" I always keep thinking of James Connolly and the great calm and dignity that he showed right to the very end, his courage and resolve." - Bobby Sands As I’m writing this, I can hear the sound of bagpipes. Wafting up to my 21st floor office, high above busy Sixth Avenue, are the mournful strains of “Sean South from Garryowen.” It’s a reminder that one can never really be … [Read more...] about Close Encounters
Issues
Huge Crowds Attend 1916 Anniversary Parade
Over 100,000 people thronged into Dublin’s O’Connell Street to honor the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. In a spectacle regarded as a dress rehearsal for the Rising’s centenary in 2016, a military parade involving some 2,500 members of the Irish Army and Defense Forces passed by a review stand near the General Post Office, rebel headquarters in 1916. Three planes … [Read more...] about Huge Crowds Attend 1916 Anniversary Parade
1916 Memorabilia Goes under Hammer
Historic artifacts and memorabilia from the 1916 Easter Rising went under the hammer at James Adam & Sons Auctioneers and Mealy’s Auctioneers in Dublin. A total of 480 collectible items drew combined sales of €3.5 million, the largest sum of which was paid for the first written draft of “Amhrán na bhFiain,” Ireland’s national anthem. The item was sold for €760,000. The … [Read more...] about 1916 Memorabilia Goes under Hammer
Tralee Man Sells Business to Getty Family
Jerry Kennelly, a Tralee-born businessman, has sold his library of photographic images for $135 million to Getty Images. Kennelly set up the company for $100,000 in 1997 and bought out the interest of venture capitalists six years later. The company, Stockbyte and Stockdisc, sells digital photographic images to publications and advertising billboards. Last year the company had … [Read more...] about Tralee Man Sells Business to Getty Family
November Deadline For NI Assembly
The Irish and British governments have set November 24 as a deadline for the restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Local government from Belfast is a key element of the Good Friday Agreement, and Dublin/London’s imposition of a deadline is another attempt to restart power-sharing between unionists and nationalists. However, in an atmosphere devoid of trust the majority … [Read more...] about November Deadline For NI Assembly