Michael Patrick MacDonald talks to Lauren Byrne about growing up in South Boston. The last time I saw Michael Patrick MacDonald an air of tension swirled about him. It was 1999 and All Souls, his wrenching memoir of life in the notorious Irish enclave of South Boston, had just been published. The book had taken off like wildfire and Hollywood was calling, but in Boston it was … [Read more...] about A Southie Homecoming
Literature
The Lion’s Head: Gone But Not Forgotten
Tom Deignan reminisces about the Lion’s Head, a legendary New York City bar that was a haven for Irish writers, musicians and artists It’s been years now since the famous Lion’s Head bar in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, closed. Long known as the watering hole for drinkers with writing problems, the Head also became a second home for a veritable “greatest generation” of … [Read more...] about The Lion’s Head: Gone But Not Forgotten
Review of Books
Peter Quinn’s latest work is a revealing masterpiece that offers an insightful portrait of Irish America In an interview with Irish America last year, novelist Peter Quinn was discussing his Bronx Irish upbringing and said: “Words were what mattered in my house. My mother told my brother and me, ‘There’s nothing worth doing in life if it doesn’t leave you with a good … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Review of Books
Recommended Two new books chart U2’s four-decade rise from Dublin to superstardom. They both remind you what an incredible journey it has been. First there is U2 by U2 (told by the band with the help from manager Paul McGuinness and author Neil McCormick), which promises a revealing and an unprecedented look at the band from within its inner circle. The photographs from the … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Review of Books
FICTION F.X. Toole found literary success at the age of 70, and his first collection of stories Rope Burns was the basis for Clint Eastwood’s Oscar winning film Million Dollar Baby. Sadly, Toole (whose dad was an Irish immigrant) died before the film hit the screen. But we do have one more work from this late-blooming artist, a boxing novel called Pound for Pound. As Toole … [Read more...] about Review of Books