Wild Irish Women:
Saint Brigid – Mary of the Gaels
A nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries, Brigid of Kildare was a woman who defied authority, possessed great...
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In This Issue
Joe Kennedy III:
Why the Dream Will Never Die
Congressman Joe Kennedy is carrying on his family’s legacy in politics and making a name for himself as a champion of the underdog. On Tuesday, January 30, he will deliver the Democratic rebuttal...
MoreFirst Word:
The Dream That Never Dies
“As the first of the racial minorities, our forefathers were subject to every discrimination found wherever discrimination is known.” – Robert Kennedy speaking at a Friendly Sons of St....
MoreOver 400 G.A.A. Stars Unite to Fight Ireland’s Homeless Crisis
A group of over 400 current and former G.A.A. players held a solidarity sleep-out in December to draw attention to Ireland’s homelessness crisis, raising more than $150,000 in the process. The...
MoreBand Aid Donates Archives to Ireland’s National Library
Bob Geldof and the Band Aid Trust donated their archives to the National Library of Ireland in December, opening them to public viewing for the first time. The charity effort raised £8 million for...
MoreMapping Irish DNA
In a study published late December in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers have found 10 genetic groupings that mirror the ancient and medieval boundaries of Irish kingdoms: Ulster, Leinster,...
MoreIreland to Recognize Preferred Gender Pronouns in Registry of Foreign Births
In December, Ireland took further steps to grant equality to transgender citizens by introducing policy designed to formally recognize naturalized citizens of the Republic’s preferred names and...
MoreUilleann Pipes Acknowledged by UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved recognition of uilleann piping as an element of the “intangible cultural heritage of humanity” in early...
MoreIreland’s First Astronaut Ready to Take Flight
Ever since Dr. Norah Patten visited NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, as a child, she knew she wanted to be an astronaut. Twenty-three years later, the Mayo-born adventurer was...
MoreEimear McBride Takes on Fellowship at Samuel Beckett Research Centre
Award-winning Irish novelist Eimear McBride (right) has been named the inaugural recipient of the University of Reading Samuel Beckett Research Center Creative Fellowship, which provides exclusive...
MoreIrish Eye on Hollywood:
The Mara Sisters to Tackle Jesus and the Kennedys
The Irish American Mara sisters – Rooney and Kate – are not just on their way to dominating Hollywood like few other siblings have. They are also not afraid to court controversy along the way....
MoreIrish Eye on Hollywood:
The Golden Age of Irish Prestige TV
The “Quality TV” era continues to provide Irish actors with all kinds of work. In March, Northern Irish thespian Ciaran Hinds will team up with Jared Harris – former Mad Men star and son of...
MoreIrish Eye in Hollywood:
Novel Adaptations for Irish Writers
Irish authors have also been having a couple of good months in Hollywood. Oscar-winning producer Scott Rudin recently snatched up the movie rights for The Ninth Hour, Alice McDermott’s excellent...
MoreIrish Eye on Hollywood:
John Cusack Takes a Villainous Turn in Irish Western
Irish American star John Cusack is getting in touch with his Irish roots – and his dark side – in Galway. Cusack is currently filming a western in Ireland entitled Never Grow Old, to be directed...
MoreIrish Eye on Hollywood:
Flatley and McGinty Are Dancing to the Big Screen
Two accomplished Irish artists – a musician and a dancer – are trying to cross over into movies. World-renowned Irish dancer Michael Flatley is putting together a film in Barbados (nice work if...
MoreHibernia Arts:
Enda Walsh Gets a Revival and a Premiere
Irish playwright Enda Walsh had a bit of a New York moment in January, with the joint stagings of two of his plays. In Manhattan, his 1996 play Disco Pigs is being revived for its 20th anniversary at...
MoreHibernia Arts:
Hayley Mills Stars in New Irish Play
Party Face, a new comedy by Irish writer Isobel Mahon, made its Off-Broadway debut as part of the 10th annual Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival in New York in January, starring Hayley Mills, of...
MoreHibernia Arts:
An Irish Riot
In February, New York City’s Irish Arts Center will stage a three-night run of one of the most unique Irish theater spectacles of the year. The production, called RIOT, won Best Production at the...
MoreHibernia Arts:
Irish Win at the Golden Globes
The 2018 Golden Globe Awards were a smash success for Irish names in the movie business, with Saoirse Ronan winning Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her starring role in...
MoreDanville and New Ross Poised to Become Official Friends
New Ross, County Wexford, is to be linked with a town in California where playwright Eugene O’Neill lived. O’Neill’s Tao House in Danville, California, near the San Francisco Bay, is preserved...
MoreRunning from Boston to New York for Charity
Tom McGrath, an ultra-distance runner, can often be seen running all over Manhattan, whether he’s running in Central Park or busy running his bar and restaurant. McGrath, 68, has stamina for it...
More300 Years of Scots-Irish Immigration to U.S.
This year marks the 300th anniversary of the first great wave of Scots-Irish migration to the United States, and over the next 12 months, several towns in Northern Ireland and the U.S. will be...
MoreIrial Finan to Retire from 30-Year Career with Coca-Cola
After over 30 years of leading the beverage industry, Irial Finan (below), a native of Roscommon and a frequent honoree for our Business 100 list, is set to retire in March. Finan started his career...
MoreSamantha Barry Named Glamour’s New Editor-in-Chief
New media paragon Samantha Barry has been hired as Glamour’s eighth and newest editor-in-chief. Barry, who is originally from Ballincollig, County Cork, is the epitome of Ireland’s burgeoning...
MoreIrish American Director to Helm Washington National Opera
Timothy O’Leary (right) has taken the United States opera scene by storm as the recently-appointed general director of the Washington National Opera at the John F. Kennedy Center for the...
MoreThose We Lost
Liam Cosgrave 1920 – 2017 Former prime minister of Ireland Liam Cosgrave died this past October at the age of 97 in Dublin. Cosgrave served as taoiseach from 1973 to 1977, during which time he was...
MoreWild Irish Women:
Saint Brigid – Mary of the Gaels
A nun, abbess, and founder of several monasteries, Brigid of Kildare was a woman who defied authority, possessed great strength of will and determination, and whose cheerful giving of food and...
MoreSetanta’s Successor:
The Rise of Lee Chin
How the son of an Malaysian immigrant rose to stardom within Ireland’s top sports divisions. ℘℘℘ Lee Chin could quite possibly be the modern successor to Setanta (the given name of the Irish...
MoreAn Irish Artist’s American Odyssey
William James Hinchey traveled throughout America’s Southwest frontier and Missouri capturing images of life, the ravishes of war, and beyond. ℘℘℘ Cormac McCarthy’s novel Blood Meridian...
MoreThe Irish Airman’s Grave:
From Padua to Kiltartan
The story of W.B. Yeats’s tower, Lady Gregory’s autograph tree, and the grave of Irish airman Robert Gregory, whose death inspired some of Yeats’s most well-known...
MoreTara Sullivan:
Shipping Up to Boston
Tara Sullivan talks about her life in sports, Irish dance, and the memorable people along her road to becoming the Boston Globe’s newest sports writer. ℘℘℘ For twenty years Tara Sullivan...
MoreRoots: The Kennedys
The name Kennedy or O’Kennedy is derived from the Gaelic O’Cinneide, which is itself derived from the original Gaelic form cean eidig meaning, “ugly head,” or, more generously, “helmet...
MoreReview of Books
Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach is a journey through time and mores. ℘℘℘ In Manhattan Beach, Jennifer Egan makes a radical departure in style, language, and structure from her previous...
MoreMotherfoclóir: A New Kind of Irish Language Revival
Darach Ó Séaghdha has been putting the fun back into the Irish language by translating words into English in a humorous, thought-provoking way, and deftly using Twitter to expand his audience. He...
MoreShamrocks and Salsa
Jerry Cox spent a lifetime ministering to California’s Mexican immigrants, and found similarities between Irish and Mexican cultures. ℘℘℘ Shortly after Jerry Cox was ordained a priest...
MoreSláinte! Flipping Over Pancake Tuesday
Once the winter holiday feasting frenzy ends, hundreds of ads bombard us with ways to lose weight. There is certainly a time to count calories, but then there is Fat Tuesday. Dieters beware. The two...
MorePhoto Album: Dad and JFK
My father Cyril DeFever grew up on a dairy farm near Detroit, Michigan. His parents had immigrated to the U.S. from Belgium. My mother, Marie Clancy, the daughter of an insurance man, was Irish....
MoreThe Last Word:
Irish American Agitation in the Age of Trump
U2, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, and the Irish trying to save America. ℘℘℘ In autumn 2017, U2 released their 14th studio album, Songs of Experience. Critical reception on the album was mixed – was...
MoreHibernia
Mapping Irish DNA
In a study published late December in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers have found 10...
Hibernia Arts:
An Irish Riot
In February, New York City’s Irish Arts Center will stage a three-night run of one of the most...
Irish Eye on Hollywood:
The Golden Age of Irish Prestige TV
The “Quality TV” era continues to provide Irish actors with all kinds of work. In March,...
Irish American Director to Helm Washington National Opera
Timothy O’Leary (right) has taken the United States opera scene by storm as the...
Danville and New Ross Poised to Become Official Friends
New Ross, County Wexford, is to be linked with a town in California where playwright Eugene...
Ireland to Recognize Preferred Gender Pronouns in Registry of Foreign Births
In December, Ireland took further steps to grant equality to transgender citizens by introducing...
Irish Eye on Hollywood:
John Cusack Takes a Villainous Turn in Irish Western
Irish American star John Cusack is getting in touch with his Irish roots – and his dark side –...
Band Aid Donates Archives to Ireland’s National Library
Bob Geldof and the Band Aid Trust donated their archives to the National Library of Ireland in...
Irish Eye on Hollywood:
Flatley and McGinty Are Dancing to the Big Screen
Two accomplished Irish artists – a musician and a dancer – are trying to cross over into...
Over 400 G.A.A. Stars Unite to Fight Ireland’s Homeless Crisis
A group of over 400 current and former G.A.A. players held a solidarity sleep-out in December to...
Irish Eye in Hollywood:
Novel Adaptations for Irish Writers
Irish authors have also been having a couple of good months in Hollywood. Oscar-winning producer...
Irial Finan to Retire from 30-Year Career with Coca-Cola
After over 30 years of leading the beverage industry, Irial Finan (below), a native of Roscommon...
Samantha Barry Named Glamour’s New Editor-in-Chief
New media paragon Samantha Barry has been hired as Glamour’s eighth and newest editor-in-chief....
Uilleann Pipes Acknowledged by UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved recognition...
Irish Eye on Hollywood:
The Mara Sisters to Tackle Jesus and the Kennedys
The Irish American Mara sisters – Rooney and Kate – are not just on their way to dominating...
Running from Boston to New York for Charity
Tom McGrath, an ultra-distance runner, can often be seen running all over Manhattan, whether he’s...
Hibernia Arts:
Enda Walsh Gets a Revival and a Premiere
Irish playwright Enda Walsh had a bit of a New York moment in January, with the joint stagings of...
300 Years of Scots-Irish Immigration to U.S.
This year marks the 300th anniversary of the first great wave of Scots-Irish migration to the...
Eimear McBride Takes on Fellowship at Samuel Beckett Research Centre
Award-winning Irish novelist Eimear McBride (right) has been named the inaugural recipient of the...
Hibernia Arts:
Hayley Mills Stars in New Irish Play
Party Face, a new comedy by Irish writer Isobel Mahon, made its Off-Broadway debut as part of the...
Those We Lost
Liam Cosgrave 1920 – 2017 Former prime minister of Ireland Liam Cosgrave died this past October...
Ireland’s First Astronaut Ready to Take Flight
Ever since Dr. Norah Patten visited NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, as a child,...
Hibernia Arts:
Irish Win at the Golden Globes
The 2018 Golden Globe Awards were a smash success for Irish names in the movie business, with...