William Craig 1924-2011 William Craig, a controversial political leader from Northern Ireland who founded the Ulster Vanguard, died April 25 at the age of 86. Craig’s political career ended in 1979 but his influence on Northern Ireland’s politics will not soon be forgotten. While studying to become a solicitor at Queen’s University in Belfast, Craig founded the Unionist … [Read more...] about Those We Lost: Recent Passings in the Irish-American Community
Tourism
Tory Island: Rugged Beauty, Pirate Past
"...like it or not, we are, all of us, Tory Islanders under the skin." – Marius O'hEarcain The remotest of Ireland’s inhabited islands, Tory has Neolithic and Bronze Age roots and a fascinating mythology all its own. But for the past several decades the Island has been feeling its way into the Big World, venturing into new, uncharted waters: it’s become a tourist destination … [Read more...] about Tory Island: Rugged Beauty, Pirate Past
Dublin Considers Cable Car
A private consortium is behind a spectacular proposal to build a 52 million euro cable car complex running 2.5 miles along the River Liffey in Dublin's city centre. Property developer Barry Boland outlined a plan that would set cable cars running from Heuston Railway Station to Spencer Dock in the International Finance Services Centre. Four cable cars would ferry visitors … [Read more...] about Dublin Considers Cable Car
News in Brief
Almost seven million people visited Ireland last year according to latest figures released by Tourism Ireland. Showing an increase of six percent on 2004, the annual report revealed a slight drop in the number of visitors from the U.S. (to 950,800). "This performance was underpinned by an excellent performance from Europe and a positive performance by the British market," said … [Read more...] about News in Brief
Irish Language Confuses Tourists
Visitors to Gaeltacht (Gaelic-speaking) areas on the west coast of Ireland may be in for a surprise, following a government directive on the public use of Irish language. The Placenames Order 2004 makes it a law that all Gaeltacht signposts and maps display place names only in the Irish language. Towns widely known by their Anglicized names will now be represented only in their … [Read more...] about Irish Language Confuses Tourists