The 50th anniversary of Fleadh Nua took place in Ennis, Co. Clare, drawing thousands of traditional music fans from around the world. Fleadh Nua, which promotes Irish traditional music and culture, is one of many festivals that take place in Ireland during the summer, but it is credited with being the premier event of its kind. The Fleadh began in Dublin in 1970, where it was … [Read more...] about May 27, 2001
Today In History
February 13, 2001
After two years of living in Tralee and Waterford, refugees from Kosovo were granted the right to become Irish citizens on February 13, 2001. In 1999, almost 1,000 Kosovar refugees first arrived in Ireland. They were displaced due to the ethnic war and "cleansing" taking place in their homeland, and fled to Ireland under the United Nations Human Rights Council protection … [Read more...] about February 13, 2001
October 19, 2000
On this day in 2000, Buddhist spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama visited Belfast and met with MP and fellow Nobel Peace prize laureate John Hume. Both Hume and the Dalai Lama were champions for peace. The city of Belfast played host to the spiritual leader for three days, who was attending the World Community for World Peace held in Belfast. … [Read more...] about October 19, 2000
September 27, 2000
Thirty-three years after the 1967 film adaptation of James Joyce's epic novel Ulysses was released, Ireland finally decided to lift the ban on the film. Many consider Joyce's great novel to be "unfilmable." However, Joseph Strick, an idealistic American director, decided to take up the project. His adaptation, much like the book, drew much controversy. Many scenes were cut at … [Read more...] about September 27, 2000
June 10, 2000
Frank Patterson, known as "Ireland's Golden Tenor", died on this day in 2000 at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Born in Co. Tipperary in 1938, Patterson started singing as a young boy with his local church choir. He moved to Dublin in 1961 to enroll at the National Academy of Theater and studied acting and received vocal training. While studying in … [Read more...] about June 10, 2000