Calling Up the Ancestors: Genealogist Megan Smolenyak
Digital archives, DNA testing and increased interest have made finding ancestors easier than ever before. But tracing...
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In This Issue
The Genius of Day-Lewis Brings Lincoln Alive
In the last decade, Daniel Day-Lewis, one of the greatest actors of our time, has made only five films. But when he chooses to play a part he commits to it fully, as his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln...
MoreThe First Word: Finding the Way
“First determine that the thing can and shall be done and then we shall find the way. – Abraham Lincoln As we go to press, we learn that Lincoln received 12 Oscar nominations – more than any...
MorePakistani Schoolgirl Activist Wins Tipperary Peace Award
Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Pakistani girl who survived a violent attack by Taliban gunmen in retaliation for her advocacy of girls’ education, is the recipient of the 2012 Tipperary...
MoreIreland Begins Six-Month EU Presidency
The New Year marked the start of Ireland’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union. The transition began with a ceremony at Dublin Castle on New Year’s Eve, at which Taoiseach...
MoreBelfast Rocked By Union Jack Protests
Loyalist protesters in Belfast have been marching against the City Council’s decision that the United Kingdom’s flag, the Union Jack, will no longer be flown above City Hall year-round. The...
MoreQuiet Man Pub for Sale
Pat Cohan’s bar in Cong, Co. Mayo, where John Wayne and Victor McLaglen brawled and raised pints in John Ford’s The Quiet Man, was recently put up for sale. The asking price is €300,000, and...
MoreEmerald: 2013 Color of the Year
It’s official, the Emerald Isle wins 2013. For the next 12 months, the national color of Hibernia has a new status as the Pantone Color Institute’s 2013 Color of the Year. Called Emerald 17-5641,...
MoreHillary Clinton Visits Ireland and Northern Ireland
Clinton included the Emerald Isle in her final visits as Secretary of State. As part of one of her last international trips as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton spent two days in Ireland at the...
MoreBrian Kelly Is Coach of the Year
Coach Kelly, who led Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish through a perfect season (up until the BCS championship game), was named the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year by the Football Writers Association of...
MoreA Building in Commissioner Kelly’s Name
New York City Police Commiss-ioner Ray Kelly is to have a building at his alma mater Manhattan College named in his honor. The commissioner, the grandson of Irish immigrants, graduated from Manhattan...
MoreIrish Eye on Hollywood
The latest with your favorite Irish and Irish American stars and screenwriters. 1. February 14 is going to be a very “good day” for Irish-born director John Moore. The Dundalk, Louth native –...
MoreIrish Awards Season
From actors and directors to writers and cinematographers, the Irish are having a very busy show biz awards season. The Oscar nominations were announced on January 10, and Daniel Day-Lewis led the...
MoreRecognition for Irish Workers of the Rideau Canal
After a six-year campaign to secure official recognition for the Irish workers who lost their lives building Canada’s Rideau Canal, author and activist Kevin Dooley was happy to share the news that...
MoreIreland to Get Its Own Cheers
The classic American sitcom about the Boston bar where everybody knows your name is set to be rebooted in Irish. In mid-December, the Dublin-based Sideline Productions announced that CBS had granted...
MoreHouse of Waterford in Times Square
On New Years Eve, close to one million revelers gathered in New York’s Times Square to ring in 2013. The celebration, which was hosted by Allison Hagendorf and featured performances by Taylor...
MorePortraits of the Irish: Paddy at the Met
The Ashcan School of artists were a group of realist painters who found inspiration in the seamy side of New York City. Tom Deignan looks at the Irish subjects who provided inspiration to these...
MoreThose We Lost
Recent losses in the Irish and Irish-American community. Charles Durning 1923 – 2012 The man who played the pope, the governor of Texas, Dustin Hoffman’s Tootsie suitor, four different Santa...
MoreThe Derry Air is Rich With Culture
A bright, brand-new day dawns for Derry/Londonderry, the UK City of Culture 2013. John Hume, Derry’s first Catholic MP, sang the Derry anthem in Oslo when he and David Trimble won the Nobel Peace...
MoreHeroes and Rogues: The Irish of Green-Wood Cemetery
From actors to Civil War heroes, many important Irish have been laid to rest in Brooklyn’s famous Green-Wood Cemetery, including on August 8 2020, acclaimed author Pete Hamill. The Green-Wood...
MoreRory’s Legacy
The parents of Rory Staunton, a brilliant and passionate Irish-American boy who died of sepsis at age 12, are on a mission to make sure that no other child is felled by this fatal...
MoreCalling Up the Ancestors: Genealogist Megan Smolenyak
Digital archives, DNA testing and increased interest have made finding ancestors easier than ever before. But tracing one’s roots – especially Irish roots – is still no easy task. Megan...
MoreJoe Kennedy – The Hollywood Years
Movie columnist Tom Deignan examines David Nasaw’s book The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy with an eye to Kennedy’s time in Hollywood. The year was 1926,...
MoreWhat Are You Like? Rachel Allen
Rachel Allen was brought up in Dublin and at eighteen left to study at the prestigious Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork. Today, she not only teaches at the school but writes regular features...
MoreMy Mother the Imposter:
A Roots Mystery
A search through Dermot McEvoy’s family history revealed an eye-opening secret. Here’s what he discovered, plus a guide to researching your own Irish ancestors. (This article has been updated...
MoreRoots: Clan Gatherings
Clans are getting together this year. The following Clan Gatherings are an easy way to experience The Gathering while rooting yourself in a shared clan history. Plus, it’s a great excuse to skip...
MoreReview of Books
Recently released books of Irish and Irish-American interest. Recommended The Famine Plot Tim Pat Coogan, the author of many seminal works including The IRA: A History and biographies of Michael...
MoreMusic Reviews
Declan Sinnott • I love the noise it makes At age 61, Declan Sinnott, has released his debut solo album, I Love the Noise It Makes. Any trad fan will have heard Sinnott before, whether they know it...
MoreSláinte! Forty Shades of Red
Brigid – Ireland’s red-haired saint – was one of history’s liberated women. Everyone knows that in Ireland one will encounter “forty shades of green.” Lesser realized is that another band...
MoreFamily Photo Album: The Autobiography of Patrick Cashin
Patrick Cashin recorded his autobiography on March 8, 1971, his 60th birthday. In 13 minutes and 20 seconds of cassette tape, he tells his life story with pride and a humble directness. “March 8th,...
MoreHibernia
Emerald: 2013 Color of the Year
It’s official, the Emerald Isle wins 2013. For the next 12 months, the national color of Hibernia...
Recognition for Irish Workers of the Rideau Canal
After a six-year campaign to secure official recognition for the Irish workers who lost their lives...
A Building in Commissioner Kelly’s Name
New York City Police Commiss-ioner Ray Kelly is to have a building at his alma mater Manhattan...
Portraits of the Irish: Paddy at the Met
The Ashcan School of artists were a group of realist painters who found inspiration in the seamy...
Ireland to Get Its Own Cheers
The classic American sitcom about the Boston bar where everybody knows your name is set to be...