Aoibheann Sweeney’s debut novel, Among Other Things, I’ve Taken Up Smoking, is quite simply the story of a girl’s journey from one island to another. Miranda Donnal is a young woman caught between her father’s world as he doggedly translates Ovid in the mythic fog of Crab Island, Maine, where she has grown up motherless, well-educated and utterly lonely, and the draw of New … [Read more...] about Among Other Things: An Interview with Aoibheann Sweeney
October November 2008 Issue
Review of Books
Recommended The Likeness by Tana French Tana French made a surprise splash with critics and readers when her debut novel In the Woods was released last year. Aside from spending weeks on numerous best-seller lists, In the Woods also won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. In the Woods explored the murder of a girl in Dublin, which is where French grew up. (She also spent … [Read more...] about Review of Books
Still Fiddlin’ Away
From his days with The Bothy Band, some thirty years ago now, to the present, Kevin Burke, who was born in London to Irish parents, has been one of the most widely admired fiddlers on the Irish traditional and contemporary music scene. As an individual performer and as a member of acclaimed bands such as Patrick Street and Celtic Fiddle Festival, Burke, who now makes his home … [Read more...] about Still Fiddlin’ Away
Roots: The Mighty Mahers
The Irish surname Maher, appearing also as O’Meagher, Meagher, O’Maher and Mahir, originated in County Tipperary. The name stems from the surname O’Meachair, a derivation of the word “meachar” meaning hospitable. Over fifty percent of Mahers can trace their family history back to County Tipperary, where the ancient clan held control of the territory near Roscrea at the foot of … [Read more...] about Roots: The Mighty Mahers
Sláinte!: All Hail the Humble Spud!
Back in first grade my See Spot Run primer told how Dick and Jane grew potatoes in their backyard and roasted them in an autumn leaf bonfire. If those kids can do that, I thought, so can I. Mom supplied a few spuds that had begun to sprout ‘eyes,’ and we buried them in a skimpy strip of dirt edging our row-house driveway. Impatiently, as summer dragged on, I watched my precious … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: All Hail the Humble Spud!