What help can poetry be during a pandemic? This summer it feels like Ireland needs Americans and Americans need Ireland more than ever. I have visited Ireland close to twenty times since my first trip there in the late 1970s, drawn by the country’s remarkable beauty, justly famous hospitality, and, during the 90s, by my interest in American involvement in the Northern … [Read more...] about “Keeping Going”
Issues
Whistling Straits to Host Ryder Cup
The 17th green on The Straits, a par 3 There's a beautiful links golf course in Wisconsin called Whistling Straits, and it looks like it could be in Ireland. There’s a beautiful links golf course in Wisconsin called Whistling Straits, and it looks like it could be in Ireland. The 43rd Ryder Cup matches will be held on September 24 to 26, 2021, on the links-style course … [Read more...] about Whistling Straits to Host Ryder Cup
Coping During the Pandemic
How the ongoing pandemic has motivated people to forge ahead by keeping a positive attitude. Tom Deignan interviews members of the Irish America community on their experience. Kathleen Donohoe, writer Quarantine made things feel awfully cramped in the Brooklyn apartment Kathleen Donohoe shares with her husband, Travis, and 10 year-old son, Liam. “We dreamed of … [Read more...] about Coping During the Pandemic
“Be Not Afraid”
When the dust settled on September 11, 343 firefighters were listed as missing, and later pronounced dead. In this excerpt from her upcoming book, Lynn Tierney, then a deputy commissioner at the Fire Department of New York, writes about the difficult task of eulogizing her colleagues. Eulogies There came a time in my life, through the autumn of 2001, when I wrote … [Read more...] about “Be Not Afraid”
Olympic Rowing Greats
Billions of viewers watched the Tokyo Olympics this summer. And there were countless feature stories about the 1964 Olympics, when Japan first hosted the games, including a detailed recounting of the historic showdown between German and American teams in the eight-man rowing competition, a marquis event in that era, however, none mentioned the Irish American connection, until … [Read more...] about Olympic Rowing Greats