First Word Archives
The First Word: An Chead Fhocal
Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief. There are so many things that I love…
First Word: Another Year, Another Scandal
DUBLIN: Now comes Sean Doherty, former Minister for Justice in the Irish government, the point…
First Word: All in the Family
The 1993 Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans also carries a section on “Great…
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The First Word: Shall We Ever Overcome?
My English brother-in-law once asked me if I had anything happy to write about. To paraphrase Dorothy Parker, the world has enough happiness in it without our having to read […]
The Last Word
The last time it happened…The Irish were to blame. ℘℘℘ The election results are in. The presidential candidate of the incumbent Democratic party has won the popular vote but lost […]
The First Word: Now and in Time to Be
“I knew that we were Irish and I knew that Irish was the best thing to be.” – Novelist Alice McDermott ℘℘℘ When I immigrated to this country I had […]
The First Word: A Little Boy’s Cry
On a plane to San Francisco a young couple sit across from me with two boys. The younger one is kicking up a ruckus. As I reach for my ear-plugs […]
The First Word: Payback Time
The Ireland I grew up in was doubtful of its own identity. The school curriculum reflected a post-colonial lack of confidence and ignored Irish poets and prose writers in favor […]
The First Word: Celebrate With Concern
“Every human being has an obligation to help those less fortunate.” – George Mitchell ℘℘℘ Father Finucane has a warm and friendly face, and a welcoming Irish smile. And he’s […]