"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
First Word
The First Word:
God Bless America
"With liberty and justice for all."
–Pledge of Allegiance
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This may be the most difficult editorial that I have written since the creation of the magazine 16 years ago. It is difficult not because I have nothing to say or because there is an absence of current events deserving comment. To the contrary -- it has been a time of great emotion -- a time when there may be too … [Read more...] about The First Word:
God Bless America
The First Word: Something to Remember
"Irish people didn't get me out of jail. It was English people who got me out of jail." – Paul Hill I don't remember Bloody Sunday. I don't remember seeing footage on TV or being shocked by the carnage that left thirteen people dead and a fourteenth who would die later from wounds. How do I explain this? The Ireland I grew up in largely ignored the North. It … [Read more...] about The First Word: Something to Remember
The First Word:
Now and in Time to Be
"I knew that we were Irish and I knew that Irish was the best thing to be."
– Novelist Alice McDermott
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When I immigrated to this country I had no idea of the history of the Irish in America – indeed, I had the idea that only someone born and raised in Ireland could call themselves Irish.
A Greyhound bus ticket at a cheap student rate that lasted three months and … [Read more...] about The First Word:
Now and in Time to Be
The First Word: Celebrate With Concern
"Every human being has an obligation to help those less fortunate." – George Mitchell ℘℘℘ Father Finucane has a warm and friendly face, and a welcoming Irish smile. And he's not at all the type of person to guilt you. But every time I see him, I get a stab of conscience. It isn't anything that he says; indeed he's a most … [Read more...] about The First Word: Celebrate With Concern