If, in 1964, you were to have asked me which two things excited me most, aside of course from ‘The Siren Call of Sex’ as the poet Philip Larkin put it, I would have answered, the Ronettes and the paintings of Francis Bacon. Oh, and the fact that I was leaving Hull College of Art intent on a life of painting, so three things. The first Francis Bacon paintings I saw were in … [Read more...] about The Human Cry: An Appreciation of Francis Bacon
Culture
The Irish in Early Baseball
By David L. Fleitz, Contributor
More than two dozen sons of Irish immigrants, who played in the 1880-1920 period, are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Many other great Irish players have made their mark on the game as well. The Irish potato famine of the 1840s and 1850s was probably the greatest human tragedy of the 19th century. The famine sparked a massive wave of emigration to … [Read more...] about The Irish in Early Baseball
Lady of the Dance
Maggie Revis, native to Putnam Valley, New York, took to the stage in Belgium this past winter for her debut as the female lead dancer in Michael Flatley’s The Lord of the Dance. Born into a family of competitve dancers, Maggie began her dance career at the age of three and secured her first win at the Mid-Atlantic American Oireachtas (Regional) Dance Competition in … [Read more...] about Lady of the Dance
Sláinte!: Irish Wedding Traditions
Just when I think I have my dad all figured out, a new snippet of info comes to light, and June always finds me thinking more about him than usual. It’s Father’s Day month, his birthday was the 3rd, and my parents were married on June 16th, now celebrated globally as Bloomsday, the day Leopold Bloom wandered through Dublin in Ulysses by James Joyce, Dad’s favorite author. June … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Irish Wedding Traditions
The Coke Side of Life
How one Coca-Cola ad gave an Irish America reader a very pleasant surprise. The photo above depicts Anne Marie Nevins and Joseph Michael Kenney on their honeymoon in Ireland in 1932. The image may be familiar to readers as it has often been featured in the Coca-Cola ads on the back cover of Irish America. Anne and Joe’s daughter Mary had no idea that the photo was on the back … [Read more...] about The Coke Side of Life