One of Ireland's top hoteliers, Paddy Fitzpatrick, passed away on August 16. He was 72. Fitzpatrick bought his first hotel, the Killiney Castle Hotel in Dublin, in 1971 and turned it into a success. Four years later, he purchased the Shannon Shamrock in Co. Clare, and took it from a money loser into a profit-making property within one year. The Fitzpatrick family owns the … [Read more...] about Hotelier Paddy Fitzpatrick Passes
Dublin
FBI, M15 Ran Secret Informer
The FBI and the British intelligence agency, MI5, operated American spy David Rupert in the Republic of Ireland for four years without telling the Irish authorities. Rupert is the key witness against Michael McKevitt, who will be tried in a Dublin court for directing terrorism. McKevitt is the alleged head of the Real IRA, the Republican splinter group that carried out the … [Read more...] about FBI, M15 Ran Secret Informer
Sarandon and Robbins on Stage at the Abbey Theatre
Susan Sarandon and her partner Tim Robbins recently took their play The Guys to Ireland. Written by Anne Nelson, The Guys, tells the true story of how the author helped a fire captain compose eulogies for eight of his firefighters who died on September 11. The play had a very successful run in New York and Sarandon felt that the play would likely have a particular resonance … [Read more...] about Sarandon and Robbins on Stage at the Abbey Theatre
Farewell to Rosemary
The singing legend Rosemary Clooney died on June 29, after a long battle with lung cancer. She was laid to rest on Friday, July 5, in her hometown of Maysville, Kentucky. Clooney, 74, had been singing for more than half a century. In 1945 when she was 16 she and her 13-year-old sister, Betty, were paid $20 to sing duets of pop songs on a radio station in Cincinnati. At 23, … [Read more...] about Farewell to Rosemary
Bono’s African Journey
Bono wants a major rethink on U.S. foreign policy regarding Africa. The Dubliner and frontman for U2 feels that aid can work but only if the burden of debt is removed, and he took his argument to U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill. When Bob Geldof roused the Western world out of indifference about starvation in Ethiopia, much was made of the fact that he was Irish. The … [Read more...] about Bono’s African Journey