One Sunny June afternoon several years ago, I stood on a Wicklow cliff overlooking the Irish Sea. All around me, mounds of wild roses covered the ground. No genetically crafted sterile blooms were these. Each delicate flower -- and there were hundreds upon hundreds crowding the canes that tumbled in every direction -- had but a few scarlet petals surrounding a central golden … [Read more...] about Sláinte: The Queen of Flowers
Issues
Photo Album: Going to the Chapel
This is a photo of my parents, Anne Connolly and David Carroll, right after they were married in Ireland. They met at St. Vincent's Hospital in Dublin where my father worked as a doctor and my mother was a nurse. In 1971, he was offered a position at UCSF in San Francisco. After he was offered the job, they got married in Ireland and then moved to California. My older sister … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Going to the Chapel
The First Word: Shall We Ever Overcome?
My English brother-in-law once asked me if I had anything happy to write about. To paraphrase Dorothy Parker, the world has enough happiness in it without our having to read about it in magazines, but I know what he means. I wish I could devote this space to waxing lyrical about our Top 100: How their success contrasts with the snuggles of earlier generations. And how some of … [Read more...] about The First Word: Shall We Ever Overcome?
Irish American of the Year John Sweeney: Defending America’s Workers
Sitting with me in the sleek conference room of the AFL-CIO's executive suite overlooking the White House, John Sweeney presents a striking contrast to his surroundings. Portly in his suspenders and rumpled shirt with his jacket nowhere in sight, he appears totally unassuming. It would be easy to underestimate the man at first glance. The only way to gauge his emotions is by … [Read more...] about Irish American of the Year John Sweeney: Defending America’s Workers
John Sweeney: Defending America’s Workers
In March, 2004, John Sweeney, then president of the AFL-CIO with three million workers under watch, was Irish America Magazine's Irish American of the Year. In this far-reaching interview with Sarah Buscher, then Irish America's assistant editor, Sweeney talked about the plight of immigrants; working families; and growing up in the Bronx, the son of Irish immigrant parents. … [Read more...] about John Sweeney: Defending America’s Workers