As I sit and write this during the global economic meltdown of October 2008, I admit to getting tired of listening to all the pundits predict that 2009 is going to be a humdinger of a financial challenge and families will have to cut back on just about everything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Why, I ask, is that not a good thing? I am the child of parents who really did … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Penny Wise & Tasty Too
Issues
The Real Bill Maher
Bill Maher gets real with Kelly Carlin-McCall about life, work and religion. Smart, funny, bold, proverbial line-crosser – all of these words could be used to describe Bill Maher. They also could have been used to describe my father, the late George Carlin. Earlier this year, I got the chance to meet Bill Maher. Unfortunately it was under circumstances I could have done … [Read more...] about The Real Bill Maher
The First Word: Sharing the American Dream
This issue is a feast of Irish-Americana. There’s something to suit every taste and even the pickiest reader. Some history, some humor, some of who we are today. There’s the inspirational songbird Kelli O’Hara, whose Irish ancestors settled in Oklahoma during the Land Rushes, and Bill Maher who was born in New York to an Irish father and a Jewish mother. There’s even a salute … [Read more...] about The First Word: Sharing the American Dream
The Brilliance of Beckett
On Wednesday, July 23, as part of Lincoln Center Festival’s stunning Gate|Beckett series, an audience of some 75 Samuel Beckett devotees gathered in Lincoln Center’s Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse to listen to Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, actor Barry McGovern (I’ll Go On), and John Collins, Founder and Director of New York’s Elevator Repair Service (Gatz and The Sound and … [Read more...] about The Brilliance of Beckett
Galway Arts Festival
The 31st Galway Arts Festival, which ran from July 14-27, was another huge success for both the city and lovers of the arts. Though Ireland was soaked with enough rain to dampen the most ardent optimist this summer, for 14 days the city of the Tribesmen was drenched with music, theater and art. One couldn’t take a stroll down the quays without encountering some jovial … [Read more...] about Galway Arts Festival