Irish America
Irish America
CONSERVATIVE ATTITUDES AND DEAD FRIENDS Edel and Pamela sit smoking in the kitchen talking freely about their friends and Pamela's two brothers who have all died of AIDS. Name after name is recited with anecdotal remarks interspersed about "his poor mother" or "didn't he used to live on St. Mary's Row." Then a young boy, as sweet as a jar of cookies and angelically polite, … [Read more...] about When Death Comes Calling
With the implementation of the Single European Market at the end of 1992 that "opened up all European frontiers to free movement and trade" no one in the border counties of Fermanagh and Leitrim registered more than a cynical shrug of their shoulders. For years the border, imposed under threat of war in 1922, had not only cut through their homes and fields but every aspect of … [Read more...] about The Roads to Nowhere
Donegal: It is not necessary to compare and contrast the sheer awesome natural beauty of this ruggedly stunning Atlantic county — the northern most county in Ireland - with anywhere else because like all such things it is subjective and often illusory. Suffice to say at the outset if it's spectacular scenery you want you've come to the right place. "Inearly morning twilight, … [Read more...] about The Splendor of Donegal
Despite the air of innocence that overlays the Rose of Tralee Festival, a distinct lack of sentimentality, hard business acumen and scandalous trivia are the order of the day, as Oistin MacBride discovered when he attended this year's festival, now in its 36th year. The Rose of Tralee, one of the biggest and oldest of the burgeoning number of festivals now dotting the Irish … [Read more...] about Less than Rosy
