First Word Archives
Renewing the Spirit
Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief. The sound of bagpipes in the distance drifts…
The First Word: A Whisper of Hope in Northern Ireland
Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief. There is an absence of joy so far…
The First Word: When Hope and History Rhyme
Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief. History says, don’t hope on this side of…
More Articles
First Word: What I Learned from Hillary
Our cover story on Hillary Clinton reminds us of her role in the Irish peace process – particularly her involvement in bringing women into the discussion and throwing a light […]
The First Word: Let’s Talk About the Climate
I’m reminded as we go to press that in Ireland we always talk about the weather. “How about the weather now?” was an oft heard refrain of my childhood, one […]
The First Word: We Are All Immigrants
And so it begins. A new year, and already a happy one with the election of an Irish mayor in Boston. And who better to embody the tough, tireless, tender trajectory of our […]
The First Word: Grace and Healing
The First Word, by Patricia Harty. Our hearts weep for Boston. This most Irish of American cities has seen its share of tragedy, but when the bombings at the marathon […]
Country Girl
In this excerpt from her memoir, Edna O’Brien returns to Ireland to build a house in which she hopes to avail of the “peace that passeth understanding,” only to find […]