"I believe in being better, not bitter." — Noah Galloway “If you have your health you have everything,” my mother Norrie used to say. She said a lot of things that used to annoy me. Another catch-phrase when some difficult task was at hand: “It will build character,” or the adage, “There’s no use crying over spilt milk.” As I grew older I realized that my mother was giving me … [Read more...] about First Word: Darkness into Light
First Word
First Word: High Notes
One of the many highlights of our recent Hall of Fame lunch was Notre Dame’s president Rev. John Jenkins’s tribute to Don Keough, the late great Irish American who contributed so much to Ireland and Irish Studies. “Don loved everything Irish,” Jenkins said, “but he also insisted it can’t be all about Ireland, and challenged us to found the Keough School of Global Studies at … [Read more...] about First Word: High Notes
First Word: What I Learned from Hillary
Our cover story on Hillary Clinton reminds us of her role in the Irish peace process – particularly her involvement in bringing women into the discussion and throwing a light on the role they played in their communities – work that was often under-recognized. Closer to home she taught me a lesson that opened my eyes to the fact that when it comes to giving women their due, we … [Read more...] about First Word: What I Learned from Hillary
First Word: Google & Me
Google was following me. Or so it seemed. Immediately after my visit to the Google complex in Mountain View, California, I drove on to Big Sur and the Monterey Peninsula. I confess to being a bit jaded at this stage in my life, and I wasn’t particularly looking forward to spending a couple of nights in a cabin in the woods with my sister and my roommate from the early 80s. But … [Read more...] about First Word: Google & Me
First Word: America The Beautiful
We are treated to a bevy of Irish beauties in this issue - from Miss USA to the Rose of Tralee. And not to get sentimental (I think it's part of being Irish, or at least my genetic code, to get more sentimental as I get older), the fact that this year's Rose, Kathyrn Anne Feeney, is from Queensland, Australia, really struck a chord. As readers will know, I have a fierce … [Read more...] about First Word: America The Beautiful