Edythe Preet explores ancient traditions of fortune telling and explains how to see the future in a cup of tea. My Irish grandmother, Margaret McCaffrey, was a psychic. “Pooh! Not possible,” you say. Maybe, maybe not, but here’s the story. You be the judge. One fine May week when Dad was in first grade, his class was scheduled to have a picnic on an island in the middle of … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Trees, Tea and ESP
Issues
Roots: A Look at the Laheys and the Leahys
Have you always thought the surnames Lahey and Leahy were variations of the same name? Think again! Lahey and Leahy originate from two different Gaelic surnames. Lahey, Lahy, Lahiff, Lahiffe, Laffey, and Lahive all originate from the Gaelic surname O Laithimh, which itself is a variant of O Flaithimh. O Flaithimh derives from the Irish word flaitheamh, which means lord or … [Read more...] about Roots: A Look at the Laheys and the Leahys
Those We Lost: Recent Passings in the Irish-American community
A Tribute to Those who have Passed John Barry 1933-2011 Oscar-winning composer John Barry died on January 30 from a heart attack, at age 77. Barry’s compositions heightened the drama and complimented the moods of films such as Out of Africa, Dances With Wolves, Midnight Cowboy and Born Free. He was also the man behind the iconic music heard in all of the James Bond … [Read more...] about Those We Lost: Recent Passings in the Irish-American community
Moments in Irish Life
By Sheila Langan, Deputy Editor
A retrospective of the work of the late Bill Doyle, one of Ireland's great photographers Bill Doyle, one of Ireland’s most celebrated photographers, was an artist of another time. Doyle, who recently died at 85, was frequently compared to the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, whose “decisive moment” approach to photography he mirrored in his mostly black-and-white … [Read more...] about Moments in Irish Life
The First Word: Imagine Ireland
By Patricia Harty, Editor-In-Chief
“An Irishman’s heart is nothing but his imagination.” – George Bernard Shaw (John Bull’s Other Island) Gabriel Byrne says that the line between reality and imagination is very thin. I concur. Perhaps it’s because my father filled my head with stories of banshees and haunted fields with gates that never stayed shut. Perhaps it’s simply the beauty of the Irish countryside – … [Read more...] about The First Word: Imagine Ireland