The Irish and boxing are longtime Hollywood staples, from John Wayne as the reluctant slugger in The Quiet Man right up to Russell Crowe in Cinderella Man and Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby. In December, a Cork-born writer-director and quirky American actor are going to take their shot at the genre with Strength and Honor. Buzz on the film is solid. True, one gossip web … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood
Tom Deignan
Pennsylvania’s Irish
From the coal mines to Hollywood, the Pennsylvania Irish have shaped America for over three centuries. William Penn may have been a trailblazer when it came to American freedom and religious tolerance. But in the eyes of his father, he was a scandalous disappointment. Penn’s father (also William) served under Cromwell in Munster and he took part in the 1646 siege of Bunratty … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania’s Irish
Review of Books
Recommended In October, Dublin-born novelist and short story writer Anne Enright won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction with her latest novel The Gathering. The book takes a close look at how the past haunts one large Irish family. The Hegartys at the center of Enright’s tale are shaken when son Liam (one of nine Hegarty children) commits suicide while living in England. … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Irish Eye on Hollywood
Harry Potter’s screen pal Evanna Lynch isn’t the only Irish girl taking Hollywood by storm. In October, Saoirse Ronan will begin shooting the highly anticipated movie The Lovely Bones, which (like the Potter series) is also based on a mega-best-selling book. Ronan will star alongside Rachel Weisz and Ryan Gosling in director Peter Jackson’s screen version of Alice Sebold’s … [Read more...] about Irish Eye on Hollywood
Genius and a Gent: Bill Walsh Remembered
When Bill Walsh took over the head coaching job of the San Francisco 49ers in the late 1970s, the team was among the worst in the National Football League. In just a few years, Walsh transformed them into the dominant franchise of the 1980s and early 1990s. No wonder Walsh – who died at the age of 75 in late July – came to be called “the genius.” The Irish-American coach, … [Read more...] about Genius and a Gent: Bill Walsh Remembered