In this excerpt from her memoir, Edna O’Brien returns to Ireland to build a house in which she hopes to avail of the “peace that passeth understanding,” only to find that even the best laid plans can go awry. Donegal It was to Donegal, in the most northwestern tip of Ireland, that in the 1990s I headed, in order to build a house. The very place names so rough and musical, the … [Read more...] about Country Girl
Donegal
A Winter Honeymoon
April Drew married John Mooney on Saturday, December 5, 2009 in Killarney, Co. Kerry. The New York couple discovered that a honeymoon in Ireland in mid-winter warmed the heart, offered spectacular scenery, luxurious hotels, and some surprises. The decision to honeymoon in Ireland in December was a risky one. Ireland is known for its erratic and cantankerous weather so the … [Read more...] about A Winter Honeymoon
Ireland’s Cultural Heartland: A Visit to Ireland’s West and Northwest
The West Patricia Harty’s tour of the West Landing in the West of Ireland “the cultural heartland” is a wonderful introduction to Ireland. “It is,” as Liam Scollan, the CEO of Ireland West Airport, Co. Mayo, said, “a way for Irish-Americans whose ancestors left this part of the world centuries ago to experience Ireland, which has changed little since that time.” The western … [Read more...] about Ireland’s Cultural Heartland: A Visit to Ireland’s West and Northwest
Daniel’s Big Day
One of Ireland's most eligible bachelors, Daniel O'Donnell, will walk down the aisle with his fiancée Majella McLennan on Monday, November 4. The couple who met three years ago has had to wait until Majella's annulment came through, as she is the divorced mother of two. "We're delighted that Majella and her former husband were successful in their attempts to get an annulment … [Read more...] about Daniel’s Big Day
Paddy’s Gold
In my father's town, Carndonagh, County Donegal, Ireland, market day still goes on in a muddy field, behind "the diamond," the town center, a ritual preceding memory. I walked down to it just the once, because he wanted me to see it. Young cows and bullocks and sheep and pigs mill about in the damp, gray early morning. The steam rising from their manure piles and urine puddles … [Read more...] about Paddy’s Gold