My south London schoolmates and I struggled with our Irishness during the 1970s. Nearly all of us had Irish parents who had settled in England in the 1940s and 1950s, but we had been born and raised in London. Did that make us English or Irish? Most of us made regular summer trips to Ireland, looked Irish, even knew a few Irish words. Some of us just felt Irish – all our … [Read more...] about English or Irish?
Irish v. British
The Perils of Pat
Peter Quinn writes about his immigrant grandfather. ℘℘℘ The man on the horse is my paternal grandfather, Patrick Francis Quinn. The date is September 5, 1904. Pat is about to take his place as grand marshal of the New York City Labor Day Parade. The horse was rented for the occasion. I have the sash he is wearing in the photograph, a piece of faded blue silk embroidered … [Read more...] about The Perils of Pat
Maureen O’Hara
Hollywood Colleen
Throughout her film career, Maureen O'Hara captured the essence of the Irish colleen in all its contradictions. In The Quiet Man, as Mary Kate, she went toe-to-toe with John Wayne's Jack Thornton, in one of the most rugged screen courtships in the history of film.
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There were a lot of Irish actors in Hollywood at that time, weren't there?
Yes, Barry Fitzgerald, Arthur … [Read more...] about Maureen O’HaraHollywood Colleen
Film Forum: The Patriot
Round two of Mel Gibson's war with the British. ℘℘℘ Jack L. Warner once said he hated the kind of movie in which the hero "writes with a feather." Hollywood's aversion to the quaint details of a distant historical period helps account for the scarcity of films dealing with the American Revolutionary War. But reluctance to alienate Great Britain probably had more to do with … [Read more...] about Film Forum: The Patriot