I can't say I knew him well. Who can except for his immediate family and close friends? Still, we all felt as if we knew John Kennedy, Jr. He touched our hearts. He carded the flame of Camelot, conscious (modestly) of what he embodied for many Americans, particularly Irish Americans. He might have chosen a different role had it been left up to him. He wanted to be an actor and … [Read more...] about John Jr., Remembered
Patricia Harty
August / September 1999
What the Future Holds
Bear in mind these dead: I can find no plainer words. - John Hewitt, "Neither an Elegy nor a Manifesto" The New Year brings good tidings to a young couple I know, the birth of a baby boy, a welcome addition to their ever expanding family. Unlike his mother, a Belfast native, this boy will grow up outside the danger zone of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. Other children … [Read more...] about What the Future Holds
The First Word: Our Evolving Heritage
In this issue we celebrate the realization of the American dream by so many of our people, reminding us once again of the good fit this country has proved to be for the Irish. Not that it happened overnight. In the words of Robert Kennedy: "As the first of the racial minorities our forefathers were subject to every discrimination found wherever discrimination is known." The … [Read more...] about The First Word: Our Evolving Heritage
A Memorable Evening with Seamus Heaney
Courtesy of NYU Glucksman Ireland House
On April 13, this Saturday, Seamus Heaney would have been 80 years old. Though he passed away too early, on August 30, 2013, his work lives on. Through the last 25 years of his life, the poet had an ongoing connection with Glucksman Ireland House, the center of Irish Studies at NYU, and its founder Loretta Brennan Glucksman. On April 11, 1996, just six months after winning the … [Read more...] about A Memorable Evening with Seamus Heaney