"There is no greater sorrow on earth than the loss of one's native land." – Euripides, 431 B.C. Cathleen* 30, is a Christian woman from Nigeria. One day last year, before she came to Ireland, she and her sister Nora were shopping in the local market. A row broke out at a nearby stall which soon developed into a scuffle. Knives were pulled and suddenly people were … [Read more...] about One Woman’s Story
Dublin
The Last Hurrah
President Bill Clinton's third, unprecedented and final visit to Ireland as President had all the feelings of a homecoming. And why not? No other American President has devoted as much time, political energy and determination to bringing peace to Northern Ireland and economic development to the country as a whole as Bill Clinton. And it was clear from the crowds that lined the … [Read more...] about The Last Hurrah
The Faithful Departed
The face of Catholic Ireland is changing beyond recognition. Ten years ago, well over 80 percent of Irish Catholics went to Mass at least once a week. That number is now down to about 60 percent and falling fast. The empty pews seem staggering to anyone who has been away from Ireland for a while, and it's noticeable that those who are at Mass are mostly older people. Fewer … [Read more...] about The Faithful Departed
The Beckett of Paint
"I live, you might say, in gilded squalor," Dublin-born painter Francis Bacon once remarked, explaining his attachment to 7 Reece Mews, the spartan twelve-by-eight-foot London flat that was both his home and studio for the last 30 years of his life. For Bacon, the drab, confining space, accessed by a ship's ladder, was more than just a place to hang his hat. With its … [Read more...] about The Beckett of Paint
Hibernia: Ulysses
Back in Dublin
The original manuscript of James Joyce's Ulysses traveled to Dublin this summer to be exhibited at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle. Entitled "Ulysses in Hand: The Rosenbach Manuscript," the exhibit was organized by the Rosenbach Museum and Library in Philadelphia.
Ulysses takes place on one day – June 16, 1904 – in Dublin. In fact, Joyce is said to have claimed … [Read more...] about Hibernia: Ulysses
Back in Dublin