Mystery Declan Hughes offers another look at modern Dublin’s dark side in his latest suspense novel The Price of Blood. Private eye Ed Loy is down on his luck and broke, so he has no choice but to take what seems to be an unsolvable missing persons case. All he’s got to go on is “Father Vincent Tyrell,” a priest who’s been reported missing by his brother F.X., a prominent … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Issues
Sláinte!: Holy Wells
The sacred nature of water was revered by our ancestors for its healing powers. It always amuses me when a phone call with someone on the East Coast includes the question: “How’s the weather in LA today?” Answer: “We don’t have weather. We have sun.” Precipitation is so rare in bone-dry Southern California that rainfall measured in quarter-inches is cause for rapture among … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Holy Wells
Roots: A Guide
Not everyone has the benefit of a knowledgeable grandparent or oral tradition surrounding our family surnames: but fear not, researching the origins of your family name is easier than ever, and the connection it provides to your Irish ancestry is immeasurably rewarding. With the growth of the Internet, genealogical and historical information has become increasingly accessible, … [Read more...] about Roots: A Guide
Irish American of the Year: Thomas Moran
By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
April / May 2008
The name Moran is a derivative of the Irish word mór meaning big. Tom Moran, our somewhat reluctant Irish American of the Year (I suspect he agreed to accept the honor in the hopes that it would draw attention to Concern Worldwide), is big by name and big by nature. He looks like a linebacker – the kind of guy you would want in your first line of defense. And for many people, … [Read more...] about Irish American of the Year: Thomas Moran
The First Word: America’s Gung-ho Spirit
Niall O’Dowd first introduced to me the idea that it was time for peace in Northern Ireland. I was living in San Francisco at the time and working for The Irishman (a newspaper Niall had founded). Frankly, I was doubtful. I had gone to the demonstrations outside the British Consulate during that terrible spring and summer of 1981. Bobby Sands, who had begun his hunger strike in … [Read more...] about The First Word: America’s Gung-ho Spirit