A journey through the native Irish-speaking areas of Ireland Fáilte go hEireann. These are the words of welcome that Irish people have greeted visitors with for centuries. They may well be the words that greet you when you visit. If they are, I urge you to take time to grasp their deeper meaning. Venture beyond the tourist hotspots and gain an insight into an older Ireland … [Read more...] about Fáilte go hÉireann
Irish America
Listen Now Again
A new National Library of Ireland exhibition celebrating the life and work of Seamus Heaney gives an overview of the poet laureate's life and work. When Seamus Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995, the Swedish Academy noted the “lyrical beauty and ethical depth” of his work. His poems, though often suffused with allusions to Dante, Homer, and the other … [Read more...] about Listen Now Again
On the Edge of Our Seats
A Chat with Mary Higgins Clark The Queen of Suspense did not come by her title overnight – Mary Higgins Clark’s 40+-year career in literature and consistent domination of the New York Times Best Seller list have made her a household name in the mystery genre from the release of her very first suspense thriller, Where Are the Children? She has since been renowned for her … [Read more...] about On the Edge of Our Seats
Sláinte! An Irish Christmas with a Drop of Scottish
Head back to Kansas with Dorothy, fly to Never Never Land with Peter Pan, and read about the two writers that gave us these wonderful characters. It’s mid-November and we are solidly into my favorite time of year. After the clocks are turned back and it gets dark early, for a brief three months I invariably long for the halcyon days of my youth. Then all I had to worry … [Read more...] about Sláinte! An Irish Christmas with a Drop of Scottish
“What’re You Having”
1939 - Astor Bar, New York My father, Michael Rogers, was a bartender at New York’s legendary Astor Bar from 1936 to 1965. The photo above was taken for the N.Y. Daily News series, “The Correct Thing,” on tipping bartenders. It’s not a good shot of him, as it doesn’t do justice to his hair, wavy and deep black, a color he likened to “the inside of a raven’s wing.” He was … [Read more...] about “What’re You Having”