"I vow that the eyes of justice, the eyes of this journalist will not be shut again. No hand can deter me from my battle for the truth." –Journalist Veronica Guerin ℘℘℘ While Veronica Guerin starring Cate Blanchett (see cover story) may be the movie of the fall season, the real Veronica Guerin was anything but Hollywood. She was a dedicated journalist, wife and mother. So … [Read more...] about First Word: The Battle for the Truth
Patricia Harty
First Word: Heroes for Our Time
"You cannot put a rope around the neck of an idea. ... You cannot confine it in the strongest prison cell that your slaves could ever build." – Sean O'Casey on the death of Thomas Ashe. ℘℘℘ Just as I was getting annoyed that no one on the Larry King tribute to Gregory Peck mentioned the actor's Irishness, he mentioned it himself. "It must be that Irish stubborn streak in me," … [Read more...] about First Word: Heroes for Our Time
New York City Celebrates Irish Heritage Day
The Comptroller of the City of New York William C. Thompson, Jr. honored prominent New Yorkers of Irish descent in a celebration of Irish heritage on May 13 at the New York Public Library. "We pay tribute to the memory of the irish New Yorkers who literally built this town. And we know a special group of men and women who are continuing the tradition of achievement, community … [Read more...] about New York City Celebrates Irish Heritage Day
The Magdalene Sisters
A disturbing movie by Peter Mullan on what happened to the "wayward" women of Ireland. Peter Mullan's The Magdalene Sisters opens ironically with a wedding scene. But it is not a happy occasion. Margaret is lured by her cousin Kevin to an upstairs room where he rapes her. Kevin is chastised, but it is Margaret who has "shamed" her family and is carted off the next morning by … [Read more...] about The Magdalene Sisters
Up Close with Pierce Brosnan
The Santa Ana winds raise dust clouds as I drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu in a car hastily borrowed from my friend Tom, who responded with alacrity to my alarm that my Pierce Brosnan interview had been changed from the Irish DreamTime office in the MGM building, ten minutes from my hotel in Santa Monica, to Coogie's coffee shop in Malibu. The beauty of the … [Read more...] about Up Close with Pierce Brosnan