It is likely that no other theatre in the English-speaking world is more identified with an individual playwright, and owes more to that playwright than the Abbey Theatre does to Sean O’Casey (1880-1964). The Abbey’s productions of three O’Casey plays, The Shadow of Gunman (1923), Juno and the Paycock (1924), and The Plough and the Stars (1926) – O’Casey’s Dublin trilogy – … [Read more...] about A Lasting Legacy: Sean O’Casey and the Abbey Theater
Arts
The Many Faces of Maureen O’Hara
Maureen O’Hara has celebrated many milestones in her life and career in films. Now in the 21st century, she prepares to celebrate her 90th birthday on August 17. One can’t help but wonder if she could have imagined in her wildest dreams that her image would be gracing a technology called “cyberspace” – that people would be chatting about her on Facebook or that she’d have a … [Read more...] about The Many Faces of Maureen O’Hara
“Bloody Sunday:” James Nesbitt’s Personal Odyssey
On January 30, 1972 members of the British Army fired upon unarmed civil rights marchers in Derry, killing 14 people, 13 outright, and one who would die later from his wounds. The marchers, about 15,000 strong, had been protesting internment without trial, which was introduced in Northern Ireland in August 1971, and involved mass British army arrests of more than 340 people … [Read more...] about “Bloody Sunday:” James Nesbitt’s Personal Odyssey
Nobody Hears a Broken Drum
I first met Jason Miller when he was a senior playing varsity basketball at St. Patrick’s, West Scranton. I was a senior playing at St. Patrick’s, Olyphant, a small town about six miles north of Scranton. We used to make small talk during warm-ups prior to the games between the two schools. At the end of basketball season, Miller was named The Catholic League’s leading scorer … [Read more...] about Nobody Hears a Broken Drum
Those We Lost
Recent passings in the Irish and Irish American community. Brendan Burke 1988-2010 Brendan Burke, the youngest son of Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the U.S. Olympic ice hockey team, died in a car crash in Indiana February 5. He was 21. He was driving along with 18-year-old Mark Reedy when heavy snow caused their Jeep Cherokee to slide into the … [Read more...] about Those We Lost