Tunes. Lots of them this month, not to be confused with songs, of course - those have words. Some songs start out as tunes and if it's a really good one someone might add words, sometimes to great profit (think "Unchained Melody" or "Danny Boy," which started out as "A Londonderry Air" until one Fred Weatherly, an English barrister, added the words). But tunes it is, and first … [Read more...] about Tuning In
Issues
Brigid and Patrick: Ireland’s Alter Egos
A thought has been nagging at me for weeks now. I've wrapped my mental faculties round and round it, attempting to convince myself it's just my imagination, but try as I might, it simply won't go away. So here goes: As far as I can determine, the U.S. and Ireland are the only two countries in the world that have alter egos. Before you decide I've gone totally off the deep end, … [Read more...] about Brigid and Patrick: Ireland’s Alter Egos
Roots: The McCarthy Clan
By Liam Moriarty, Contributor
April / May 2006 Originally published in the March/April 1997 Issue of Irish America
April / May 2006 Originally published in the March/April 1997 Issue of Irish America
The McCarthy clan traces its ancestry through an illustrious line of individuals and events reaching far back into ancient Celtic history and myth. The McCarthys claim descendants from the Eoghanachta, the rulers of the fifth province of Ireland, or Munster. The Eoghanachta were a people believed to have descended from Heber, the son of the mythical King Milesius of Spain. It … [Read more...] about Roots: The McCarthy Clan
The Changing Face of Ireland
Immigration into the Republic of Ireland has begun to push the troubles in the Six Counties of British-occupied Ireland off the political agenda in Dublin. It is the latest "hot button" issue. Long familiar with the economic, social and political consequences of emigration from Ireland over the centuries of English rule, the Irish body-politic now faces increasing strains and … [Read more...] about The Changing Face of Ireland
From Doubt to Defiance
"The guy who makes coffee for me I every morning in my local coffee shop in Brooklyn congratulated me when I won the Pulitzer," recounts John Patrick Shanley with a big grin. "Then, when I won the Tony, the guy says, `This cuppa coffee's on me.'" Shanley, the Irish-American playwright and screenwriter, lets out a hoot of laughter. "God knows what I have to do to get a free … [Read more...] about From Doubt to Defiance