"Irish people didn't get me out of jail. It was English people who got me out of jail." – Paul HillI don't remember Bloody Sunday. I don't remember seeing footage on TV or being shocked by the carnage that left thirteen people dead and a fourteenth who would die later from wounds. How do I explain this? The Ireland I grew up in largely ignored the North. It seems strange now, … [Read more...] about The First Word: Something to Remember
First Word
The First Word:
Now and in Time to Be
"I knew that we were Irish and I knew that Irish was the best thing to be."– Novelist Alice McDermott℘℘℘
When I immigrated to this country I had no idea of the history of the Irish in America – indeed, I had the idea that only someone born and raised in Ireland could call themselves Irish.A Greyhound bus ticket at a cheap student rate that lasted three months and allowed … [Read more...] about The First Word:
Now and in Time to Be
The First Word: Celebrate With Concern
"Every human being has an obligation to help those less fortunate." – George Mitchell℘℘℘ Father Finucane has a warm and friendly face, and a welcoming Irish smile. And he's not at all the type of person to guilt you. But every time I see him, I get a stab of conscience. It isn't anything that he says; indeed he's a most affable … [Read more...] about The First Word: Celebrate With Concern