"I am of Ireland," wrote William Butler Yeats in one of his most famous poems from 1933, and all we have to do is look at the stark images from the land where he lived and from which he absorbed his genius and his inspiration to know that this is true. Few poets have identified so strongly with the Irish landscape as Yeats; few poets have such heavenly imagery at their … [Read more...] about Yeats Country and Beyond
Music Archives
Hitting the High Notes
Ireland's own three tenors discuss love, God and Celine Dion with Sarah Buscher. ℘℘℘ Ask the Irish tenors why they're such a hit and they'll give you different answers, each oddly in keeping with their personalities. "Tenors are known to be the romantics," offers Anthony Kearns, who, with his piercing blue eyes, is considered the "romantic lead" of the three. "All the … [Read more...] about Hitting the High Notes
Music: U2 Fans Find What They are Looking For
Throughout the 1980s, U2 would close their live shows with "40, their anti-war reworking of the New Testament's fortieth psalm. Over a loping Edge guitar figure, Bono would sing "How long/To sing this song" over and over and over, until every member of the audience joined in as one. The band would then leave the stage one by one, leaving the audience singing the "how long" … [Read more...] about Music: U2 Fans Find What They are Looking For
Who’s Rappin’ Now?
Tom Dunphy talks to Chris Byrne of Unity Squad. Chris Byrne is an unrepentant Fenian bastard. That's not a smear by this writer, mind you: the Brooklyn-born uillean piper, who recently departed the Irish agit-rock band Black 47 after a decade in that group, will freely tell you that – and rap you that – himself. That's clear on "Fenians," a track from Seanchai … [Read more...] about Who’s Rappin’ Now?
Music: Rockin’ 15
The musicians who made being Irish "cool." The year was 1985. At roughly about the same time that U2's Bono was stage-diving into the massive crowd gathered for Live Aid, the charity concert organized by former Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof to help eradicate world hunger, the first issue of Irish America was being prepped to roll off the presses. It's been a wild 15 years for … [Read more...] about Music: Rockin’ 15