Irish America

Bill Murray

Christmas Movies

By Tom Deignan
IA Newsletter December 18, 2021

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“It’s the holiday season…” So sings Andy Williams - as have many other crooners - in the classic Christmas song “Happy Holidays.” For many Irish Americans, that “holiday season” means it’s time for our annual trip to Macy’s in New York City where, in 1947, Irish Hollywood legend Maureen O’Hara portrayed a busy holiday parade planner, in the beloved Yuletide flick Miracle on … [Read more...] about Christmas Movies

Playing the President

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Brendan Gleeson as Trump on Showtime, and Martin Sheen's West Wing Reunion on HBO Max. Irish actor Brendan Gleeson is widely acknowledged as one of the finest, most versatile performers of his generation. But it’s a safe bet that roughly half of his audience is not going to like him in his latest role. That’s because Gleeson is slated to play the most polarizing political … [Read more...] about Playing the President

Irish Eye on Hollywood: March / April 2019

By Tom Deignan, Columnist
March / April 2019

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THE IRISHMAN FOR 2020? It’s time for Academy Award predictions – for 2020!  It’s never too early to look ahead and see which films Hollywood honchos are positioning as Oscar bait, to lure crowds away from their iPhone apps and Netflix accounts. The influential show biz web site IMDB.com ranks The Irishman, Martin Scorsese’s next movie (to be released by Netflix, of course), as … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood: March / April 2019

The Upside of Having YourLife Turned Upside Down

By Karen Duffy, Contributor
November / December 2018

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Karen Duffy writes about living with chronic pain. ℘℘℘ There is pain that hurts you and pain that changes you. Pain is a survival mechanism; it’s a signal that you need to pay attention to what is causing you harm – pull your hand away from the hot stove; jump back from the prickly cactus. Acute pain is usually caused by tissue damage and will resolve in a period of three … [Read more...] about The Upside of Having YourLife Turned Upside Down

Roots: The Murray Clan

By Mary Gallagher, Assistant Editor
September / October 2018

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The surname Murray reflects the historic ties between Ireland and Scotland, and signifies the bearer’s roots in the early kingdom of Moray. Located in the northeast of the country, with coastline on the Moray Firth, the area took its name from the native Scottish Gaelic word moireabh, meaning “seaboard settlement.” Murray’s strong base in Ireland is partially due to an influx … [Read more...] about Roots: The Murray Clan