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Sláinte! Feile Na Marbh – the origins of Halloween

By Edythe Preet

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Slainte! Columnist Edythe Preet explore how "Feile Na Marbh "or "Feast of the Dead" became Halloween and includes a recipe for Irish Barm Brack, which is traditionally served in Ireland on this day. That which we know as All Hallows Eve actually began as a harvest festival several millennia ago in Ireland. Though the evening’s popular colors are black and orange, they might as … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Feile Na Marbh – the origins of Halloween

Music Reviews

By Tara Dougherty, Music Editor
October / November 2011

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The latest in Irish and Irish-American music Beoga's How to Tune a Fish • Beoga An exciting new release from Compass Records, How to Tune a Fish by Beoga is sure to be a lively hit amongst long-time trad fans and newcomers alike. Eamon Murray’s presence on the bodhran is a dominant one. Trad music is by its nature very percussive, but Murray, a former All-Ireland champion … [Read more...] about Music Reviews

Charting Celtic Music’s Way Forward

By Tara Dougherty, Music Editor
October / November 2011

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Nashville-based Compass Records has grown to become the most reliable and exciting source for new Celtic music. While it seems there is no conventional story of musical success, Irish American Alison Brown’s path was particularly unique. A former investment banker, Brown is now recognized as a premier banjoist and has recorded such critically acclaimed solo albums as Fair … [Read more...] about Charting Celtic Music’s Way Forward

Roots: the history of the Ruane, Rowan and Ó Ruadain families

By Sheila Langan, Deputy Editor
October / November 2011

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The surname Ruane comes from the old Gaelic Ó Ruadain, meaning the descendant of the red one, originally derived from the Gaelic ruadh. The pre-medieval clan stems from Ui Maine, an ancient territory that was made up of mid-Galway and South Roscommon, and Ui FIachrach, an ancient area of Mayo, Sligo, and Southern Galway. The name, variously recorded as Rowan, Ruan, O’Rowan, … [Read more...] about Roots: the history of the Ruane, Rowan and Ó Ruadain families

Those We Lost: Recent Passings in the Irish-American Community

By Irish America staff
October / November 2011

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Hugh Carey 1919-2011 Former New York Governor Hugh Carey, who famously saved the state from the brink of financial ruin, passed away at his home on Shelter Island on August 7. He was 92. Carey, New York’s 51st governor, served for two terms from 1975-1982. During his first year in office, he immediately inherited the debt incurred during Governor Rockefeller’s four terms and … [Read more...] about Those We Lost: Recent Passings in the Irish-American Community