Pictured in this photograph is my Scotch-Irish grandmother, Carrie (O'Neal) Miller, the shining light in our family. Over the years, she wore a variety of hats: cook, nanny, housekeeper, nurse, and coach, among others. Many times she was gently teased about her height, or lack thereof. Petite at less than 5 feet, she and grandpa made an interesting pair, as he was over 6 feet … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Grandma Carrie
History
Irish Heroes of the Vietnam War
At a barbershop in Ringsend, Dublin, hangs a purple heart awarded to Lieutenant John Driver of the 101st Airborne, killed in action when his patrol was ambushed in Thua Thien, South Vietnam on April 17, 1969. His older brother, Jim Driver, keeps his memory alive with a display of memorabilia in his barbershop, and until recently John Driver was believed to be the only Irish … [Read more...] about Irish Heroes of the Vietnam War
Choosing the Green
Everyone knows the story about Eamon de Valera supposedly being spared execution in 1916 because of his American birth. But de Valera was not the only 1916 figure who was second-generation Irish. His superiors during the Easter Rising, James Connolly and Tom Clarke, had been born in Scotland and England respectively. In fact, according to those at the heart of the Rising in … [Read more...] about Choosing the Green
The Irish Wolfhound
In 1770, Oliver Goldsmith wrote: "The last variety, and the most wonderful of all that I shall mention, is the great Irish wolf-dog, that may be considered as the first of the canine species...Nevertheless, he is extremely beautiful and majestic in appearance, begin the greatest of the dog kind to be seen in the world." This ancient native Irish breed, although noted in … [Read more...] about The Irish Wolfhound
The Troubled Life of Maeve Brennan
In her new biography of Maeve Brennan, Angela Bourke includes two photographs taken around 1948. In one, Brennan, a delicate-looking young woman dressed in black, is sitting in front of the fire looking over her shoulder, a cigarette in her left hand. With her hair fixed tightly in a bun and her lips pursed, she looks like a fashion model. In another photo from the same shoot, … [Read more...] about The Troubled Life of Maeve Brennan