A visit to Westport encompasses many aspects of the unique history of the West of Ireland. ℘℘℘ On a clear day the panoramic vista from Sheeaune Hill on the Castlebar Road approach to Westport, Co. Mayo, is breathtaking. The town snuggles in a cosy hollow that is dominated by the pyramidal peak of Ireland's holy mountain, Croagh Patrick. Clare Island -- the reputed burial place … [Read more...] about The Jewel of the West
Travel Archives
For the Love of Ireland
Author Susan Cahill tells what prompted her to write For the Love of Ireland: A Literary Companion for Readers and Travelers. I grew up in New York City in an Irish-American family whose patriarch on my mother's side fought to keep Ulysses out of the Queensborough public libraries and later grand-marshaled the St. Patrick's Day Parade. As a graduate student in David … [Read more...] about For the Love of Ireland
Hibernia: South Armagh
A tourist haven? Tommy Makem thinks so and he held a festival there to prove it. ℘℘℘ June, 2000. A bus packed with American tourists pulls out of Newry and takes the road to South Armagh. On one side it passes a British army observation post, currently being dismantled. On the other, a large poster advertises the first Tommy Makem International Festival of Song, which is … [Read more...] about Hibernia: South Armagh
A Day in the Life of Ireland
By Irish America Staff October 1991
In May of this year, a group of of some 75 photographers from around the world traveled to Ireland. They focused their lenses on the people of Ireland, spanning the island from the Glens of Antrim to the Ring of Kerry, shooting more than 5,000 rolls of film-180,000 photographs in the course of a single 24-hour time period. Of the thousands of photographs taken on that day, 225 … [Read more...] about A Day in the Life of Ireland
The Earl-y Bird and Other Stories
By Mary Pat Kelly June 1991
Brian Brown, dubbed The Ninth Earl of Ballyportry, by the citizens of Corofin, County Clare, takes the stage in the small Greenwich Village club. It is "open mike" night. Brown follows three other stand-up comedians who wait hours to perform five minutes of material. There is no pay. "In fact," says Brown, beginning his act, "this club has a two-drink minimum for … [Read more...] about The Earl-y Bird and Other Stories