Nearly thirty-eight years ago an exuberant friend named Eddie burst into the office where I was working as assistant to a Hollywood producer commanding, “Come with me right now. I want to introduce you to someone.” Fortunately, I was alone and it was almost five o’clock. As I closed up shop, Eddie paced agitatedly about the room singing the praises of Bill, the stranger he had … [Read more...] about Slainte: The Irish Wake
Slainte Archives
Slainte: Dinner & A Movie
As many readers know, I live in Los Angeles, home to Hollywood and famous for year-round sunshine where even in winter it’s frequently warm enough to get a tan. Personally, I love the dark, cold, wet winter days of more northern locales. A pal from New Zealand – where the climate closely resembles Ireland’s – chides me for belittling LA’s “glorious weather.” Hogwash. We don’t … [Read more...] about Slainte: Dinner & A Movie
Slainte: Holiday Cheer
A family recipe for eggnog that’s smooth as liquid silk, and kicks like a country mule Once upon a time, when the year-end holidays rolled around, no one outdid me in the celebration staging arena. Beginning Thanksgiving weekend, I made dozens of fruitcakes (heavily doused with Irish whiskey and drenched weekly thereafter) and hundreds (sometimes thousands) of cookies. On the … [Read more...] about Slainte: Holiday Cheer
Slainte: Ghosts, Goblins & Ghoulies
Edythe Preet writes on the creepy creatures inhabiting forest, fen, hillock, and shore of the Emerald Isle. When it comes to goblins, ghosts and ghoulies, most folk – without a fluttering heartbeat’s hesitation – will name Transylvania as the epicenter for scary creatures of the night. There’s hardly a soul that hasn’t shivered in fear while watching one of the many filmed … [Read more...] about Slainte: Ghosts, Goblins & Ghoulies
Sláinte! Irish Tree Tales
From space, Earth resembles a big beautiful marble with swirling patterns of blue (oceans), white (clouds), and green (trees). As global warming makes weekly headlines, we are warned of the dire future we face should the delicate balance between the three become irreparably compromised. In a worst case scenario, plants would disappear. In 1657AD, the English scholar William … [Read more...] about Sláinte! Irish Tree Tales