Thomas Cahill writes on the great catastrophe that became known as the Famine. The mass exodus of people during and following this period would forever change the course of Irish and American history. The potato blight that arrived in Europe in the summer of 1845 was, like the potato itself, an American export. The fungus that caused the blight was a microscopic organism … [Read more...] about Why Famine Came To Ireland
Black 47
Musical Merry-Go-Round
It's been a good year for Irish pop music. There hasn't been one big ticket album in 1999--the new U2 effort isn't expected until early 2000--but if you scratch the surface, you'll find some exciting music nonetheless. TOM DUNPHY recommends a few favorites you may want to investigate... VAN MORRISON, BACK ON TOP Van Morrison's Back on Top couldn't be more aptly named. Van … [Read more...] about Musical Merry-Go-Round
The Greatest Irish Rock Albums of the Last Millennium!!!
By Tom Dunphy
April / May 2000
Gotcha. There was a craze afoot at the end of the last century -- gosh, doesn't that sound strange, especially since it was a mere couple of months ago -- to list things. It seemed like everything -- books, films, plays, albums, inventions, historical events -- got categorized, ranked, compared, collated, crunched, and spat out... The very notion of a "greatest Irish rock … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Rock Albums of the Last Millennium!!!
The Blue Ribbon
When I was 13 years old, my mother took my siblings and me to Rockaway Beach in New York City for the day. After we romped in the ocean and were sufficiently sunburned, we ended up at a rather run-down Irish tavern that was hosting a singing contest. Since I can carry a tune, my mother made me enter. All the entrants, adults and kids alike, sang well-known Irish songs. I … [Read more...] about The Blue Ribbon