Few things are sadder than a missed opportunity. The story of the San Patricios, the Irish emigrants and their comrades of other ethnic groups who fought for Mexico during the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-48, is rich and underexplored dramatic material. Complex and stirring issues of loyalty and heroism resound throughout the saga of the Saint Patrick's Battalion, which consisted … [Read more...] about A Late Encounter with the Enemy
Issues
The Kellys
Kelly is one of the most common Irish names and is found in all parts of the country. The spread and popularity of the name is due to the fact that it originates from at least seven different and unrelated ancient clans or septs. These include O'Kelly septs from Meath, Derry, Antrim, Laois, Sligo, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Galway and Roscommon, and the McKelly sept from … [Read more...] about The Kellys
Quiet Optimism Over NI Talks – Mitchell Report Anxiously Awaited
The pendulum continued to swing between optimism and pessimism in Northern Ireland at the time of going to press, with the main political parties still in talks and Senator George Mitchell poised to release his long-awaited report on the state of the peace process. Mitchell, hailed by commentators of all the persuasions for his role in securing the Good Friday Agreement, flew … [Read more...] about Quiet Optimism Over NI Talks – Mitchell Report Anxiously Awaited
Mrs. O’Leary Exonerated
Abdon Moriarty Pallasch
March/April 1998
March/April 1998
The truth would have made a great story: Catherine O'Leary, successful Irish immigrant businesswoman. She had five cows in her dairy and her husband Patrick was gainfully employed as a lathe-worker. As Catherine and Patrick slept on that dry October night in 1871, someone started a fire in their barn. The blaze grew into the Great Chicago Fire, killing 300 people, leaving … [Read more...] about Mrs. O’Leary Exonerated
Flatley’s Feet of Flames
The fastest feet in dance, Michael Flatley, has officially come out of retirement to launch a new turbo-charged dance show, Feet of Flames, which will be seen in the USA in October of next year. Flatley chose a quaint 14th-century castle in Germany as the venue for the launch of his new show, set to open in March near Frankfurt. In front of a few hundred journalists, … [Read more...] about Flatley’s Feet of Flames