On behalf of myself and Irish-American writers and artists, I’m here to talk about a truly great human being, our dear friend, Danny Cassidy. But let me begin long ago and far away, over forty years ago, when I was a freshman at Manhattan College in the Bronx. (And anyone interested in finding out how a college named Manhattan wound up in the Bronx should see me later.) Like … [Read more...] about Remembering Danny Cassidy
Obituary
A Legend Who Loved Ireland
In his 2002 memoir Merv: Making the Good Life Last, show business legend Merv Griffin recalled the moment when it seemed he’d finally made it in the entertainment world. People started looking at him differently, in good ways and bad. His father’s reaction, however, was what fascinated Griffin. “You did good, buddy, keep it up,” Griffin recalled his dad saying. “In the manner … [Read more...] about A Legend Who Loved Ireland
Genius and a Gent: Bill Walsh Remembered
When Bill Walsh took over the head coaching job of the San Francisco 49ers in the late 1970s, the team was among the worst in the National Football League. In just a few years, Walsh transformed them into the dominant franchise of the 1980s and early 1990s. No wonder Walsh – who died at the age of 75 in late July – came to be called “the genius.” The Irish-American coach, … [Read more...] about Genius and a Gent: Bill Walsh Remembered
Remembering Tommy Makem
By Terry Golway
October / November 2007
October / November 2007
When Tommy Makem died on August 1,the worldlost not only a great musician and storyteller but an original thinker, who was passionate about Ireland, and unfailingly gracious. We'll not see the likes of him again. It was a coincidence, of course, that legendary folk singer Tommy Makem and hotel mogul Leona Helmsley departed this world within two weeks of each other last … [Read more...] about Remembering Tommy Makem
Passed On
Robert S. Mullaney an aeronautical engineer who helped oversee the construction of the craft that landed Apollo astronauts on the moon, died at his home in Bellport, New York, on July 6. He was 82. Mullaney was a former Navy pilot who had a hand in the development of fighter planes in the Grumman Corporation and became manager of the Lunar Excursion Module Program in 1962. It … [Read more...] about Passed On