Irish chef, TV personality and founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, Darina Allen’s enthusiasm for food has brought the Allen family to prominence and made her a true celebrity in Ireland. But it all started with her mother-in-law, Myrtle. Irish cuisine… Now there’s a thought. But is it an appetizing one? Traditionally, it conjures an image of the once ubiquitous bacon and … [Read more...] about Darina Allen: Simply Delicious
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Mission Responsible: Fr. Séamus Finn
By Lauren Byrne, Contributor
December / January 2008
December / January 2008
A past president of the board of ICCR, Fr. Séamus Finn currently serves on the executive committee of 3IG, which represents a post-9/11 coming together of the major world religions to participate in what is known as “socially responsible investing.” It isn’t easy getting face time with Séamus Finn. It’s not that he didn’t want to be interviewed for Irish America; in e-mail … [Read more...] about Mission Responsible: Fr. Séamus Finn
Pennsylvania’s Irish
From the coal mines to Hollywood, the Pennsylvania Irish have shaped America for over three centuries. William Penn may have been a trailblazer when it came to American freedom and religious tolerance. But in the eyes of his father, he was a scandalous disappointment. Penn’s father (also William) served under Cromwell in Munster and he took part in the 1646 siege of Bunratty … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania’s Irish
The Unbearable Lightness of Kevin Bruen
By Darina Molloy
December / January 2008
December / January 2008
It’s no exaggeration to say that Ken Bruen could have stepped from the pages of one of his own novels. In fact if he didn’t already exist, he would have had to make himself up. Not that Bruen, a long-established crime writer, needs any help with the plots of his darkly gripping novels. But his life story is a page-turner in its own right. “You couldn’t make it up,” he notes … [Read more...] about The Unbearable Lightness of Kevin Bruen
Sive and the Ghosts of Ireland’s Past
It was Frank McCourt who first brought Sive to New York. A friend at the Irish Players, a 1950s New York theater group, now defunct, that showcased Irish classics, requested that he carry her over. And so the playwright John B. Keane traveled up to Limerick from Listowel to hand Sive over to Frank, who dutifully carried her across the water. The National players decided not … [Read more...] about Sive and the Ghosts of Ireland’s Past