The failure to stay young. ℘℘℘ The greatest failure in America is the failure to stay young. It is a failure of imagination, the inability to grasp the alternatives offered by surgery, cosmetology, and pharmacology. It is a failure of will, the indiscipline that results in flagging energies, flabby bodies, and clogged arteries. It is a failure of financial planning, the … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Things Fall Apart
The Last Word
The Last Word:
Irish American Agitation in the Age of Trump
U2, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, and the Irish trying to save America.
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In autumn 2017, U2 released their 14th studio album, Songs of Experience. Critical reception on the album was mixed – was it a superstar older rock band’s attempt at political relevance, or a late-career classic infused with the urgency of Brexit, Trump, and a world thrown into uncertainty? In December 2017, the … [Read more...] about The Last Word:
Irish American Agitation in the Age of Trump
Last Word: The State of Play
Why women are still fighting male chauvinism on the greens of Ireland. ℘℘℘ Ireland is now a rainbow nation. With the passing of the referendum on same-sex marriage in May, all romantic relationships gained equality in the eyes of the law. But does this equality extend elsewhere? It may seem like a trivial question, but does it extend to golf courses? Is everyone afforded equal … [Read more...] about Last Word: The State of Play
The Last Word: The Father of Irish Studies
By Tim Pat Coogan
June / July 2014
June / July 2014
Tim Pat Coogan recalls Eoin McKiernan, who for many years wrote the “Last Word” column for this magazine and was a pioneer in the field of Irish Studies. The founder of the Irish American Cultural Institute and the Irish Way Program, McKiernan is now the subject of a new biography, Irish America Reawakening: The Eoin McKiernan Story, written by his daughter Deirdre. Eoin … [Read more...] about The Last Word: The Father of Irish Studies
The Last Word: Irish-American Adoptions
Is it time to have a gathering? Philomena shines a light on an aspect of Irish in need of urgent attention. The movie Philomena, based on Philomena Lee’s real-life search for her son who was adopted by an American family, highlights the issue of the many clandestine adoptions of Irish children by U.S. families, and the complicity of religious orders and government and church … [Read more...] about The Last Word: Irish-American Adoptions