rings Around the Empire: The 1908 Olympics