Recent Passings in the Irish American Community Harold Connolly 1931-2010 Harold Connolly, who won the gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, died in Maryland on August 19. He was 79. His son Adam Connolly reported that he died of a heart attack. After suffering from severe nerve paralysis as a child, Connolly underwent serious physical therapy and began … [Read more...] about Those We Lost
Issues
The Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
On the 35th Anniversary of that sad day when 29 sailors lost their lives, new developments shed light on the sinking of the "Mighty Fitz." The legend lives on from Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee. On November 10, 2010, crowds of people will gather at the Mariner’s Memorial Lighthouse, on the banks of the Detroit River in River Rouge, Michigan, as well as … [Read more...] about The Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald
Civilization: Then and Now
Fifteen years ago in March 1995, historian and author Thomas Cahill published How The Irish Saved Civilization, the first of his seven-volume Hinges of History series. A national phenomenon, the book appeared on the New York Times bestseller list for nearly two years and changed the public’s understanding of the Irish people’s role in preserving Western civilization during the … [Read more...] about Civilization: Then and Now
Brian Dennehy’s Journey into Eugene O’Neill
Brian Dennehy, who is being honored with the 2010 Eugene O’Neill Lifetime Achievement Award, speaks with Aliah O’Neill. If Brian Dennehy says the Irish can do no wrong, we should probably be inclined to believe him. At 72, the veteran actor of film, television and stage has not only become famous for his portrayals of the working-class Irish American, he has also starred in … [Read more...] about Brian Dennehy’s Journey into Eugene O’Neill
A Lasting Legacy: Sean O’Casey and the Abbey Theater
It is likely that no other theatre in the English-speaking world is more identified with an individual playwright, and owes more to that playwright than the Abbey Theatre does to Sean O’Casey (1880-1964). The Abbey’s productions of three O’Casey plays, The Shadow of Gunman (1923), Juno and the Paycock (1924), and The Plough and the Stars (1926) – O’Casey’s Dublin trilogy – … [Read more...] about A Lasting Legacy: Sean O’Casey and the Abbey Theater