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
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
First Word: Mortas Cine
"One thing that explains more than anything about me is the fact that I'm Irish." ~Eugene O'Neill Is there anything better than cuddling up with a good book? I was fortunate enough to have been brought up without television. Not because my parents were worried about it being a distraction from homework, but because Ireland was a bit behind the times. When we did get … [Read more...] about First Word: Mortas Cine
First Word: Seeds of Hope
I can still see the collection box with its picture of a black child and an Irish missionary priest. I can't remember if we were saving their souls from damnation or their bodies from starvation. One sister says she remembers it as starvation, another says it was definitely souls. Growing up in Ireland, Africa was in our consciousness from a very early age. We were encouraged … [Read more...] about First Word: Seeds of Hope