Over 100,000 people thronged into Dublin’s O’Connell Street to honor the 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. In a spectacle regarded as a dress rehearsal for the Rising’s centenary in 2016, a military parade involving some 2,500 members of the Irish Army and Defense Forces passed by a review stand near the General Post Office, rebel headquarters in 1916. Three planes … [Read more...] about Huge Crowds Attend 1916 Anniversary Parade
Easter Rising
1916 Memorabilia Goes under Hammer
Historic artifacts and memorabilia from the 1916 Easter Rising went under the hammer at James Adam & Sons Auctioneers and Mealy’s Auctioneers in Dublin. A total of 480 collectible items drew combined sales of €3.5 million, the largest sum of which was paid for the first written draft of “Amhrán na bhFiain,” Ireland’s national anthem. The item was sold for €760,000. The … [Read more...] about 1916 Memorabilia Goes under Hammer
English or Irish?
My south London schoolmates and I struggled with our Irishness during the 1970s. Nearly all of us had Irish parents who had settled in England in the 1940s and 1950s, but we had been born and raised in London. Did that make us English or Irish? Most of us made regular summer trips to Ireland, looked Irish, even knew a few Irish words. Some of us just felt Irish – all our … [Read more...] about English or Irish?
Gregory Peck
Hollywood Legend
Gregory Peck, the Hollywood legend, will long be remembered for his Oscar-winning performance as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and his roles in such classics as The Yearling, Gentleman's Agreement and Roman Holiday. Here he recalls a visit to his relatives in County Kerry.
I love Wicklow, but I suppose if we ever rented or bought a cottage it would be in County … [Read more...] about Gregory Peck Hollywood Legend