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Irish America

Seamus Heaney

Ireland: A Quilt of Many Patches and Colors

By Kelly Candaele
IA Newsletter August 26, 2023

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It is somehow fitting that the Good Friday Peace Agreement of 1998 has become inseparable from Irish poetry. If, for a moment, “hope and history rhymed” or those involved in resolving the conflict “walked on air against their better judgment,” politicians and other speechifiers have poet Seamus Heaney to thank for their grab-bag of metaphorical phrases. In an earlier era of … [Read more...] about Ireland: A Quilt of Many Patches and Colors

Seamus Heaney
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

By Patricia Harty
May/June 1996

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Lightenings viiiThe animlas say: when the monks of Clonmacnoise Were all at prayers inside the oratory a ship appeared above them in the air. The anchor dragged along behind so deep It hooked itself into the altar rails An then, as the big hull rocked to a standstill. A crewman shinned and grappled down a rope And struggled to release it. But in vain. 'This man can't bear our … [Read more...] about Seamus Heaney
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

35 Years: 1985-2020

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Looking back at Irish America’s premier issue we see that it set the tone for what was to come: a thorough investigation into what it means to be Irish American. Thirty-five years later, we are still answering that question and still pondering the answers. Enjoy these quotes compiled over 35 years. -The Irish America Team1986 Tip O'Neill“Growing up as a youngster in Boston, … [Read more...] about 35 Years: 1985-2020

A Look Back at the First Annual Tom Quinlan Lecture in Poetry

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Saturday, September 25, 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the annual Tom Quinlan Lecture in Poetry. Seamus Heaney himself inaugurated the first Tom Quinlan lecture in 2011 at Glucksman Ireland House NYU to endorse the importance of the first published book of poetry in a poet’s literary life. The lecture series, established by the Quinlan family, is named for Tom Quinlan … [Read more...] about A Look Back at the First Annual Tom Quinlan Lecture in Poetry

“Keeping Going”

Kelly Candaele
Summer 2021

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What help can poetry be during a pandemic?This summer it feels like Ireland needs Americans and Americans need Ireland more than ever. I have visited Ireland close to twenty times since my first trip there in the late 1970s, drawn by the country’s remarkable beauty, justly famous hospitality, and, during the 90s, by my interest in American involvement in the Northern Ireland … [Read more...] about “Keeping Going”