Irish America

Irish America

Interviews

Conlon’s American Dream

By Abdon M. Pallasch
December / January 2008

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Just 17 years ago at age 20, Sean Conlon arrived in this country and stayed in the basement of a cousin who put him to work as a custodian of some rental properties the cousin owned. Now at 38, he is a rising star in the real estate/development business in Chicago.    "I love watching jets,” Sean Conlon says, following a white line down the blue Chicago sky on a cool October … [Read more...] about Conlon’s American Dream

The Unbearable Lightness of Kevin Bruen

By Darina Molloy
December / January 2008

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It’s no exaggeration to say that Ken Bruen could have stepped from the pages of one of his own novels. In fact if he didn’t already exist, he would have had to make himself up. Not that Bruen, a long-established crime writer, needs any help with the plots of his darkly gripping novels. But his life story is a page-turner in its own right. “You couldn’t make it up,” he notes … [Read more...] about The Unbearable Lightness of Kevin Bruen

Padraig’s Day

By Cathal Dervan
October / November 2007

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If you drive across the mountain road that borders south Dublin, chances are you will see Padraig Harrington at work in the garden that serves as his office. Out the back of a modest but large dwelling he has installed a kidney-shaped green built to U.S. PGA specifications, two artificial putting greens, six small target greens, three bunkers filled with dif- ferent sorts of … [Read more...] about Padraig’s Day

Cathie Ryan: Home is Where the Music Is

By Ian Worpole
October / November 2007

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My mum had a phrase that fascinated me – whenever something like the vacuum cleaner showed signs of failure, she would say, “Oh, it’s going home.” I’ve always had a vision of what a strange and wonderful place that particular Home may be, filled with weary appliances. It’s a powerful phrase, and as I grew older and maybe wiser, I realized it is more usually indicative of the … [Read more...] about Cathie Ryan: Home is Where the Music Is

Governor Martin O’Malley’s March

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
August / September 2007

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Youngest mayor of a large city at 37, governor at 43; it’s possible that Martin O’Malley, fueled by family, Jesuit ideals and Irish history, will march all the way to the White House. Martin O’Malley is easy on the eye – very easy on the eye. He’s handsome, young, and he’s got talent. He paid his way through college playing music – Irish music. His band, O’Malley’s March, has … [Read more...] about Governor Martin O’Malley’s March