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 favorits you may want to investiage… VAN MORRISON, BACK ON TOP Van Morrison’s Back on Top...
MoreAn Irish Slant on the English Language
Terence P. Dolan’s Dictionary of Hiberno-English is not like any other dictionary or, for that matter, like any other reference volume. It’s the first general dictionary of the Irish dialect of English ever published and, in spite of its heady title, a good read for Irish and Irish-American word-hoarders and word-mongers — from the burly longshoremen on Pier 54 to the bifocaled...
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The Player
Some men are defined by how they win, some by their bearing in defeat. For Mark O’Meara, golf’s great grandson of Ireland, his composure on a day of personal loss but team triumph fleshes out a portrait of classical sportsman. The scene at the 17th green on the last day of the Ryder Cup competition at Brookline, Massachusetts was chaotic and at best unfortunate. Justin Leonard of the...
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Boston Irish Fight Today’s Famines
After building a $1 million memorial park last year to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine, Boston’s Irish community is turning its attention toward people suffering from contemporary famines throughout the world. A proposed Irish Famine Institute that blends social activism and academic research is currently in the planning stages in Boston. Organizers want to create a...
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A New Life for an Old Castle
Take a long look and it’s easy to imagine yourself in the heart of some Irish Camelot. Overlooking the rolling green countryside between Gort and Galway city, Cloghan Castle is one of the finest examples of the restoration of Ireland’s numerous castles and old houses. For centuries this 12th century Norman fortress stood in ruins — like many other historic sites in Ireland....
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