Recent passings in the Irish and Irish-American communities Frank Carson 1926 – 2012 After a long battle with stomach cancer, comedian Frank Carson died at the age of 85 in Blackpool, England. Carson was born on November 6, 1926 to an Irish Italian family. He was raised in Belfast and began his stand-up career after winning ITV’s Opportunity Knocks talent show. He went on to … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Issues
Photo Album: The Wealth of the World
At rest, this picture belongs to a wedding album from 1966. Plain, awkward even, it was composed by the photographer whose job it was to snap the parents of the groom. It doesn’t speak of small Galway farms disappearing over shoulders, the ride over the sea, their names. They are Edward Donohoe and Winnie, who was first Una Ryan, then Winnie Donohoe and, for an afternoon, Jane … [Read more...] about Photo Album: The Wealth of the World
What America Can Learn From Ireland
The Last Word: Birth Control is a Medical Issue, Not a Religious One The Irish, a fiercely independent people ruled by another country for centuries, have a unique appreciation for irony. As an advocate for reproductive rights in Ireland, I saw the travesty in a church-sanctioned anti-contraception policy that harmed women and families in the name of saving them from sin. … [Read more...] about What America Can Learn From Ireland
Martin Hayes: Rhythm and Strings
Whether playing solo or with the newly formed The Gloaming, Martin Hayes, the marvelously gifted fiddler, finds his mesmeric rhythm in the Irish tunes he learned from his father – the leader of the famed Tulla Ceili band – and other master musicians in east County Clare. The first time I heard Martin Hayes it felt like an earthquake. Not ten seconds into his first tune, the … [Read more...] about Martin Hayes: Rhythm and Strings
The First Word: Something to Shout About
When we first published the magazine back in 1985, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with our slogan “Mórtas Cine,” which translates from the Irish as “Pride in one’s heritage.” As children we were warned about “pride” and its place at the top of the list of the Seven Deadly Sins. “Pride goes before a fall,” my mother would caution. Growing up in Ireland, surrounded by other … [Read more...] about The First Word: Something to Shout About