Irish America

Irish America

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Geraldine Fitzgerald: A Woman for All Seasons

By Janet Noble

January February 1993

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Geraldine Fitzgerald left her home in Graystones outside Dublin as a young girl and moved into the city to pursue her career in the theater, a career that would eventually take her to the stage in New York and to the Hollywood screen. Along the way she would come in contact with a host of characters, including the great Orson Welles, and Laurence Olivier with whom she would … [Read more...] about Geraldine Fitzgerald: A Woman for All Seasons

A Touch of Friel

By Mary Pat Kelly

January/February 1996

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Brian Friel himself cast Catherine Byrne as Chrissy in Dancing at Lughnasa after watching an Abbey Theatre dress rehearsal of his Aristocrats in which Byrne played clare. She talked of that moment during a pause in rehearsal for Molly Sweeney in which she plays the title role.  "He didn't know me," Catherine Byrne recalls, "and when I heard he was coming I thought, what's he … [Read more...] about A Touch of Friel

The Big Fella: An Interview with Liam Neeson

By Mary Pat Kelly

January/February 1996

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Liam Neeson's name is synonymous with success. The big, handsome actor from Ballymena, Co. Antrim, has become one of the leading international stars of our time. Nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, the veteran of some 35 movies has taken on the role of Ireland's revolutionary leader Michael "The Big Fella" Collins, in a Neil … [Read more...] about The Big Fella: An Interview with Liam Neeson

Steppin’ Out with Donald O’Connor

By Kevin Lewis

July/August 1997

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Tap-dancing great Donald O'Connor talks to Kevin Lewis. If living well is the best revenge, life must be sweet for dancer Donald O'Connor. In the Golden Age of Hollywood, O'Connor ranked only behind Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire because, with the exception of Singin' in the Rain (1952), he was not showcased in a dazzling series of prestigious musicals. Rather, at a critical … [Read more...] about Steppin’ Out with Donald O’Connor

The Scottish Irish

By Eamonn O'Neill

July/August 1997

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The recent worldwide commercial and critical success of Celtic arts would lead the casual observer or consumer in the US to innocently assume that the Irish and the Scots have always been amicable, if not kissing, Celtic cousins. The theory is, as one Scots Gaelic historian said to me in Glasgow recently, "aren't we all the same people?" To a large extent that's true and … [Read more...] about The Scottish Irish