Christy McNamara, a photographer and traditional musician from Crusheen, Co. Clare, has been capturing images of Ireland for over 20 years. From up-close portraits of some of Ireland’s best-known musicians, including U2, The Pogues, and a number of traditional artists, to scenes from the annual Spancill horse fair and close-ups of life in rural Ireland, McNamara has a gift for … [Read more...] about From Clare to Here: A Journey in Photographs
Museums and Exhibitions
Rural Ireland: The Inside Story
Boston College’s McMullen Museum of Art is giving visitors a rare look at the daily lives of Irish country people in the nineteenth century. Once thought to be an unpopular subject among Irish artists in the 1800s, who often focused on the grander “big house” themes and landscapes, the rural Irish population comes to life in this expansive and carefully curated … [Read more...] about Rural Ireland: The Inside Story
Malcolm O’Hagan, Founder of the American Writers Museum
“It has to be spectacular or not at all,” said Malcolm O’Hagan, about the American Writers Museum he is founding to “help people understand the power of the word, how much it influences our culture and identity as a nation.” Born the day before St. Patrick’s Day in Co. Sligo, 71 years ago, O’Hagan, who holds a doctorate in engineering, admits that it wasn’t until he moved to … [Read more...] about Malcolm O’Hagan, Founder of the American Writers Museum
Seamus Heaney Donates Papers to Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland has become the new home to Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney’s collection of literary papers. “I’m overwhelmed at the number of people that the library has brought in to celebrate this moment and I’m deeply indebted and deeply honoured,” said Heaney at a reception held in the reading room of the National Library on December 21. Among those who … [Read more...] about Seamus Heaney Donates Papers to Library of Ireland
The Civil War Experience on Show
Current exhibitions celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The Return of the 69th On July 27, 1861, crowds massed along New York Harbor to welcome home New York’s 69th (Irish) Regiment returned from the First Battle of Bull Run. Though the battle was lost on the Union side, the regiment served with valor, despite the capture of Col. Michael Corcoran by the … [Read more...] about The Civil War Experience on Show