"You cannot put a rope around the neck of an idea. ... You cannot confine it in the strongest prison cell that your slaves could ever build." – Sean O'Casey on the death of Thomas Ashe. ℘℘℘ Just as I was getting annoyed that no one on the Larry King tribute to Gregory Peck mentioned the actor's Irishness, he mentioned it himself. "It must be that Irish stubborn streak in me," … [Read more...] about First Word: Heroes for Our Time
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First Word: Operation James
"He was just a kid, he wasn't an enemy. This is what I signed up to do, to help people." –Pfc. Joseph Dwyer, 7th Cavalry ℘℘℘ As we go to press Pierce Brosnan's latest James Bond movie Die Another Day is set to open in the U.K. (May 2 and in the U.S., June 2). Brosnan wasn't interested in discussing 007, however, when he met with Irish America recently. The … [Read more...] about First Word: Operation James
First Word: The Things They Carried
"The Irish carry their culture around with them like snails with their houses on their backs." – Denis Clarke Let me start with an apology. I'm sorry if some of your favorites are not on this list. I'm sorry that some of my own favorites are not on this list. Indeed, there are one or two on this list that I don't think I would enjoy having a pint with. But overall I have to … [Read more...] about First Word: The Things They Carried
First Word: The Hands That Built America
"Oh my love, it's a long way we've come." – U2, "The Hands That Built America" ℘℘℘ I'm glad I read Pete Hamill's book Forever before I saw the movie Gangs of New York. While I enjoyed the movie, the real story of the Five Points and the beginnings of New York City, which really was the foundation of what America was to become, is far more interesting. Hamill in his … [Read more...] about First Word: The Hands That Built America
First Word: The Good Luck of Bad Luck
"Lady Luck generally woos those who earnestly, enthusiastically, unremittingly woo her." -- B.C. Forbes ℘℘℘ Much is said of the Luck of the Irish. What luck? you might ask. A look at our long history of trials and tribulations would surely say we were dogged by bad luck. As John Lennon wrote in a song entitled "The Luck of the Irish," "If you had the luck of the Irish, you'd … [Read more...] about First Word: The Good Luck of Bad Luck