Boston Police Commissioner Kathy O'Toole serves as top cop to the nation's oldest police force and brings a global approach to the job. ℘℘℘ It's a week after the Democratic National Convention, and Boston's 37th police commissioner is warily eyeing my tape recorder. Since taking up the job six months ago, the city's first woman commissioner, Kathleen O'Toole, has had to deal … [Read more...] about O’Toole in Charge
October November 2004 Issue
Proudly We Serve
September 11 has become this generation's "Day of Infamy." The terrorist attacks forever changed the way we live, and have made our daily lives more difficult. A secure environment can no longer be presumed. Some post 9/11 changes, however, have been positive. Is there anyone who doesn't now have a greater appreciation for our police and firefighters, or greater respect for … [Read more...] about Proudly We Serve
Roots: The Quinn Clan – Descendants of Conn
The surname Quinn is derived from the Irish word O'Cuinn meaning "descending from Conn." Conn comes from the Irish word ceann, meaning "head," and denotes a person of high intelligence. Since Conn was a common name, there are five separate septs of this family. They came from different parts of counties Tyrone, Longford, Clare, and Antrim. Niall O'Cuinn was one of those killed … [Read more...] about Roots: The Quinn Clan – Descendants of Conn
A Postcard from Prince Edward Island
The unique Irish / Scottish heritage of PEI, off the coast of Nova Scotia, is preserved in music and dance and in the faces of the people. ℘℘℘ "An always but never known place" is how Australian writer Thomas Keneally described his first visit to Ireland. That about describes how I felt a few hours after landing on Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada's smallest province (about … [Read more...] about A Postcard from Prince Edward Island
The Last of His Kind
Christopher Connell writes on his Uncle Jimmy McSweeney, the very model of the Irish bachelor farmer. ℘℘℘ My uncle Jimmy McSweeney was laid to rest recently beside his mother and sister in the yard of Saint Patrick's Church in Dunmanway. The last of his generation, he was the very model of the Irish bachelor farmer, yet he left a family that extends across Ireland, across the … [Read more...] about The Last of His Kind