Irish America speaks to Larry Kirwan about the Irish Famine's Musical Legacy.Think of any major event in Irish history and a song or two will spring to mind that describes the emotions of a people. Except, that is, for the Great Famine, which left its sufferers at a loss for words to describe their anguish and devastation. With the exception of “Skibbereen,” the musical … [Read more...] about New York Rock Band: Black 47
Black 47
From Five Points Riots and Romance to Alphabet City Punk Rockers
By Keith J. Kelly
IA Newsletter July 2, 2022
IA Newsletter July 2, 2022
Larry Kirwan is All the RageThe East Village of the 1980s will be the setting for the next play from Larry Kirwan, a co-writer and conceiver of “Paradise Square,” whose leading lady Joaquina Kalukango recently picked up the Tony Award for best actress in a musical. “All the Rage” is the title of the new play that Kirwan, an author and the longtime frontman of Irish rock group … [Read more...] about From Five Points Riots and Romance to Alphabet City Punk Rockers
Why Famine Came To Ireland
Thomas Cahill writes on the great catastrophe that became known as the Famine. The mass exodus of people during and following this period would forever change the course of Irish and American history.The potato blight that arrived in Europe in the summer of 1845 was, like the potato itself, an American export. The fungus that caused the blight was a microscopic organism that … [Read more...] about Why Famine Came To Ireland
Musical Merry-Go-Round
It's been a good year for Irish pop music. There hasn't been one big ticket album in 1999--the new U2 effort isn't expected until early 2000--but if you scratch the surface, you'll find some exciting music nonetheless. TOM DUNPHY recommends a few favorites you may want to investigate...VAN MORRISON, BACK ON TOP Van Morrison's Back on Top couldn't be more aptly named. Van the … [Read more...] about Musical Merry-Go-Round
The Greatest Irish Rock Albums of the Last Millennium!!!
By Tom Dunphy
April / May 2000
Gotcha. There was a craze afoot at the end of the last century -- gosh, doesn't that sound strange, especially since it was a mere couple of months ago -- to list things. It seemed like everything -- books, films, plays, albums, inventions, historical events -- got categorized, ranked, compared, collated, crunched, and spat out... The very notion of a "greatest Irish rock … [Read more...] about The Greatest Irish Rock Albums of the Last Millennium!!!