Irish America
Irish America
In January 2025, to open the Jubilee of the World of Communication in Rome, the Dicastery for Communication at the Vatican, Colum McCann, author of numerous works and co-founder of Narrative 4 – a global non-profit which uses storytelling to better communities, stressed the importance of stories in his address to an audience that included Pope Francis. “The shortest distance … [Read more...] about A Pilgrimage of Repair
On December 4, 1154, Nicholas Breakspear, the first and only Englishman to ascend to the papacy, was unanimously elected the Catholic Church’s 107th pope. He chose Adrian IV, a posh name for a pope who proved deadly for the pesky isle across the sea, Ireland. Quite unfairly, in 12th-century Europe, Ireland, a country steeped in spirituality, learning, and illuminated … [Read more...] about
Nellie Bly’s biographer, Brooke Kroeger, captured the essence of his admirable subject when he wrote: “In the 1880s, she pioneered the development of ‘detective’ or ‘stunt’ journalism, the acknowledged forerunner to full-scale investigative reporting.” Born Elizabeth Jane Cochran on May 5, 1864 to Michael Cochran and Mary Jane Cummings, both of whom were of Irish descent, Bly … [Read more...] about Nellie Bly: “The Best Reporter in America”
This month is crunch time for the British government on one of the most prominent legal cases from the Northern Ireland conflict, with London now under severe pressure to set up an inquiry into the 1997 murder of Sean Brown, despite extensive evidence linking his killing to British state agents. Sean Brown was abducted and killed by Loyalist paramilitaries less than a year … [Read more...] about British Government Faced With Legal Dilemma Over 1997 Murder of Sean Brown
In pre-Christian Ireland, the spring celebration on May 1 was called Bealtaine. Household fires were extinguished several days before the feast and people were forbidden to rekindle them until Druid priests lit a ceremonial bonfire on the Hill of Tara, stronghold of the High King. When Christianity supplanted pagan customs a new spring celebration was introduced: Easter, … [Read more...] about Lent and Easter: The Fast and the Feast
