Irish America

Irish America

Film & Television

Ardal O’Hanlon: A Comic Worth His Salt

By Lauren Byrne, Contributor
June / July 2007

by Leave a Comment

Best known to TV audiences from the sitcoms Father Ted and My Hero, Ardal O’Hanlon decided it was time to develop his “own thing.” He talked to Lauren Byrne after a stand-up gig in Boston. Sitting at an out-of-the-way alcove in the Park Plaza Hotel on his first visit to Boston, Ardal O’Hanlon is describing Ireland’s economic doldrums in the 1980s and how they shaped his career. … [Read more...] about Ardal O’Hanlon: A Comic Worth His Salt

The Last Word: Freud, The Irish & The Departed

By Abdon Pallasch
June / July 2007

by 70 Comments

Abdon M. Pallasch ponders the truth of a provocative line from the movie The Departed. “What Freud said about the Irish is: We’re the only people who are impervious to psychoanalysis,” declares Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) in Martin Scorsese’s film The Departed. So what exactly did the father of modern psychiatry, Sigmund Freud, mean by that, anyway? Are we Irish all crazy? Or … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Freud, The Irish & The Departed

Man at Work

By Lauren Byrne, Contributor
February / March 2007

by 1 Comment

Lauren Byrne talks to Brendan Gleeson, one of Ireland's most prolific actors, about his varied career.  In real life he’s trimmer than his oversized movie presence, but at over six feet and with his thatch of red hair, several heads turned as actor Brendan Gleeson strolled into the lounge of Jury’s Hotel in Boston, the rain beating against the windows as if to make him feel … [Read more...] about Man at Work

Slainte: Dinner & A Movie

Edythe Preet, Columnist
February / March 2007

by Leave a Comment

As many readers know, I live in Los Angeles, home to Hollywood and famous for year-round sunshine where even in winter it’s frequently warm enough to get a tan. Personally, I love the dark, cold, wet winter days of more northern locales. A pal from New Zealand – where the climate closely resembles Ireland’s – chides me for belittling LA’s “glorious weather.” Hogwash. We don’t … [Read more...] about Slainte: Dinner & A Movie

Irish Eye on Hollywood

By Tom Deignan, Contributor
August / September 2006

by Leave a Comment

Irish actor Brendan Gleeson can always be relied upon to star in independent movies on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as Hollywood blockbusters. For example, next year, Gleeson will star alongside Sir Anthony Hopkins in a new screen version of the literary classic Beowulf. This latest sci-fi version of the book that has tortured high schoolers for decades will be directed … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood