Irish America
Irish America
In 1970, at the age of 22, Bernadette ‘Devlin' McAliskey was elected to represent the constituency of Mid-Ulster, which includes her home area of East Tyrone. Although she is no longer a Member of Parliament, and her international profile has receded, this radical Republican activist is still a kind of people's tribune in her own embattled nationalist community. Nowadays … [Read more...] about Deadly Tales from County Tyrone
Election fever in the North of Ireland over the last few months was more like a head cold than a serious illness. It coughed and sighed for a while, but the few sneezes as it dissipated marked for some their political demise while for others it just helped clear out the system. The Local Government Elections in Northern Ireland are held every four years in 26 council areas. … [Read more...] about Northern Ireland Elections: Not Quite What They Seem
On her recent visit to the United States President Mary Robinson (49) became for Irish Americans the embodiment of a new Ireland, an Ireland in which the Irish diaspora – those 70 million worldwide who can trace their roots to the Emerald Isle – were once again welcome. Perhaps it happened as she gave her magnificent speech at Ellis Island, commemorating the first immigrant to … [Read more...] about The Vision of Mary Robinson
Most grandparents take their grandchildren to the playground. Dennis Clark takes his to picket the homes of politicians. Though the kids may never acquire the perspective he has from growing up in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood during the Great Depression, Clark wants them to avoid the "cocoon of American consumerism" and to have compassion for the have-nots. Clark, a … [Read more...] about Philadelphia’s Feisty Irishman
First there was the election two years ago of a woman as the President of Ireland. And not only was Mary Robinson a woman, but she could also be labelled something of a liberal, perhaps even a feminist, from a relatively minor political party, Labour. To top it off, her main contender was a highly-popular member of Ireland's largest party, Fianna Fail, which had never in the … [Read more...] about Election Reveals a New Ireland
