The Irish Memorial in Philadelphia is one of many Famine memorials springing up across the United States. But how does one show that the one million dead were once living, breathing, loving, laughing humans? And how does one move from the tragedy to the promise of new life that America offered? Sculptor Glenna Goodacre is no novice to daunting tasks. Her ability to capture … [Read more...] about A Call to Remember
Hibernia
Remembrance
The potato blight arrived in Ireland in the late summer of 1845.Pest, parasite, fungus, invisible and invincible,it stuck across Europe, the same sudden, unstoppable invasion everywhere. Infection, corruption, devastation.But Ireland was a special case.Ireland was a place where for millions of people, the potato was neither staple nor supplement, but sustenance: … [Read more...] about Remembrance
The Bellow of Great Airs
The wood-paneled wall of Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall opened like the ribcage of a Leviathan. And two giant voices emerged. One was the drone of the pipes, the other was of the human tongue, the decibels of high and low that make poetry. Both were ancient, borne into the present and burrowed deep in the listeners' bones. The audience hushed. And then the cotton-haired … [Read more...] about The Bellow of Great Airs
Ellis Island in Cyber Space
In April of 2001 Ellis Island opened its doors to more people than ever before with the launching of their web site, www.ellisislandrecords.com. The site contains essentially all the immigration records the famous gateway to America has stored. Compiling such an enormous amount of information seemed as vast and daunting as the ocean the immigrants crossed, but with sortie … [Read more...] about Ellis Island in Cyber Space
Amnesty Celebrates 40 Years
W.B. Yeats had his second coming on June 11 with actors, writers, and other members of New York's creative community slouching towards the microphone to read from the hilarious new novel Yeats is Dead. It was all in a good cause, however, with the proceeds from American sales going to Amnesty International and a pound per book from all Irish and U.L. sales. Written in … [Read more...] about Amnesty Celebrates 40 Years