How I failed to make Ireland my home: Mary Mulligan's travels to Ireland and back to America Ever since I retired from teaching with the New York City Public Schools, I’ve thought about returning to my native Ireland for the remainder of my life. Through the years, I have enjoyed summer visits, and dance and writing workshops there. I looked at cottages near Galway, ancient … [Read more...] about Return to America
August September 2010 Issue
Diamond Jim
The charmed life of James Buchanan Brady, who rose from humble origins to become one of the wealthiest men of his day. There have been many times in my life when a situation develops where I fear I am going to fail. Whenever the odds against me seem insurmountable or I cannot think of a solution, I remind myself of an individual who faced complete ruin after achieving … [Read more...] about Diamond Jim
Ted Kennedy, History Buff
As the first anniversary of Ted Kennedy’s death approaches, Thomas Fleming recalls the late senator’s fascination with American history and his desire to share that love with America’s children and his own family. “Is there anyone you’d like to dedicate this book to?” The voice on the telephone was my publisher, David Kane, president of American History Press. He was about … [Read more...] about Ted Kennedy, History Buff
Nobody Hears a Broken Drum
I first met Jason Miller when he was a senior playing varsity basketball at St. Patrick’s, West Scranton. I was a senior playing at St. Patrick’s, Olyphant, a small town about six miles north of Scranton. We used to make small talk during warm-ups prior to the games between the two schools. At the end of basketball season, Miller was named The Catholic League’s leading scorer … [Read more...] about Nobody Hears a Broken Drum
Sláinte!: Feasting with the Angels
Pop quiz: what’s the most popular Irish boy’s name? Odds are, the first one that came to mind was Patrick. Wrong. While Saint Patrick is Ireland’s patron, his name comes in at #18. Go ahead, try again. Did you say Sean? If so, you picked #2, and you get extra credit because Sean is also spelled Shane, Shawn, Shuan, Eoin, Ion, and Ian, all of which rank in the top twenty and … [Read more...] about Sláinte!: Feasting with the Angels