Irish America

Irish America

November December 1998

Slàinte! A Universal Christmas

By Edythe Preet

November/December 1998, republished in Winter 2024

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All around the world, the holiday season is a time to gather with family and friends, to share abundance, to feast, to reflect on the memories of joyful times past, and to make every effort to ensure that the future will be peaceful and prosperous for all. Here in the United States, the holiday season is celebrated in a myriad of ways bequeathed us by the thousands of … [Read more...] about Slàinte! A Universal Christmas

Where’s the Great Film on The Great Hunger?

By Joseph McBride

November/December 1998

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It's a subject that's virtually taboo to moviemakers. Studios believe audiences wouldn't want to watch a story about such a grim historical period. But even though the events took place long ago, they remain a matter of vital concern to people throughout the world. Many books are written about the subject. Activists lobby for it to be taught in schools. Eventually, filmmakers … [Read more...] about Where’s the Great Film on The Great Hunger?

MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria

By Joe Farrell

November/December 1998

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How journalist Januarius Aloysius MacGahan, the son of Irish immigrants, helped cause a shift in the European balance of power that made the liberation of Bulgaria possible. "Since my letter of yesterday, I have supped full of horrors. Nothing has yet been said of the Turks that I do not now believe; nothing could be said of them that I should not think probable or … [Read more...] about MacGahan: Liberator of Bulgaria

The First Word: Field of Dreams

By Patricia Harty, Editor-in-Chief
November / December 1998

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Looking back over the year there are few images that stand out more in my mind than that of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hugging after McGwire's record-tying home run. In a year beset with political scandals it was such a relief to watch McGwire and Sosa. You couldn't ask for two guys with more class - one an Irish American, the other an immigrant from the Dominican … [Read more...] about The First Word: Field of Dreams