How one Man's dream became a reality. It all began with a castle. In 1987, a husband and wife from the nearby town of Ballyvaughan purchased a 16th-century tower house. Newtown Castle, along with a neighboring country house and a 17th-century coach house lately used to shelter cows. Yes, these were fixer-uppers. The slate-roofed residence Newtown House was showing its … [Read more...] about Field of Dreams
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The Hottest Thing in Hats
It's a hot night in Boston, hotter still in the narrow space of Studio Soto where barefoot models weave trance-like through the melting crowd. Exhibiting the kind of creative flair she's known for, Ballina-born designer and hat maker Marie Galvin had forsaken the predictable run down the catwalk during Boston Spring Fashion Weekend in favor of an art gallery show that … [Read more...] about The Hottest Thing in Hats
Sister Act
How a committed sister freed her brother from prison. In 1980 the body of Katharina Brow was found in her trailer home in Ayer, Massachusetts. She had been stabbed to death and robbed of money and jewelry. Suspects were questioned but the case languished for two years until an anonymous phone call tipped the police that Kenny Waters had admitted to the crime. Kenny … [Read more...] about Sister Act
The Irish Brigade In the Civil War
"When anything absurd, forlorn, or desperate was to be attempted, the Irish Brigade was called upon." – George Alfred Townsend "Oh, God, what a pity! Here come Meagher's fellows" was the cry in the Confederate ranks. Nevertheless, the Rebels kept up the relentless fire. Captain John Donovan, in the 69th New York, called the combined cannon and rifle fire "murderous" as … [Read more...] about The Irish Brigade In the Civil War
Songs of the People
Tom Russell's folk-rock album bears witness to American immigrant history. Singer and songwriter Tom Russell is a man of many worlds. Born in Southern California, he has led country music bands that played honky-tonks in such far-flung locales as Vancouver, Canada's skid row and Oslo, Norway, traveled as a carnival entertainer in Puerto Rico, and taught criminology in … [Read more...] about Songs of the People