May 2000 by Irish America Magazine

E 1

; :

_ij The Light Fantastic a

Riverdance Hits Broadway

ffi ffi

ffi

+:I*adj4

ww\M.irlfunds.otg

The lreland funds

r tffiifi i..,#.adq*'+ii fffi :.]ffiX;l&

Aeload

FarYrrd

{,-ffi!ffi ti'''

s E

oC)

tnegF

Anan

Frtrt

ffi

Fhd

Stap

:./.trvvv.irlfundE.or

fio To:

,khat'i

Cdol?

gEerch

oeEth8tionr

PrsDle

t.tII, l Contact

Th* la*l{hd Furrds 3t0rY The

Your mBn€,y

Hou,

til rFply fur

Grl*fiiY to iralrnd

rt $eih

qrtnt

Hlct*q:rn* tr: The lr*larrri F*rrds Wrys to EiY*

Th* tr*lnild f.uads i.€rldr.idE

On-llner \Errr

it:vit*

tr'{}* r{}

l*grl} jt1}d p;:rliciilirte

it"l

ttur clrm*lulrirSi

Crl€ftdtl *{ ev*nt+

Latelit

na*i

M T*rn Innlnrcn FUNBs

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR WTBS!TE OR CALL l.8OO.IRLFUND.

THn InSLAND Fuxps

IHI$H

Aprll

May 2O0O

TEATURE$ DANCING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

All around the world and back to Broadway. Debbie McGoldrick chronicles the Riverdance story from its early beginnings to its arrival

ontheGreatWhiteWay

.:.:

........28

TOP lOO IRISH AMERICANS Our annual list profiles the best and the brightest in Irish America. Interviews include astronaut Eileen Collins (pg. 44); dancer Sean Curran (pg. 50); bookmaker Vincent FitzGerald (pg. 64); talk show pioneer Mike Douglas (pg. 58); ice hockey great Owen Nolan (pg. 70), and Stanford University's Law School Dean Kathleen

Sullivan(pg.78)

s L

.......35

; :

THE FUTURE OF IRISH AMERIGA Peter Quinn looks at the position of Irish Americans as we enter the new

Page

millennium

.....88 : !

THE BATTLE OF MOORES CREEK BRIDGE

!:-

Small bands of Patriot and Loyalist forces formed and fought during the Revolutionary War. Intense passions existed on both sides and the engagements

were often both personal and bitter. The most significant of these encounters was the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge, fought near Wilmington, North Carolina on February 21,1116. Story by . .94

JoeZentner.

....

A TRIP THROUGH THE HEARTLAND As Ireland's popularity as a travel destination reaches an all-time high, Jill Fergus explores the hear{and: the counties of Roscommon, Cavan ard Leifim, whichcanprovide .100

aquieterholiday

........

:,:

Page

AGNES BROWN

Columnist Joseph McBride has a night out with Anjelica Huston's

AgnesBrown

......104

THE GREATEST IRISH ROCK ALBUMS Ireland's U2 and Irish America's Black 47 are just two of the groups who commanded some serious respect for Irish rock music columnist Tom Dunphy's selects the essential Irish rock albums you-should own . . . . . . . . 108

THEN THE WALLS CAME DOWN Books reviewed in this issue include Danny Morrison's story of his life and imprisonment in Northern Ireland; Edna O'Brien's biography of James Joyce, and a samplingofthelatestlrishbooks on

offer

.......

110

DEPARTMEilTS FIRST WORDI By Editor-in-Chief Patricia Harty READERS RESPONDT Letters to the Editor . BLAZES BOYLAN: All the news from Ireland . HIBERNIA: Happenings in Irish America ROOTS: Dunne and Duffy

rage

cRos FoGAL: IrishAmericacrossword SLffNTE:

The joys of an Irish whiskey

LETTER FROM HOMEr By Cormac MacConnell

..7 .8 .10 .16 .98 103 106

118

Cover photo by Len lrish l'

Sundalli March l2m,7pm,o Thursday, March l6in,8pm,, CHANNEL www.f oxf amilychannel.com i

l{i

lennlu

Your Ho[Gs,. ,,,.a.-.:t-

:<=E=

#'*

Your Dreams..

€

Tour I iffan Gial S GGUTiTU into the llert G G ,.1

*= t

€G+

'\sg

rs5 AIB Bank

*:' re

=#1 ::#Fi.: :::??.e:

405 Park Te

l{ew York, NY 10022 (212) 339-8001 (Member FDIC)

The only lrish bank in the U.S. that can service your needs internationally.

The

[*i fr s**:i;,'s

ltyoro

Shall WbEver ?

Patricia Harty

Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief

once

the high moral ground and give uP

if I had anything haPPY to write about. To paraphrase Dorothy Parker, the world has enough happiness in it without our having to read about it in magazines, but I know what he means. I wish I could devote this space to waxing lyrical about our ToP 100: How their success contrasts with the shuggles of earlier generations. And how

their weapons. I wish people would talk more about loyalist decommissioning and the fact that there are upwards of 130 thousand legally held weapons in Northern Ireland (but it's virtually impossible

y English brother-in-law asked me

some of that ancesffal tenacity is imbued

in the likes of astronaut Eileen Collins, whose determination overcame all. I could easily write 800 words saying, "Hey, look at us now, aren't we Irish the greatest? Look at the PeoPle on our list and see how far we've come." I could mention the 'No Irish Need APPIY' signs yet again, and how we've crushed every obstacle and made it cool to be

Irish besides. But once again Norlhern Ireland is in

for a Catholic there to get a gun license).

I wish the British govemment would understand that the army presence is just adding to the atmosphere of distrust and look at parallel decommissioning and demilitarization as a way forward. I wish I could write about those on our Top 100 list who worked so hard to bring the people of Northern Ireland together, not least of all George Mitchell, without fear that all that has been accomplished will fade away. I wish I never had to write another editorial on the North. The fiuth is that the conflict in Norlhem

the headlines, and all congratulatory

Ireland is being left behind by the

thoughts bend under the weight of the depressing news that the new Assembly

world. It is an anachronism in these times of global mindset and eCommerce. The truth is that we are all related in

has been dissolved and the Six Counties

are again under direct rule from Britain.

(Read "Deep Gloom Hangs Over the

North" page 72 in this issue).

I am reminded that no matter how far we have come, no matter how rich or successful or treasured we are for our humor, music, wit and charm, brains and talent, we have one problem that takes the wind out of all our glory sails. There in the background, casting a

those two islands. We are indelibly linked through ties that are familial, geographical and historical. What a shame that we can't extol each other's virtues.

Here in America, English, Irish, Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh immigrants find that they have more in common than not. My own familY now includes two Northemers--one Protestant,

shadow over ouf success is our fail-

I wish the IRA would take

been the cause.

propel us forward, not keep us rooted to the spot. My father would have found it very hard to vote to amend Ireland's constitution to give up its claim to the North, but people just like him, from all

over Ireland, voted to do just that because they believed the future took precedence over the past. The majority in Northem Ireland put aside distrust and prejudice and voted for the Good Friday Agreement and the power-sharing executive. It will be a real shame if a bitter minority, entrenched in fear and hate, keep a whole people from advancing into this new millennium with a fresh will and determination to overcome the past. @

IRISH AMERICA IS PRINTED IN THE u_s.A.

in pointing the finger, but I wish Peter Man-

missioning hadn't

deserrring ofrespect. But the past should

432 PARK AVE. SOUTH, SUITE 1503, N.Y., NY 10016 TEL:21 2-125-2993. FAX: 21 2-779-1 1 98 e-mail: irishamag@aol.com' WEB ADDRESS: http://wvrrw.irishamerica,com

in Northern lreland. There is no value

wish Unionist intransigence over decom-

growing up. My father's stories of the atrocities of the Black and Tans (British army irregulars) held more sway. The peace of the last few years has allowed us a more open view. Grandlather was dusted ofl and given proper recognition within the family. It would be a shame to put him away again. The truth is that the namative is not a one-sided tale-all our histories are

AMEBI[[

ure to move forward

delson hadn't suspended the powersharing executive. I

one Catholic-and two English, one with not a drop of Irish blood and one with Irish parents. My maternal grandfather, a doctor in the British army, was awarded the Military Cross for service in the Battle of the Somme, but we hardlY sPoke of 'that' side of the family when I was

Mortas Cine PRIDE lN OUR HERITAGE Founding Publisher Niall 0'Dowd Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chiel Patricia Harty Advertising Director Patricia Daly Assistant Editor Seth Nye

Contributors Tom Deignan, Jill Fergus. Jack Flynn, John Froude, Tom Hayden,

Joseph McBride, Edythe Preet James G. Ryan' Breeda Young, Joe Zenter. An & Design Director Melissa Cox Design Assistant Katie Porter Gopy Editot John Anderson Financial Controller Kevin M. Mangan

8u2^00,Congers,NewYork10920' lrishAmericaMagazineISSN0884.4240)@bytrishAmericalnc.Publishedbi-monlhlyMailingaddressrP-.0 Fax:2i2'7i9-1198 E-mail:lrishamas@aolcom Edirorialollico:432partnue,sortt,-duitrimirri"*ioit,rrrvrooro.r"l"pt,in",-iii-ii5'2913. Subscriptionraleis$lg.g5foroneyear.Subscriptionorders:1-8Oo-gf-fsfZSulicriptilq*;., (914)2si-34Sl Periodicahpostagepajd.atNew york and additionat maiting offices. Fosimali"i piease smo .r,ang"r to uooirlJio rrittt America Magazine, P 0 Box 200, congers' N Y 10920

LffiYY'ffiffiS The lrish in America As tlre descendant of early kish immigrants who converted to Presbyterianism and subsequently becameBaptist and Mettrodist (in the colonies), I congratulate Rev. Greeley on his fine article "Have the kish Made it in America?' (Feb"/N4ar. issue). He rcminded

our readers that there is much more to the strry of lhe hish in Amedca than escape from Great Famine. The story of the Ulster Irish who immigrated throughout the 1700s is one that often goes untold, I would like to point out

that of the estimated 250,000 who emigrated from Ulster during this period, approximately ten percent were of English descent (mostly Anglican). Ten percent

were native hish (mostly Presbyterian) and the remaining 80 percent were Ulster Scots (also mostly Presbyterian); these eventually became known as Scotch-kish. I would have to respectfully disagree with the notion that the first wave was

primarily Anglo-Saxon. Many of these settlers would have balked at the idea of being refened to as such. Also the religious persecution Presbyterians experienced in Ulster at ttre hands of the Anglican Church went further than just having to pay a church tax. There were periods of time

when they were not allowed to practice their religion in any public setting and their ministers were not legally recognized.

They were even forbidden to perform baptismal or marriage services. The contributions made to education by ttre Presbyterian clergy is also an

important

part of colonial history and worth a mention several univenities including Princeton,

-were founded by them.

Also, many of the initial wave of these immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and only later moved on to cheaper land in the southem colonies. After moving into afrontier area these settlen built

theirchurches and schoolhouses fint. Later, as they continued to move west and south into more remote areas, many Presbyterians joined Baptist congregations. This Cluistian

denomination seemedbetter able to adjust to the demands of the frontier and better suited to the temperament of the settler.

With regard to the Roman Catholics who changed their denominational affilia-

tion to Baptist,

I would

add a word of

caution about over simplifying the cause. There is probably more to this story than simply a shortage of priests. It wasn't that

Baptists were the only choice available and therefore they were better than no church at all. Baptist missionaries were active on the frontier and sought out the

unchurched (many of whom weren't the least bit interested in religion). The depth of the Baptistcommitrnent to the Christian faith no doubt moved people to join with them. They not only kept Christianity alive

The Boy from Southie

on tlre fiontier, but tlrey wue a restaint against

MacDonald who was heartlessly murdered by his partners afterafailedrobbery, notJoe. Joe was a Navy Seal and survived quite well.

the baser inclinations of men at far remove

from centers of government.

[rt's

not for-

I was pleased to read the article on Michael Patrick MacDonald in your Feb./lr4ar. issue. However, it was Michael

Patrick's brother Frank "The Tank"

get however that other Christian churches

Molly Malloy

were also present.

Oakland, Califurnia

Thesepoints aside, Rev. Greeley's article was wonderfil because it pointed out what

popular culture often overlooks; the story of the hish in America is far richer and more diverse than many reahze. P aul Edw ard Lafferry Smallw o o d Cary, Nonh Carolina The primary reason I have subscribed to

IrishAmeicafor a number ofyears

has been

that it has seemed to be the one Irish publication that has not featured articles such as'Tlave lhe hish Made it in America?' This article was nothing less than just anotlrer time wom, notvery subflg degradationof allkish through division by faith. The author's not being able to arcount for 12 million hish Americans, and his rding on "most scholars" to fill that void, shows his lack of historical knowledge. I was dismayed tlrat 1n'sh America felt il'te article worthy of their otherwise fine publication.

On a more positive note, the letter to the editor, by Edward R. Cunniffe Jr., referring to the question of Irish kilts, was right on. A close friend, who was attached to the Canadian Army Piper School confirmed that the kish kilt is saffron ( a distinct color, neither orange noryellow) and not orange. Precious few hish pipe and drum corps in America seem aware of this.

John J. Nagle N ew York

P ort Was hington,

Byrne as Mc0ourt I agree completely with Gabriel Byme's statement (Feb./trIar. issue) that it is a shame that English and Scottish actors were castas Angela andMalachy McCourt Sr. in Angela's Ashes. There are so many fine kish actors who mighthave been chosen; John Lynch, Stephen Rea, Gabriel Byrne himself, to name a few. And there are many fine kish actresses who should have been considered for the role of

Angela, including Marion O'Dwyer, Catherine Byrne, Brid Brennan, or anyof the marvelous women who appeared in

the stage production of Dancing at Lughnasa.

April / May 2000 Inrss Aunnrca. MacezINs

Margot Devaney New York, New York

More on Dev However mysterious the genealogy of Eamon de Valera ("A Closer Look at de Valera," Feb./N4ar. issue), the real mystery is why anyone would call him "one of Ireland's greatest figures." Eamon de Valera was a middling dictator, heland's version ofPortugal's Antonio Salazar. To take the measure of tlptrueman, oneneed only rrcall de Valera's

visit to the German Embassy in Dublin to offer his condolences on the death of Adolf Hitler.

Supported

Maynooth [Catholic

institutionl, smallpetty

holders, and .shopkeepers,

Valera's

ruinous

social and economic policies kept a large part ofheland's peo-

ple in poverty and ignorance. Hundreds

of thousands of Irish people (myself included) were forced to emigrate. The economic situation was so desperate in the '30s that thousands of Irish citizens gladly joined the British armed forces. At least there they found decent food, clothing and a little dignity, more than could be said for the "Free" State. Anyone who

doubts me need only refer to Frank McCourt's An gela' s Ashes. It is not de Valera's ancesffy that deserves

your readers' attention

it's his bitter

legacy. Thomas Donegan

H asting

on- Huds on, N ew York

Corbett's Daughter In answer to a letter that made reference to Gentleman Jim Corbett in the Feb./\4ar. issue, please note that although Flora Corbeft may have been some relation to the hearyweight champion, she was not his daughter. Altlrough Gentleman Jim Corbefi was mar-

i ried twice

to Olive

[:ke fiom

1886 tc 1895,

from 1895 to his death in 1933 - he had no children. Also, it was on September 7 , 1892, not and then to Vera Stanwood

1915, when to the surprise of almost every-

one except himself, Jim Corbett became champion by knocking out John L. Sullivan at the Olympic Club in New Orleans' No matter, though. The writer was right to call attention to Flora Corbett's work in feeding the poor in Galveston during the Depression. Her story is a welcome addition to Corbett family lorc, regardless of how Flora fits into the clan.

For more about the amazing life of Gentleman Jim Corbett, readers can consult Gentlemnn Jim Corbett: The Truth Behinl the Boxing Izgend S.obson Books; 1998) by Dublin-based sports writer Patrick Myler, and an upcoming biography by James American author Armond Fields Boxing Hero: Stage Star, J. Corbett which is due to be published in October of

this year.

RichardT. Corbett Plainsboro, New Jersey

Editor's Note: We have contacted

the Galveston Charnber of Commerce regarding the plaque honoring Flora Corbett, and identifuing her as the boxer's daughter. We are waiting to hear back.

,.,

,..

him as acolumnist Hehas passed onhis deep love for keland to all of his children. One of them, Ethna, runs "Irish Books and

Dublin or New York, we don't know. I-egend also has itthe family name was orig-

inally O'Boyle. We believe there were siblings, and that

Mark Boyle's leaving New York and coming to Michigan, where he was active in the lumber industry; his job was to estimate how some sort of family disagrcement led tc

much lumber there was in a specific stand

of trees. Any information would be greatly appreciated, particularly with regard to his Irish ancestry. Javan Kienzle PO Box 80942 Rochester, MI 48308-0942

Rourke My great grandfather

Babe and his sister claimed that their mother

W. Creamer's Babe: The Legend Comes to Lfe, the author

was lrish. In Robert

writes that Ruth always believed that his mother lKate Schamberger] was Irish, or "mainly Irish," and his sister thought her mother was parlly Irish. The lrish American Almanac also lists Ruth as an important Irish sports figure. I hope that this wee bit of information will spaft some morc rcsearch intrc the grcat one's back-

ground.

Richard Hart Menlo Park, Califomia

Champion of Education How thrilled many of us were to

Ancestral Research

- in Africa India and Ireland. Does anyone have photographs of the Connaught Rangers from

Rangers from 1873-1899

that period? I am also looking for any infor-

Gallagher am interested in leaming anything

-of specifically the country of origin Anthony Gallagher who was born in Ireland in Jan. 1830. He died on October 1902 in Boston, MA. His parents were Peter and Mary Gallagher.

On September 8, 1851 he married Margaret A. Collins (born August 1828 of George Collins and Margaret McBride in St. John, New Brunswick. She died

April 17, 1906 in Boston, Massachusetts. They had six children: Daniel A., James E., George, Peter A., Alice and Margaret C. Anyone with information can contact me.

mation on his parents, Patrick Rourke and Catherine Markey. Chistopher O'Rourke 40 RochAve., Providence, RI 02904

Pvt. Gaffney I would be interested in contacting

any descendants of or anyone who has information on Civil War soldier Pvt. John J.

104th New York at Andersonville Confederate Prisoner of War Camp on June27,1864. He is buried in grave #2553. The 104th New York was formed in upstate New York around Wyoming County.

Gaffney Company

Volunteer Infantry, who died

Beverly F. Gallagher

PatrickJ. GafueY

1229 Meadow Crest Road La Grange Park, IL 60526'1030

3587 Grist CreekWYND NE I'eland, NC 28451

see

Eoin McKieman among tlre'lrish Americans of ttre Century" whomyourecenfly honored.

I feel privileged to know this

James Rourke, was

baptized in St. Colrncille's Church, Swords, Dublin in 1853. He served in the Connaught

In my lifetime (most of the past century)

Swat's" father was German American,

: ,ReSpOnd

June 1854 in New York, possibly in the Albany area. Family legend has it that the family emigrated from Dublin, Ireland, and that his father had something to do whether in with the Water Company

heland itself, and it was only fitting that he be honored as well in his country of birth. Siobhan Ruane Rochester, New York Editor's Notq W e at lrish America couldn't agree more. Eoin McKieman has played an important role in promoting hish heritagg both here and at home in keland. His Last Word column has been a vital part of this magazine for many years and so it is with great sadness that we report his retirement. A scholar to the last, Eoin has decided to

l9ll

Babe Was lrish tom of ttre banel to ttre top of the heap. May we continue to prosper. With regard to a letter from a reader on Babe Ruth's hishness; while "the Sultan of

t,,,,

in Saginaw, Michigan. He was born in

Eoin with us and he captivated all with his expertise in the hish language and his unlimited knowledge of all things Irish. This man is truly revered by many in

the kish in America have gone from the bot-

,,:,'

We me trying to find outany information about Mark C. Boyle, my husband's maternal grandfather, who died March 12,

visited. [,ast year we werc thri]led to have

devote all his time to Irish Educational Services, his latest projec! which allows hish Americans to help educate children in keland.

,,1

Boyle

Media'' in Minneapolis, and anodrer, Deirdre, who is campus minister at St. John Fisher College in Rochester New York, has taken over the leadership of the annual tours whichEoin tookto Lelandfor some 30 years. I have joined this tour several times because a different route is taken each year and many sites not usually seen on other tours are

.', ::.,1:

gentleman scholar with the gentle, unassuming personality, and you too are honored to have

TlfE EDII0B ,'ru*

addtesstonishAmeica,Ll32 ParkAve

So., suite 1503,

New

York, N.Y. 10016. Correspondence should include the writer's full name, address and home telephone, and may be edited for purposes of clarity. E-mail addresses and adresses of readers requesting research material will be

printedinfull.OurE-mail addressisirishamag@aol.com.Ourfaxnumberis(212)

IntsH AnBntcA MAGAZINE

April / May

779-1198.

2000

:i=,

i,i':;.::

-,:;,,,;',:,,,.

FfO m fe an I

28 Yeilrs I sTbo

Lon Tb I

Americans join in the march to remember

+ 1

t 4.,.

Bloody Sunday. reher

'**

*t-,,,

mit

intem.rpted by barri-

cades and gunfire. konically, it is in the Guildhall that the

new tribunal will

Adams. The younger

members

back until there's justice."

convene.

I tn" "u. hil.l six miles outside d country

thc nanre

president Gerry

Derry, the sound of the engine flushes out two big magpies from a tree on the left side of the road. "Magpies - one for somow, two for joy," observes Irish author and activist Don Mullan as the broad black and white wings cross the sky just above

killed

I'ANUARY

30: Derry. As climbs the steep

The marchers are

led by Sinn F6in's

of one ol those on

Despite the good omen near an

ancient Celtic ring overlooking

the city, it is not about to be a

the the

families of

deceased clutch stark

f!*

white crosses with the names of the dead

to demonstrate the determination of the suwivors to keep the

memory the British Ministry of Defence

his car.

Bloo 3=;-1S

has destroyed two of the five remaining guns used by the British army on Bloody Sunday

their

loved ones alive. This year there are nearly 140

American men aird women representing the Ancient Order

of Hibernians in the march. They carry a banner declaring "28 Years Is Too Long To Wait" which they later sign and

his findings and sending his wishes for peace was read at

fired the shots have been destroyed, the hard-boiled

guests to please take the message

New York detective who worked

of what they'd seen in this town

on cases ranging from John Lennon's murder to the Son of Sam killing spree falls silent,

American involvement in despite instructions to safeguard

Ireland is crucial at so fragile

the 28th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Almost three decades after l3 unarmed civil rights marchers

them as evidence. (Of the 29

a time. Gerry Adams, when asked

guns believed to have been flred

if American politicians

were killed by British para-

more have been sold to private

troopers (another died later from injuries), a new inquiry into their deaths will convene. The first The Widgery Tribunal - not only did not punish the paratroopers

companies). It is with this dismal news that

Mullins, who edited the bestselling Eyewitness Bloody SundaH hasjust been informed that

powered rifles. A letter from Breglio restating

counterparts in Derry. The Derry Hibemians ask their

30,

victims.

was premeditated and staged from above the city using high-

the conclusion of the march. Learning that the guns which

home to their respective senators back in the U.S.

involved, it assigned blanle to the

Across town from Reilly on Staten Island (which has been home to both Wolfe Tone and Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa) lives Robert Breglio, a retired police officer and ballistics expert. Breglio three years ago determined that at least a portion ofthe Bloody Sunday slaughter

Hibernian

to their

present

joyful day. It's January

And the American marchers are

already talking about returning next year. "I'm definitely coming back," says Bill Reilly, one of the Hibernians and a resident of Staten Island, New York. "We'11 go

holrls a cl0s!; bearing

Bv Mluneen Seneene

stay involved says that "they should continue their moderate and even-handed approach."

"I'm not surprised,"

should

on Bloody Sunday,l6 have now been destroyed and 10

we make our way to town to join the commemoration. The march is long, some 10,000

people have shown up. It begins at the Creggan shops overlooking the River Foyle. It ends at the

Guildhall where the original

he said.

All Photos: Maureen Seaberg

r::*.

!'t t,r r ,l ttttit! t. ! t t,' t.t titt t ltt'!il-t,il t .ll'ljrt I r!{,itlri ll,t..t: \' i,1t r4ltltr l4t!iltt' l. Itti I ltt! '1t.t t t^ ljtllt.ltt tlt ti.i t. t4:.t t t|!1tlr / tji:tt1t:t'tt ltt..1t!,!.ttt tt.,..., .. t4t l,rtlt.tr t tl|trLtt !, l4t.r:.:ir!t /li I t^u il ljt iir tiht't lrt^r.,.t !:'litt l' :lt'tiitt lr't,\ lritr! ,l;lri'itrrrr

ttl ' '/ t/ rt t t, tttil !l ::i '.t I i. 1t tt t :l ltl i4 /rlFt ./ rrrra ,t. !.r:. tt ^rrt h!.tt. 7? /rl!r /trr; r t.rl, li .r,rfi :1 rr^ti irr^,r.. rr I r, /r,, rrr. |t1. t:.!'. rtit, t1-.it nt,tat lt,r!1 ri.crr tt.t,

march was to end before being The bloody Sunday memorial lists the names ol the victims.

liF'tt.,n

lthti n'n,itrtti.

rtt t!t Lr, /

Jt,inn r

i:i,.

t!.,tttt

| ! l'j l,l

rrF

t 'Y

Few verses evoke the spirit of Ireland like the oftenquoted "An Irish Blessingl'And few artists capture treland's timeless beauty like Edmund Sullivan, the acclaimed Irish-American painter whose works grace these l4slt Blessings omaments. Featuring traditional Irish symbols, including a Z2K-gold claddagb and a 22K-gold Celtic knot, these preciovs Heiiloom furcelain ornaments are crafted in the famed Irish Belleek-style basket-weave pattern. Four golden Celtic crosses form the unique topper. Arailable onfit frcmBradtord Editions, these omaments indude a Certificate of Authenticity. Time<onsuming hand<rafting and a95-flrrng4ay limitation r€strict the number of ornaments available, and strong demand is expected. Your purchase is backed by our 3654ay guarantee. Order now at just $9.99 per ornam€nt (sold in sets of three for $29.97, plus postage and handling). Send no money now. Just complete and mail the coupon.

ao*

Home of The Bradlord Editions and All Thing€ Collodible

02000 The Bmdford EditioN, a division of tie Bmdford Exchmge 38t01-BD

Promptly

Th" Bn*d 9303 MILWAUKEE AVENUE NILES, ILLINOIS 60714

YE s

Please enter my order for "May the Road Rise Up to Meet You," "Mav the Vind be Always at Your Back" and "May the Sun Shine Warm Upon your Face." I undersand I needSENDNOMONEYNOW. I will be billed $29.97* (plus $3.99 postage and handling) n'hen mY set of three ornaments is shipped.

Mr. Mrs. Ms.

Nme

(Plw Pdnl0Bd,v]

Z1P

Slate

Citv

-Home Telephone Nunber (

-................-\-

Check one: Are you purcharlng these ornamrnls

I Foryoumelb 3a'or-nesgor !ortragift?38501-869902 residents add state sales

td.

Pending credil aooroval

Deep Gloom Hangs ver the North The suspension of Northern lreland's assembly and the re-imposition of direct rule from Britain on February 11, have put the peace process into a tailspin. Anne Gadwallader reports on what happened. I\ J.L I-,

ELFAST: A strange and uneasv inertia hanss over the

p.u..;'"...s.

No-one seems

to have the faintest clue how to move forward. Leaks and "spins" abound, but are denied almost as fast as they are printed. Some political parties are play-

in a place where political life has hitherto proceeded at a frenetic

pace, political leaders appear to have simply run out of ideas. No doubt, after a suitable "cool-

o o

ing off'period, when bruised egos

a o o € g

have had time to recover, the inter-

minable round of talks will start up again. But for the moment, a dangerous vacuum pervades the air.

to deny mere media speculation). But the denials leave one wonder-

ment in any review. Intemal Sinn F6in meetings are

except yourself. Those who play this

Northern Ireland's politicians

ingwhatitWAS prepared to coun-

game are denounced even by those who are playing ithardest and fastest themselves. For the frst time in many years,

are instead doing what they do best, jetting offto try and convince

tenance in order trl brcak tIrc impasse.

others, notably in the USA, that they're doing a greatjob and it's all the ottrer man's fault

are mere onlookers as the leader

taking place almost continuously around the country. The mood of these meetings is said to be "angry and confused." Another factor, explaining the

ing the "blame game," the object being to hold culpable everyone

*rat thepeace process has hit the buffers.

The IRA

has

denied reports in some Irish Sunday newspapers that was prepared to

link

its own decommissioning with British demilitarization, or that it was prepared to make a gesfure

disarmament on a day of national reconciliation, or that it would have declared its war over in May.

It's believed the IRA tookthe unusual step ofdenying these reports because of the anger and confusion they had spreadwithin its own mnks

(itrarelydeigs

The people of Northem Ireland

the Ulster Unionist Party, David Trimble, the Northem Secretary, Peter Mandelson, and the leading

Sinn F6in negotiator, Martin McGuinness, all head off Stateside to speak to the White House and "opinion formers." Back home, there is a sense of deep gloom over the feared gradual disintegration ofthe Good Friday Agreement that appears to be

inevitable unless swift avoiding action is taken and taken soon. Within the nationalist community,

at the roof of that fear is that it will never be revived because the Ulster Unionist Party leader, David

Trimble, has finally decided he doesn't want it to work. Geny Adams, the Sinn F6in president, is on record saying he "cannot contemplate the circum-

stances"

in which his

party

would take part in a review, which it considers both illegal and unnecessary. His party's ard comhairle (executive) has ruled out involve-

A young protester outside the Ulster Unionist Pafi oflices in Belfast.

gloom, are signs that Mandelson is bent on making concessions to the loyalist orders in advance of the Orange marching season which is already raising its head in advance of the flrst contentious parade of the year, due in late April.

The selective introduction of

Article I I of the European Convention of Human Rights, which unionists believe enshrines ttre right to march, and a new Parades Commission with a strong unionist slant, are two wonying developments. A disintegatingpeace pn:cess and a hot-and-heavy marching season along with forced Orange parades in Catholic areas, and the RUC quelling protests by residents, add up to a recipe for potential disaster.

The unthinkable that Northern Ireland could descend once again into violence is still unthinkable but there are concems that in six months' time that could

well change.

Gerry Rice of tlre l-ower Ormeau

Concemed Community group, says the dismissive way Man-

delson had treated Sinn F6in, combined with his "barefaced backing" of the Parades Commission, appeared designed to

behaved'l meeting and that

delson hoped to prevent the report

Trimbleknew that apositive de Chastelain report was imminent and had the potential to

being launched at all onFriday. Sinn

F6in says Mandelson planned to use the publication of the first,

avoid a ctisis. He got tlre impres-

negative, report to retrospectively

sion that Trimble would not

justify his precipitate decision to

move until he had read the second report. Trimble also told McGuinness

suspend.

has decided that humiliating and

that Sir Josias Cunningham,

facing down the nationalist People is the least worst oPtion of his time in theNorth. Whatmore will he do to appease unionism before the summer is out?" Rice

theUUP chairman, was coming to Stormont at 3 p.m. carrying his (Trimble's) letter of resignation, but McGuinness had

round of TV interviews, including one when he inexplicablY said the second de Chastelain rePort

appease unionism.

"It looks

as though Mandelson

the clearimpressionthis was not

aserious dangeruntilhe saw the

asked.

Meanwhile, sources close the complex negotiations that

cul-

did

was on his desk, but that he read

hadn't

it.

Thiswas technicallyhre. But saYs Sinn F6in, Mandelson didn't need

torcaditas he alrcadyknew, virually

de Chastelain report.

Northern Secretary Peter Mandelson sus' pended the Northern I reland assemb ly.

Mandelson went ahead and suspended the institutions, then

During the aftemoon, British

word for wonl what it contained and that the Decommissioning BodY now believed it could fulfill its remit.

minated in last Friday's debacle positionandhephonedTonyBlair of suspending the democratic insti- to pass on the news. The IRA state-

civil servants liaised witlt tlrc Decommissioning Body and, as they usu-

tutions set up by the Good Friday Agreement have sketched out chronology of how the day Sinn F6in insists that no understandings on a decommissioning timetable were given during Mitchell Review and that this was

ment was faxed to Blair some time

ally do, together drew up the second

a after 10 am' went' Friday morning: At 11.30 a.m.'

de Chastelain report. Sinn F6in insists Mandelson had full knowl-

His decision, say republicans, to collapsethe executive was based on Mandelson's view that tlp latest IRA

Adams and Blair spoke on the

edge of what it would contain even

offer would not satisfy Trimble.

phone. It was a good conversation.

at this early stage.

Adams then spoke to a leading Irish civil servant and, at about

At about 4.30, Geny Adams spoke to Dublin, Blair, Mandel-

He hoped to forestall the second report and heap all the blame on

made clear over and over again

1.50 p.m', to Peter Mandelson who,

son andTrimble, forming the clear

by then, knew what was on offer.

impression that the British were not going to go for it. He only later discovered that Trimble had given

the

theLllsterUnionistPalty.

Privately,

despiteunionistassertionsothenvise, Friday afternoon: Adams was British sources confirm this is frue. still finessing details of the IRA's "It was a very clear quid pro offerandaskedMartinMcGuinness quo. Trimble agreed to take part in to step in and speak to David Trimthe institutions and the IRA agreed ble on the party's behalf at 2 p'm.

republicans. This planfailed" however, because de Chastelain issued his second

report giving his blessing to the

IRA's latest offer.

ultimatumto Mandelson- get this on the 6 o'clock news, or he

It must be said that this venion of events is hotly disputed by L,ondon, which insists the British govemment

to speak to the Decommissioning During that meeting McGuinness Body. That was it and no more," said told Trimble that there was an IRA

would resign. Adams decidedto getthefact of the IRA offer out into the Public

aseniorSinnF6insource. "At the end of the Mitchell

domain in the vain hope that a positive message would forestall

dealonofferthatcouldresolvethe decommissioning impasse. He told Trimble that republicans

l3-step choreography wort<ed out, which did needed the UUP plster Unionist not include David Trimble writ- Partyl ultimatum to be removed

Mandelson suspending the execu-

resignafion and that the institutions should not oraFebruarydeadlinefordecom- be collapsed. "I pointed David

McGuinness

Review, there was a clear

ing his post{ated lefier of

said.

Trimble to a positive de Chastelain missioning," he report. He said he was prepared to cluonology following is a The events leading up to the suspen- lookatit. sion of the power-straring Executive: "I was convinced that a positive February 10, Thursday night: de Chastelain report would give Gerry Adams, Gerry Kelly, Martin him the opportunity to prevent the McGuinness and seven other lead- collapse of the institutions. The

Sinn F6in says Trimble, alerted by

tnt

until the second report by General John de Chastelain on friday evening at about 6.30 p.m.

"There was talkof various things

onFriday but nothing concrete. We

tive atmidnight.

lain ryport was

did not have anything on Paper

apositive de Chaste-

imminent wanted tlre

suspension before it was published.

He feared the British government would not be able to suspend the

were aware only of vmious possible

forms of words until about ninetY minutes after Peter Mandelson signed the suspension order at five

p.fl.,"

said a Downing Street

spokesman.

As with so much else in North-

IRA's offer was known. There's speculation that Man-

em heland, you can choose whom

institutions once the significance the

tobelieve.@

ing SinnF6in members metinwest difficulty was thatDavidTrimble, Belfast at 10.45 p.m. and discussed having notice of tlrat, decided he wasn't prepared to give it a chance. the outline of the offer Adams 'TVhat it comes down to is that he been given by the

had

IRA.

February

ll,earlyFridaymom- wasn't

prepared to go with that

1.45 positive report into the Waterfront on Friday morning and Adams Hall (where the Ulster Unionist ing: The meeting broke up at

hear

offi-

a.m.

Council was due to meet the following morning) and fight for the fromhiminawestBelfastlocation. Good Friday Agreement' Is the

went into

meeting with hish

cials who were waiting to

Agreement being sacrificed on the This meeting ended at 4.30 Irish officials rang Bertie Ahem altar of unionist division?" McGuinness says it was a "wellto tell him of the advanced

IRA

Sinn F6in posters which went up overnight in west Belfast' lollowing the suspension ol the Assembly.

Mutual of Ar.nerica Life Insurance Conlpany

story in itself),

Bv Tou Detcnnru

FFl| t I I I

HE greal PlaYwright Samuel tBecliett is'usuallY known as the master ot what'i been called "theater of the absurd." But the Dublin-born dramatist would have been hard-pressed to top the wacky literary spat that came to light in the UK

were acffess Imogen Stubbs and politician Ann Widdecombe. They all slammed

the prospect of handing Rowling the

prestigious award which comes

recently.

It involved supermodel Jerry Hall, super poet Seamus Heaney, and super popular kids' book character Harry Potter.

At the center of the row was the prestigious Whitbred book prize, for which Heaney's new translation of the epic poem Beowulf was

Nohel, Schmobel: With the help of supermodel Jerry Hall, Seamus Heaney narrowly avoided losing a prestigious prize to a children's book aulhor

nominated. But as the British and Irish press reported this week, the Whitbred' s nine-person judging

with a nifty f,23,000 prize.

But the pro-

back, calling Heaney backers

descended into a shouting match

once it came to light that several judges were ready to cast their vote for The Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowl-

one entry

in the author's

Phe-

nomenally successful Harry Potter chil-

dren's series. Just last week, on this side of the Atlantic, Azkaban was number 2 on the New York Times best-seller list. The top spot was also occupied by a Potter book, as was number four, a RowlingPotter entry which has been on the charts

nearly 60 weeks. Suffice to say, several Whitbred judges were outraged that the award might go to a popular kiddy book. Anthony Holden, a biographer and judge, threatened to resign if Harry

"pompous," and labeling Beowulf "a boring book about dragons."

of children to read. What to do? Panel chairman Dr. Eric Anderson asked for a vote before the fighting got any worse, and as it turned out,

shall dissociate myself from (the Whitbred) publicly," declared Holden, who added that awarding

Rowling and Potter would be

"national humiliation."

Jerry Hall also emerged as

Harry hater. The leggy, longtime companion of Rolling Stoner Mick Jagger was also a judge (a

for

Irish

Ance s to f S?

\fhy

not use the Ulster Historical Fouirdation's expert, personal service. You will receive:

a bound

teport complete

with all documents acouired durins our search

. swilt and accuraie search . all the convenience ofa

deserves credit for encouraging thousands

professional service

Our netwotk of trained

researchets are

ready to start working For you immediately.

Alteinativelv. vou mlsht Iike to attend our /or?b* E"lasiae lrish Ancestor

Searcltins

which will run from 19-26 Seotember 2000 in both Belfast and OJbtin. This will provide DIY genealogists with the opportuhity for guided archival

.onferenc?"

It'will also-includi a packed programme of lectures, workshops, tours and research.

Heaney.

Searcbing

There were even charges that Heaney's

backers were trying to blackmail the board, according to witnesses, with their threats of going public with the heated disagreement and their own opposition. Some judges then attempted to make the case that the Potter book is actually very original - and that the series

topped the Nobel prize-winning

vociferous Heaney supporter

for its celebrity participants. @

Potterpack shot

panel was rife with conflict. The bookish debate quickly

ing

Heaney had a 5-4 edge over Potter. The panel had previously been criticized

enteftalnment.

TRII'FILTO MFTAND

'Write

today for a fru information park or oisit on *ibiitt taith oria online biokstore:

Guaranteed lowest fares on Aer Uneus Briflsh Ainfavs

Shane

continental ATA charters Colf Packaees Escorted To-urs

Ctt & Eperw

Tel.:00442890332288

UlsterHistoricalFoundation Fax 00442890239885 12 College Square East, Belfmt BTI 6DD

Deeo Discounted

Car Rentals

McAteer

ExecutiveDirector

7t*.fi17.tc16

loo.tiir.qxlJr

E-Mail: enquiry@uhf.org.uk

Website:

www.uhf.org.uk Northern

Ireland

InrsH AIueRtcA MAGAZINE

Charity

April / May

No XN48460

2000

--.l1:i.-:t,

'"'

:'.,',.,,,:','.

',,

.',.7yents

lreland Per$onality and lmage "keland: Personality and Images of an Island" will be the theme of the Intemational Summer School at University College Dublin. The course, which willrun from June

28-Jnly 14, will study the heritage ofthe Irish through the prism

of History, Drama, Archaeology, Music, Literature, Folklore, Architecture, Politics, and the Ar1s.

Events in lreland in May - June The Belfast Marathon

Celtic Spirit Cultural Holidays

Mayt Top nmmnfromaroundthe world compete in one of the most popular athletic events in lreland. The next

June 2'9: ttlalks Through Ancient

day, the Eelfast lnternational Peace Mile

archaeological walks will take place on lnis

will be inaugurated in the city center. Contact 011'44'28'9027'0466.

Times: an 8' day course of

Mor, Aran

The Galway Early Music Festival May Il'14: The "l/olta 2000" festival cel' ebrates music, dance and costume from l2th to l7th centuries featuring international, national and local musicians in concert and on the sireets in

relation of social events and liter-

ary response in Irish history. The recent events of the Good Friday Agreement and the new Northem Ireland Assembly will be part of the total consideration

of the nation's history. The UCD summer school, the

interested adults to an authentic pre-

sentation ofkish culture and history. Since is foundadon, well over

5,000 students and adults from almost 50 different countries have attended, especially fiom the U.S., Canada and Westem Europe.

In addition to

classroom lec-

tures, students will take field trips to the Hill of Tara and the monastic foundations at Monsterboice and

Mellifont in the Boyne Valley, also to St. Kevin's 6th century monastery in Glendalough and

lsland,

Co. Galway. Ad'

The 52nd International Summer School will focus on the

the home of kish statesman Charles

-,.

Stewart Pamell in Avondale, Co.

vance bookings necessary. Con-

Wicklow. The summer school

tact: Elizabeth

held on the UCD campus located in Belfield, about thrce miles from the center of Dublin. Other courses

Zollinger, Tel/ Fax:011 353'99'

will

the medieval city of Galway. The festival includes concerts, work'

61424

shops, street music, dance and historical re-enactment. For more

Tommy Makem

: guage courses, and the Summer

information call 011'353'91'528 166 or e'mail justina@iol.ie.

Summer School of Song

: script-writing course.

Antiques and Collectibles Fair

June 3-10: Mullaghbawn, Co. Armagh.

May 14 & 28: Dealers

lrom all parts ol

lreland selling a wide range of antiques and collectors' items, including silver, porcelain, glass, paintings and prints,

rare books, coins, banknotes, stamps, military medals, etc., will converge on Newman House,85 St Stephen's Green, Dublin. Contact Joan Murray, Te/Fax: 011-353-t-570-8295.

will include the James Joyce Summer School, English lanthere

credit is available ', forAcademic the summer course.

Ballybunion Goll Club, Co. Kerry is lnternational folk artists pay kibute to the spectacular setting lor the 2000 Murphy's hish Open. an inspirational musician. Contact: Peter Makem, Tel:

0ll'44-1593.84804. oldest in Ireland. was fbunded in

Email:slivegullion@courtyard.co.uk

i;;il;*"a"*Lr,'shrdentsand

For information and brochure write to:

Kevin O'Neill Shanley, 8433 Bailey Road, Darien, Illinois 60561. Tel: 7 08-969-4141.

lrish Language Summer School June l0-17: Oideas Gael, Gleann Cholm

Cille, Co. Donegal. lrish language classes for adults at all learning levels

with cultural activities - singing,

Belfast Summerlest 2000

dance poetry and folklore. Contact;

May Z0.June 4: [ntertainment and

Liam 0 Cuinneagain. Teh 01t353-73-

activities through the capital.

30248. Email oidsgael@iol.ie.

Firxnsgams Awake Twenty-five of Ireland's top writers including novelist and

Booker nominee Colm T6ibin,NualaNf Dhomh-

naill, Antonia Logue,

Contach Tel: 0ll- 44-28-9027 -0466.

Writers'Week Listowel May 3l-June 4: St. John's Arts and Heritage Centre, Listowel, Co. Kerry. To promote and celebrate art and literature through readings, music, dance, drama, lecture and comedy. Contac* Mary Kennelly, Tel: 011-35368-2107 4. Far 0ll-353-58-22893.

Bloomsday

Edna O'Brien and Paul

June 16: Numerous venues in Dublin. A variety of events take place in Dublin marking the day in 1904 on which all the events of Joyce's Ulysses are set. Contact: James Joyce

Durcan will be in the

Cultural Centre.

city by the bay for a massive writers festival sched-

uled for May 4-7.

Ie[ 0ll'353'l -8788547.

Far 1 8788488

Galway Hookers Regatta

lrish Seniors Amateur Open June 1-2: I/estport, Co. Mayo. Contacl Golfing Union of lreland. Tel: 011-353-l -2694111. E-maih gui@iol.ie.

June 23-25: Portaferry, Co. Down. A fleet of traditional lrish craft, including some venerable'hookers' has starred in this popular maritime event for 14 years. Contact

Sligo County Fleadh

011-'14-

28-9182 -400.

June 2-4: Ballymote, Co. Sligo: weekend

le[

of music, song and dance

Murphy's lrish Open

featuring competitions in all tradi'

June 29'July 2: Ballybunion Golf Club,

tional musical instruments. Contact:

Co. Kerry. Golfing Union

Kathleen Finn, Tel: 011-3$'n'$541.

TeL 011-353'l'2694111. E mait gui@iol.ie.

ApriU May

2000

Inrsn ANrsnrcn MecazrNn

of lreland.

The festival entitled Finnegans Awake

will

held at Stanford University on May 4 and at the

Golden Gate University Auditorium, San Francisco, May 5-7.

News B H efs

,,,.,:,.,.

. +:*:*:*.peOp|e

Bono on th,e Big. Screen Bono

communicates with him.

of the

Things really heat up

rock

when one of the residents,

anthems from the 1980s and '90s, but can he translate his

who turns out to be the

writing talents to the silver

mits suicide . . . or was

IIRSI Lady and I'lew York Senate candidate }lillary Ointon will also be stepping out to cel-

screen? The answer is a definite yes, as the lrish rock

murder?

WASI|Ii{GT0N, D.C.-based fans of Boma Downev will have dre drane o see dre loudd on Sunday, ilarch

by n'Angel stu in person

12, as the Co. Deny-bom beauty will sewe u grand manhal of the capinlt annual St

Patri*t

oarade on Constitution Avenue

ebnti Sr Paridr Day. I'ln ffnton wil in dre Nevr Yo* Gty pande on

fie

march

lTdr duphe

lingering controveny over the refusal of event

organidn to allow an lrish gay group to take part whih using their own banner. The llew Yod<

cehbration

one of the largest parades

in the world, and annually dnws a whol who

of state and city politkal haden AfiRtSS and grunge rock princes Courtney love

dismayed to lind out that therel no

lrish blood running

frrou$

her veinq and plans

on removing a (eltic uttoo from her ankle.

I'h

love made the discovery whih conducting

genealogy search that revealed her Jewish as

opposed

to lrish roor.

lrish. lt

was a bit of a shock" she says

really thought I

wu ...

HOW did boxer llike lyson explain the hp-

teria that greeted his visit to a black area of London in January? "lf youle . . . a black man from any part of $e wolld and you come

to london, you go to Btixton t0 see your people out ol respect for them alone. lf I was an lrish American I would go to Belfast and I would meet Geny Adamf 0StAR winning lilmmaker l{eil Jordan, cunently enloying rousing critical acclaim Ior lhe End of the

/fai

is prerently at work

on a novel ln his l)ublin home

"ltt had when

you've gotten used to making films, acknowledges,

"but I'm

trying."

Jordan Jordan,

who scooped top screenwriting 0scar honon

lor lhe iying

6ame

1993 doesn't plan on

staying away from lilms for long though. upcomrng Prolect will see Jordan convert second novel from Butchu Boy author

lldabl,

Ercaldatt on Pt

esq

son of a millionaire, com-

fronting one of the world's best-known bands, Bono replied, "I willbebold, but not stupid. I had no idea how much work would be

Festival lastmonth to ahealthy

dose of critical kudos Bono embarked on his new career in a style that manY

involved in getting

starring in the Project

- winner Mel Gibson, is Oscar

who plays an FBI agent investigating the death of a resident of a seedy hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Former NYPD Blue top cop Jimmy Smits co-stars, as

him-

gamer much box-office interProFct didnt critio were practically univenal in giving

the movie a big thumbs-up.

every time I see myself," the Dublin-born superstar said at a press conference in Berlin. Million Dollar Hotel is set in

theyear2030, and delves into the lives of a group of misfits living

dive'

U2 provides several new songs in a run-down Los Angeles the film's soundftack, with one for imagines characters part, of the One though self also has a cameo thathepennedalloftheBeatles' of thetracks pennedby Salman the rock star says he'd hits, while another is convinced Rushdie, the controversial author perform live than in front of does

Milla Jovovich. Bono

rather

director's camera.

.,I

still

wince

his dead Mexican mother

still

who is a close friend of Bono.

Dancing to a New Show hish dance stars Jean Butler

Colin Dunne are best known their former staning roles

for

inRluer-

dance,bat now the dynamic are hoping their American fans

embrace a new project involved in. Butler, an

and

duo

will

they're

kish American

from

level of success as Riverdanc e and Nllchael Flatley' s

t ondon'sWestEndinNovemberand ktrdoftheDarce? ffthecriticalreacwillmakeitsAmericanbowatRadio tion in England is anything to go CityMusicHallinManhatfanforerght by then Dangerous has a way to performances starting on March The show's storyline centen

around

anancientCelticlove triangle, features a cast of over 30

and

dancers,

actorsandmusicians.Thescorewas

go, but Butler and Dunne are two

by the

Adams Beads in

producen.

During his trip to New York at the start of the New Year, Sinn F6in

bled guests. The laid-back, non-

political atmosphere provided

Jean Butler and Colin

leader Gerry Adams took time out of his usually busy schedule to read

Adams fans with a rare oPPortu-

Dunne:

from his published works before an intimate gathering at the Amer

nity to get up close and personal with the Sinn F6in leader. Adams

! o c was introduced by Dr. Kevin Cahill, \Zo director'general of the Society and c

lor

ican lrish Historical Society in Man-

show's

Preparing U.S.

debut.

hattan. Adams, author of several fiction and non'fiction books, also

also the grand marshal of this v

answered questions from the assem-

Day Parade.

year's New York City St. Patrick's

cLo

the most talented kish hoofers in the world and will undoubtedly redoubletheireffortstoensuretheir project sticks around for the long term. After the Radio City engagement, it is expected that a U.S. tour will be

created by hish American Seamus Egan, a top traditional musician, from England, have created a new, whosegroupSolasisalsopartofthe and dance music full-length hish showcalledDancing onDangerous show. Ground. Theproductiondebutedin Will the show reach the same announced

Pat Longlsland,andDunne,originally

into a movie. Joo

I showed it to Mel Gibson years ago and he'sbeenlikeabodyguardtothe project. With a song it's just your own ass you stick out the window; with a film you stick a lotofotherpeople's asses outthe window, too." made.

fledgling screenwriters would envy

When askedif making movies was easier than

frst screenplay, Million Dollar Hotel, premrered at the prestigious Berlin Film star's

the

dan did the sanelor Eutcher Boy,but while

uiff',t#l;

r:,

History

Eaptain Michael R, "Hell Hoaring'n Healy Gaptain Michael A. Healy achieved his greatest lame while serving as the commanding oflicer ol U.S. Revenue Gutter 8ear. He is pictured here on deck.

he early American pioneers braved

high mountains, cold winds and desertheatto go wesl Atttre same time

other Americans were making equal contributions in an even more hostile environment: Alaska and the Arctic waters of the North Pacific. In ships fashioned solely from wood, courageous American sailors braved high seas, strong, bitter, piercing winds, ice floes and Arctic cold to ensue that American justice, protection and senrices reached this unforgiving envi-

ronment.

During this time, the exceptional seamanship and navigational abilities of one man, Michael A. Healy, stand out. This man, a captain in the U.S. Revenue Cutter Seruice, rose to meet the North Pacific's challenge in such a manner as to make America one of the foremost authorities for ice operations and polar transit missions. His seamanship and navigational skills became the standards for the time, and his leadership still personifies the capabilities required by all cap-

i r-

JIE

tains who continue to challenge one of story seems like something out of a Hollywood script rather than real life. Born in Macon, Georgia in 1839, Healy was the fifth of ten children of Lish plantation owner Michael Morris Healy and Mary Elisa Smith, an octoroon slave. The couple lived as man and wife although they were not legally allowed to mary, and sent their

Mother Nature's most demanding maritime environments. To honor Healy's achievements, the Coast Guard has named tlrcil newest polar icebreaker after him. The USCGC l1ealy is the largest ship in the U.S Coast Guard fleet, and will serve as a world-class high latitude research

platform.

A true adventurer and commander in every sense "Hell Roaring" Healy's life

children North to be educated. Several of the

ten siblings went on to become distin-

Captain Healy pictuled aboard Eearwith his oflicers and crew.

*-r'{ t

tf'

uigo n

".'0,l t

ApriV May

2000

'*' j<

-.:1;

i*/"

FII 18

il,

, i;

InrsH Arrasnrca MncazrNn

{ {'

(s ;l\

guished citizens. Three brothers became priests; one, James, became the first black bishop in Nofth America, Patrick served as president of Georgetown University, and Sherwood became an expeft in canon law. Three sisters became nuns, one reaching the level of mother superior. Michael, however, was uninterested in academic pursuits, and in 1854, he signed on as

a cabin boy aboard the American East Indian clipper Jumna. He quickly became an expert seaman and rose through the ranks on merchant ships. In 1864 he was accepted as a third lieutenant in the U.S. Revenue Marine, and after serving on several cutters in the East, he began his lengthy service in Alaskan waters in 1875 on the cttter Rush. In 1811 Healy was given the command of the cttter Chandler. Several other commissions followed until finally, in 1886 he became commanding officer of the Bear, designated the flagship of the Bering Sea Force. If Healy was known as "Hell Roaring Mkel' Bear became legendary as "Healy's Fire Canoe." Built in Dundee, Scotland in 1874 as a sealer and whaler, she was 198 feet

in length and 1,700 tons, with an auxiliary reciprocating steam engine and barkentine rig. Bear was well suited for the Arctic wateru and under Healy's command took patt

in many daring missions including the

Passings rescue of 160 sailors from whaling vessels trapped near Point Barrow, Alaska' Healy also used the cutter to fi'anspofi relndeer from Sibera to Alaska to compensate for declining seal and whale PoPulations - the PrimarY source of food for the natives. The Project began with 17 reindeer that HealY

nn '

( ,-\ \ t r

purchased in Chukchi. Siberia and transpolled to Port Clarence. near Nome. The herd eventuallY

grew to over a half million'

Due to the remoteness of the region. Healy was the U.S. government in most of Alaska,

T. Keuin Mallen T. Kevin Mallen, one of the most respected lrishmen in the U.S., died at his home in Menlo Park'

California on January 18. Mallen, who was born in 1905 in a small village in Co. t{icklow, lreland, was one of nine brothers and one sister in an lrish speaking home. A descendant of three generations of school' teachers, he was a messenger for the lrish insurgents, during the War of lndependence. After graduation from college, Mallen served in the lrish Air Corps tron1922 to 1925. For a time

he worked at the Land Commission and then

and was often called uPon to act

joined the Gestetner Company and represented it

judge, doctor, and Policeman to Alaskan natives, merchant sealren and whaling crews. In 1894, The New York Sun wrote of Healy that he was "a good deal more distinguished a person in the waters of the far Northwest than anY President of the United States... To the Indi-

throughout the 0rient.

ans of the region he stands for the

United States government ... He has time and again suppressed disorder and prevented clime in regions a thousand miles awaY from any legally constituted authority. He is the ideal comrnander of the old school, bluff, prompt, fearless, just. He knows the Bering Sea, the Straits, and even the Alctic as no other man knows them." Though well respected as a commander, in an era when discipline and adherence to rules meant survival, Healy was no stranger to controversy. In 1896 he was

court-martialed for his method of disciplining a disobedient sailor. During his trial Healy stated, "When I am in charge of a vessel, I always command; nobodY commands but me. I take all the responsibility, all the risks, all the hardships that my office would call uPon me to take. I do not steerby any man's compass but my own." He was forced bY the Treasury Secretary to the bottom of the captain's list and put out of the service for four years without pay. By 1900, Healy

was back in command of the cutter McCulloch and in 1902, he was reinstated to his original position on the captain's list. On September 22, 1903, Healy retired after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 64. A year after retire-

ment, he died of a heart attack in San

Francisco.

By Seth Nye

Information and photos supplied by the U.S. Coast Guard. Additional data supplied by Dennis Noble'

He opened the

first

IBM office in the Philippines

and served as its general manager until the outbreak of World War ll. Not yet an American citizen, Mallen enlisted in the Army and was commissioned as an officer and given his U.S. citizenship simultaneously. Assigned to the Pentagon, he abandoned his safe desk assignment to join the Air Commandos in Burma. He received the Bronze Star and a presidential citation for his contributions to the war effort and left the armed forces as a lieutenant colonel' After the war, Mallen joined the Ayala Corporation,

with which he had been associated in the Philip' pines, and opened an office in San Francisco. As president of Ayala Associates, he devel' oped AMPEX, one of the first new age industries on the San Francisco Peninsula, and served as its

Mallen, whose legions of friends throughout the world treasured his wisdom and kind lrish humor, had a lifetime commitment to education. He served as a trustee of the University of San Francisco for two decades, and as a trustee of the College of Notre Dame, Belmont. A benefactor of many charities, he was a pioneer

in securing major funds for charities in lreland and for the preservation of the lrish cultural heritage. ln 1964 he became a founding member and later president ofthe American lrish Foundation, which merged with the lreland Fund to become the American lreland Fund, the leader in lrish philanthropy. He is survived by his six daughters: Wendy Lee of Portola Valley, Patricia Torcat of California, Janice Mallen of Modesto, Margaret and

time. He then had a full career with Sutro and Co.'

Teresa Mallen of Hilo, Hawaii, and Seana Atkinson of London. Mallen's eight grandchildren and eight

serving as vice president and remaining on the board of directors until 1996.

great-grandchildren also survive him. His wife of 50 years, Jane Rice, passed away in 1985.

CEO

for

ra n cis stu

;ffi51iJ,'J:lil ;:::H'il"'JiJil1'il::i: l942to19tA, in which he took a pro-German stance. However, the trish Tineswasforced to retract suggestions that he had made to lreland from

lrish author Francis Stuart died in

early

98.

February in his County Clare home. He was Born on a sheep ranch in Townsville, Australia, Stuart grew up in County Meath, and was cated ai various schools in England. ln 1920, aqe eignteen, he married lsiult Gonne, Oiuqhter of irish nationalist Maud Gonne. Ouriiq the lrish civil war, Stuart fought on repubii..n side until his capture by Free State troops in August 1922. The following year, Stuait puOtishid his first book, a colleition poems'entitle d Vle Have l6pt the Faith.

edu'

the the

Stuart was anti-Semitic following a mid-1990s lawsuit filed by the author. Stuart's literary reputation rests mainly on the novels that he published after the war. Set in Germany ThePillarof Cloud(1948)which records the spirituatjourney of lrish poet Dominic Malone, and Redemption (1949) are among his

strongest works.

ln l95l Stuart moved to London where he remained for seven years.ln 1954, following the death of lseult, who had remained in lreland, he

iater found success as a novel'rst and W.B. Yeats married Gertrud Meissner. He returned to lresaid that he found Coloured Done, one "strange and excit- land in 1958. ln 1986, a year after Gertrud's Stuart's early works, to be personally perhaps death Stuart married the artist Finola Graham. more ing in theme and AtageS8,hepublishedstillanothernovel,ACom' ani beautifully wriiten than any book of Pendiun of Lovers. DuringWorldWarll,stuartlecturedattheUni- Research: DictionaryoflrishLiterature-

oui

generation." versity

Berlin. After the war ended he

was

InrsH Al,tsntca

Robert Hogan, Editor'in-Chief

MRcazINs ApriV May 2000

19 i I

Culture

The lrish American Pub Quiz hile a student in Belfast during the 1980s, Liam

McAtasney became

"t"

fan of the Pub Quiz. Now living in San Fran-

cisco, McAtasney has researched thousands

pub-style trivia

questions, which he uses for the quiz show he hosts and for his trivia Web site. He also supplies "quiz packages" to bars across the country and pro-

vides questions to radio and print media. His lrish-Anerican Pub 0uiz book (Andrews McMeel Publishing) retails for 59.96 and boggles the mind with an array of questions on everything and everybody lrish, from legends to limericks, from Daniel Patrick Moynihan to Daniel Day-Lewis. The following are a few of the questions in the Name That Film: The lrish Connection section. This 1993 film was based on Gerry Conlon's autobiographical novel about the Guildford Four.

4. What character did Stephen Rea play in the

2. ln this 1992 movie Joseph is a poor tenant farmer who finds himself accornpanying his landlord's daughter, Shannon, to America in a quest for land.

5. ln this 1991 film "Bull"

! "r

movie?

What actor's character inherits the 11.

ancient Castle Plunkett in the movie?

3. The title character of this 1996 film

developed techniques of guerilla warfare that were later copied by leaders of independence movements around the world, from Mao Zedong in China to Yitzhak Shamir in lsrael.

McCabe has a

conflict with

wealthy American over piece of land.

6. How many Academy Award nominations did this movie receive?

12. The soundtrack to this 1984 film about the

troubles in Northern lreland was performed by Dire Straits. 13. Who directed the

movie?

7. ln this 1992tiln Fergus, an IRA man, falls for a woman who is not all that she seems.

ANSWERS J0uu03, 0 led

8. Who was the only American star in the movie? 9. James Cagney won an 0scar for his role in this 1942 movie, the life of lrish American composer George M. Cohan

this 1988 film financial difficulties lead the owner of an lrish castle to open it as a

PJ al00l0 Jolad sttttdS tt0tg lpueg alpoog ailluBp

'0t

JalPilrlt FaJol

aweg 6u1hX et11 (rolle lseq JoJ sureH prPqrlu) euo

ppll

10. ln

2000

't '9 '9

ewev ew ul

Ieny

Jeql?t aw

ApriU May

eqt

'tl

Aorg pap o^lpolaq su!iloJ peqrlH

haunted bed and breakfast.

'tl 'zt

pue

Inrsn Avrnrca M,A.cAZrNs I I

F€

ffi F.,* iFli *e'a Fs€ Happen n9s

A Celtic Tradition Continues Old St. Patrick's Church cele-

life of St. Patrick. The one-night

landmark.

will also feature performances by Old St. Patrick's

Event chairs for the evening are Mayor Richard and Maggie Daley,

brates the rich cultural heritage

the Irish with its fourth annual Siamsana nGael, a celebration of Celtic music and story, on FridaY, March 17, 2000, at 8:00 P.m. in Chicago's SymphonY Center. Acclaimed actor Gregory Peck will narrate the premiere of kish

composer Liam Lawton' s The Shepherd Boy, an ePic about the

engagement

Church Choir and the Metropolis Symphony Orchestra.

Proceeds from the benefit be used for the artistic enhancement and campus expansion of Old St. Patrick's, Chicago's oldest public build-

will

ing and national historic

An Angel for Project Ghildren Touched by an Angel star RomaDowney was the special guest at this year's Project Children benefit held in Washington

D.C. inFebruary. Downey was joined by

host

of Irish-American luminaries

belief that spending time in America

where diversity is

the norm -helps them to accept and appreciate differences

Over 15,000 young people have benefited from the organization in the past 26 years, and the organization has now expanded its work to include older youths who are preparing to enter the job market.

"Each summer, a group of Protestant and Catholic university students come to Washington and otherU.S. cities to work as intems in professional offices

including many on Capitol

Hill -

and to get a crash course in American culture andpolitics,"

explained Mulcahy.

Proiect Children have also developed a partnership with and members of Congress who sang kish songs, recited poetry,

and performed selected readings during the Kennedy Center event, which celebrated Project

Children's 26years. Founded in 1975 by Denis Mulcahy, an Irish immigrant and officer of the New York City Police Department Bomb Squad, Project Children brings togetheryouths ffom both communities in Northem heland for

annual vacations in the U.S. The program operates underthe

Habitat for Humanity, and now young men and women working toward certification in the skilled trades come to the U.S. each year to get training from local AFL-CIO affiliates and on-thejob experience as part ofHabitat's construction crews. This

April, a group from Derry is coming to build houses in northwith a Habitat crew. Anyone interested in partici-

east Washington

pating in Project Children should contact: Kathrine D. Fitzgerald: 7 03522.1223 ext. 3026.

Patrick and Shirley Ryan, and Old St. Patrick's Reverend John

Wall.

A Salute to lrish America The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York will celebrate its l2th anniversary with a benefit dinner at the New York Athletic Club on June 7, 2000. Honorees

for

the evening include Raymond

0'Keefe, president, Grubb & Ellis. Founded in 1988, the Tenement Museum is the first museum to tenement and have it desiqnated a National Historic Site. a wide variety of educarestore

tional and interpretive the museum is working to serve and portray the imm experience on Manhattan's East Side in the hopes that it wi call attention to a shared history that has long been ignored, includ-

ing the struggles and achievements of the lrish in America. For more information on sup-

porting this worthy cause, call (212) 431-0233.

Paddy Reilly's Best Music Bar

Paddy Reilly's, the famed watering hole on New York's Second Avenue, which helped to build the reputation of such bands as Black 4'7 and The

Reilly himself occasionally drops in, turned up to cele-

Prodigals, was voted "Best

Wendt of Cheers fame, whose niece Erin pulls a fine pint of Guinness when she's not

Irish Music Bar" by theVillage Voice. Members of the bands featured over the years at the

bar, where balladeer Paddy

brate on February 2. Special guests included radio personality Tony Jackson and George

moonlighting as an NYU student.

:..,,r'''f6rcation

Smurfit School Ranked ongTbp 10 in Europ he Smurfit School of Business, UCD, the leading graduate business school in keland has been ranked amongst the Top 10 European Business Schools by the Financial Times. The aim of the ranking is to determine which business schools are equipped to prepare the intemational managers for the

ale

,l'];:-

Smurlit School director ol marketing, Prolessot Philip Bourke, dean ol faculty and Laurence Crowley the school's executive chairman.

21st Century. The Smurfit School caters to over 1,000 students and a global network of 9,000 alumni, and produces work of national andintemational significance in areas such as eCommerce, employment relations, technology

management and political economy. The institution

also has an American connection; the graduate school recently created a chair in eCommerce for hish Arnerican John Sharkey, and Thomas Moran, president and CEO Mutual of America serves as Chairman of the school's North American board.

fu;g*t<*4

Mitchell Scholars Announced Northem Ireland politics, said of the winners, "each has made a significant contribution to their

Otherfundingcom-

mitments

vard; Gabriel Paquette from Wes-

British govemment

bouche

ars. The winners were recently

community, and shows promise of a future that includes service to

announc€d by Trina Vargo, president

others."

Mutual of America, Bombardier

Univenity in Texas; Rebecca Reichert

Aerospace-Shorts Cross Atlantic Cap-

fromHarvard; l-aela

ital Partner, and Verner Liipfert

vard; and Thomas Vitola from North

Bemhard McPherson and Hand. The

Carolina State.

universities in lreland and Northem keland are waiving tuition costs and providing free

mation on the U.S.-

Ireland Alliance, a Washingtonbased, non-partisan non-profit

lodging. Each scholar will receive an

organization call

Twelve American students have been selected to spend one year

post-graduate study in Irish universities as George J. Mitchell Schol-

of the U.S.-kelandAlliance, which administers the program. Former Senator Mitchell, who played such a constructive role in

Funding for the scholarships comes from a variety

sources,

including the Irish government,

which provided $3 million.

The Boston College campus will once again be alive with Celtic sounds in June, when participants in the internationally acclaimed

have come from the

leyan; Rachel Re-

Sturdy from Har-

For more infor-

fill the air with the lively cadence of step dancing and the distinctive

$11,0ffi stipend, andUSITNow, the hish student travel service, will pro-

music of fiddles, tin whistles, harps, and bagpipes. The popular festival, which will be held June 18-24, offers an incomparable opportunity for students to study under some of the brightest

vide transportation so that the students

Gaelic Roots music, song, and dance summer school and festival will

stars in the Celtic firmament. "The personal quality of instruction has been a key factor in the popularity of the summer festival," according to organizer and BC lrish Studies Music Program director Seamus Connolly, widely regarded as one of lreland's greatest fiddle players. Registration is limited to 300 students and the cost of tuition is 5375. A reduced fee of 5325 is available for children 14 years and under. Call 617 552-0490 for information. Web site: http/www.bc.edu/gaelicroots.

ApriU May

2000

IRrss AuBRrca

MaclzrNr

will be able to travel throughout Ireland, the U.K. and Europe. The winners are Edward Augenblick from Georgetown; Rebecca Blustein from UCLA; Erin Breeze from the University of Colorado; Traci Donovan from Case West-

ern; Mikela French from Boisie State University; Desha Girod from Penn State; Winifred

fromTrinity

Li from Har-

03 -841 -5

492.

',.1,',::,',.',.lgmineDiary,,

Philadelphia's Famine Memorial he Irish Memorial Committee

Philadelphia has chosen award-winning sculptor Glenna Goodacre to create a large-scale sculpture to commemorate the 150th anniversary ofthe hish famine. Goodacre, internationally

of the Irish Memorial Inc. "It is this sensitivity installed in a 1.75 acre park located at Front that made her the ideal arlist for such emotional and Chesffrut sfeets. Signage will accompany the memorial, providing historical background to the and thought-provoking subject matter." The lrish famine, its victims and survivors. The basic profile of the memorial is a large wedge-shaped mass, with the high end facing

west, showing anxious immigrants as they arrived in America, hopeful and eager to embrace opportunity.

renowned lor her work in bronze, the most prominent

The east end depicts the blackest

being the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project in

days, the depths of the misery and

starvation. The figures will be loosely modeled and impres-

Washington D.C.,

was selected from a competitive field of more than 100 inter-

sionistic, and depicted in pedod

dress with long skirts, capes and shawls.

national artists. The Irish memo-

"The tragedy of An Gorta Mor contrasts

rial, Good-acre's largest work to

will feature 25 figures and showcase the kish Memorial will overlook the Delaware River artist's remarkable ability to reflect human in the historic Penn's Landing district, aptly suffering as it defines this historical theme. placed close to the area where many Irish dis"Glenna enables viewers to find their own embarked when they came to Philadelphia. The

with the outstanding achievements and contributions of Irish Americans and provides

date,

me with a unique opportunity to capture the range

of human experience," explains Goodacre. should be ready for installa-

feet The memorial be tion this spring.

way into the sculpture, allowing them to identify silicon bronze memorial will measure 12 with the figures," said James J. Coyne, president high, 25 feet long and 12 feet wide, and will

0ther Gorta Mor Gommemorations

r#j$ltr,ffi

6 omething of an international movement is Roscommon, and many other memorials orated anything lrish. For more information on the Chicago memo\happening to ensure that those who died throughout the country. Dublin has erected a 9 during the Great Famine will not be for- very intrinsic memorial and lreland's national rial check out the website: http://www.irishgotten. ln addition to the famine memorial memorial, to be located in Skibbereen Cork, is famine.com planned for Philadelphia, the citizens of Boston,

being designed by Matt Lamb, who willalso design

I I eanwhile, the Great Hunger Monument M lr.H:T:l':' : :'#ll[ Ji H ;'ffi HT 0'Doherty to render their memorial. 0'Doherty

who is celebrated in lreland for his landmark works including "Anna Livia," the James Connolly Memorial and the Emigrants Sculpture in the center of Derry, has already completed two Great Hunger projects, located in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh, and in Liver-

G-S

pool, England.

Laura Lynn, met with the An Memorial Gommiftee. Governor Ryan is the Honorary Chairman ol the Committee. The memorial will be dedicated later this year in down town Ghicago. Pictured left to right John Moriafi, Sheila [amb, John Brogan, Helen Gashman, Maureen 0'[ooney, Rich Fitzgerald, Rev. Bede Jogoe, Gonsul Fiona Flood, Mrs. Ryan, Governor Ryan, Thomas Scarff, Kevin Morrision, Ghairman of An Gorta Mor. Melissa Blomstrand, Thomas Driscoll, James Kane, Gerry Sullivan and Eamonn Kelly. H. Ryan and his

New York City, Buffalo, New York, Scarsdale,

New York, White Plains, New York, Rhode lsland, Los Angeles and Phoenix have all erected memorials in the past three years or are in the process of doing so. Grosse lle, St. John, New Brunswick and Kingston, Canada, have also erected memorials. Meanwhile there are Famine museums in Cobh, Co. Cork and Strokestownpark, Co.

Gounty.

New York.

the Chicago memorialwhich will be 46' in height and l5' in diameter. The

Chicago memorial is to be designated the U.S. national memorial. Several states are also passing lrish Famine curriculum bills, including New Jersey and California. And in February 1999, the immigration stamp was unveiled in Chicago and Boston

IRtsH Aunnrce

MacazrNe ApriV May 2000

F€*ffiffiffi*€*&Events

The Birth of lreland Did the Irish nation come into existence partly because of a sixth-century volcanic eruPtion 7,000 miles away in Indonesia? David Keys thinks so. In the opening program of a remarkable new series, Secrets

of the Dead (l3/WNET New York) author and historian Keys uses ancient climatic, archaeological and historical evidence, coupled with cutting edge forensic techniques, to reconstruct the

dramatic role the eruption of Krakatoa in 535 A.D., had in the founding of heland.

Keys' research suggests that the volcanically induced climatic disaster that followed the eruption

(the equivalent of 2,000 million atomic bombs) triggered an

unprecedented pandemic of bubonic plague, which decimated heland in 545,550 and 543. The plague, and its enormous death toll, destabilized the hish geopolitical status quo, and had long-

opportunity for post-plague expansion to less prosperous warlords in less fertile and therefore

less densely populated districts,

The John F. Kennedy Center

especially those furthest from

for the Perfoming Arts will

contact with the continent."

present a major festival featur-

The rise of the Ulster/Connaught-borderlands-based Oi Neill was the key part of this

ing artists and writers from

development and led ultima0ely to

the emergence of a relatively united Ireland under Oi Neill's control. "Oi Neill's heland was in embryonic terms the ultimate political ancestor of the modern Irish nation state. But the new evidence suggests that the Oi Neill originally came to power of the epidemiological mayhem of the sixth century," says Keys. Vital evidence for this totally as a direct result

from this time on. "The plague had the effect of reducing population level differences between fertile and less fertile areas. This afforded a rare

ApriV May

2000

from May 13 to 28.It is the

brainchild of former U.S. Ambassador to heland Jean Kennedy Smith. During her tenure as ambassador Smith said that she "witnessed the exceptional

as a dark and

powerfirl drama of pti-

mal passions and desires, Ozl Rartery's Hill will have its U.S.

and she wanted to give Americans

from archaeological and historical material from or related to monasteries in Deny and Ban-

a taste of what's happening. To that end she enlisted the govem-

gor, fortifications

keland who have enthusiastically supported the festival.

Heaney will also make an appearance. In a program entitled 'The Poet and the Piper," he will get togettrer with famed kish piper Uam O'FlynrL and the two will demonstrate two of lreland's most beloved arts.

ments of Ireland and Northern

The celebration

will open in the

land foftresses in

Opera House on May 13 wittr musi-

County Tyrone and elsewhere. Keys has also

cal director Donal Lunny, the band

land, the ancient

Coolfin, and a host of leading Irish and Irish American artists including Mary Black, Steve Earle, members ofthe Riverdance company, Sharon Shannon, Ricky Skaggs, and others. The theme of the con-

script, The An-

cert is Irish music in America

nnls of Ukterand

the beginning of the 20th Century.

inNorthem he-

archaeological evidence from

visual afis exhibitions. The festival, titled "Island: Arts from lreland," will run

has been extracted by Keys

Ages battle sites

ring forts and crannogs which confirm an increase in warfare

theater, music, and film, as well as literary readings and

premiere at the Kennedy Center.

explored Dark

in 45 years. Keys points to

performance of traditional and contemporary works of

cultural renaissance that is now evident in every pafi of lreland,"

and Down, is-

ultimately created thehish nation. Before the plague, things had been relatively peaceful - only 11 battles in 45 years. Immediately after the plague, Keys believes. "all hell broke lose" - 27 battles

Ireland North and South in

new model of Irish origins

in south Antrim

lasting effects on the military and political developments that

lsland: Arts from lreland

from

Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus

Events at other venues adding to this celebration of hish culture will

include a viewing of The Book of Kel/s, on loan from Trinity College, which will be on exhibition at the Library olCongress; the paintings

of Tony O'Malley, which will spring to life at the Phillips Collection, and the visrtoftrc Jeannie Johnston, a replica of a 150-year-

made use of academics and laboratories in Queens

will present The

old triple-masted barque sailing ship that brought thousands ofkish

Northem Voice, with Jean Ritchie

emigrants to New York, Baltimore,

University, Belfast.

and Tommy Makem. kr the classical

and Quebec. The Johnston

music arena, the Irish Chamber Orchesna will perform a new work

visit the Port of Alexandria

has attracted much favorable comment from the academic community.'Take this seriously,"

by composer Bill Whelan, and the

Center Festival.

National Symphony Orchestra will appear in two pop concerts

This amazing festival of Irish culture will include interactive

Professor Donnchadh O' Corrain,

celebrating Celtic music.

leaming programs via the intemet, cooperative in-school programs both in heland and the U.S. and

Although his new work is

radical

in its

Professor

approach,

of History at

the University of Cork, says calling the Irish material uneanhed by Keys "new and exciting." The two-hour segment entitled

"Catastrophe" which may force scholars to redefine the course of hish history will air on May 15 at 8 p.m. on PBS.

Inrsu AusRtce MecezrNs

Other concerts

Theater performances will include

Catalpa, a play based on the true

wiII

Virginia

for three days during the Kennedy

hish

online audio and video perfor-

Fenian prisoners.from Freemantle Penal Colony, and a Druid Company

mances and broadcasts. The web site

production On Raftery's Hill, a new play, written by the highly

center.org/irishfestival.

story of ttre 1875 rescue of the

regarded playwright Marina Can, and directed by Garry Hynes. Billed

can be accessed at http:/&ennedy-

For more information on the Keruredy Center "Island: Arts from . Ireland" festival ca|J 2D4ffi

4ffi

Politics

In [heir Olvn Word,s Presidential Candidates respond to Irish America ma$azine's request to clarify their positions on Northern Ireland. BY MORGAII STRONG. For yeors Northern lrelond wos ignored, but finolly, condidotes for President of the United Stotes understond the importonce of the lrish

Americons ond thot community's desire for peoce in Northern lrelond.

Steve Forbes

"Like so many other Americans who care about the future of the people of Nofihern keland, I have strongly supported the peace process. I care deeply about protecting the civil rights of every single person engaged in this historic struggle. And though setbacks are a given, I am hopeful and optimistic about this whole process. . . . I have spoken out vigorously and repeatedly in condemnation of provocative Protestant marches through Catholic neighborhoods in Northern Ireland. I have also strongly and publicly supported efforls such as Project Reconciliation, which is working to bring healing and for-

giveness and to safeguard the

civil rights of Catholics and Protestants alike.

Vice President Gore

All this I will

"As President, I will continue this administration's commitment to the cause of peace in Northern Ireland."

continue to do. . . It is time for Catholics in

Northern Ireland

..;l ' -!g:a

ryl

to share power in government and all other areas of life." Ed. Note: Forbes is no longer a candidate but we thought his comments would be of interest to readers.

Senator John McCain

"I have consistently maintained that recourse

George W. Bush "I

to violence by paramilitary forces in Northern Ireland is unacceptable, and that any formal

hope that Protestants and Catholics in

peace agree-

Nofihern Ireland find

a way to overcome the remaining obstacles and finally achieve a lasting peace. The United States should do everything it can to help make this happen."

ment must be premised on

upholding the rights

Bill Bradley

and freedoms

"Helping the peace process to succeed is a critical issue for any President of the United

of all the people of

States, and our country can make an impoftant contribution. I was one of the first senators to ask President Clinton to grant Gerry Adams a visa in 1994.It was the right thing to do at that time, and it became a turning point in the peace process. I look forward to continuing to work with you to achieve the just and lasting peace with human rights for all that the people of Northern Ireland deserve."

Nofihern" Ireland. It is my hope that the dream of

Catholic and Protestant alike for an will homeland end to sectarian violence in their peace." of not be destroyed by the enemies @

InrsH AMsnrce Ma,cezrNB

April / May

2000

t;,

.,,i',,;,.'.'...',',:,,

.'.";,'

.:.

:;tt'.

.',:,,':,,,,,,.

Tfave

Itne

Ex-patriate Peter O'Neill, now living in San Francisco, returns home with his American wife and young son. ll of a sudden the rainclouds parted and the elusive sun danced on the indigo waters of Lough Erne. Our small outboard spluttered along, the engine's muffled drone playing background to the quacks and honks of wildfowl. With

like a Sheela-na-gig, pagan symbol of female fertility. But Sheela

the expert indifference of a seventeen-

Clare. Read to him the stone saying, the

She looked

year-old local, our young boatman steered us - my wife Diane, our infant son Tiernan, and me - and a German family toward our destination. At the height of the summer season, we were headed to some of Ireland's most precious antiquities. And we had them all

epitaph Yeats wrote for himself: Cast a cold eye

found elsewhere in Ireland are generally

much more graphic than this bashful

On life, on death. Horseman, Pass by!

Fermanagh one. Her smile, in its own way

The outboard coughed to a stop. We'd arrived at White Island. Ten minutes had nansported us from amodem trailer park/marina to a medieval

remnant. Tiernan oohed

as enigmatic as Mona Lisa's, disclosed little. Like the others, her petrified mouth spoke not a word. Even Tieman had stopped cooing. I flashed on the mantra of the _ North that I'd leamed as a school-

boy in Derry: "Whatever you say, say nothing." What had sealed the lips of these stone

strapped him into his baby backpack and stepped into a copse offfees and

brush.

Fifteen yards later, the brush

conundrums?

cleared. No ticket booth, no Tshirts, in fact, no one. Just us and a stony

White lsland stone carvings, above and right.

to ourselves - a far cry from Newgrange. We'd stopped at that ancient site, not far from Dublin, a few days emlier. A jammed cm park and a steel-and-glass visitors center chockful1 of cards and kitsch had assaulted us. Tours of the ruins were booked solid. On this day, though, we were in the North - in County Fermanagh, home to a chain of keland's most pristine, most inviting lakes.

- like pockmarked cin- stacked chest-high. Fortress?

round of ruins der blocks

Shelter? Altar?

C-',

ducked through an arch and stood eyes

.y"r with eight elongated

etched in high

relielon

I'd read that scholars these

We passed Strongbow Island, one of

reluctant product of

dozens that dot the lough. Norman and Gael had done battle there centuries before. Now solemnhaystacks stood sentry. Elsewhere cows and sheep glanced, then returned to their grazing. Most islands revealed nothing save thick, dark woods. I studied the backbone of Ben Bulben, the majestic mountain to the south. Its far side stands guard over the Willie Yeats' grave. Must take wee Tiernan there on the way to

Catholic education, some of the carvings

2000

wall. For

Unknown to tourists, that is, but renowned among archeologists and historians.

even after years ofceasefire. Serenity was ours to savor.

ApriU May

a stone

ligures

these cawings White Island is almost famous.

figures. Aretheypagan, or early Christian, or a bit of both? To me,

had broken my reverie by voicing her own.

7'/

Yet tourists had stayed away, still pondered mindful of the legacy of political unrest

"I keep thinking that my greatgrandfather was here, right here, more than a hundred years ago. He must have played here as a boy." Diane

surely seemed ecclesiastic.

Ongmmpletewith

crosier and soutane, looked to be a bishop. St. Patrick, maybe. Another's hands

rested on spreading thighs. No bishop this.

Izuss AuBnlcA MAGAZINE

Having paid homage to our Celtic past, we walked out of the ring and beyond the copse to our young boatman. As he tugged at the outboard, we joined the Germans in the boat, then spluttered back to the twentieth century. @

find delight in the beauty

and happiness of children. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

\(llat do you want for your children? A better world? A larger life? Ar American General Financial Group, we put over $111 biliion in assets to work every day to help 12 million Americans build a life large enough to hold their cl.rildren's dreams' For more than 70 years, we've been tl-rere. Providing retirement services, investments, Iife insurance and consumer loans. At American General, the future starts today.

Liue the life J)ou've imagined."'

AvrEnrcAN

GEruEnan

02000 American General Corporalion. ww.americangeneral.com

or 1 (800) AGC-1

1 1 1

INANCIAL GROUP

1 4:t?1

-.t.

a?,.- 4..r::2::,:+ :.. :r

I -'

,...]

1:.:1:'L''+tt""''

All around the world and back to Broadway. DEBBIE McGOLDRICK chronicles the Riverdance story from its early beginnings to its arrival on the Great \ilhite V/ay. 28

April / May 2000

IRtsH Arvrenrc,q, M,q,cazrNe

I I I I II I

n retrospect it all seems so simple and obvious

combining the spellbinding beauty of traditional lrish dance and the tantalizing sounds of lrish music into a full-length

entertainment extravaganza for a global audience who couldn't help but be captivated by the marriage of lreland's

two oroudest cultural traditions. So how come ittookyears and years before the phenomenon

that is Riverdance sprangto life?

"Well,

if it was so easy everybody would be doing it"'

laughs Riverdance director John McColgan. "We initially thought that the show would work for a tour of the U.S., and a tour of the U.K., and then thatwould be it. I don'tthink anyof us could have envisaged it running as strongly as it has for five years' with three companies all doing business, all around the world.'' Thanks to gushing critical reviews and a fanatical legion of admirers, Riverdance, which has just entered its sixth year of

InIsH ANlsnIca

MRcazms April / May

2000

it wasn't for a core of creative and highly-

down time while the judges prepare to

driven behind the scenes talents who

select a winner aren't supposed to cause

were, and still are, intent on providing the

a sensation, and certainly shouldn't

masses with a dynamic form of lrish entertainment that is constantly evolving and changing. Leaving well enough alone

just isn't in their nature

hence the

onset of the show's biggest challenge to

date, a long-term move to Broadway, home to ultra-tough critics and hard to please audiences. But if they love you on the Great White Way then they really, really love you witness the long-term success of shows

such as Cats and Phantom of the Opera

and Riverdance is well prepared

to take its chances and dance its way into the heafts of New York's vasttheater community. "Actually, I think people will be blown away," offers John McColgan, the show's director. -t "tol,.

,or.

existence, grossing

is now one of the highest and certainly one of the most

renowned shows in the world. What started as a seven-minute filler piece for a European song contest has blossomed into a song and dance spectacular that has been seen live by over 10 million people in places as diverse as Sydney and Saratoga, Tokyo and Tallahassee. The show's bank

I I II

f one were forced to describe in two words the reaction to a seven minute number

called "Riverdance" that debuted as part of the Eurovision song contest in April of 1994, "blown away" would do the job nicely. The Eurovision is an annual event that crowns the best musical talent throughout

the continent. The performers who fill

be splashed across the ftont pages ofthe news papers the neK day. But that's exactly what happened after

a couple of lrish American stepdancers named Michael Flatley and Jean Butler commandeered center stage at Dublin's Point Theatre. Dancing to a vivid piece of

music composed by Bill Whelan, in a concept created and produced by Moya Doherty and directed by McColgan, Flatley

and Butler simply electrified the 4,000 members of the audience and the 500 million viewers watching the live telecast throughout Europe. No one had ever seen lrish dance pedormed the way the two lrish Americans

strutted their stuff around the Point. The traditional roots of the dance were very much in evidence, but their bodies moved

and grooved in every which direction to Whelan's rousing, exhilarating score. That night for the first time, lrish dance was

transformed from staid to sexy, from pleasant to pulsating. The art form would never be the same again. "l wanted young men and women attacking with energy something that was from ourtradition, but lwanted the dance to have a modern feel," Doherty says. So what do you do when you have this

mini-whirlwind on your hands that was supposed to fade away meekly,

balance is also tremendously healthy; over 500 million dollars worth of tickets (and counting)

when people are demanding more and

have been sold. Then there's the CD and video dimension lo Riverdance - more

McColgan were taken aback by the massive public hunger for Riverdance. Though each had impressive career

than 6.5 million copies of the

accomplishments before those seven

various show videos have found

fateful minutes at the Point - Whelan composed several full-length TV and show scores and worked with artists as diverse as U2 and the Dubliners,

more?

Quite naturally, Whelan, Doherty and

their way into paid circulation,

while Bill Whelan's Grammy Award winning composition has been purchased by more than

while Doherty and McColgan,

two million fans. Throw in the t-shirts, keychains, programs and other collectibles that are sold at every performance, and an interactive website, and it

grounds in entertainment direction and production - the journey they were about to embark on would soon catapult them into an altogether different league.

becomes quite clear that Riverdance is a multi-faceted

industry just as much as it is a delicious feast of entertainment for the eyes and ears. It would be easy for the show's braintrust to rest on those laurels, to sit back and watch as the prof-

its and accolades continue to stream in. But Riverdancewould never have seen the light of day if

married couple, had extensive back-

"Those days were absolutely crazy," Whelan recalls. "When we

Joan Bergin's costume designs lor the Broadway version ol Biverdance.

i; 1t,'

put the music and dance together for the first time for those seven minutes I certainly got a chill of excitement; I knew we had something good. But nobody expected the reaction we got, not at all." Taking the next step wasn't easy, but there was no question thatthe concept

Aprit / May 2000 InrsH Arrmnrca MecazrNe

of Riverdance was a winner that had to be expanded upon. "Moya and I decided that we would mount a major production and put it on at the Point as inde-

and dance at its very best, producer, composer and director were united in believing that the show had to incorporate

other cultural elements as well.

pendent producers," McColgan recalls.

"lt was always my instinct that

"But the budget was one point five

whole evening of only lrish dance wouldn't sustain an audience for two hours," says Whelan. "l was always interested in bringing in the Eastern European influences that I already had associations with, so Moya and I traveled around a bit and brought Michael Flatley with us. We went to places like Seville and Budapest and developed a new concept for the show." McColgan explains, "We believed that for lrish dance and culture to make the

million pounds, which was unprecedented for a domestic lrish show."

While there was no question that Riverdance was hot, financial backers

weren't exactly lining up to lend their support to a venture that could easily have died a quick death if it wasn't executed properly. So Doherty and McColgan took a leap of faith in their prod-

uct and gambled t800,000 of their own money. "At the end of the day, it was really John's support that made me go ahead with the project," Doherty recalls. Transforming Riverdance from a few minutes into two hours was a daunting, allconsuming assignment, especially for Whelan, who wrote the score in just four months. And while the whole idea behind

Riverdancewas to showcase lrish music

impact we knew

it could make on

world stage, it had to be compared to the

best of other cultures. We felt there was a really interesting dynamic in bringing people together from deep-rooted

traditions who had commonalities on rhythm and dance that might not be immediately obvious, and bringing that

together into a melting pot." Bul Riverdance needed to have lreland emblazoned across its heart, and though

the Eurovision segment offered a revolutionary new way to perform and enjoy lrish dance, staying true to the tradition was always key. "We knew lrish dance had an ability to excite a broad audience," says McColgan.

"But I think we were and have been careful not to cross the line. I think we have

the integrity and respect for the roots of the music and the dance." With Flatley and Butler reprising their lead dance roles, the full-length Riverdance

The Showwas unveiled at the Point on l-995. The cast also included a Spanish flamenco dancer, a Russian February 9,

ballet company, an orchestra of traditional lrish musicians and singers and, of course, a troupe of lrish champion steg dancers who were considered to be among the best in the world. The Point run lasted for 27 shows, and tickets were just about impossible to come

Intss Anaentca M,qcazrNs April / May

2000

by. The critical response was similarly

ecstatic. Riverdance was well and truly ready to leap onto the world stage and deliver itself to a much wider audience.

A nd that's exactly what has happened Ll during the past five years. I lRiverdance has played to SRO

audiences in just about every major city throughout the globe, and has expanded into three different companies, each playing in different venues on any

given night. The show's incredible amount of fame has bestowed household name status on Riverdance, and even

"l think what differentiates our show is that our performers are real people;

they come from a deep-rooted tradition," McColgan offers. "They stand on stage and they are representing their nation and their culture, and there's a sort of inner pride that shines out from They believe in what they are

them.

doing. "

Whelan offers another take. "There really is nothing in the show that any of us can say, 'Oh, that's it.' You know, you find people in Tokyo crying in the audi-

ence during a performance, yet it's not their music and not their dance. There isn't even a tradition like we have in

Not that there haven't been some hiccups along the way, most notably Michael

America of our people passing through the two countries. Japan is completely strange, yet the people there love it. All I can think of is that there is something familiar in the show emotionally that

Flatley's messy departure from the

strikes across all cultures."

more importantly, it has been a major catalyst in sparking the worldwide lrish cultural renaissance.

show late in 1-995 on the eve of its allimportant London debut. Doherty always maintained lhal Riverdance was bigger than any individual performer, and she felt that she had to take a firm stand. Given the superstar status that Flatley had achieved through the show, it surely wasn't an easy decision. "My point of view, as a producer, is that

we simply couldn't reach agreement on a contract," she says. "There were things that were being sought that we felt

we couldn't concede to right across the board." Bolh Riverdance and Flatley went on

to bigger and better achievements; Butler has also left the company and recently created her own show. Dancing in their shoes are world class

champions who must meet exacting standards in order to be even considered for one of the three

troupes.

Between the

companies Riverdance employs 300 dancers; Team Riverdance is well aware that they could easily

double the number of

f f, f hile Riverdance has unquesv v *::?l:"13i[:1,:T,::::: ii]

America has been vital to the show's commercial success and longevity. lt first debuted in New York's Radio City Music Hall in March of 1996, and when ticket demand far exceeded supply, the natural move was to bring the show back for an extended run, Since then, Riverdancehas hardly taken a break from the States. "The lrish American connection was so obvious," says Whelan. "When we talked about doing the show, there was

no question about what direction we were headed in. The lrish Americans I've spoken to who have seen Riverdance say it makes them proud to be lrish, and they

feel a connection to their homeplace through the show." And now, Broadway beckons, and Riverdance has re-invented itself for

the ultimate standard in theatrical achievement. While many of the show's core elements and crowd-pleasing num-

bers remain, Whelan has composed new numbers that will be accompanied by fresh dances. The show will also feature new sets and costumes, two new soloists and a taped recitation of poetry from actor Liam Neeson "We're very excited about it," McColgan

enthuses. "l think anybody

in the busi-

ness that we're in who mounts a major show, it's always their ambition to go

to Broadway. I think our moving

Broadway is really making a statement, and we're looking at it as if we're debut-

ing a new show. We're rehearsing The crearors of everything from the be$n Biverdance; ning and I think the comMova.Dohertv, pany is feeling really ' John McColoan. and Biil whJtan.

energlzeo. The show is currently booked at the Gershwin Theater for a nearly fourmonth run that's scheduled to end on June 25, but don't count on that as a hard and fastdate. The

companies they put on the road, but won't stretch the band any further for fear of diluting the quality of the

advance box office is

show.

for quite some time.

robust, and all indications are that Riverdance could have a home in New York

So what is it about River-

"lf I had gone to a

dance lhal prompts people

Broadway producer five years ago and said I had an lrish dance show, he would have said 'call me

keep coming back for

more and more? What has allowed this show to strike

gold while so many other different types of entertainment fail?

April / May 2000

IRtsH A\4eRrca Macazrlle

some time,"' marvels Whelan. "Times sure have changed." @

This May, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents an unprecedented celebration of lrish arts.

Mary Black joins Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Donal LunnY and Coolfin, members of the Riverdance company, Sharon Shannon, Ricky Skaggs, and more in a spectacular oPening concert May 13.

lsl and

Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaneyjoins Liam O'Flynn in"The Poet and the Piper,"May 17

Arts from Ireland

A KENNEDY

CENTER FESTIVAL

MAY L3-28,2000

U. S. premieres of

vibrant

lrish theater including: May 17-21,Catalpa,by Donal O'Kelley,a coproduction of Red Kettle Theatre Company and Andrews Lane Theatre; May 18-21,On Raftery's H/l by Marina Carr, a Druid/Royal Court coproduction; May 23-27 , Pentecost, by Stewart Parker, a Rough Magic Theatre Company

This event tops the must-do list for everyone who appreciates the culture of this remarkable island. Join us for U.S. premieres of Irish theater, spectacular concefts, evenings with acclaimed Irish writers, and screenings of important contemporary Irish films. Make your plans now to visit \Washington, D.C. for this

Irish Film Festival, May 22-28

--rfr

l,/

'*ol \,,

.V'

*.-:, ll

al i

vibrant celebration of Ireland and Northern Ireland Barry Douglas and Camerata lreland, May 28

production.

Many other performances, plus educational activities, exhibitions of art, and more!

For performance listings and ticket information, log on to httpzllkennedy-center.org/irishfestival or call (2o2) 467-4600 toll-free (8oo) 444-L324 ililililillllllm

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts WASHINGTON, D.C.

The Kennedy Center festival Island' Artsfrom lrel.and ls presented through the generosity of: The Governrnent of Ireland, The Government of Nortlrern lreland, The Dods Duke Charitable Foundatio{r, Delta Alr Lines, and Pfizer' Inc.; and by gifts from The Festlval Committee, includlng: Mr. and Mrs. Bdan P. Burns-The Burns Foundation, Mr. Willtam F. Connell, Mr. Chades M. Cawley-MBNA America Bank, Mr. & Mrs. Mlchael E. Dougherty, Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. KeougJh, Dr. Geofge C. Moore, Mr. ThomasJ. Moran-Mutual of America, and The HonorableJean Kennedy Smittr.

@ I

(G"

Mile M"ith Mile Ralbh

Agaibh)

6"year, more than one million visitors from the United States and Canada

will tour the Emerald Isle. And in every case, we will follow

the grand Irish tradition of offering each one of them c4admfle fdilteone hundred thousand welcomes. This multitude of American tourists makes a big difference for Ireland. Consider these facts: Over the past five years, tourism from North America

to Ireland has more than doubled. And because of it, tourism now accounts for one of every nvelve jobs in Ireland. The bottom line? A fnllT%

of our

GNP

is derived from tourism. And all of Ireland benefits from this

wonderful source of wealth, Most important, we salute all those Irish-Americans who serve as our ongoing "ambassadors of tourisml' Your good word serves

immeasurably in making Ireland the most welcoming place on earth.

For your free Ireland vacation kit, just call:1-800-223-6470

or see us on the web at: www.irelandvacations,com

@ IrishTrurist Board

year's list introduces ur annua Top 100 list is a virtual "Who'S Who" in lrish America. This many new faces and welcomes back Some old favorites. lt encompasses the lrish American communitY and embraces people from all walks of life. There are stories of peace philanthropy and human courage and devotion to children's causes and finding and in Northern lreland. And there are stories from the world of arts and entertainment, medicine with a nod to politics. All those profiled have one thing in common - pride in their lrish heritage. And shows our ancestors who struggled in the last century, the success ref ected in the following Pages that there are no no barriers to the human spirit. The editor'

lnteruiervs: Eileen Collins p9.44 Sedn Curran pg. 50 Mike Douglas pg, 58 Vincent FitzGerald pg, 64 Owen Nolan p9. 70 and Kathleen Sullivan

profiles byJack Flynn, Seth Nye, Darina Molloy, Sarah Buscher and lnlataKanth. Designed by Melissa Cox.

Kate Boo lnvestigctive Journolist

Bealtaine 1999 Festival

winning author Frank McCourt and Irish poets Medbh Mc-

inDingle, Coun-

Guckian and Eil6an Ni Chuillean6in. This past fall Ireland House presented the first annual Ernie O'Malley Lecture Series, which seek to deepen both

tyKerry.While, Katherine Boo uses the power of the pen to bring about social change. An investigative journalist who has

widely recognized for her

worked with the Washington Posl since

musical talents, it is her benef-

1994, Boo focuses on subjects and policies affecting the poor and margin-

icence aimed at pr',oviding young

alized people

strdentswith an

society.

opportunity to develop their

Recently, her

uncovering of abuse and comrption in group homes

for the mentally retarded prompted the

city of Washington to shut downtwohonrs,

and provoked a full-scale investigation by the FBI and Justice Department. Perhaps some of Boo's awareness of social issues stems from the fact that

everything she is today she earned. After graduating from Alexandria's T.C.

Williams Public High School

1982, Boo attended night school while supporting herself as a typist. Later she enrolled in Columbia University where she graduated summa cum laude with a degree in

philosophy and literature in 1988. Her stories speak of hardship and misery, but Boo finds inspiration in the people she profiles and the effect her work can have. Speaking to Brill's Content last year, she said, "I think one way to make people care about a story is to make them feel. . . I'm trying to tell both the good and the bad." The investigations editor of the Post, Jeff Lean, says Boo has "the eyes and ears of a poet, but the soul and heart of an investigative reporter." Bom and raised in Washington D.C., and Alexandria, Virginia, Boo grew up near many of the areas she writes about. She is a second-generation Irish American with roots in County Galway.

prady-Danzig

careers on the right track. The Patricia Brady-Danzig Music Resource Center includes a voice laboratory where singers

can improve their vocal techniques, as well as music listening stations and stateof-the-art computer technology where students can create their own composisides over music classes in several coun-

tries, where she helps to mold the talents of the stars of tomorrow. The daughter of Irish immigrants from Counties Clare and Laois, Brady-Danzig grew up in Albany, New York. Her Irish heritage played a prominent role in her early years. "It is part ofmy soul, thought and attitude," she says today. Among the many honors she's received over the years, Caldwell College in New Jersey has paid tribute to Brady-Danzig by attaching her name to the school's new music center.

Loretta Brennan

Mary Brosnahan Cooliti5n for the Homeless According to the New York Observer, compassion were an industry in New York, Ms. Brosnahan would be its chief executive officer." Indeed, as the executive director of Coalition for the Homeless, Brosnahan daily does battle for the dispossessed. This past

"if

year especially, she has been at the forefront of

the fight against City Hall and what some regard as Mayor Giuliani's draconian mea-

to make

Glucksman

sures

lrelond House

exchange

home-

less people work in

for shelter. An articulate spokesperson,

Brosnahan

Loretta Brennan Glucksman and her

regularly features on national and local

husband Lewis share a strong love of Irish

years Glucksman

television and in newspaper articles. Founded in 1980, Coalition for the Homeless serves the underbelly of New York. Its Grand Central Food Program has served over two million meals, with staff and volunteers hitting the streets on a nightly basis, serving sandwiches, fruit

Ireland House has

and milk to the city's forgotten residents.

culture and together they established Ireland House, the center for Irish Studies

at New York

University. Over seven

hosted writers,

Brosnahan graduated magna cum

artists, politicians,

laude from the University of Notre Dame

series of

cultural programs. Soprano Patricia Brady-Danzig has per-

of the Irish role

American history from colonial days to the present. Brennan Glucksman is also president of the American Ireland Fund, which is dedicated to raising funds for programs of peace, culture, education, and community development in Ireland. She serves as a trustee of both the Trinity College Foundation and the National Library of Ireland, and has led the drive, with her husband, to build the new library at University of Limerick. The Glucksmans have five children and five grandchildren. They reside in Manhattan and have a home in Ireland.

tions. Brady-Danzig also personally pre-

and

Soprono

standing

musical talents that makes Brady-Danzig truly remarkable. Her non profit organization, PBD Associates, sponsors promising musicians and strives to help get their

the past

Patricia

scholarly and public under-

Last year

its

1983 and she briefly worked in

politics before joining the agency. Her maternal grandparents moved

formed in venues all around the world, including two trips to Ireland, the most

public events in-

from the Falls Road in Belfast

cluded readings

recent

by Pulitzer Prize-

Chicago, and her father's family came from Brosna, Co. Kerry.

of which was at the Feile

April / May 2000

IRtsH Arvrenrca

MeceznB

notes Burstyn. "When I visited Ireland [in 19951 I felt at home."

Ellen Burstyn Actness

It was a movie that shook theatergoers to their very cores when it debuted in 1973, and Irish audiences only got to see it last year, when the

censor's

ban was finally lifted.

Who can forget The Exorcist

a bone-chil-

ling honor film

about

girl

young

possessed

by the devil. As the mother of the

young girl, actress Ellen Burstyn gave the performance of a lifetime, a performance duly recognized with an Oscar

nomination for Best Actress.

Born Edna Rae Gillooly in Detroit, Michigan, Burstyn went through several name changes as she flirted with modeling and then acting. As Ellen McRae, she made her Broadway debut and her first screen appearances, but it was her third

husband's name with which she finally stuck and launched her career in earnest. Burstyn won an Oscar in 1975 for her star turn as the widowed mother of a 12year-old daughter in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and that same year she was nominated for a Tony for her stage role in Same Time, Next Year. Trained under method acting guru Lee Strasberg, Burstyn succeeded him as head of Actors' Studio after his death.

Despite starring

such successful

movies as The Last Picture Show and Resurrection, Burstyn found it difficult to get work in the 1980s, and wound up making a series of television movies. From 1982 to '85 she was president of Actors' Equity, the actors' union. The '90s brought more TV work, along with such underrated movies as The Spitfire Grill, How to Make an American Quilt and Playing by Heart,

in which she portrayed the mother of a gay man dying from

AIDS. Burstyn is a third-generation

Irish American; her native

Historicol Society

He's one of the few actors around who could make Satan himself look appealing, but Gabriel Byrne has long been known and off for his smoldering appeal on - in the the screen. His devilish role -recent Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle End of Days showed the Prince of Darkness in a whole new light. And this spring, Byrne returns to his stage roots

A well-respected physician and auth-

with a stint on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten.

He may be one of Hollywood's leading men, but Byrne appears to have changed little since the days when he was wowing female viewers of the Irish television soap Bracken. In a 1987 interview with lrish just a cciuple of America magazine actor arived years after the Dublin-born

or of

some note,

Dr. Cahill is

the

president general of New York's American Irish Historical Society, one

most prestigious organizations

from Co. Cork to New Jersey in 1871. "My deep love of music, :

the

country, and the grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade 2000. The Society works to raise the awareness of Irish Americans of their culture, history and ancestry, and to this end, it

holds regular lectures, readings

and

musical evenings; produces an impressive quarterly journal called The Recorder; and maintains and extensive library. The first American to receive a papal

he said that fame had

award, the Grand Cross Pro Merto

old when I came into this business to let it affect me," he said. This year, in another chat with this pub-

Melitensi, Cahill, as a medical doctor, treated Pope John Paul II. He is also the president and director of the Center for International Health and Cooperation,

in Hollywood

not gone to his -head too much. "I was too

lication, he dismissed the fame

game

and professor of tropical medicine at both

equally casually. "I'm really lucky in that I have been able to do what I've wanted to do and I haven't had to pay the full price

New York University Medical School and the Royal College of Surgeons in

that you have to pay to become a huge star. I don't want to pay it and I never did want to pay it. . . . Fame is not a big deal at all. In fact, it's a pain in the ass sometimes."

Cahill was born in the Bronx and graduated from Fordham University before getting his MD from Cornell. He and his wife Katherine have five sons and five

The variety of roles played by Byrne in his almost 30-year career is testament to his talent as an actor. He has been, at various times, a gangster (Miller's Crossing),

grandchildren.

an Irish traveler (Into the West), and a b aker (P o li s h W e ddin g). Divorced from the actress Ellen Barkin, with whom he has two children, Byrne has homes in Dublin, New York and Los Angeles. But no matter where he lives he says, "Ireland is extremely important to me, it's my roots."

Buseboll

Ireland.

Sean Even if

Sean

Casey never steps

up to the plate in professional base-

ball again, he will

never forget the thrill of seeing his name on a baseball card. When the young New Jersey native and

Cincinnati

of Co. Leitrim, sailed

poetry and lyrical language comes from my Irish genes,"

Americon lrish

Actor

Reds

first baseman was

great-

grandfather James Gillooly,

Gabriel Byrne

Dr. Kevin Cahill

carried off the field in 1998 after sustaining an eye injury in batting practice, there were those who feared

he may not play again. Extensive surgery

on his eye and face put him out of action for a while, and when he did return to the field it was only the starl of a painstaking recovery. And what a recovery! Last year, he was in the race for the National League's bat-

ting crown up to the final weeks of

the season. It was a glorious time for Casey, one that saw him blast 25 home runs and drive in 99 runs for the Reds. For the 25-

Actor

bers dressing up as a leprechaun at his father's insistence. Clooney's success on ER, and subsequently in Hollywood, came

The hit television show ER will never be the same

after years of struggling on failed TV shows, never-aired pilots, and

again for those millions of fans

recurring guest stint on the long-

who tuned in

running comedy Roseanne. With

every week

the NBC medical drama, however,

was simply a dream come

catch up on the lat-

true, and Sports Collectors Digest columnist Chuck Greenwood noted that it was always pleasing to see "good things happen to good people." Born in Willingboro, New Jersey and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Casey is a third-generation Irish American. His father's family hailed from Co. Cork, while his mother's folks, the McCues, came from Kerry. "We sing Irish songs when we get together at family reunions,"

est exploits of Dr. Doug Ross, played by dashing actor

he plunged head-first into the big leagues and followed up a 1995 Emmy nomination and 1996 Golden Globe nomination for best actor

year-old,

notes Casey.

His success as a ballplayer can

traced to his high school days when the determined young Casey holed himself up

in his

parents' garage for hours at a stretch, practicing his hitting on a Tony Gwynn Solo Hitter. It would take his par-

ents

to tell him that "enough

was

enough."

17 in the Irish American household was always a fun time and Clooney remem-

Georqe Clooney .v

with his work on the Quentin flick From Dusk

George Clooney.

Tarantino cult Till Dawn,

When Clooney left

the hit show last year, there were those who feared the show would take a huge dive in the ratings. Occasional rumblings that Dr. Ross is to return for a guest appearance or two keep ER addicts on tenterhooks, but after a near lifetime in television-land, George Clooney is doing just fine on the big screen, thank you very much. The Kentucky native grew up well used to life in the public eye his father Nick - and TV show was a well-known journalist host while aunt Rosemary was, and still is, a highly popular cabaret singer. March

Bill Clinton President

The action movie led to several other parts, including that of a cynical, hardbitten newspaper man who falls for

Michelle Pfeiffer

in One Fine Day;

charming bank robber in Out of Sight; and a U.S. soldier in the Gulf War drama Three Kings. He will next be seen this fall in Joel and Ethan Coen's Oh Brother and in The Perfect Storm, based on the bestselling book by Sebastian Junger. He also heads his own production company, Maysville Pictures.

Dr Timothy Coffey Scientist

William Jefferson Clinton has a secure place in history as the American president who did the most to resolve the

As the director of research at the U.S. Naval Research laboratory (NRL), Timo-

Northern Ireland issue. As a key player in the peace negotiations, President Clinton will be looking to peace in Northern Ireland as one of his

scientifically advanced research in the world. The NRL is responsible for the invention of radar, developing key concepts and technologies for the Global Positioning System, and developing and orbiting America's first intelligence satellite, the Clementine, which provided detailed images of the moon in 1994. The NRL also participates in monitoring the

major foreign policy legacies. He

thy Coffey currently oversees the most

has

been tireless in his pursuit of that objective, and his appointment of former Senator George Mitchell to help with the

process was one of the most inspired decisions of his presidency. Hillary Clinton also has been an active participant in the peace effort, a fact that should bode well with Irish Americans voters in the First Lady's Senate bid. In particular she has been mindful of the role of women, and has hosted women's

groups from Northern Ireland

oceanic effects of

El Nino. Selected to his cunent position in 1982, the youngest

the White House and spoken at a conference on women in Belfast. Quite apart from his peace efforts,

President Clinton, who traces his Irish roots to Co. Fermanagh, will also be remembered for the St. Patrick's Day

scientific director in NRL's history, parlies held at the White House during his tenure. At last year's event all the major Northern Irish leaders attended, as did key members of the American Irish community.

influential members of the scien-

tific and national

Coffeyranks among the country's most

April / May 2000 Inrss Aunnrcn MacezrNe

His

numerous awards include the

Franklin Institute's Delmar S. Farney medal in 1991 for national leadership in science and technology. He also received

the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award and has been recognized by two presidents with the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service.

Dr. Coffey received his

bachelor's

degree in electrical engineering from MIT, and an MS and Ph'D. degree from the University of Michigan. His paternal grandfather emigrated from County Cork and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Billy Collins Poei In describing his poetry in an interview with The New York Times, Billy Collins points out, "I think my work has to do with

attempting, all the logical, rational path

a sense that we are

time,

cteate a

Another big break

He attended Holy Cross College

security communities.

through the day. To the left and right there are an amazing set of distractions that we

usually can't afford to follow. But the poet is willing to stop anywhere. . . . And it's that willingness to slow down and examine the mysterious bits of fluff in our lives that is the poet's interest."

before earning

came

doctorate in

ful animated movie, onto a Broadway stage. Julie Taymor,

the show's director,

immediately thought

The author of five books of

him to work with her

and

is also a visiting writer

of Cuny and asked

Sarah Lawrence College.

on the project.

poetry, Collins' most recent work is Questions About Angels which won the National Poetry Series publication prize. He has had poems published in magazines including The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Poet-

ry,

American Poetry Review,

and

Harper' s. He is also a recipient of fellow-

ships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. A third-generation Irish American with roots in Counties Cork and Waterford, Collins credits his heritage with giving him "a sense of identity with a pre-American past." He has traveled to Ireland several times and for the past six years he has brought students to Ireland to study Irish literature and poetry at University College Dublin and University College Galway.

Michael Curry

triumphs was his most recent, when he oversaw the artistic direction for the Times Square Millennium 2000 event in New York City. The show includeda20-

foot belly dancer, a 9O-foot snake and even a huge African elephant as part of the entertainment.

fourth-generation Irishman whose

Kery, Cutry loves Irish music and plays the mandolin.

relations are from

Although he's never been to the land of his forebears, he hopes one day to visit Ireland and see where his people are from.

Michael Da ly Born in Bethesda, Maryland

routine could induce broad smiles, outright laughter and even sheer amazement from children and adults alike. Michael

Updike, E. Annie Proulx, Edward Hirsch and Richard Howard. Playful, witty and always human, his poetry still remains large enough for insights of profound

But perhaps, one Curry's greatest

Columnist

Puppeteering has come a long way from the days when a simple "Punch and Judy"

over such literary luminaries as John

1997, when

bringThe Lion King, their wildly success-

Puppeieer

That Collins' examination also seizes our interest explains some of his success. In the same interview, the Times halIed this Irish American as "the most popular poet in America." His poetry has won

Disney decided to

romantic poetry at the University of California at Riverside. He pursued a cateer in teaching, writing on the side, and joined Lehman College at the City University of New York in the early 70's. He still teaches there today

Curry is among the very best in designing some of today's amazingly lifelike puppets that have entertained audiences around the world. The renowned puppeteer has brought his substantial talent to many of the world's leading enteftainment companies, including Disney, Nickelodeon and Buena Vista Pictures. It was Cury who was a driving force in bringing puppets to lile on Broadway in the smash musical The

Lion King.

Today, Cuny runs his own company (Michael Cuny Design and Sculptural Engineering), that he began in 1986. Originally

a successful

figurative sculptor,

Curry quickly found even

intensity. The son of an electrician, Collins was

success in the puppet game. His work has been seen, among other places, at the 1996

born in New York Hospital where, as he is fond of pointing out, the poet William Carlos Williams worked as a pediatrician.

Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta and at Disney theme parks in Florida and California.

1951,

Michael Daly is nevertheless a true-blue New Yorker down to his toes, and his columns in the New York Daily News arc ample proof of this fact. After graduating

from Yale University in 1974, Daly got

his first newspaper job with Flatbush Lift in Brooklyn. He then worked for the Village Voice, the Daily News and New York magazirrc. He spent what he jokingly refers to as "too many years" writing a novel, Under Ground, which was published by Little Brown. Daly then returned

to the Daily News, and has also written for Rolling Stone and Talk magazlnes as well as the hit TV show NYPD Blue. He is maried to Dinah Prince and the couple has two daughters, Sinead and Bronagh. The family

lives in Brooklyn.

Inrsu AnmnIcA MAGAZINE ApriV

May

2000

Daly has made many trips to Ireland, the most recent in December with his

homes in Connecticut and Santa Fe.

Cork-born father. His mother, whose fam-

Maureen Dowd

ily came from the North of Ireland, is buried in Leeside City. When Daly was a youngster, he attended 16 grammar schools in as many places. "During my family's many moves," recalls Daly,

Columnist

"Ireland remained our psychic home.

One of the most compelling writers in America, Maureen Dowd can usually be relied upon to put a humorous spin on

Ireland remains my spiritual touchstone. My children deem it'cool."'

even the dullest of events. Her "Libetties" column appears twice-weekly in the New

York Times, and her acerbic efforts won

her a Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in

Brian Denn ehY

April of last year. The daughter of

Actor

an Irish

cop,

Award from "Women, Men and Media" at Columbia University in l99L She also received a Matrix Award from New York Women in Communications in 1994, and was named one of Glamour magazine's Women of the Year ]n 1996.

Karen D ufry Actress Whether it was her three years as a quick-witted MTV VJ, her numerous film and television roles, her modeling careet, or through her writing, Karen Duffy has made her mark in a number of areas. Also

Last year Brian Dennehy wowed New

Dowd began her

known as "Duff," this Irish American

York critics and fans alike as Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. The distinguished actor of stage and film even beat out muchfavored Kevin Spacey (The Iceman

journalism career

beauty has graced the covers of numerous

Cometh), to walk away with Broadway's highest honor, the Tony award.

The burly actor has

a string of

hit

theater productions to his credit, including Brian Friel's Translations on

Broadway in 1995. His numerous film credits include Presumed Innocent, F/X,

Gorky Park, Cocoon and Best Seller. He received an

Emmy nomination for his sterling work on that

production. His role in Peter Green-

away's Belly of an Architect won him the Chicago FilmFeslivalAward as Best Actor.

In an interview with Irish America, Dennehy cred-

ited his father, "a real Gael" who worked for Associated Press for 30 years, with introducing "the exotics" like him to Irish literature "the best of Joyce and Flann O'Brien, them all."

His grandmother Nell O'Reilly

as an edi-

national magazines, as well as written

torial assistant for

pieces for YM, British Esquire, and Cosmopolitan. She had a staning role in Disney's Blank Check and appeared opposite Jim Carrey in the huge hit Dumb and

inl914

the Washington Srar. She went on to cover sports, features and metropolitan

Dumber. She recently

stories. she

In 1981 moved to Time

magazine, after the Washington Star closed.

In August 1986, she joined the New York Times as a correspondent in its Washington bureau. After covering two presidential campaigns, she was appointed a columnist of the paper's Op-Ed page in 1995. Dowd received the Breakthrough

appeared in

Woody Allen's Celebrity, and previously worked with Allen on Husbands and Wives and Alice. Currently she has a leading role in Nancy Savoca's comedy The 24 Hour Woman She is Revlon's latest "Charlie girl" and a spokesmodel for Almay cosmetics. She feels most proud of her work, though, as a correspondent on Michael Moore's Emmy Award-winning television show W Nation. Although blessed with great success

Roma Down eY

Actress

Derry-born actress Roma Downey, a big hit with fans of her CBS drama Touched by an Angel, got the chance to return to her roots this season when the show filmed an episode set in Northem Ireland. The "peace" story aired on February 13,

life inspired by ancient Celtic texts.

The

album is doing very well internationally. Downey has been playing the celestial Monica since Touched by an Angel debuted in 1994.

The show's message that God loves each and every one of us has millions of

viewers tuning in every week. She and her young daughter Reilly live in Salt

Lake City,

with Roma taking the show to Washington

Utah,

where Touched by an Angel is filmed. But Ireland is never fat from her heart. The many Irish organizations Downey supports

emigrated from Co. Waterford and his grandfather "Big Dennis" Dennehy "was a real Cork man, loud and very sure of himself." Dennehy named his own production company Saoirse (Irish for freedom) in honor ofhis grandfather "who had nothing when

where she had a spe-

he came here and built a life for himself." Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and raised in Brooklyn, Dennehy attended Columbia University on a football schol-

recording debut last

annually brings child-

"Healing Angel," which has the actress delivering

ren from Northern keland to vacation

arship. He has three daughters and has

uplifting meditations on

cial viewing

Liam Neeson introduced the show. Roma also made her

year with

L 40

for

members of the government. Irish actor

April / May 2000 ImsH Alrasnrca MRcazr.IB

include Project Children, which

in her career, Duffy has

had

to overcome personal hardship. In

1995

she was found to have a mys-

lesion t terious on her brain

stem and spinal I cord. Aftercount less doctor's evaluations she was diagnosed nine months later with sarcoidosis of the

central nervous system, a condition so rare that its sufferers are measured in the tens. Having to undergo treatment with steroids and chemotherapy, Duffy admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that it was difficult dealing with the life-threatening disease, but she has continued to persevere. Duffy was bom in New Jersey to developer Phil Duffy and his wife Carol. She stafied out in her career as a recreational therapist in Greenwich Village, where she still lives with her husband John Lambros. She is a fourth-generation Irish

American, with Irish roots in County Cork. She is a member of the American Irish Historical Society and in regards to her heritage she states, "My head is held high and there is a buoyancy in my step, because my heart is full of admiration, inspiration, and respect for my forefa-

thers." Her latest trip to keland was in November of 1999.

Limerick

written two other books, Subway Lives and Two Seconds Under the World, an account of the World Trade Center bombing. Dwyer, who attended Fordham College

played a key behind-the-scenes role in bringing about the first IRA ceasefire. He also funded the setting up and initial running of the Sinn F6in office in Washing-

and Columbia University, lives in New York with his wife Cathy and their two

ton, D.C.

daughters, Maura and Catherine.

Jim Flanigan

Philanthropist

In an era when philanthropy

Jim Dwyer has a major best-seller on his hands with his new book on the reliability of DNA evidence. Written in con-

junction with Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, Actual Innocence has been called "an alarming wakeup call" by Publishers Weekly.

Dwyer, who won

the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1995, shared the same award

in 1992

for metropolitan reporting. He joined the New York

News in

Daily 1995,

has

suddenly become big business, Charles "Chuck" Feeney has helped to bring

home the importance

The publicity has died down somewhat in the intervening years (which

is probably just how he prefers things), but the New Jersey born

will

always be remem-

Susan Flanigan Scholarship.

Feeney sprang public

in 1996, when

it emerged that he had donated over

$600 million, a of his personal wealth, to create the fourth-largest philanthropic

huge portion

organization in the U.S. The anonymous donor who had given huge sums of money to educational insti-

tutions and charitable foundations was unmasked after the chain of Duty

A native of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Flanigan exploded out of the high school football ranks, where he was Wisconsin Player of the Year and USA Today AIIAmerican. He went

on to become

one

of the top defensive players for Notre Dame, where he received an Honorable

Free Shops he co-founded was sold. After Feeney's address to the lrish

Mention All-American. Flanigan didn't allow football to get

America Business 100 luncheon three years ago, in what was a rare

in the way of

academic studies,

appearance for one so publicity-shy,

either, and as a Management major he earned Dean's list honors. He also found time to compete on the track team in the shot put. Drafted in the third round in 1994 by

New YorkTimes cohtmnist Maureen

Dowd, described his desire for anonymity as "startling in an age when people stamp their names on every available surface." Feeney holds both Irish and

times a week.

Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University and the University of

Kerry-born father

quarterbacks consider a career change, Flanigan is busy making sure that people know how to read. With a belief that having the ability to read can transform a person's life by giving them greater understanding and wisdom, Flanigan formed The James Flanigan Foundation which focuses on an ideal known as Literacy for Lfe. Programs

Mission '99; the Flanigan Foundation Book Review Club and the James and

quietly.

American citizenship and

a much bigger project off the football When he's not busy making

include the Great American Book Drive,

millionsaway...

where his columns now appear three

The son of

times in his career, but he also is tackling

that the organization has championed

bered as the man who gave his

into the

As defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears, Jim Flanigan has been a team leader in sacks and tackles numerous

of giving to field.

Corporate America.

businessman

- Less known is his role in magnanimity. the Irish peace process where he was one of a small group of five Irish American business, labor and political leaders who

Literocy Advocote

Cha,rles Feeney

eye

Jim Dwver Columnist '

benefited from Feeney's

and Galway mother, Dwyer has written extensively about kish affairs, and traveled to Nofthern Ireland in 1997 from where he broke the news that an IRA ceasefire was in the cards. He has also

well

known for his support of Irish causes. Three Irish universities

his

the Chicago Bears upon graduation, he quickly became known as a tough and aggressive player, and a major force on the team.

his Football is in Flanigan's blood father was linebacker for the Green Bay Packers bnt so too is literature. As he

InrsH ArranntcA MAGAZTNE ApriV

May 2000 4l

points out, "My life is rich, but it would not be nearly as rich without the words I have known and the things I have learned from reading. Reading and imagination go hand in hand, and imagination inspires hopes, dreams, and determination."

Adrian Flan nelly Tolk Rodio Adrian Flannelly has been a fixture in radio broadcasting to the Irish American community for the past 30 years. Born in Co. Mayo, and emigrating to the United States when he was seventeen years of age, Adrian is a member of one of New York's best-known political families. His uncle, the legendary Paul O'Dwyer, was a renowned civil rights activist and former City Council president, who later served as New York City Commissioner to the United Nations. Another uncle, the late William O'Dwyer, was Mayor of New York from 1945 to 1950 and was appointed Ambassador to Mexico by President Hany S. Truman. A journalist, marketing communica-

tions specialist and entertainer, Adrian has been a regular

visitor to

Society.

He has been the reclplent of numerous awards within the American kish community including being named Man of the Year by the Ancient Order of Hibemians. March 17, 1997 wu declared "Adrian Flannelly Day" in New York City by Mayor Giuliani, and Flannelly was named kish Man of the Yew 1999 by the New York City Board of Education.

Jqmes Flannery "A manly man who still

quality about him at 63, this son of Irish immigrants was into Celtic before Celtic was cool." Thus wrote lhe Atlanta Jour-

1380

and

worldwide

on the web

IRISHRADIO.COM

present

plat-

form for discussion of the crucial issues

America,

and

provide kish America with an opportunity to explore its culture and heritage. Guests on the show over the years include Presidents Clinton, Reagan and Carter. The Chieftains, U2, actors Liam Nee-

Lara Flynn Boyle Aciress Television writer David E. Kelley certainly has the Midas touch when it comes to hit shows, but if everything he touches turns to gold it's also due in large paft to the actors who populate his prime time programs such as Ally McBeal and The nails district attorney Helen Gamble,Lata Flynn Boyle is just one of the ingredients who help Kelley win accolades and

nal on one of that city's most famous residents: James Flannery, Emory University's world-renowned Yeats scholar. It was Flannery, the founder of the Department of Theater and Film Studies at Emory, who turned Riverdance creator Bill Whelan on to the beauty of Yeats when he enlisted the help of the young

composer

for his Yeats Festival in

theater festival ran from 1989 to 1993, and drew wide acclaim. Flannery, who in 1976 published the seminal book on Yeats' drama, has an equal appreciation for music. He grew up listening to Irish tenor John McCormack and is himself, a performing artist of some renown, having recorded a double album of some 40 melodies of Thomas Moore, the Trish poet and lyricist. As a boy Flannery loved to sing and was a three-time winner on the old Ted Mack radio show. He attended the Yale School of Drama and after that studied Irish theater at Trinity College in Dublin. A proud Irish American whose parents hail from West Clare and County

WTBQ 1110 AM)

son, Carroll O'Connor, and Roma Downey and writers Dominick Dunne, Frank McCourt, and Mary Higgins are all among the many celebrities and dignitaries that have appeared on the show over the years. Flannelly has also used his popular shows as a conduit for reforming visa lotteries and immigration laws. He is a founder, in 1985, of Project hish Outreach which under the auspices of the Archdiocese of New York helps kish immigrants. Fla*elly seryes on many boards including the Emerald Isle Immi-

has a sprightly

homes of the Irish

His programs (1ocally on WKDM

Americans love about Ireland is the people. There is a real cult of personality in lreland. and the worst thing you can say about an Irishman is that he is boring."

Practice. As sharp-shooting, hard-as-

Scholor

Dublin. The now-defunct international

week since 1970.

affecting the Irish

Theatre, and the American kish Musicians

the

in America every

A.\

gration Center, The National Museum of Catholic Art and History, the kish Repeftory

Offaly (his father fought for Ireland and came to the U.S. on the run,

arriving in Connecticut in the late 1920s), Flannery

lives in

Atlanta

with his

awards from all sides.

Born in Davenport, Iowa and raised in Chicago. Boyle began her acting career upon graduation from The Chicago Academy for the Arts. Her films include Equinox, Red Rock West, The Road to Wellville and 1998's breakout hit Happiness. Her recurring role in Sunday night's The Practice, however, is what has introduced her to her biggest audience yet. This past year Boyle has also made headlines for her ongoing romance with actor Jack Nicholson.

A third-generation Irish American, Boyle traces her father's roots to County Mayo his mother was a Shaughnessy. Asked-if her Irish ancestry has had an influence on her, she jokes, "Of course, I can sleep through anything." She

has

this magazine: "I

been to Ireland twice, in 1990 and 1991, and named one of her three dogs Rory. She shares a home with her mother, Sally Flynn Boyle, who is also her manager, in Los Angeles.

think what most

Continued on page 47

wife,

Ildiko, and

son

Ciaran. He said in

an interview with

April / May 2000 Inrsn AupBIcR MacazrNs

...f'F -*#''#'"* g ,r ,IE,G *{F

{ .d. -s

{

.=#

Wnu,',

the difference? For one thing, we recognize that when you're traveling to Europe on business, you don't

have any time to waste. So, we provide same-terminal connections to more than 30 destinations in Europe. We also

spare you the hassle

of Immigration lines by pre-clearing you before you return to the U.S. Of course,

since

the only real way to cater to your needs is on a one on-one basis, you'll just have to fly us to truly appreciate what we mean. And discover why so many people who never thought of us for business travel now don't think

of anyone else. For reservations, call I 800-IRISH AIR or call your travel agent.

NOW, FLY WITH US AND EARN AMERICAN AIRLINESi AADVANTAGEE MILES

Aer Lingus

www.aerlingus. ie

fT-If '

Eileen Collins,.the first female to command a

I h e 'llr il.g;ffit*1f#,Tlil t ht Stuff *in.l';'

$p;d*i

ugust, 1999: NASA,

Texas:

Eileen Collins looks a little tired and it's no wonder. America's first female space commander has

been caught

in a whirlwind of

publicity since she retumed to earth some three weeks before, having successfully led a crew of four astronauts on a mission to deploy the

Chandra X-Ray Observatory, a telescope expected to unlock the deepest secrets of the universe. She has just completed 47 interviews back to back (Len kish, who took our cover photo of

Collins, says she was one of the nicestpeople he ever photographed - "no fuss"), there's a televi-

sion crew waiting for her to put on her space suit, and to top it off Collins has a cold. "I caught a cold in space, and I still have it. I'm trying to get the doctors to figure that one out," she chuckles, assuring me that she's not tired at all.

Talking about the space program is some-

thing that this energetic woman with soft reddish hair and warm brown eyes loves to do. "I could sit here for hours and talk to you about it," she says. "I think the space program is critical to people around the world. Look at our mission - we took up this telescope, it looks at x-rays, it tells us all about these high-energy objects like neutron stars, quasars, different galaxies, it can tell us about

black holes,

can tell us about the missing

mass in the universe."

The other important consideration is that the progam allows scientists the opportuni-

three female pilots at

space

Eileen Collins is one

ty to study the earth from space. "There's so much we can leam about the earth from

NASA, and one of 34 women amongthe24T astronauts to fly on the shuttle. When she blasted into space some very special women were soaring with her in spirit. Known as the Mercury 13 women, they passed rigorous haining and medical testing in the early 1960s, but never flew into space. "It's a lot more sane these days," Collins,

space," Collins says. "We can see erosion and

pollution. We saw jungle being bumed in South America * we saw fues everywhere. When we first flew our space missions back in the sixties the island of Madagascar was completely forested and now the land has been cleared. Is that good or bad? That's for the scientists to say. But you can see it from space and you can tell people." Then there's the space station that the Americans are building. There are some major

components up there already, according to

Collins. The shuttle has made two trips already and once the station is completely built the shuttles will be going back for logistics; resupply, and crew and science transfers. It's easy to see that Collins loves herjob. "I

love it, I absolutely love it," she emphasizes. Michael Collins, the ashonaut who tookpart

in the trip to the moon, can't be reached for comment on his namesake's historic mission. He's "a fisherman these days," his wife Patricia (whose mother is from Mayo)

tells me on the phone from Florida.

The

younger Collins ran into the reclusive elder in the halls in NASA, but the two didn't frgwe out

ifthey

are related or not.

It is

known that Michael Collins believes that there are other

*. -

NASA has changed its policy since the days

when Michael Collins' contemporary John Glenn defended its bar on women. Today

there

€A

"It

life

forms out

- does Eileen? almost seems to

me, just from a pure sci-

entific point

view,

chances are there is

maybe

scopic

Eileen Collins and her husband Pat Younqs at this magazine's "lrish ol the Century" hash in Decemher.

44 April / May 2000 IrusH Alrasnrca MecezNe

an immediate fluid shift, Collins tells me. "After the main engine's cut off, your face gets fat, your eyes look small. Hair goes up. Your legs get skinny. Food floats around in your stomach, because you don't have gravity pulling everything down.

"My back stretches - I get stomach awareness. It's not painful, it doesn't bother me, but I know it. So the fnst feeling is the physical. The second thing is looking out at the earth. And that is just breathtaking. Mostly you see blue ocean and white clouds. But then you'Il see land. And then you'll look for signs of whatever you're looking for - in our mission it was coral reefs and erosion." Collins tells me that she has a favorite trick that she likes to do in space. "I'11 put my face right up against a window, so I can't see anything else in the shuttle, and I'll put my arms out, and my legs out, and I feel like I'm flying over the earth with no spacecraft. "And it's really neat. You feel like you're Superman flying over the earth."

life

just micro-

life. I

who carried a flight pin belonging to one of the Mercury women on her trip, asswes me. "A lot of the medical experiments that are being done are voluntary. And if you decline an experiment, it does not affect your career." Ever wonder what does happen to a body in space? The first thing you notice is that there's

STJPERWOMAN

thought is just mind

Collins didn't take her first flight until she was 19 - on a commercial airline with her mother. "I remember thinking 'so this is what it's like up here,"' she recalls. The following

boggling."

sunmer, she saved a thousand dollars working

don't

know. Either there is or there isn't. And either

at paft-time jobs and signed up for flying lessons. A year later she got her license, and went off to the

Ail

Force in August

1978 to

fly jets. She wanted to be a combat pilot but the military having just allowed wornen to join the Air Force wouldn't hear of it. However, Collins did become their first female test pilot. Ask this soft-spoken woman about breaking into the all-male domain and she shnrgs, "Sure, there were a couple ofjokes." Her fathel says his daughter never has a bad word to say about anyone, and Collins refuses to elaborate. Any macho attitude she may have encountered was rnore than likely matched by her detennination. During hel time in the niilitary she eamed

the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, two masters degtees and several service medals including one for flying home American medical students who had been held hostage in Grenada in 1983. All the while she kept the dream ofjoining the space program within her sights. "When I was a child all the astronauts were men," Collins remembers. "I really adored them and I wanted to leam about their families - what theil wives were like, what their kids were like, and what they did before they became astronauts. How did they get selected? And it wasn't until I got in high school that I started wondering, hey, what's going on here? Why can't women do this?" Finally, in 1990, twelve years after she

joined the military, NASA invited Collins to be their'first female pilot and she was ready. "My hrst flight rendezvoused with Mit', but

didn't dock. And my second flight docked with Mir', and we did ashonaut tlansfer and logistics transfer. It was just incredibie," she recalls.

FROM ELMIRA TO MIR When she furally blasted off into space, Collins had come to the end of a long, long joumey, fuither than most people realized. As Jay Leno said when she was a guest on his show, she didn't have Yale handed to her on a plate. Collins wolked to pay her own tuition first at community college and then at Syra-

InrsH AueRtcA MAGAZINE ApriU

May 2000

you."'

And I said, 'Mommy's going to be back. I'm Although she doesn't go around talking about going into space; you're going to be able to see it, the strong Catholic values that Collins grew me on TV. You can talk to me on the phone, Though she dislikes the word "disadvan- upwithstayedwithher."Ithinkthewayyouare you can talk to me on the radio,' and I said, 'Daddy's going to be with you the whole time'' taged" in relation to her upbringing - she says, as a person really speaks for itself. And I like 'tMe were poor but we were not disadvan- live by Christian-Catholic ideals and attitudes, And he was. He managed to get off work the whole time." taged"- Collins shows that an impecunious stafi like helping people whenever you It helps that Collins' husband, Pat Youngs, in life can be overcome with determination "Whenever you're in trouble," she 'Just tum it over to God and lei Him take care is also a flyer. The couple met in 1983 when focus. The woman that would become the they were both stationed at Travis Air Force female commander in space grew up in a gov- of it for you." For good measure she took beads Base in Califomia, flying C-141 cargo transmarble rosary York, mother's Connemara project, Elmira, New emment housing in port planes. They married in 1988 and today the second of four children. Her parents split her into Maybe it was her faith that kept Collins calm Youngs is a pilot with Delta Airlines. when she was nine and the family went on "He's not 100 percent kish, but he does have stamps for a while until her mother got a cleri- on her most recent job Irish heritage," she tells me. "Bridget is "Five had elecsome seconds after lift-off we an in cal at the conectional facility Hermother,RoseMarie,hascommentedthat trical short. As soon as the conhollers (com- named after a relative on my father's side." the walls of the apartment in Hoffman Court puters that send commands to the main engine) When her daughter was bom, Collins had both cuse University. And on top of that she aged to save enough money to pay for

lessons.

man-

flying

'We're here for you, we love

can.

and first

space.

food

her with

mission.

Elrnira.

werepaperthinandshecouldn'twaittogetout

says,

get a power intemrption they fail and

they

sidesofthefamilywritedownalltheinterest-

ofthere, but her daughter remembers different- don't come back on. So of the three engines ing names on their relevant sides. "Bridget" won out, and Collins added Marie for her ly: "Welivedontheedgeofthecitynexttothis thatthe shuttle has, two of those engines matemal gandmother Marie Reidy. beautiful little creek. There was a football field, DidCollinspanic?"No.Wewereverycon- "Myfather'smother,MarieReidy.toldmeas and woods..." And of course, there was much as she could remember about heland and fident. When we heard the call, 'you've National Soaring Museum and Harris Hill

the fiom

that would instill the dream of flight in the young girl. "I'd watch the gliders and I would say, well, maybe some day I'11 get to do that,"

controllers."

lost lost

"Whenever you're in trouble just turn it over to Cod and let Him take care of it for you."

Collins says. In the meantime she read eveiything she could about flying. "I real-

ACI

ly got to love flying when I

started reading

this controller's down and that controller's

about pilots - women pilots, military pilots. I read about Amelia Earhart, and Bessie Cole-

models for me." The parents remained friendly after the split

we knew exactly what to do. I was extremely confident that if we had another failure after that I knew what to do." Confident as Collins sounds, her father tells me that she mentioned to him that God had played a part in landing the troubled shuttle. Probably the most difficult part ofthe operation for her, she says, was the frustration ofnot

and although James Collins, a postal worker, couldn't contribute much in the way of money

flying. There were several aborted attempts before the shuttle finally took off on that

to his family, he paid for his

mission.

man [the first African American pilot] and about the military pilots who took part in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Those military pilots became role

children's

Catholic school educalion. "I wasn't there for them that much and I didn't have anything in the way of money but I paid for them to go to Catholic school because I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do,' he says.

In high school Collins excelled at science and math, and her advice to young women today is, "Don't put limits on your dreams. Explore a lot of different areas in school

languages, sciences, math. Just because everybody else is or is not doing it isn't a good

enough reason. You have to find what you like. Because you will be really good at something if you really love doing it." Coilins also stresses the important role that parents play: "My parents weren't perfect, nobody is perfect, but at least they said to me,

April / May 2000 InrsH AnIenrcA

down'

sensor's off, you've lost redundancy

"It's quite tiring - you get up, and you go tkough your briefings, you suit up, you go out to the launch pad, you climb in, you strap in, you lie on your back, in our case, for four hours while we waited for weather and/or problems to clear. And then when the scrub is called, you end up lying on your back for another hour while you reconfigure the systems to get them in a position to try the next day. And when you get out you go back to astronaut crew quarters and you desuit, and you've only got a couple ofhours left in the day before you need to go to bed."

And then there's Bridget Marie. "I'm told I'm going offto space for five days, but I'm in quarantine for seven days. And my daughter isn't going to see me. She can't see me in quarantine, because we're medically isolated. So I had to tell her what was going to happen.

MAGAZINE

husband and

I went over

there for a golf toumament. I said, 'Oh, let's go to County Cork and look up Collinses in the phone

book,' but there were so

many Collinses

the

book that we gave up." Space has wiped the ancestral history detail from her head, Collins claims, but her father

fills me in. "Railroad workers on both sides of the family," he says. On her mother's side the family is fiom Clare, and on her father's side they hail from Cork. James Collins doesn't see anything in his family background that would have produced such an ace. "I was driving in my car all alone and I turned on the radio and it was Eileen talking about the space station and I was just in awe of her," he tells me, "Here she is a national hero and she's my little girl."

EPILOGUE Collins and her husband Pat flew in from Houston for our December 8 "Irish of the Century" dinner in New York. As we go to press she's deeply involved in a technical assignment related to computer and data systems for astronauts and has greatly reduced

time for interviews or media. She's in the queue for another space mission. "Typically astronauts and certainly the commanders go

into rotation," Doug Johnson from NASA tells me, adding, "I wouldn't doubt that sometime in the next year, especially with Eileen's capabilities and experience she'll be back in space."

And that's one place that Eileen Collins (D

loves to be.

Continued from Page 42

!filliam Flynn Pecce Broker

the opportunity to

that Vice President Al Gore will

appear on CNN, the History Chan-

pursue.

Gore already has a dedicated cadre of Irish American suppofters who appreciate

nel and

Bill Flynn has tirelessly continued his quest for peace in Ireland over the past several years. As a result the Mutual of

America

chairman

has become as well known in Irish political circles as he has in

several other national tele-

the important role he has played in the Clinton administration's search for

vision and radio networks

peace and justice

discuss Irish topics.

Golway was born on Stat-

in Ireland. He was an influential voice urging

and

President Clinton

Terry

en Island,

the business world.

now resides

A key figure in the U.S. delegation that worked to broker the

Maplewood, New Jersey with his

leader Gerry Adams

wife, Eileen, and their two children,

and many

first IRA

ceasefire,

Kate and Conor. Golway's matemal grand-

original staff mem-

Flynn in his capacity

father was from Bundoran, County

bers of Irish extrac-

as chairman of the National Committee

to grant Sinn

a visa in

Donegal. His paternal side is believed to

be from County

Cork. Eileen and

the

Sinn F6in president Gerry Adams in

couple's two children enjoy dual citizenship - Irish and American, through her father who emigrated to the U.S. in 1929 from County Cork.

1994. Flynn has also led two delegations to Northern Ireland to push for economic investment and peace in the region.

AI Gore

on American Foreign

Policy, was instrumental in persuading President Clinton to grant a U.S. visa to

native New Yorker with roots in

Counties Mayo and Down, Flynn is a past chairman of the Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.A. and has been a board member of several organizations, including the American Cancer Society Foundation, Co-Operation Ireland and the Catholic Health Association of the United States.

This publication chose Flynn as Irish American of the Year in 1994, and named him an Irish American of the Century, this past year. In 1996, as Grand Marshal,

Flynn proudly led the New York

St.

Patrick's Day Parade up Fifth Avenue. He holds an M.A. from Fordham University, and he and his wife Peggy have four children and ten grandchildren.

Terry Golway a

tion have

his

filled

key positions

this administration and played important roles in shaping Irish policy.

As the likely Democratic candidate succeed Bill Clinton, Irish Americans will be watching closely this year's

presidential race and the policies on Ireland

win all of Tennessee's counties.

Vice President to

-t

Tom Fpley NYFD Fireiighter Last year Tom Foley was featured in The New York Times when he and Police Officer Romano Amleto went over the side of a l7-story building to rescue two

construction workers whose scaffolding

had collapsed. Descending by ropes, Foley and Amleto grabbed the men, safe-

bringing them to the ground. Foley

earned widespread praise for his actions,

Wriier

Teny Golway is

1994,

As vice president, Gore has won acclaim for his quiet but extremely effective handling of the office. The son of former Tennessee Senator Albert Gore, Sr., Gore was raised in Carthage, Tennessee and in Washington, D.C. In 1984, Gore was elected to the Senate, and was re-elected in 1990 after becoming the first politician in history to

columnist and editor

for the New York Observer, the

F6in

Jesuit

weekly magazine, America and author of three books: The lrish in America, Irish Rebel and For the Cause of Liberty. GoIway has also written for American Heritage, The New York Times, Daily News, Boston Globe, and other publications. Golway's books are prominent in Irish history. Irish Rebel is a biography of the Irish revolutionary John Devoy, and For the Cause of Liberty is a history of Irish nationalism. Golway's perpetual knowledge of the Irish has presented him with

but feels he is no hero and that he just happened to be the man chosen by his captain to go over the top that day. A nine-year veteran of the NYFD, Foley had made a name for himself not only as firefighter, but as a rodeo rider. Foley's interest in the cowboy lifestyle came from working on his grandfather's farm in upstate New York. In addition to riding bulls, he is a competitive powera

-l{,

when he was in the third grade. A secondgeneration Irish American, with roots in

Offaly, he is a member of the FDNY

lifter, and also finds time to skydive. People magazine featured Foley as one of

Emerald Society. Foley's brother Danny is also a New York City firefighter. Foley

the sexiest men at work. Foley says that as soon as he's maried he will stop the bull riding and jumping out of planes. Born in the Bronx, -Foley moved to West Nyack, New York with his family

bonds and to treat others with respect. In

feels his Irish-Catholic heritage has helped him to produce strong family 1989, he visited family

Ireland and

found he had too many relatives to count.

Inrsu Auenlca

MRceztus ApriV May 2000

Roseanne Haggerty Pqte Hamill Common Ground

Writer

They say a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Roseanne Haggerty is a recognized leader at trying to repair one

Pete Hamill has said that writing is "so entwined with my being that I can't imagine a life without it." His earliest ambition, however, was to be an artist/cartoonist and he brings this passion for painting to his latest work - a biography of Diego Rivera, the great Mexican artist/muralist. Hamill began his writing career on June 1, 1960, when he was hired to the night roster of reporters at the New York Post. In the following years he covered the beat at three of the city's dailies, and has contributed to a dizzying aray of national publications and major magazines, including Esquire, Playboy, The New Yorker and Vanity Fair. Hamill also served two briefeditorial stints, in 1997 at the New York Daily News and a five-week term in 1993 as editor-in-chief of the New York Post.

of the weakest links in the chain of society

helping the poor and the homeless

find-affordable places to live.

Haggerty is the executive director ofthe

Common Ground Community HFDC in New York City. Common Ground is a not-for-profit housing development and organization that strives to create lowincome housing for the city's poor and

help reintroduce

them into society.

Haggerty, one

of the tion's

organizafounders, also assists tenants who've found

affordable hous-

th,rough Common

A Drinking Life, and a tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes, Why Sinatra Matters. Hamill also published two collec-

ships with emp-

loyers such as the Center for Urban Community Services and Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Before getting involved with Common Ground, Haggerty worked with Catholic Charities as the coordinator of housing development in Brooklyn and Queens. The skills she learned with Catholic Charities are being applied today at her new job. She grew up in West Hartford, Con-

of eight children.

Haggerty's parents Francis and Eileen helped to foster a feeling of pride in her Irish heritage. After graduating from Amherst College, she moved on to study at Columbia University's Graduate

School for Architecture, Planning and Historic Preservation. She has visited lreland several times and boasts of the friendships she made and the experiences she had while there. Those experiences, she said, have given her "a sense of connectedness" with keland

and the great-great-grandparents who left there to begin a new life in the United States. In addition to her work with Common Ground, Haggerty is a trustee at her alma mater of Amherst and is also a director of the Times Square Business Improvement District.

Snow in August and Loving Women; two short story collections; a memoir,

Ground's partner-

necticut as one

His works include such novels

ing to get into the workforce,

tions of journalism.

Associated Press has said of one,

Piecework,

columns and essays,

"Hamill's words reach out from the

native

of New York City,

Healy

Public Health and professor of medicine at Ohio State University, a position she held since 1995. For the last three years, she has been a medical consultant for CBS News, commenting on health and medical research on the network's various news shows. She is also a regular contributor to PBS's Health Week. Her many awards and citations, granted through a long and distinguished career, include the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award for exceptional leadership in her strategic direction of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the Glamour

Heart Association. She also has numerous honorary degrees to her credit. Healy graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor's degree, and received her

page and prick holes in your prejudices, question

MD from Harrard Medical School in

*-'

also have the pows er to touch you deeply." Hamill has two daughters, Adriene and Deirdre. He lives in Manhattan with his wife, Japanese

became president of American Red Cross in September of last year. Prior to this she was Dean of the College of Medicine and

"Woman of the Year" Award and the Golden Heart Award of the American

arrangement of his

your beliefs and cajole, yet they

blood donation drives.

journalist Fukiko Aoki.

Bernadine Healy

1970. She also completed postgraduate training in intemal medicine and cardiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She is married with two daughters. A second-generation Irish American, Healy traces her roots, on both her father and mother's side, to Galway. "My Irish Catholic heritage is one I'm proud of," she says, "it symbolizes to me strength from simplicity and sound values."

A,merican Red Cross

Dr. Jam€s Hu ghes

One of the oldest humanitarian agencies in the nation, the Red Cross is responsible for helping over 30 million people each year to prevent, prepare for and cope with

Disease Control Even with the great strides that we've in disease control and prevention in

seen

As president and chief of the 1l8-year-old

the 20th century, there's still so much

executive officer

more work to be done. Dr. James Hughes,

institution, Bemadine Healy oversees the critical services provided by the Red Cross everything from disaster relief to

the director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in

emergencies.

Aprit / May 2000 InrsH AIraBnIce M.qcazlNe

Atlanta,

sold more than

among

those leading the fight

the best-selling

guarantee better

the nineties, this awardwinning pianist pro-

The NCID, as well as

vided further proof of his mastery as a musi-

the CDCP, are united in their efforts to wiPe out infectious diseases not only in the United States but throughout the world. Hughes, in addition to his job as

cian with his baroque and classical recordings,

zations, is a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and Diseases

Society of America. He was bom in Pittsburgh, but Hughes spent parts of his childhood in Ohio, Texas and California. An only child, his Irish ancestry was passed down in part from his paternal grandparents, who were from Clare and Monaghan.

He received a BA and later his MD,

both from Stanford UniversitY. In between, Hughes had his first chance to visit Ireland, making stops in Dublin, Belfast, Derry, Galway and his grandmother's hometown of Cree in Co. Clare. A successful medical career began with a job at the CDCP in 1973. In his early years, Hughes worked mainly at combat-

ing foodborne disease and improving hospital infection control. Hughes has also served on a number of committees created to fight specific infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and a host of water-based illnesses. With the emerging threat of bioterrorism, Hughes

of the last few

years

working on preventive measures for biological and chemical warfare.

But even with such a busy schedule, Hughes makes it a point to spend time with his wife Pamela and their two sons, Andrew and

Mitchell.

Keith lawett Pionist as

Refened to by one critic "the Proust of jazz," Keith

Jarrett first came into the public eye in the 70s with his improvisational concerts. In fact the record-

ing of his

1975

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is one of

the finest batters and fielders in baseball today. He wrapped up the most recant season with his strongest performance ever, includinga.349 batting average and a World Series win.

Jeter was drafted straight out of

Mozart, Handel, Bach

high school and after strong performances in the minors, the Yankees found what they were looking for and brought him up to the majors. His rookie season left no doubt as to

tle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, he has gone on to produce one of his most beautiful, mature recordings ever, a collection of popular standards and traditional songs (including "My Wild Irish Rose") called The Melody at Night, With You dedicated to his wife Rose Anne. A departure from the improvisation he is famous for, this recording still retains the luminous quality that has colored his playing over the years.

Of Irish and Hungarian descent, Jarrett was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and started playing piano at the age ofthree. A child prodigy, he began classical studies at age seven and formal composition studies at fifteen. Declining an opportunity to

study composition in Paris, Janett moved

to New York to play jazz, and he has toured with such greats as Art Blakey, Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. In 1983 he formed a permanent jazz tt''o with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jack DeJohnette. In 1998 they were voted the "Best Acoustic Jazz Grottp" in the Downbeat Readers Poll. Jarett would be the first to admit that the music he creates is born of his

struggle to maintain not just a musical integrity, but a larger

artistic or spiritual integrity

that is then

expressed

through the music. It's an ongoing struggle to keep his own voice as a musician, free of outside influence. He has been known

not to touch a piano for months before walking onto a stage to ensure that the onlY

is his own. The end result, as critic

music he brings

Andrew Solomon points out, "is like being in

dialogue with

concert at Koln,

Derek lqter New York Ycnkees

including works by and Shostakovich. But 1999 was a particular triumph for Jarrett. Having overcome a bat-

director of both organi-

has spent much

solo

piano album ever. In

health for people around the world.

the Infectious

three

million copies, making it

what the young athlete was capa-

bleof. Jetereamed Rookie of the Year

honors

1996,

average, ten home runs, and 78 RBIs. Every year since, he has continued to

impress. While most players wait their whole career a hoping chance to play in the World Series,

for

Jeter finds himself with not one,

but three Series rings only a short time into his major league career. And while some players might have wilted under the pressure and expectations Jeter faces he told The New York Times, "I know what I want to do and I won't let anyone or anything get in the way of my goals." Jeter hasn't let fame or money get in the way of his commitment to helping others. His Tum 2 Foundation was established in 1996 to support and create activities and programs designed to prevent and treat teenage substance abuse. His community

service work was recognized when he received the 1991 Joan Payson Award (presented annually by NY chapter of the

BBWAA), and the following year he received the New York Press Photographers' "Good Guy" Award. Jeter credits his parents with keeping him grounded and not letting his success go to his head. In reply to questions on his background Jeter told the Times, "My Dad is black, my Mom is Irish and I'm Catholic. I'm in New York and there are all different people, all races and reli-

gions. I can relate to everyone."

rapture."

Germany has

with a .314 batting

\tr$ IrusH Araeruce

Continued on Page 52

MecazrNe ApriU May 2000

Tbrnin Inside ut "P

Choreographer Se6n Curran discusses dance-making

art of my hishness is a need

and a want and a desire to tell stories and I think I am telling a story" says dancer

and choreographer Sedn

This year alone he has wowed audiences at such renowned dance venues as the Joyce Theater in

New York City, the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in ke, Massachusetts, and the Cannes Danse Festival in France. He also worked as

choreographer for the off-Broadway musical production ofJames Joyce's The Dead. Critics are falling all over themselves to heap praise on this young kish American dancer. And it's no wonder; Curran's work explodes with an exuberance that's infectious. Alternately

gleeful, introspective or despondent, his choreography is uncanny in the levels of emotion it provokes. And while his has been a long, sometimes painful road to fame, it's also been one graced with luck. While studying dance atNew York University, he met choreographer Bill T. Jones, who invited him to try out for his company, the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.

choreograph and teach on his own. Toward the end ofthat decade, however, Cunan slipped into a dark period as he watched three of his

visual

Mcconnell, usestlre tradition of laments

post-modern dancer/choreographer, he makes it very clear that his more naditional hish background is an integral part ofhis identity.

to explore the nature of loss tlrough death or tlre impermanence of relationships. Average Tragedy recalls the old Irish practice of dancing on doors. In rural Ireland, most houses were built directly onto the dirt or cement.

fint child and only son of hish immigrants his father is from Kerry, his mother from Roscommon - he was immersed in Irish

As Irish step-dancing required a wooden surface, people would take the door off the hinges and lay it on

While Curran is making a splash as a

The

tinctly post-modern take on his traditional Irish background. When it comes to bringing the beauty of Irish dance to the masses, leave it to

day Jones and Zane walked into the store to buy

Trish

fiwdom to choreograph, teach andultimately the Se6n Curran Company.

launch his own troupe

JonesZane dance Secret Pasfires and began to

Urban Ouffitters. Then Fate intervened. One

with a

design by Corkbom artist Kieran

ttre

ft.ow this voice finds expression. Cunan's is a dis-

forthcoming however, and Curran's need to pay

his rent culminated in a sales position at

formed to a scorc

by Seamus Egan

Stonrp, which provided him a steady income and

Bessie Award for his performance in the

Kelly, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton." Jobs on the Great White Way were not

his works. Sl.r

Laments, per-

hired to dance for the off-Broadway musical

some luggage. Jones remembered Curran and told him, "You should be dancing." Welcoming a second chance, Cunan joined the JonesZane company in 1984. Ten whirlwind years followed during which Cunan faveled the world, won a New York Dance and Performance

Ben Vereen or Joel Grcy. . .. As a kid I loved Gene

are apparent

in several of

me to move on," he recalls, "My identity was as a member of Bill and Amie's company, but my voice wanted to come out." As soon as Cunan left the company he got sober, and once again luck intervened. He was

culture at an early age. His father, John, hosts the Boston radio show The Sound of Erin and is afounding memberof theComhaltas Ceolt6iri Eireann (CCE) branch in Boston. His mother plays the fiddle, and the Cunan house was filled with music. Curran and his sisters all hadkish languagebooks and leamed how trc munt to ten and say their prayers in Irish. The family also spent every other summer visiting their relatives in Ireland. Curran recalls how as a child he used to dance and leap down the aisles ofthe grocery store. Observing him on one of these shopping trips, his Aunt Sally said he should take kish step-dancing lessons. Saturday moming lessons at the VFW Hall cost one dollar and Curan proved a quick study. That Curran would find expression through what he calls an "kish voice" is not surprising given his upbringing. What is intriguing is just

Curran declined, convinced that Broadway was his calling. As he told Dance magazine earlier this year, "I always said I wanted to be

Vestiges

of Irish traditi on

with Sarah Buscher

Curran. "Put a person on a stage and there's a

story." Off-stage Cunan is quite a story as well.

Mchael Flatley

and Riverdance;but

wlrenit comes

friends, including Zane, sicken and die of AIDS

to saying something new using a traditional

while Curran himself sank into alcoholism. He left the company in 1994. "It was time for

medium, that's Curran's department. He refers trc

itas speaking anoldlanguagewith anew accenl

ttre floor to dance on. Here, Curran uses

wooden door to symbolize his past and his years with the Jones/Zane Dance Company. In one of his most popular pieces, Folk Dance for the Future, he combines his stepdancing virtuosity and post-modem training to explore the changing structure of the contemporary family, essentially posing the question, "Who are your folks?" The result is a joyful, funny, at times irreverent and at times revelatory study of community and relationa

ships. And of course the ham in Curran mischievously exults in defying tradition. The man has a point to make and he won't hesitate to sacrifice some sacred cows to do it. "I want something new," he points out over a late lunch at a Ukrainian diner in New York City's East Village. "When I teach choreography, I talk a lot about inventiveness - what's your sense ofinvention - what's authentic to you and your sense of originality and that's really what I'm interested in. So I said, 'Yeah, I'll make something hish,

butl

want it to be political

Cunan's political agenda

as a

too."'

choreographer

was directly influenced by his years with BillT. Jones and Amie Zane and he describes the duo as his artistic parents. "I leamed so

I 1

I I I

l I I I

April / May 2000 Inrss Aunruca. MecezrNe ,J

much from them about aft-making and politics the healing capacity and tl.re power of art of the arts. They really made me who I feel I am, in a way, as much tus my biological pruents."

ut it is

Iierce love of tnusic rather than

IJ ;n ;;:tl.i:', l*i #::fl :t

ll:

"I've always made dances because I love a piece of rnusic," he Points out. clance.

and community. This is more than a study of space, form and style; the personal nature of the

issues being examined is readily apparent, coloring his work with a raw intensity that is hard to ignore. One is very aware that in this public venue something incredibly personal is going on. It's there in Curran's body. Even the smallest gesture, an arn clossed protectively ovel his chestin Each of Both, creates a powerfi;l sense of vulnerability. This isn't some stage

to the songs of English-Indian singer Sheila

persona; this is the man himself inviting you to witness his own struggle, growth and, hope-

Chandra

fully, transformation.

His eclectic dance scores range from Ravel

to Irish mottth mttsic. "My

best fiiend is music," he maintains.

"I spend a

lot of time traveling by myself, teaching and I'm rarely two weeks in a place' "Since I left Bill's company, it's been a pretty solitary path," he explains without a trace of self-pity, "so music is what I take with rne. I've always responded to tnusic and choreographing.

what music has done for me is roused emotion." Watching a Sedn Cunan dance it is appalent that the music is not somedring nurdondy or indif'-

ferently chosen. "What I've always wanted to do is investigate the differences between loneliness and solimde and a little bit of the fine line between madness and saniry, and the rnusic helps

it," he states. "I feel like the dance is in the n.rusic. I choreograph the dance, I make the me do

dance, but I found it in the music." Loneliness, solitude and madness are recurring themes in Cunan's work. Even his lighter

work often juxtaposes one figure against

group, exploring the tension between solitude

! O

c o E

u !

o o

'Most of my work

is an attempt to rouse emo-

tion in the viewer," he explains, "and also for me to have some sense of catharsis or to get emotions out." Undergoing a personal ablution in front of

hundreds of audience members might seem like emotional suicide, but as Cunan points out, "It's about a sharing. It's about having identification happen for an audience member with me, through me, because of me, or for me. It happens all the time - people come up to me and say, 'Boy, I know that feeling, that's the story of my life.' "If an artist makes a piece of work," he continues, his voice growing more animated, "and you see something in the work, even if the artist didn't intend for it to be there, it's there." Taking this idea one step further, he explains, "As the world gets smaller and everything gets faster, I try to subscribe to the idea ofrigorous honesty; the idea that our insides are our

outsides." It's an apt description of how he dances.

long with the emotional catharsis that dance has allowed Curan, it is also an of his spiritual joumey

Having grown away from Catholicism, he began searching for some kind of guiding principle.

sort of looked more to the East and

Buddhism," he elaborates. "I loved this notion that you look inside yourself for God, rather than outside, and it's not a judgmental God." Symbolic Logic grew out of his spiritual joumey and desire to make a dance of thanksgiving. "I looked to India where dancing is about the gods, for the gods," he explains. "There are dancers who go to the temples and dance to

invoke the gods, to entefiain the gods, to bring the gods down closer to earth. It's praying. And I always say that when I'm dancing I feel like

I'm praying." And Symbolic Logic is a triumPh

transcendent, lyrical celebration of the pure

joy of movemenl. This is the redemptive power of dance, culminating in a final, brave image of one dancer, held aloft by the others, ascending into light. It is a perfect expression of Curran's thoLrghts on the role art plays in our lives: "One of the things art does for us - in addition to being the soul of a culture is lead us into the dart places, but it also leads us out. In the news youjust get these cold hard facts and there's no hope. There's such hope in art for me." @

Continued from page 49

His paternal great-grandparents were from Dublin and his maternal greatgrandparents were from Galway and

Don Keenan

Children's Advocate

Timothy Kelly F

ref g h ter/ I n've i

tor

Mayo. The legal profession is one which regularly comes in for a good deal of criticism, but one Atlanta-based lawyer has fre-

Timothy Kelly

continues the

Keith Kelly

of kish Americans who serve as

proud tradition

quently been hailed as a Good Samaritan for his work on behalf of those who too

Medio Reporter

rarely have a voice

New York columnist Michael Wolff, himself no slouch in the media influence stakes, referred to New York Post writer Keith Kelly as "the most influential media reporter in the city." What qualities have secured Kelly this exalted spot? None other than his "retro, tough-guy, what-

children. Don

has chamKeenan pioned the consti-

tutional rights of defenseless children for almost 20 y9ars.

When five-year-

old Terrell

Peterson died two years

ago at

Hughes

Spalding Hospital

Atlanta, Georgia, his frail, mal-

nourished body was covered with scars and bruises the result of years of abuse. His maternal grandmother and aunt are due to stand this trial and face the death penalty year for his murder. For Keenan, Peterson's death is further proof that the state's child welfare agency is hopelessly incom-

petent when

comes

protecting

children at risk. To this end, he is preparing to sue the state on Terell's behalf.

After ten years of work on one case,

battle he fought pro bono, Keenan won a decree from the Supreme Court in 1989 which led to foster care reform in the state of Georgia. Other states have also used the Kathy Jo Taylor Consent Decree as a model. His success at obtaining favorable verdicts in child injury cases also led to Keenan's services being much in demand in the Southeast. In 1990, the Atlanta native was appointed president of the prestigious Inner Circle of Attorneys. He now heads Keenan's

you-see-is-what-you-get, no-nonsense approach," wrote Wolff in a profile on Kelly earlier this year. Kelly has spent almost a quarter century on the media beat, a time which included a year stint spent freelancing from Northern Ireland. It was during that year that he broke the story of the impending IRA hunger strike in Long Kesh prison, making page one of the Chicago Catholic

1977 after corn-

pleting

a pre-

medical progam at Fordham

Uni-

versity. He had the simple request

of being

assign-

ed to "where the

fires are." That

most fire-ravaged

on Ireland to publications including T/ze Nation, Irish America, Newsday and the Boston Globe. In 1988 he helped launch

districts of New York, in the South Bronx.

the trade publication MagazineWeek before movingto Folio: and Folio: First Day in 1992 and then Advertising Age in 1994. Former New York Daily News editor Pete Hamill hired Kelly as a media columnist in 1997, but after Hamill left, Kelly jumped the following year to the New York Post Married since 1994 to Johanne Patricia (Pat) Walsh, Kelly has two sons two-year-old Ruairi John and - Luke Daniel. The couple six-month-old were maried in Knocknagoshel, County

one

the

addition

to battling fires, Kelly

became involved in the community, acting as a role model for local children and making the firehouse a safe refuge from

their beleaguered world.

All together Kelly spent 15 years battling fires in the Bronx neighborhoods. He then moved on to Special Operations Command and it was in this capacity that Kelly demonstrated his creative flair. Among his many inventions is the internationally recognized Kelly Kart, a modular portable emergency tool that provides light and power to previously inaccessible locations.

Kerry, home of Pat's father, Keny foot-

Kelley has been in charge of city-

ball great Eddie Walsh. The couple live with their sons in Manhattan.

wide rescue operations, decontamination responses, and procurement of specialized tools and equipment and has dealt with everything from the World Trade Center bombing to the

the

firm."

is a third-gen-

eration Irish American.

Department in

defunct) and contributed freelance stories

he told Lawyers Weekly last year. "They've

Keenan

sergeant, Kelly entered the New York City Fire

was exactly what he got, when he was sent to work

founded in 1993 out of his law office. The walls of his firm are lined with pictures of the dozens of kids he has successfully represented. "That provides great motivation,"

son of a decorated NYPD

in September of 1980. During the 80s, Kelly also served as a stringer from New York for the Dublinbased lrish Press newspaper (now

Kids Foundation, a children's advocacy group

become the kids

firefighters and policemen. The

April / May 2000 InrsH AMenrce MacRzruB

Kelly is a third-generation

Irish American who

traces

his ancestors to Counties Mayo, Westmeath and Longford. His Brooklynborn grandfather, Daniel Patrick O'Connell, who died last year at the age of 92. helped enormously in encouraging the family to celebrate their Irish American roots, recalls Kelly.

TWA Flight 800 disaster. He

was recently awarded the Sloan Public Ser-

vice Award by Mayor Giuliani for all his accomplishments. Lieutenant Kelly, a fourth generation American who traces his kish roots to Leitrim and Clare, says: "I was taught by my family to 'bloom where You're planted and do your best.' I hope I've measured up."

Mike Kennally, Ir, Locrosse Ployer

1996 live-fire training accident

with the U.S. Marines changed the course

of Mike Kennally's life

forever when

he ended up los-

ing his left leg above the knee. The high school

graduate, sick of people telling himthey "under-

stood' what he was goingttnurgh,

decided to train

as a

physical therapist, feeling that at least he

would

under-

stand what other

patients

were undergoing.

It was while attending the American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts

little recognition in return.

However,

cleared the way for the

when the history of this period is written he will loom largest of all." No one played a larger role in persuading President Clinton to become a player in the Irish peace process than Kennedy, and he remains an invaluable advisor to the president to this day on the issue.

honorary citizenship to be bestowed on Kennedy Smith, and

He has been involved in Irish

announced the surprise news at a farewell party on July

4, 1998 at the ambas-

issues

sadorial residence in

almost since his first day in the Senate in

Dublin. Ahern paid tribute to Kennedy

1962. From the outset of the Northern troubles he became the major American player, and aligned himself firmly with constitutional nationalism and with SDLP leader John Hume, a long time friend.

In 1992 Kennedy made the courageous decision to support a visa for Sinn F6in leader Gerry Adams, which became the linchpin of the American intervention in the then fledgling peace process. Without his support President Clinton would never have taken that risky step which transformed the peace process. At every step since in the peace process

Smith's

"immense

service" during her tenure, saying, "You

have helped

bring about a better life for everyone throughout Ireland." The Massachusetts native described her ambassadorial term as "the most remarkable, most exciting, most rewarding years of my life." She stayed on in keland through President Clinton's visit in September, and returned to the U.S. shordy afterwards. She is currently developing "Island," an Irish arts festival which will

be hosted by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in May 2000. The festival will feature dance, music, visual arts, literature and theater from Ireland. North

that Kennally re-encountered lacrosse, a game he previously had played as a midfielder. This time, however, he realized that if he were to have any chance of playing, he would have to play in goal. After being accepted onto the college team,

and South.

Rory Kennedy

Kennally went on to acquit himself remarkably well on the circuit, with an

Filmmoker ond Activist

exciting 1999 season. Notes his father: "I'm really proud of him, his attitude. He's gone through an awful lot. It's one of those cases where

addicted mothers; her latest project, American Hollow, is about an impover-

what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. . . . Lacrosse is the only thing he's been able to do that is close to what he used to do with two legs."

Kennally

is a

third-generation Irish

American. His father's family hail from Co. Cork, while his mother's side, the Jonstons, came from Donegal. He plans to visit Ireland after graduation, and jokes that all his life he's been called Mick, a tribute to his Irish roots.

Edward Kenn Senstor

Her first documentary focused on drug-

ished Appalachian family. Screened at the Sundance film festival, American Hollow won numerous film festival awards and

critical accolades, and was picked up by Kennedy has led the American response and he remains as influential as ever. His announcement that he would seek another term in 2000 was greeted with relief in kish circles, where there is a clear under-

HBO.

For Rory Kennedy, the youngest child of Robert and Ethel Kennedy, filmmaking

standing that his influence and advice will be sorely missed when he eventually

is a way to focus on human rights and social issues. "I think that I'm most interested in telling people's sto-

decides to retire.

ries, but usual-

edy Jean Kennedy Smith Former U.S. Ambossodor to lrelond

ly telling

those

stories shines a

light,

directly indirectly,

on some social

When Senator Edward Kennedy was

Ireland's President Mary McAleese

issue," she said

presented with the 1997 Irish American of the Year award by this magazine, the cita-

praised Jean Kennedy Smith's "fixedness of purpose" during a ceremony two l/ears ago which conferred honorary citizenship on the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland as her four-year term came to a close.

in an interview

tion stated that "Kennedy is a chieftain,

which

is what the old Irish word

Taoiseach actually means. He has led the cause of Ireland on Capitol Hill for over a generation now and has often received

Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern and President McAleese had

April / May 2000 lRrss Arvrnnrce Mecazxe

wrthTime Out. Although she may have been raised worlds apart from her

film

subjects,

--Kennedy has no Problem doing what it takes in order to get the storY. To achieve the

Four months later, when Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Sean

well-rounded and in-dePth feel of American Hollow, KennedY and crew spent a Year in east-

visit to the United States,

em KentuckY living with

Lemass made an official

Kennedy was

there again, which gave him a second chance to meet President John Kennedy. Less than a month later,

the

impoverished Bowlings family. "In a lot of waYs, mY background is verY different," she interview, "but in some waYS'

the president had been killed and Kennedy was

theirs was a verY familiar setting to me. I have ten siblings,

Eamon de Valera and an

told Time Out in the

same

chosen

accompany

Irish contingent to

Iree [mother of the Bowlings

the

funeral.

clanl has 13 kids. . . . It wasn't like we were documenting some obscure

weird culture. That sense

At the conclusion of his 25-year

of 'us' and

career

with Aer Lingus, Kennedy decided to get more involved with the American Ireland

'them' broke down pretty quickly."

Educated at Brown University with a B.A. in women's studies, Kennedy started out making documentaries for television and outreach programs, and formed Moxie Films. Recently, the company merged with Laz Garbus' Firecracker Films to form Moxie Firecracker, Inc. Garbus'

prison documentary The Farm: Angola U.S.A. received an Oscar nomination last

yeat. In addition to her film work, Kennedy is involved with numerous non-profit orga-

Fund. His

involvement was actually

nothing new; Kennedy had been a suP-

of the fund since its inception, when it was known simply as the Ireland Fund. Since then, the American Ireland Fund has grown immeasurably and Kennedy has seen it through every step of the way. He recently retired from active duty with the fund (after working up to the title of regional director) although

porter

the product of a 25-year career with the Federal Bureau oflnvestigation, both as a

in the Bureau's National Security Division, and as a liaison with other law enforcement Supervisory Special Agent and government agencies York

in the New

area.

Now as senior vice president and assistant to the president and CEO, Kenney's duties include overseeing the company's vital public affairs and philanthropic

efforts, and facilitating the company's continuing role in furthering the peace procgss.

Born in Queens, New York ents of Tipperary and Roscommon lineage, Kenney

par-

graduated from the New York St. Joseph's Seminary in 1966 with a degree

in philos-

ophy. Subsequent service in the U.S.

Army and a master's degree in the

administration of justice from the American Univer-

he is still involved as a consultant. After

sity in

nizations, and is currently a member of the board of directors for both the Legal

spending 40 years juggling positions, Tom Kennedy has earned some time to

ton, D.C. led to a long career in federal law enforcement.

Action Center and the Proiect Return

himself.

Foundation. She and her husband, writer Mark Bailey, who worked with her on American Hollow,live in New York City.

Tom Kennedy, a native of Co. Kerry, has been a man of many hats during his time in the United States over the last 40 years, but he has worn all of them with grace and style. Kennedy spent a quarter-century of his adult life with Aer Lingus, as the head of

public relations and advertising for the airline in North America. However, in a time when the Irish government had no official press representation in New York, Kennedy was the man they called on to play the part. His dual role with the airline and the govemment put Kennedy in contact with worldwide leaders such as former president John F. Kennedy (no relation). In 1963, when the president made his famed a

liaison for the United States press corps that accompanied him.

Ed Kenney

Donald Keough

When Ed Kenney joined Mutual of America in f994, the insurance giant was

Communiiy Leoder

Kenney and his wife Brigid live in Ossining, New York; they have five children.

Community Leoder

Tom Kennedy

trip to Ireland, Tom Kennedy was

He and his wife Val live in New York City.

Washing-

at the center of the resurgent peace process in Northern Ireland. That year,

Mutual's chairman Bill Flynn's invitation to Geny Adams won the Sinn F6in leader a visa to the United States, the first of many visits in subsequent years. Bill Flynn and Tom Moran, who suc-

Philonthropisf Don Keough's love of Ireland and all things Irish led to his involvement in that country's economic development, and he went on to serve on the Taoiseach's (Irish

Prime Minister) Economic Advisory Board, visiting Ireland several times in the process.

ceeded Flynn as Mutual's president and CEO, continue to extend hospitality and recognition equally to loyalist and nationalist political leaders, and over the years the

offices of Mutual of America

have become a requisite first stoP for all. It is Kenney, Mutual's vice president for public relations, and

lifelong New Yorker, who

A graduate of Creighton University and navy veteran, Keough has been awarded honorary doc-

torates from Trinity College Dublin, and is former chairman of the University of Notre Dame. He and his wife

Marilyn endowed

entrusted with the task of facilitat-

chair of Irish Studies at that university in 1993.

Ireland politicians.

Two years ago, the

ing the visits of the Northern Kenney's diplomacy skills are

Inrsn AlaeRrce

Keough Notre Dame

Ml,cezrns ApriU May 2000

I i

Center

of Irish Studies

was officially

opened in Dublin.

Keough

is currently

chairman

the

& Company, a New York investment banking company, having previously served as president of the Coca-Cola Company. He retired from Coca-Cola in 1993, after over 40 years of board of Allen

service.

1998, he was one of two U.S. delegates named to the Independent Commission

National Caucus and Irish Northern Aid. A graduate of St. Francis College in Brooklyn, King earned his J.D. degree at Notre Dame. He traces his Irish ancestors to Counties Limerick and Galway. King and his wife have two children.

and recommending future changes in the

Notre Dame, Keough was this publication's Irish American of the Year in 1993, and last year was named an Irish American of the Century.

Joe Leary The lrish

Americtn Pcrtnership

Joseph F. Leary, Jr. has been the Presi-

dent and CEO

on Policing in Northern Ireland, a group charged with examining the RUC

of The Irish American

The subsequent document known as the

Patten Report

has

received the endorsement of major politicians including Prime

Partnership since April 1988. One of the largest Irish American organizations in the U.S., the Partnership is a nonprofit charitable corporation with over

Minister Tony Blair.

It is doubtful if there has been any Irish American politician who has dedicated more of his time in office to seeking a

18,000 members. Over the past twelve years the

peaceful resolution

organization, head-

Meath and Tipperary, Lynch is a member ofthe Friendly Sons ofSt. Patrick. Three years ago, John Jay College established a fellowship program in memory of an Irish

Peter Ki ng Politiciqn

of the Northern

Ireland problem. Peter King (R-NY), who has represented Nassau County on Long Island in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1992, rs an outspoken advocate of human rights and justice for the people of the

North and was hugely instrumental in creating a platform for Sinn F6in in the United States. King has traveled to Nofihern Ireland over twenty times. He accompanied President Clinton on his two trips in 1995 and again in 1998. His close relationship with the president on Irish issues undoubtedly helped him make his choice when he voted against impeachment, one of only five Republicans to do so. King current-

police detective who had been killed during an attempted robbery. The Jeny

cant contributions

McCabe Fellowship now oversees regular exchanges of expertise between the Irish police force and John Jay College. Lynch and his wife Gay live in New York City, and have a house in Doolin,

to keland North and South, in the area of

economic development and increased educational opporfunities, raising over I I million dollars to that effect.

A native of

Boston and proud graduate of Boston College, with which

of several organizations including the Irish Cultural Center, Boston member

Symphony, Boston Museum of Fine Arts,

Commerce.

Committee for Affairs. He also serves

Irish

on the

mittee

Com-

for

Leary, who recently received an award as Executive of the Year from the Irish Cultural Center of New England, has two children, Joe and Eileen, and two grandchildren, Nicole and Ryan. His greatgrandparents were from Inchigeela in West Cork; they were married in 1863 and later immigrated to South Boston.

Banking, Fin-

Ggrald W. Lynch

ance and Urban

College President

Affairs. King

was

elected

Grand Marshal

of the

1985

New York City Saint Patrick's

Co. Clare. They have two children, Timothy and Elizabeth.

Michael Patrick MacDonald

Author/Activist

he still maintains an association, Leary is a

International Relations and sional Ad Hoc

second-genera-

quartered in Boston,

the Irish Cultural Institute, and the Ireland United States Council of Industry and

co-chairman of the Congres-

tion Irish American, with roots in Counties Limerick, Louth,

has made signifi-

ly serves on the Committee on

police force there.

A past recipient of the Laetare Medal, the highest award that can be bestowed by

Lynch's reputation is such that in

Day Parade, and has been honored by numerous organizations including the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Irish

"I love Southie. There's no place in the world that has that sense of communiry." So says Michael Patrick MacDonald of the place that he chronicles so movingly in his book All Souls A Family Story from Southie.

MacDonald gives his readers a moving account of growing up as one of a family of ten amidst drugs, violence, and extreme povefty. After losing one sibling to a life of crime, seeing his sister fall from a roof and suffer brain damage, MacDonald himself dropped out of school. However, despite early setbacks, the talented author has proved himself to be a success and inspiration to all through his literary work and his efforts as an activist. As a founder of the South Boston Vigil

As president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, Dr.

Group and a worker with Citizens for

Gerald Lynch is respected internationally as a foremost authority on and advocate of criminal justice education.

light vigils to commemorate those who have died in Southie from violent crime. He also has gone on speaking tours to

Safety, MacDonald has organized candle-

Continued on page 60

April i May 2000 InrsH Araenrc.q. Macezrxe

I'll Be Ri Legendary talk show host Mike Douglas talks to Tom Deignan. War

II had just ended and former Navy

Mike Dowd

like most returning soldiers

f,1

man was

looking for work. He'd been singing since the age of nine, performing in the pubs just west of Chicago where he was born and raised, and Dowd was lucky enough to land a spot on a hot radio show hosted by Kay Kyser. Soon, there'd be a TV gig with the same host, anci a couple of number one hit songs. But before all this, the finicky Kay Kyser warned Mike Dowd that there were two things he didn't like - "kids on screen and Irish tenors."

Mike Dowd became Mike Douglas. "He didn't even tell me," recalls the legendary TV host from his North Palm Beach, Florida, home. "I was about to do a number and [Kyser] introduced me as 'Mike Douglas.' I had to look behind me to see if there was someone else about to go on." So

While Mike was merely surprised, his

was incensed

dad

an emotion he expressed with little

subtlety. "My father had some dandy words for [Kyser],"

Douglas recalls with a laugh. "He said, 'What's

that kraut doing changing a good kish

name

like Dowd?" So in a way, Mike Dbuglas isn't really Mike Douglas. And he is definitely not Merv Griffin.

In the very first chapter of Douglas' fast-selling recent memoir I'll Be Right Back Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show (Simon & Schuster, written with Thomas Kelly

and Michael Heaton), Douglas writes, "Can I take a moment to clear something up that's been a problem for many years? I'm not Merv Griffin." In the book, Douglas recalls an encounter in a Bev-

Mike Douglits's guests over the years included, Harrison Ford (top). Sylvester Stallone {center}, and Muhammad Ali (bottom).

pubs of Forest Park, an Illinois suburb west of Chicago, and sing for the patrons. "I just started singing kish songs, you know they never miss. And the coins just started flying at me. Even some paper money," Douglas says.

It's another TV chatterbox of Irish descent Rosie O'Donnell - who is introducing Douglas

to a new generation. "When I was a kid,"

"lovely woman" approached him, hugged him, and said, "Merv, dar-

O'Donnell writes in the introduction to Douglas' book, "school just marked time between Mike Douglas shows." From 1961 to 1983, Douglas owned Amer-

ling, it's wonderful to see you."

ican aftemoons. Five days a week, for 90

Not until he whipped out his dri-

minutes a day, he featured singers and statesmen, clowns and cowboys, athletes and actresses. Famously, Sinatra never did the

erly Hills hotel during which

ver's license did Douglas convince the woman - Merv Griffin's exwife, Jewel Anne - that he was

not, in fact, fellow kishman and TV talker Merv Griffin.

J-lrom the start, Douglas traded F on his Irish background to I- break into show business. Back when he was about nine years old, an outgoing pal figured out

how the duo could make a few bucks. They'd just stroll right into the

show

Douglas chased and chased Ol'

)

Blue Eyes, and finally caught him. Just before the show, however, an erroneous news report had Sinatra skipping out on Douglas. It wasn't true, a bit of bad jour-

nalism. But Sinatra fumed and canceled, never to reschedule. ("That's Frank," Douglas writes.) No matter. Everyone else did "Mike Dou-

glas," from Richard M. Nixon to Muhammed Ali, from peaceniks John and Yoko to a certain

April / May 2000 Inrsu AvnnrcA MAGAZTNE

)

comedians Richard Pryor and George Carlin, or brash bands like Kiss, the Rolling Stones and Earth, Wind and Fire. "And the funny thing is, those bands would call us," Douglas recalls.

&ird .f

e:.

::?

doing some musical concerts as well. But he also doesn't mind staying home, or traveling, with his wife, Gen, an Oklahoma girl to whom he proposed at the ten-

I t

Mike Douglas chats

kay, it's pretty clear this was a topnotch, influential show. But that's a bold subtitle Douglas' book has got. Was this really "TV's greatest talk show"? Douglas confesses that his publisher wanted the book titled as such, and he won't

with Reverend Jesse

make any comparisons to, say, 1950s' trail-

'3L-"*

Jackson in

1968.

two-year-old kid who could swing a golf club like a pro. "Tiger Woods was special," said Douglas, recalling the 1978 show on which Douglas booked the pint-sized putter, the same one currently re-writing golf's record books.

even include clips of his old show. He recently did voice-over work for a "Lifetime" TV special on the Osmond family ("I really like those kids") and has pondered

says, pointing to guests like groundbreaking

bbtlr*"r'

der age of 18 and has been with ever since. He still stammers when asked to recollect their courtship and romance amidst the chaos and confusion of World War II. "When this girl walked in and wished me a Merry Christmas, I mean I came apart, it hit me like a ton of bricks," Douglas says of

blazer Ed Sullivan, or the long-running "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson." But later on, when Douglas excitedly describes how well his show holds up, he can't help taking a shot at the famously wooden Sullivan.

"With the exception of things like The Beatles

a brief holiday stint at the University of Oklahoma, where he met Gen, right before Douglas shipped off for a grueling 36-day sea mission.

'When this war is over, will you marry me?"' recalls Dou-

By the way, the Tiger Woods show also featured two other fairly well-known guests - Jimmy Stewart and Bob Hope. Such a mix, says Douglas, was the key to

appearance, [the Sullivaq

declares Douglas. It's less a jab than the pride

three. As he writes in his memoir, "To

his show's success. "It was a variety show, not a talk show. We'd have everyone on," said Douglas,

he has in how his show stands the test of time. Douglas is often asked to take jabs at today's slightly more randy talk

astonishment, she said, 'Yes.' . . . That wonderful word changed everything for me."

noting his guests ranged from Dr. Martin

Luther King

segregationist firebrand

George Wallace.

"We had one show where we had Dr. Edward Teller [one of the scientists who worked on the atom bombl and Dagmar" the buxom blonde whose iob was to look pretty on the old TV show "Broadway Open House."

And in case there's any sentiment out there that "The Mikb Douglas Show" was, well, a bit stifi banish those thoughts, says Douglas.

"We did a lot of controversial stuff," he

showl had

'&r

nothing!"

a father of

shows. He does so in his book, dishing on everyone from Jerry Springer to Roseanne.

But it's nothing

glas,

Burt Reynolds sweeps Mike Douglas ofl his leet.

too

Over the years, Douglas has watched

his family

grow.

There are now five

grandchildren

and

nasty, and just as often he's complimentary. "That's not my style, to take swipes at people," Douglas says. Yet even one of his greatest admirers

nine great-grandchildren. Any future show biz types among them? "Well, not really," says Douglas, before

the woman whose show Douglas

there's one, Calvin, who looks like he's on his way to being just like his great-grandfather. Boy, does he love to sing and perform for a crowd." If little Calvin stafts sneaking into pubs to perform for coin-tossing patrons, then maybe we'd better look for him to be around for five or six decades. Just like his greatgranddad, Mike Dowd. Uh, Douglas.@

says

comes closest to matching his own in terms

of tasteful, diverse entertainment - is not

beyond the reach of his, shall we say, curiosity. Douglas is proud that he never tipped his own cards, politically speaking, much less dragged out a soap box upon which to preach. Rosie O'Donnell, on the other hand . . . "Why would she do it?" wonders Douglas, of O'Donnell's famous rants against

New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. "That city has changed for the better. When I go up there, you sit in a cab and [the improvements] are visible to your eyes."

But it is O'Donnell - and Oprah, too who have earned Douglas' admiration for proving that TV needn't be shocking or

filthy to get ratings. Douglas says he's often asked if he'd consider doing another TV show, and he is looking into some specials which might Sally Field and David Soul watch as Arnold Schwarzenegger shows Mike how to pump iron.

taking

moment

to think.

"Although

Begis Philbin with Carmel Ouinn, in the days helorc Who Wants to he a Millionnaire.

Continued {rom page 56

other communities plagued by povefiy and high crime such as the South Bronx.

setts and holding a Harvard University degree, Ms. Maddox contributes regularly to the press both in the United States and across the Atlantic. Maddox departed from her joumalistic

The

in 1988 with her book Nora, a fascinating biography of Nora Bamacle, wife of James Joyce. The book won the Los Angeles Times Biography Prize

me, a lot of people have survived ffau-

and the British Silver P.E.N. award.

Literature, and

Her most recent book, Yeats's Ghosts,

Association

mas but haven't

biography

of the Irish poet, has been called "blithe, energetic, and jolly"

ancestors emigrated from Ireland to Nova Scotia, and she has been back to Ireland

by The New YorkTimes. The book focuses on the poet's troubled relationships with women and pays parlicular

many times. Brenda Maddox is maried with two children and two stepchildren, and divides her time between her homes in London and Wales.

goes, he opens up a

dialogue, which can act as the first step

healing. "Like

been allowed to talk about it," he says. MacDonald has

visited

Ireland

many times

and

writing

attention

the diaries kept

through his "spirit-

by the

parents came from County Kerry.

wife,

traces his Irish roots

od, courageous" mother whose

poet's

In addition to the two has

written four other books,

.Author

including Be-

deep Irish presence can be felt in the

yond Babel:

work of author and journalist Brenda Maddox. Born in Bridgewater, Massachu-

New Directions

Communi-

advantage of his famous name his father and grandfather were Navy admirals). He survived years of torture and solitary confinement with grace and honor. As Klein points out, "It is difficult to name

John McCa in U.S. Senator year,

John McCain has emerged

as the most interesting

many other public figures who have been willing to endure pain even mere

contender in the presiden-

tial race. His candor and accessibility, not to mention his remarkable success in the New Hamp-

political pain

for

the

sake of honor- or principle." McCain entered politics

shire primary, have made the public sit up and take notice and have made him the darling of the normally jaded media. Even Mike Wallace of Sixty Minutes has admitted to a desire to

1982 when he cam-

paigned

as an outsider

for an-open House seat -in Arizona, and won. Four

years later he won the Senate seat and is now in

abandon everything and

his third term as senator. an equally

A strong conservative with

go to work for him.

As Joe Klein explained in The New Yorker, "the Senator from Arizona is rais-

strong independent streak, McCain has distinguished himself for championing

ing the eternal, inevitably forlorn

issues

hope

that politics can be made different, more somehow." 'honorable' - cleaner No one can question-the man's strength of character. While a POW in Hanoi, Vietnam, he refused repatriation offers from his captors in order to remain with his fellow prisoners rather than take

60 April / May 2000 IRrsH AnaBzucA

not always popular with the Republican party, but always in line with his principles, including campaign finance reform and tobacco regulation. A resident of Phoenix, he traces his roots to Ireland on his mother's side and to Scotland on his father's. He has seven children and four grandchildren.

MAGAZINE

the

Author

Hyde-kes.

Maddox

Brenda Maddox

is on the board of

of British Editors. Her

Frank McCourt

Georgie

biographies,

In this election

Obsener, The New York Times,

Washington Post, and had a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph. Along with her literary and journalistic work, Brenda Maddox also serves as vice president of the Hay-on-Wye Festival of

Everywhere

cations and The Half-Parent, a book on step-parenthood. Prior to her emergence as an author, she wrote for the London

It now seems that everything Frank McCourt touches turns to gold. With the release of Angela's Ashes in paperback and its sequel 'Tis in hardcover, he handily tied up first place on both bestseller lists. And 'Zis proved worth the wait, a mingling of the same humor, reflection, heartbreak and poignancy that captured our hearts in Angela's Ashes. A few months later and there was Angela's Ashes on the silver screen, in a film directed by Alan Parker. Meanwhile McCourt's been nominated for a Grammy award for the audio version of 'Tis and A Couple of Blaguards, the show he penned

with his brother Malachy, and The lrish and How They Got That Way written by Frank himself still enjoy the limelight at regional theaters throughout the country If you've read the books you know the story - from the dirty lanes of Limerick to the mean streets of New York and on to

the rarefied realm of Pulitzer Prize-winner. McCourt worked in New York City schools for years

as an English teacher, and educ ati on remalns a calling for which he is

a forceful,

"1\ is the Travel Expert'to keland, England, Scotland and Wales, We offer the most comprehensive range

J{'

.: value

and

years

{::

for your dollar. For details about all our tours, ask your travel agent for our exciting full color 72

24hottr

high quality Escorted Tours, Fly-Drive Vacations and

page brochure or call CIE Tours at our

Deluxe Motor Tours, all at truly affordable prices.

number at 1-800-248-6832 and we'll send you a

With elegant hotels, hearty breaKasts and dinners, plus

copy with our compliments. You can also visit

knowledgeable guides and drivers, you are always

our web site

al www.cietours.com.

#% c-rETouRs eIlE€ lnternqtionql =@ffi

EXPERTENCE

o REL:ABIL:TY

vALtJE

<ff*'l

]AJreA r (oltsuiltR PR0I!O|oI

E---

passionate spokesperson. When Secretary

Broadway production

Education Richard Riley presented McCourt with this magazine's Irish American of the Year Award in 1997, he

Biloxi Blues.

pointed out that McCourt had honed his skill through his years as "a wonderful teacher" in the New York City public a contention with which school system - readily agree. McCourt would McCourl and his wife Ellen live in Manhattan. He has a daughter, Maggie, from his first marriage and two grandchildren.

P.Xlrn

McDermott

of Neil

Simon's

"My grandmother

and grandfather were both very kish, and that was embedded in me. . . . It was just there; it was innate. Then when I went to school and I started reading Eugene O'Neill and Oscar Wilde and James Joyce, I started to understand

the poetics of what Ireland was," Mc Dermott told this magazine in a recent

lawyer on ABC's hit legal seies

The Practice, that he really has captured the

public's attention and won

well-

deserved Golden Globe last year.

McDermott's desire to act was a reaction to his mother's death when he was only five. "My mom's death was the kind of loss that made me feel invisible," McDermott told The New York Times. "Acting made me visible." Young Dylan

access

eco-

nomic opportunity. McDonald's father's ancestors

moved from the

North

Ireland

Collette.

New York with his wife Harriet

George McDonald

Karr-McDonald,

In today's

fast-paced world with the

many pressures it exerts on us, most of us can only aspire to the kind of good deeds that George McDonald has made his life's work. As founder and president of The Doe Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless people in New York City, McDonald is a tireless crusader on behalf of the voiceless. His work is not confined to grandiose speeches and empty rhetoric, however; he spent almost two years of his life 700 consecutive nights distributing- sandwiches to the - in and around Grand Central homeless Terminal. Formerly employed in the apparel industry, McDonald founded The Doe Fund in 1985 and he has since become a

women who populate the streets - was born after a homeless woman he had known and fed, froze to death on Christmas Eve after being forcibly evicted from Grand Central. McDonald attributes

was offered his first feature film when an agent saw his Broadway debut in a 1985

his dedication to his Catholic school education, which taught him, he says,

leading authority on the problem of homelessness. The organization named for the anonymous men and

that "other people's miseries are your miseries," and that those with advantages are obliged to help the less fortunate.

He drew even more attention to the plight of the homeless in New York when he drew upon the political savvy he had gained as a volunteer on Senator Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign to run for Congress in 1982 on a platform of ending homelessness. He achieved 43 percent of the popular vote in the New York Democratic primary. In 1990, the New Jersey native implemented Ready, Willing & Able, a resi-

April / May 2000

ness must include

to Albany in the

divided his time between his grandmother's home in Connecticut and his father's place in Greenwich Village. He began acting when his stepmother, playwright Eve Ensler, sensed a nascent talent and wrote him into one of her plays, Believe It, See It, Survival. With his first curtain call, McDermott was hooked. He went on to study drama at Fordham University and after graduating enrolled at the Neighborhood Playhouse where he studied under famed acting coach Sanford Meisner. He

prehensive solution to homeless-

interview. He is married to actress Shiva Afshar and they have a young daughter,

Homeless Advocote

Dylan McDermott has teetered on the brink of stardom for years, appearing in such films as Steel Magnolias, Home for the Holidays and In the Line of Fire. But it is as Bobby Donnell, the idealistic

belief that a com-

1700s. He lives in

vice president of

The Doe Fund. His son John is chief financial officer of The Doe Fund.

Steve McDonald Policemon Wheelchair bound since a tragic shooting, policeman Steven McDonald, instead of becoming bitter, focuses all his energy on educating others on the work that police officers do and on the importance of forgiveness. Shot and paralyzed during an attempt to break up a robbery in

New York's Central Park

1986,

McDonald has since publicly forgiven his attacker, who was killed in a motorcycle accident three days after being released from prison.

There is not just one hero in the McDonald household, however. The police officer's wife Patti Ann, who was pregnant with their son, Conor, when McDonald was shot, works tirelessly alongside her husband. The two

are familiar faces at various Irish events and charity functions, and in 1999 they traveled with Conor, now 13, to Northem Ireland on a mission

of forgiveness. Armed with only personal stories of heal-

ing, together with author and minis-

ter J, Christoph Arnold, they set

about trying to bring peace, one person at a time, to the troubled

dential work and training program for

land. McDonald's ancestors hail from

homeless men and women, and a scheme

Counties Laois

which incorporates his strongly-held

and Leitrim.

IRrsH ArrasnrcA MAGAZTNE I

Tom McEnery Tom McEnery is one of the most pow-

erful and well-rounded men in Silicon Jose, Cal-

ifornia and a vice-chairman of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, McEnery is also the chairman of the ThelrishPlace.com, which promises to be the place "you go to experience the second Irish renaissance" when it launches this summer. His grandparents left Co. Kerry in 1898 to begin a new life in the United States.

From an early tge, McEnery

was intrigued by Irish history, so much so that, while in the midst of earning a master's degree in history from Santa Clara Uni-

versity, he wrote

Of Irish and Lebanese descent, Mitchell was bom in Waterville, Maine in 1933. He

Sports Commentotor

ThelrishPloee.com

Valley. A former mayor of San

all parties involved in the Good Friday Agreement.

Al McGuire

a thesis on

Michael

Whether it was a tribute to his Irish roots or

a law degree from Georgetown University, and started his political career as an earned

his incredible flair for words, the New York Times once dubbed Al McGuire the "James Joyce of the airwaves." In a recently published biography of the loquacious commentator by

assistant

law firm. When

Muskie resigned from the Senate in 1980, Mitchell was appointed in his place. He easily won

McGuire modestly notes: "There is no way I could have said all of the things and done all of the things that

have been printed about me over the years."

A former coach of the Marquette

McEnery is an author of several other works, inc-

Warriors basketball

luding A New lreland, which is an

basketball tournament,

account

According

career cornmenting on the NCAA

Basketball's Original Child, the 7l-year-old McGuire

Flower

He has also taught

"is still at the top of his game and remains one of the most respected

at the prestigious Stanford University, as well as Santa

and beloved sports analysts in television sports."

alma

McGuire's father John was

mater).

for two

Winifred Sullivan, was from Hertfordshire, England. "I was always proud to be Irish," McGuire told his biographer. "I think the Irish brought a comfortableness to the United States." Born and raised in

terms, from 1982

1990, McEnery was in office while

Silicon Valley exploded during the

computer revolution of the 1980s. In his last year in office, the San

native of Lough K"y, Co. Roscommon, while his mother,

As the mayor of San Jose,

CBS.

to Joe Moran, the

author of You Can Call Me Al: The Colorful Journey of College

Northern Ireland.

Clara (his

first for

NBC and currently for

John

bring peace

team,

McGuire has had a 20-year-plus

Hume's efforts to

Senator Edmund

Maine to take a partnership in a

Joseph Declan Moran,

Collins.

Muskie but later returned to

reelection in 1982 and 1988 when he was also elected Senate majority leader.

When he retired from the

Senate

after 14 years, he declined an offer to sit on the Supreme Court, agreeing instead to become President Clinton's special adviser for economic initiatives in

to his being selected to chair the peace talks in Ireland, which ultimately led Northern Ireland.

In199'7, Mitchell's wife, Heather, gave

birth to a baby boy, Andrew, while Mitchell was still chairing the talks, but difficult as it was to be away from his family, Mitchell never wavered in his commitment to the peace process. In total he spent over two and half years in Northern Ireland, returning again when the Northern Ireland Assembly became bogged down over the issue of decommissioning. For his commitment towards finding a peaceful solution to the troubles in North-

ern Ireland, Mitchell was named "Irish American of the Year" in 1999 by this magazine, and was also listed as one of our Irish Americans of the Century.

New York City, McGuire first Jose

Mercury News ratedTom "the most powerful person in Silicon Valley." Some would argue that McEnery still holds that distinction today. Through it all, McEnery has remained close to Ireland. In 1995, he received the Lord Mayor's Award in Dublin (where his mother's family hails from). The hon-

or was an especially unique one, considering that McEnery was the first recipient of the award not to be born in lreland. Today, when he isn't dividing his time between the ThekishPlace.com and the Sharks, McEnery is a member of the San Jose-Dublin Sister City Committee. He and his wife Jill have three adult daughters and make their home in San Jose.

made his name as a basketball coach bringing his skill and talent to such

schools as Dartmouth, Belmont Abbey and Marquette. He brought the Marquette

Warriors

to the NCAA

championshiP

1977. The school has never achieved a similar feat since.

finals

F.g?[su

Mitchell

No matter what the outcome in Northern Ireland, George Mitchell cannot be faulted for the effort he put in. The combination of statesmanship, patience and

willingness

make himself equally

available to all sides won the former senator from Maine the respect and trust of

George Mitchell and his

wile Heather.

Continued on Page 66

Inrss AvrpRtcA MAGAZINE ApriU May

2000

Yincent

Fitzcerald

Compalny

The artistry of the early lrish monks and the Book of Kells is reflected in Vincent FitzCerald's

work.

He talks to

ohn Froude on making books.

incent FitzGerald makes beautiful books. He con-

ducts an orchestra of printers, bookbinders, papermakers, illustrators/ beaux artistes/ painters, and poets to bring the creation of writers such as Rumi the Persian poet or Joyce the Irish

one or contemporary writers such as David Mamet into something that is an art form in itself. "I think I was about five when I fell in love with books. . . Opening a book is theater. There are words, letters, images, texture; it is mankind's greatest invention." In twenty years Vincent FitzGerald & Company has built a catalogue of 38 books to date, in limited editions. They are made in the tradition of the Parisien I-ivres d'Artistes in which, for instance, Picasso illuminated B alzac. Vincent Fitzgerald's grandfather was born in Cork. His father is a retired New York City cop and his mother was

April i May 2000 Inrsn AlaeRrce MacaznB

Company and his first volume. At 35, FitzGerald had discovered his vocation.

"Making money was never the intent.

sold

pictures to finance the books. The books came first. I was happy if I covered costs," he says in his diffident, modest, cigarette-smoking, slightly melancholic way. "I really got start-

ed in this because I want to bring people together. I tell them, yes. Yes, we can do this. If I

don't tell

them,

who will?

it is that I a nurse. The second of four boys, he majored in painting and economics at Columbia and afi education in graduate

poet and translator Zalra Par1:ovi that has culminated in what many feel is a

VF& Co. masterpiece, Rumi's Dlvan

e Shams.

An edition of Joyce's Giacomo Joyce,

soy, or Ibsen's Poems requires

school. He joined the Peace Corps as a

ful that will live than you do."

combination of artistic techniques. There is etching, calligraphy, lithography, silk screen and the hand manufacture of colored paper. Printing is done with letterpress

something entirely beauti-

Kennedy idealist and ran a school for deaf children in Kenya for two years. Then he traveled the world, making the first of many journeys to Ireland where he met his family in Cork. He notes another influence. "When I first arrived

25,I went directly

can usually

see the finished work from the beginning. And then the next project bounces off the one before. It's the need to make

least in part to VF&Co. It was also the beginning of an unintemrpted and continuing collaboration with the Iranian-born

hand. This method embeds letters on the paper as Caxton would have done. The whole

longer

process takes infinite care and is labor intensive. He

His first book

was a

paruble called The Mer-

has worked with over a hundred

chant and

per book. Vincent needs talented people with uncommon gifts and

collaborators, as many as thirty

the

Parrot by Rumi.

The significance

finds them "through

Book of Kells. Celtic illuminated manuscripts have always fascinated me." After returning home to New York he worked at various jobs in the worlds of books and art. He became dissatisfied with selling pictures on a quota and one day quit to start Vincent FitzGerald and

and power of this l3th century Sufi poet and philosopher is being

necessity." Michael Finegold, old friend

in Dublin,

aged

Trinity College to

see the

and translator of Ibsen's poems for the VF&Co edition, points out

rediscovered in the West

thanks at

that these extraordinary books could not be made without Vincent's commitment and passion and it is this that draws the artists along. Susan Weil, artist agrces: "These editions are acts

oflove."

Does he think his Irish origins have anything to do with this? "It's a question of blood. I want to honor my ancestors," says FitzGerald.

VF&Co's collection has been purby Columbia University. An exhibition, "Themes and Variations: The Publications of Vincent FitzGerald & Company," will be displayed at the Butler Library of Rare Books and chased

Manuscripts, at Columbia, from March 22 for three months. @

IRrsH AlaeRrce

MecazrNe ApriU May 2000

Continued lrom page 63

Tom Moran

Kathy Morgan

Musicion

l-'lumonitcrion

School Guidance Counselor

It's hard to imagine, but the musician who has become irrevocably

One of the most familiar faces in Irish American circles, Tom Moran has long been involved in humanitarian and community causes. The president and CEO of Mutual of America Life

Kathy Morgan joined All Hallows High School, in the South Bronx in 1997, as a college advisor. She quickly threw herself into the job, and started experimenting with new ways of approaching colleges on behalf of her students, who few felt

Mick Molon ey associated with Philadelphia over the last quarter of a century or so almost didn't make it there in the first place. When Mick Moloney, smitten by the world of folklore, first applied to the

University of Pennsylvania for a scholarship to study there, he was turned down. It was a letter to Professor Kenneth Goldstein, in which the young Moloney wrote of his desire to pursue some study of the art, that turned things around. Scholarship granted, Moloney subsequently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife. He has since made folklore and music his life's work. Moloney's latest venture is, according to the promotional literature, "an

Insurance Company is particularly known

for his

longtime dedication

When he's not wearing his tour guide hat, Moloney, a native of Limerick, is a professor of folklore at Villanova University. He has also taught ethnomusicology, folklore and Irish studies courses at Georgetown, Pennsylvania and New York Universities. He has hosted three nationally syndicated serres

of folk music shows on American Public Television and was

consultant, performer

and interviewee on

Bringing It All Back Home. He has played on and produced dozens

traditional

music

albums and was the

mastermind

April

2000

even

graduate from high school.

tion, have long

lows told her, "Keep doing whatever it is

the receiving end

you're doing. I'm giving you an open field. Just go crazy." Morgan took him at his word. Since then 176 of her students

of his

quiet

assistance and generosity. Moran is also passionate about the ongoing struggle

(100 percent of the 1998 and 1999 senior classes) have been accepted at colleges. These statistics are all the more incred-

ible given that the students come from one of the toughest neighborhoods in the

country where drug dealing, shootings,

to find peace in

and poor single-parent households are the

Northern Ire-

on the board of ttre National

norm. But in many ways, Morgan says it is this background that has made her students learn to succeed upon going to college. She credits them with being incredi-

Committee on

bly adaptable, with good instincts for sur-

American Foreign Policy, the organiza-

vival, and she says they simply don't have the option of failure. Morgan's role doesn't end with just get-

land. He serves

most unordinary tour,"

raves Bill Compton of The Olympian in Washington. Moloney himself participates in every tour, and the eight different trips take place from May through October.

could get a higher education, or

from Northern Ireland to the U.S. on vaca-

children

been on

which take in the ancient Celtic settlements that dot the Irish countryside, the remote Irish-speaking communities that still exist, as well as a host of musical sessions up and down the

Irish

Through her persistence Morgan got six students accepted at Holy Cross, the competitive, mostly white college in Worcester, Massachusetts. After that, Sean Sullivan, the principal at All Hal-

which every year brings

authentic Irish cultural odyssey" folklore tours of his native Ireland

country.

Concern Worldwide, the Irish and Project Children, relief organization, causes

tion that first invited Geny Adams to speak in the U.S., an invitation which ultimately led to the granting of Adams' visa. Over the years politicians on all sides of the divide have been invited to speak by

the Committee at lunches hosted by Mutual of America in its Park Avenue home. Moran, himself, has traveled to Northern Ireland on numerous occasions, and credits Mutual's chairman Bill Flynn with first interesting him in Ireland. He is chairman of the North American Board of the University College Dublin Graduate School of Business - the Smurfit School; serves on the National Center for Disability Service, and on the American Cancer Foundation, and is a member of the Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.A. Moran was keynote speaker at lrish America's Business 100 Lunch in November of last year. He was also named by this magazine as an Irish American of the Century.

Moran

is a

graduate

of Manhattan

College, and every year marches with his

alma mater

in the St. Patrick's

Day

behind the all-female group Cherish

Parade. His ancestors come from Kesh in

the Ladies.

his wife Joan.

Fermanagh and Carrick-on-Suir

in Tip-

perary. He lives in New York City with

InrsH Araenrca Maceztlre

ting her students into college; she also has to ensure that they receive the necessary financial aid to help them through. To that

end many Irish Americans who were raised in the neighborhood, and are All Hallows alumni, have been instrumental in providing the financial support to keep the school going when it seemed destined to be closed down earlier in the 1990s. ln a Wall Street Journal article one of those alumni, Walter O'Hara, an invest-

-1 ment banker, describes Morgan and her approach thus: ". . . she views what she

reporter went on to win nine national

does in an entrepreneurial

Hours.

way. I'm

Emmy Awards for her work on 48

used

I I

Moriarty and her twin sister Sheelah featued in a July lW 48 Hours show on multiple births and reproductive technology. An exclusive interview granted to Moriafiy by Stephen Jones, the defense attorney for convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, was broadcast on60 Minutes.

to seeing entrepreneurs who are forceful about their ideas. In her area, though, you don't find many people who take control." A third-generation kish American whose ancestors emigrated from Armagh in the 1880's, Morgan spent her junior year at

University College Cork, and has

been

back to Ireland several times since then.

October

of this year, the repofier

plans to fly to Ireland for a Moriarty clan reunion. For relaxation, she enjoys listening to Irish music, particularly the Clancy

Erin MoriarU

Brothers, and reading Irish literature,

CBS News Correspondent

including the works of Edna O'Brien.

Her training as a lawyer has served Erin Moriarty well when it comes to her career as a news correspondent for the CBS show 48 Hours, a position she has held since 1990. Moriarty has drawn on her legal

lmmigrotion Reformer Bruce Morrison won his place

and issues

teenagers

facing

the

death penal-

ty, the ongo-

ing on

debate abortion,

the spiraling

drug

and

substance abuse prob-

this

country

and

lem

other burning topics. The daughter of County Cork immigrants, Moriarty was born and raised in the Midwest. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Ohio State University with a

r I I I I I

Aimee Mullins Advocote

There's just no stopping her I Olympic athlete, runway model,

as a consumer correspondent

for the net-

work's This Morning show and Evening News with Dan Rather. Two years later, Moriarty received the Outstanding Consumer Media Service Award from the Consumer Federation of

America for her "many contributions of both local and national significance as a consumer reporter." This award has been only one of many, and the talented

I word "disabled." Mullins I ! I I ! I I I I I I I I I I

was

born without fibula bones and had both legs amputated

below the knee when

she

was twelve months old. After being fitted with artificial limbs she was literally off

and running. As her father Brendan, a native of County

was while serving

in the House of

Representatives for the third district ot Connecticut from 1983 to 1991 that Morrison began working on Irish issues. He served as co-chair of the Congressional

Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs. In 1992 he served as chairman of IrishAmericans for Clinton-Gore and helped develop the campaign's Irish agenda. Morrison still maintains an active inter-

est in immigration reforms. In 1992 he established the law firm Monison and Swaine in Connecticut which specializes she took up running, and after winning a number of impressive victories at the college level, she competed as part of the U.S Paralympic Team at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. She holds world

in both the 100-meter and jump. ; After graduating from George-

records

200-meter dash and the long

town in 1998, Mullins traveled the 1 country on various speaking g engagements and has appeared on g talk shows both here and in Ireland. ; She has also pursued modeling and 5 strode down a London catwalk last I year wearing a pair of hand-carved I

wooden prosthetics designed by Alexander McQueen. Mullins was

also selected as one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.

g 7 5 g

disabled means you're 'less able,' you're less attractive, less competent, less less everyintelligent

dent, always running around playing softball, baseball and going bowling and swim-

Mullins maintains that modeling is one way to mainstream I disability. "We have this conception in society that being

Clare, told lrish America, "She was always indepen-

ming." While a student at Georgetown University

IRA ceasefire.

I public speaker and advocate, I Aimee Mullins has accomI plished things most of us only I dream of. And in taking life degree in behavioral sciences and I head on, this 24-year-old is received her law degree from the same I forcing us to reevaluate the

institution. She worked as a reporter in Columbus, Ohio, Baltimore and Cleveland before a three-year stint as a consumer reporter with WMAQ-TV Chicago. In 1986, she joined CBS News and went on to work

the

tives, he authored and enacted the Immigration Act of 1990, the most comprehensive revision of U.S. Immigration Law in the nation's history. This new legislation included the Morrison visas, which provided immigration opportunities for at least 48,000 Irish citizens. Less well known is Morison's dedication to the peace process in Northern Ireland. In 1994,he was part of a delegation of Irish American business leaders who

social as

annals of Irish American history when, as a member of the House of Representa-

background to report on such cutting

legal

toured the troubled province and he was one of several committed Irish Americans whose perseverance and dedication played a huge role in securing the first

Bruce Morrison

| I

L ApriV May

thing."

Inrsn AtusnrcA MAGAZTNE

2000

in immigration issues along with international trade and investment. In addition to

chairing the Federal Housing Finance Board, he serves on the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. A 1913 graduate of Yale Law School, Morison and his wife NancY have one son and live in Bethesda, Maryland'

Michael Mullan Coach

has been said that the collegiate scholar-athlete is becoming a rarity today, but Mike Mullan goes one step further. He's not only a noted

scholar

but

also a winning tennis coach. In a turbulent

Mullan credits his Irish ancestry for the interest in the research he does today' He's been to Ireland twice, and considering the Irish element of his research, another visit may be in the cards.

8f,il;l$lfll;

Pn'fttflLll."Pnv It was 1978 when Donal Murphy and his wife Mary Jo first participated in the Irish Children's Summer Program, opening their homes to an Irish child for an extended vacation. Over 20 years later, he is still doing whatever he can to better the lives of children on the other side of the Atlantic. In 1988, Murphy founded the Northern keland Children's

with frequency,

Enterprise (NICE), which sends children from Northem Ireland to live with families in the U.S. in the summertime.

Mullan's

Since its inception,

sporting world where coaches

come and go 22^

year tenure

the tennis coach

Swarthmore

College in Penn-

sylvania makes

him

something

of a dinosaur. He's been very successful at Swarthmore, coaching the team to three Division III national championships and nine Final Four appearances. In honor of his great career, the new tennis center where the team will play its matches next season has been named after Mullan, an honor reserved for only the most successful and revered of coaches in any sport.

Mullan is a winner when it comes to writing as well. As a professor of physi-

cal education at Swarthmore, Mullan has penned several research articles perlaining to Irish sports during his tenure. One such article, "Opposition, Social Closure and Sport: The Gaelic Athletic Association in the 19th Century," earned him the 1996 Article of the Year from the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport. Today, Mullan is studying the future of Irish American sports on the strength of a

grant from the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at Notre Dame. He was awarded the grant for winning the Center's 1998 Hibernian Research Award. As a fourlh-generation kish American

whose family hails from Co. Antrim,

in Killarney that he spends three months a year in and often visits Belfast and Dublin in his spare time.

home

of an Irish outreach service within Catholic Charities, the first program of its kind in the U.S. John Cardinal O'Connor gave his blessing, local community leaders supported the idea, and then Taoiseach (Irish Prime posed the establishment

As executive director of

Catholic

Charities since 1973, Monsignor Murray oversees the activities of this not-forprofit corporation which coordinates and supervises all the charitable activities of the Archdiocese of New York. Project Irish Outreach, in particular, provides invaluable assistance to members of the whether it kish immigrant community be help with immigration -issues, legal concerns, social security matters or just general accommodation and employment information. The service has two walk-in

was

born in Flushing, Queens, one of six

advice centers, one

children that Dr. Raymond and Alice Murphy raised. All four of Murphy's grandparents were born in Ireland, and his Irish heritage had a direct impact on future endeavors. "It was because of my Irish ancestry that I founded the NICE program, to enable the people in the North of Ireland to share the same freedoms enjoyed by

the people in the south," Murphy told Irish America. NICE also runs two facilities, in Ballycastle and Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic children can play together in a neutral environment. Murphy said that the organization is hoping to serve 10,000

people a year with the facilities, which a

meet-

Today, in addition to his work with NICE, Murphy is a member of the Irish American Partnership, ICCUSA and the Ireland-U.S. Council, as well as being a Friendly Son of St. Patrick in both Westchester and Putnam. He makes a

68 April / May 2000 InIsH AvtsRrcA MAGAZINE

bring Irish chaplains to the New York archdiocese. The monsignor also pro-

reach was born.

necticut.

include after-school programs and ing place for parents.

A series of meetings in the spring of 1987 led Monsignor Jim Munay to conclude that Irish immigrants in the U.S. were woefully underserved by the clergy and to this end he drafted a proposal to

Minister) Charles Haughey promised to look into the idea of financial support from Ireland. Thus, Project Irish Out-

NICE has sent well over 1,500 children both Catholic -and Protestant to live with host families in New York and Con-

Murphy

rames Mu nav

Manhattan and

in Yonkers, where everything from pastoral counseling to mother & toddler one

support groups are offered.

Born in New York City, Monsignor Murray was educated at Regis High Continued on page 72

{ i"ol

fpaprTHe Easv!\ftv. xentRA{,D Pti.flliqtd P!ii"

Use the EmeroldMosterCord'credit cord to eom PIus Rewards Miles with every purchose you moke.

toll-free phone call to enjoy car rentals and hotel accommodations, or fly worldwide on major airlines-

Enjoy a high credit line, a low introductory Annual Percentage Rate on cash advance checks and balance transfers, 24-hour Customer service, a host of useful travel-related benefits, and much more-all with No Annual Fee. Request the Emerald Platinum Pluf*

with no blackout

credit card with Plus Rewards Miles now.

You'll automatically earn one Plus Rewards Mile for every dollar in purchases charged to your No-Annual-Fee Emerald credit cardJ Simply redeem your Miles with one

dates.r

Coll Toll-Free Todqy! 1-800-523-7 666 To toke

odvontoge of this offe4 use priority code DR79. (TfY users coll 1-8@-833-6262)

flBNA. AilE3t(*

Kernag han

playing organized hockey at five, young

it looked like

cultures and seemingly on

Owen adapted quickly. "He was just one of those kids you

for Ontario's prestigious Junior A

age nine, Owen Nolan was stuck between two

track to becoming the world's greatest street hockey player, not a high-paying voca-

tion unless you're comedian Mike Meyers and can work it into a hit movie

knew would be a good athlete," says Dave Marrone, who grew up a few doors away. "We'd play out on the street and you could tell he would be a great hockey player once he got the

llke llayne's World.

Born in Belfast

bladeS on."

"He skates, he hits, to Thorold, Ontario, which is about 30 miles 69 ShOOtS and north of Buffalo, New flnalry York, young Owen was fierce with a stick. he scores He was so fierce that

Owen Sr. reckons there

again.

...

hurling YOU'd Call him gene at work, th instincts or the u,,"r",ii Y/ird rrish Rosg' Irish game surfacing in but he already must be a strong

an environment

where

another stick-game, ice has hockey, dominated. But Owen hadn't been exposed to the staple

a nickname: Buster."

ofa

Then one day some kids needed another player for a game of pond-hockey, some skates were produced and a future star took his first wobbly strides. "Owen would have been a good hurler," the father says of the son, who is having a career year with the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. At presstime Nolan was chasing Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins, arguably the best player in the world, for the NHL scoring lead. And just past

the season's midway point, he

had

I a scout down to Niagara

Futt, to look at a prospect and someone said the guy they should almost nothing in the first period, playing better in the second and simply took

you knew he'd pick it up fast," says Marrone. "Before long he could play as well as kids three

over the game in the third and just about won it by himself." But that budding hockey career nearly was derailed soon after it started.

and four years older, and the differences in the size and

;f:it$ iillt"?:!

The Nolan family con-

sidered moving back to Norlhern Ireland. "Ellen fNolan's mother] put her foot down,"

Long-time .minor league coach Bob McGarrigle picks up the story.

"His

first

out for the novice team, he didn't make it because he just couldn't skate. He was on

the taxi

squad,

but just

that

one year."

Though he was terrify-

ing goaltenders for

the next

five years,

recalls McGarrigle. "She said she wasn't taking a son back to get shot there." The Nolans now have their own little piece of Ireland in the countryside. "It's easy to spot," says McGarrigle. "Just look for the Irish flag."

The family home is a large Georgian house set far back from a country lane in softly rolling fields. They've named it Portglenone, which is a parish and small town in Antrim near Ballymena. It confirms what Owen Jr. says of the Irish tradition in the family.

already scored 36 goals and 33 assists almost twice last season's total goals. All they had to do with the nine-yearold Nolan was add ice and mix. Though

"It's deep. We have lots of relatives and I plan to go back there this summer. I was back once when I was really young and I hoped to make it back the last two summers,

that is old to start skating in Canada, where kids are on skates at two and

April / May 2000 Intsu AvBnrcA

6 6 fTth" Cornwall Royals had sent

medium balanced on a quafter inch of steel.

time he tried

Canadian winter, skating, so he was only halfway schooled in the spcirl.

league.

be looking at was Owen. The scout came to look at him and Owen did

negotiating

he might slip through the cracks when l5-year-olds were drafted

a slippery new

Nolan had his misadventures

and

transplanted as a toddler

National Hockey League star Owen Nolan is profiled by John

MAGAZINE

are opponents who must deal with six feet, two inches and 220 pounds of Nolan bearing down on them at25 mph. When the Belfast boy arrives at the rink angry and gets nastier as the game goes on, he is a major force. Chris Pronger, who is 6-6, says there is palpable menace when Nolan patrols right wing in his zone. "The biggest difference to me (this

year) is his intensity on every shift," said the St. Louis Blues' captain. "He finishes every hit. He doesn't seem to

Nolan's official $harks photo.

stomach.

He was suspended for one game for his parl in the brawl but returned to score the game-winning goal as Catada took the global title. The showman in him emerged in the 1997 NHL All-Star Game in San Jose. He had scored two goals for the West team and had been foiled on three

breakaways

by all-world

netminder

Dominik Hasek. As he swept in on Hasek

fourth time,

a lot of lot more

Nolan took a hand off his stick and pointed to a spot above the goalie's glove-hand. Then he calmly fired the

rated the best prospect when he graduat-

Rob Blake of the Los Angeles Kings

puck right to that spot for his third goal. "It was just the right timing. That's

ed from junior and was picked No.l in the 1990 NHL amateur draft was coming off two tepid seasons of 14 and 19

figures that Nolan has simply grown

what the whole All-Star weekend is

into his role as team captain. "San Jose

about, having a good time, and I thought

but things kept coming up."

Big things. Last summer he had a career to resurrect. The guy who was

goals.

It looked paltry compared to the three 30-goal seasons he enjoyed, one ofthem a 42-score year. Moreover, in a sixgame series against the team which traded him to San Jose, the Colorado Rockies, he managed just two points as the Sharks were eliminated. Nolan says he simply ran out of gas after'78 regular season games. He was

embarrassed.

What rose from

that

embarrassment was a summer dedicated

to having an extra edge the following season.

"I worked oui a lot harder this summer than I had in previous summers, and that has a lot to do with the success I've had this season. I hired a personal trainer to work with me and worked out with a couple of guys on the team. The other thing is that the team is playing so much better, and when your team is strong everybody looks good." He said his poor performance against former teammates in Colorado during the playoffs pricked his pride. "I wanted to do more against Colorado, but I couldn't. I realized I wasn't in good enough shape and that bugged me." So he spent a lot of time with teammate Jeff Friesen in the off-season. "Jeff

is a world-class athlete and he really pushed me. We worked on building my endurance."

The preceding quotes amount to a major speech for Nolan, who makes most of his statements on the ice.

"You're lucky

you get more than

seven words out of Owen," says former neighbor Marrone. "You can't say Owen is moody," adds

McGarrigle, "he just can be

little

distant." And others speak for him. Often they

stop, and that's created turnovers and created a chances for himself."

is a fairly young team and they needed a guy to take charge. Obviously he's done that with his numbers. But his physical presence is big. He'lI fly around and hit guys early to set the tone, and that rubs off on his teammates." His coach, Darryl Sutter, says he was warned when he took the Sharks job that Nolan would be the hardest player to handle. Not so. "He's the guy I've had the least trouble with because he's an old-school, old-fashioned hockey player. Even when he's losing he wants to kill somebody. There aren't enough of them left in the game." Old-school in some ways, a showman in keeping with modern sports in another. A few years ago when he was playing for Canada in the World Championships in Finland, he reacted swiftly Io Czech players spearing him and teammates in a game, dropping one of the Czechs with a gloved-hand punch. A melee erupted with Nolan at the

it would be neat to try something like that. If it doesn't pan out, maybe you

center and he was scarcely contrite afterwards. "I'd

name: Buster." @)

probably do it again. I've never

seen stickwork like that in my

life or

been

speared so much

in my career." Nolan was stand-

ing up for the way North Americans play the game, ln

your face

with

E E

no sneak attacks Fo or sticks in the s

E 0wen Nolan shows L a his agility this past JJ November in a game against the Galgary o Flames.

look like a fool, but it was in front of the home-town crowd and it was just good

timing." Now he thinks it's time to repay San Jose fans with a run deep into the playoffs, and considering how the Buffalo Sabres went from nowhere to the final last year, maybe a shot at the Stanley cup. "People have been great. Believe it or not, it's a hockey atmosphere there. San Jose really doesn't have another sport, so they've embraced the team and the game." But most of all the fans and media alike have embraced Nolan. "After two years of nothing, Nolan is doing everything for the Sharks," exulted the San Jose Mercury in December, "He skates, he finally he hits, he shoots and scores again. . . . You'd- call him -'Wild Irish Rose,' but he already has a nick-

Continued from page 68

School. Prior to his ordination in 1956, he graduated from Fordham University School of Law and worked as an attor-

Conan O'Brien Tolk Show Host

ney for five years. After entering the

to his studies, and graduated from Fordham once again in 1958 with a master's degree in

priesthood he returned

social service. The son of Donegal and Tyrone immi-

grants, Monsignor Murray has served stints at the Department of Family Services, the New York Foundling Hospital and the Holy Name Centre for Homeless Men. He is a member of the American Irish Historical Society, the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the Knights of Columbus, among others. He received an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 1995. He has made over fifty trips to Ireland since he first visited

When Late Night with Conan O'Brien celebrated its fifth anniversary in 1998 it was a particularly sweet triumph for the show's young host, When the show was first launched, it was reviled by the crit-

ics. In fact the network's confidence in the show was so low it was only renewed in thirteen-week installments. But in what has been hailed as "one of the most amazing transformations in television

history" Conan O'Brien has turned the show into a ratings success and earned himself the moniker "Late Night's King of Cool." In 1997, NBC finally showed its confidence in O'Brien by signing him to a five-year contract worth millions.

there in September 1945 while serving

But success won't go to his head. He

War II.

insists, "It'11 be years and years before I make outrageous demands-like renaming

as a G.I. in Germany during World

John O'Connor

NBC The Conan Channel." A descendant of Famine emigrants

from Counties Waterford and Kerry, O'Brien grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University

where he studied American history and literature. It was there that he tried his hand at comedy writing, writing for the

Harvard Lampoon and serving as its president. After college he moved to Los Angeles

Cordinol

pursue comedy writing. He wrote some sketches for Saturday Night Live and later worked as a writer and producer for The Simpsons. When O'Brien heard of the vacancy left by David Letterman at NBC he auditioned for the job. Simpsons' creator Matt Groening put in his vote of confidence, "He always kept

Concerned New Yorkers are keeping their beloved Cardinal as we go to press. John O'Connor, who a close eye on

has served as Archbishop of New York

since 1984, is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. But, ill as he is, the spunky Pennsylvanian is keeping his spirits up. He continues to be a celebrant at Sunday mass in St.

the staff entertained. . .and

he can make

a bunch of bitter, self-hating

Patrick's Cathedral when he can, and recently attended a gala dinner at the Waldorf Astoria to celebrate his 80th

comedy

birthday.

writers laugh, then I'm sure he'll have no trouble making the rest of America laugh."

His Eminence also met with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness when the two were on a recent visit to New

Tim O'Brien

York City. His meeting with

Sinn F6in's leaders came as no surprise to Irish Americans. The New York Cardinal has always shown his concern for the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland and has risked both Irish and U.S. government disapproval at times with his outspoken attitude. When Peter King, then comptroller of Nassau County, and a supporter of Sinn F6in and Noraid, was elected grand marshal of the St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1985, the Irish government tried to persuade O'Connor to boycott the parade. But the Cardinal clearly saw that his responsibility was to the people of New York, not a foreign govemment, and he participated in the parade after all.

O'Connor didn't just concern himself

Aprit / May 2000

lllustrqtor/Boxer with Ireland's political woes, however; under his leadership, the Archdiocese of New York set up Project Irish Outreach in 1985 to respond to the plight of illegal Irish immigrants, providing free counseling, medical care and social services. The Cardinal's interest in Ireland began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was born. He described his childhood as that of a "typical poor Irish kid of the Depres-

Readers of lrish America will know afiist Tim O'Brien's work from his extraordinary portrait of last year's hish American of the Year, George Mitchell, but he has gone on to new heights of fame since then. His oil-painted illustrations regularly grace the covers of national publica-

tions and in December O'Brien was picked to do the portraits ofthree finalists for Time magazine's Persons of the Cen-

sion." His father, Thomas, the son of Roscommon immigrants, was very passionate about his heritage. In an interview with this magazine O'Connor recalled,

tury, including Albert Einstein, their Person of the Century, and runners-up Fraxklin Delano Roosevelt and Mohan-

"You'd have thought Parnell was his

When not working as an illustrator, O'Brien finds time for another love

brother-in-law the way he talked about him."

IRIsH AvrenrcA MAGAZTNE

das Gandhi.

boxing. He spends at least three sessions- a

week in the gym, where he enjoys sparring, and teaching boxing moves to interested students. "It's the only time I can not think about work," he says. O'Brien's love of boxing started when he was growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, the town where his lrish-born grandparents

of people to their TV

before him - Paul O'Dwyer the renowned civil rights advocate, and Bill O'Dwyer, former Mayor of New York. The Paul O'Dwyer Peace and Justice Award, which O'Dwyer established as a salute to his father, is annually given to those whose efforts have led to the saving of human lives, as well as to securing their civil rights. In

millions glued

sets when she is on.

And this year she will once again host the Tony Awards,

much to the produc-

settled after they emigrated, separately, to

ers' relief.

the U.S. His father William died when O'Brien was just nine, after which his

hosting the show in

paternal grandparents helped his FrenchCanadian mother in raising her three young sons. "My grandfather was a father

declined in '99. Not

1998, President

coincidentally, the show suffered a

received the award. O'Dwyer was appointed Com-

precipitous decline

missioner of the New York City

in ratings that year. Starting out as a stand-up comic,

Commission on Human Rights from 1993-96 and he is also a

After

1997 and'98

she

O'Donnell really gained the public's

attention with

motion

tic Ethnic Coordinating Committee. He was national co-chairman in 1992 and'96 of Irish Ameri-

her

andThe Flintstones. She also appeared on Broadway playing Rizzo in the Broadway revival of Grease. However, it was her new role as mother that prompted her to turn toward television, allowing her to

spend more time with her son Parker, whom she adopted in 1995. She has since adopted two more children, Chelsea Belle

to Ireland, yet, but I'd like to go over there to see my grandfather's resting place."

Apart from all the professional success he experienced last year, the artist had something else to celebrate. On December 18, 1999, his wife Elizabeth Parisi gave birth to Cassius Liam O'Brien. The

family live in Brooklyn.

Rosie O'Donnell Talk Show Hosi

and Blake Christopher. She has a custombuilt nursery next to her office in the NBC building at Rockefeller Center. O'Donnell's own mother died of cancer when Rosie was ten-a tragedy she describes as the defining event ofher life.

Afterwards she and her father and four siblings stayed for a while with relatives in Ireland and she has very fond memories of her time there.

show. Newsweek magazine calls her the "Queen of Nice," while US magazine praised her as the "talk show St. Patrick who drove the snakes of trash TV from the land." She's living proof that nice guys don't always finish last her smaft,

funny, down-to-earth style -has tens of

cans for Clinton-Gore,

and

accompanied President Clinton on his 1995 trip to lreland. Bom in New York City, O'Dwyer is a partner in the law firm of O'Dwyer & Bernstien, a medium-sized litigation firm in the city, specializing in labor,

medical malpractice, and personal injury, civil rights

and immigrants' rights. Both the

National

Law

Joumal and Legal Times cited him as

having won the highest personal injury award in the U.S. for 1994.

O'Dwyer received

has

special

citations from for-

mer New York

Brian O' Dwyer

Governor Mario Cuomo at the New

Lowyer

strong advocate

for human

Brian O'Dwyer was the leader successful campaign

University

rights,

the

open the City

of New York (CUNY)

to good

aliens. Always a friend to the Irish community, he undocumented

Holding to the maxim that she won't tell a joke about someone she wouldn't tell to the person's face, Rosie O'Donnell has revolutionized the American talk

Clinton

member of the National Democra-

picture debut in A League of Their Own. She went on to star in films like Sleepless in Seattle, Another Stakeout, Beautiful Girls

to me in awayi'he says. "He was a big influence." O'Brien's grandfather moved back to Tipperary when he became a widower, and is buried there. "I haven't been

Bill

York City Council for his work with immigrant groups. He was the Grand Marshal of the 1998 Rockaway St. Patrick's Day Parade. O'Dwyer's father emigrated to the U.S. from Bohola, Co. Mayo.

has

worked closely with both the Mayor's and Governor's offices of immigrant affairs on Irish matters, and serves as chairman of the board of the Emerald Isle Immigra-

Stella O'Leary

tion Center. O'Dwyer is cerlainly not the only member of his family to come to prominence

Inspired by President Clinton's peace initiatives in Ireland, Dublin native Stella O'Leary, along with Cavan man Tom Hanlon, founded Irish Americans for a

either. In the causes he champions, O'Dwyer is following in the famous footsteps of his father and uncle

in New York

Political Activist

Democratic Victory in

197'1

The organi-

zation's inaugural dinner brought top

IzusH Alarnrca

Macazrxe ApriV May 2000

r\'

,tr a

SAT scores have risen 300 percent

his own, largely African American, con-

since 1994).

stituency.

But what makes Oliva's reign as president all the more unique is the

O'Malley fell in love with the city's historic neighborhoods and the hardworking people of Baltimore when he came to the city from Rockville, Mary-

fact that he is the first faculty member school's 169-year history to ascend to the heights of university president. However, his success has not taken

in the

away his desire to teach NYU students. To this day, despite his lofty status as president, undergrads still have the option of saying "da" or

ir;tt

"fiyet" to

First

Hit

cti

with

0'Lea

Dr.

Oliva's Russian

leaders in the Irish political and business communities together, and ever since then the Irish Americans for a Democratic Victory has continued to make its presence felt on Capitol Hill, and within the Democratic Party. Though still a relatively young organization, the IADV has built up a large national membership and a solid base of

financial support, ensuring its longevity in the years to come. Among their activities, the IADV publishes The lrish American Democrat magazine and provides a variety of promotional products and services to candidates nationwide. O'Leary graduated from the School of Library Science at University College,

Dublin, and upon moving to the U.S. worked as a librarian for the Catholic

of America. She spent her time in the academic world before University

jumping into politics. With a large grant sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, she co-authored with Professor Thomas Halton a book entitled Classic Scholarship: An Annotated Bibliography (New York, 1983). She is mar-

ried to Gerald MacGowan, who served as ambassador to Portugal during the

history class.

Oliva's Irish heritage has always been a defining aspect of

land, to pursue a law degree. After completing his degree at the University of Maryland, he decided to stay and serve the city that he had come to love. From l99l to 1999 O'Malley served on the Baltimore City Council, and as the Assistant State's Attorney for the City of Baltimore from 1988 to 1990. He won election to a District City Council seat in 1991, and quickly moved up the political ranks.

his personality. Born

in Walden, New

York, he was imbued

with a pride in his heritage from his Irish-born mother, eYen learning to speak Gaelic. And at one time he had his own Irish band.

However, when his teaching career at NYU began in 1960, it was Russian history, not Irish history, that he taught. He later became the provost of the university before being named the chancellor and executive vice president for Academ-

In a city looking for change and renewal, O'Malley has set his sights high. He is faced with improving public safety, education, and economic development in a city which has yet to experience the prosperity of a booming economy. If the vote count is anything to go by, however, the citizens of Baltimore have faith that the feisty Irishman can make good on his election promises. O'Malley, who earned his BA in political science from Catholic University in 1985, lives with his wife, Katie Curran O'Malley and their two daughters, Grace and Tara, and son William, in Baltimore's Beverly Hills community. His Irish heritage plays a

ic Affairs in 1983. Eight years later, with 31 years of service to NYU and an impressive list of credentials, Oliva was named the president

of the largest private university in

the

country. A graduate of Manhattan College with higher degrees from Syracuse University,

Oliva has also been given honorary degrees from a number of universities

Clinton administration.

around the world, including a Doctor of Literature from University College Dublin in 1993. He and his wife Mary

L. Jav Oliva NYU Prelident

Ellen have two sons, Edward and Jay. Dr. L. Jay Oliva has been an institution at New York University in Manhattan for 40 years, from his early days as a Russian history teacher until today, as the school's

14th president. As NYU's top man since 1991, Oliva has presided over a renaissance university.

at the already-prestigious

The school has seen a 300 percent increase in the number of admission applications, as well as several new campus structures and a rise in the overall

quality of students (average freshman

April / May 2000 InIsH AlaBnrcA

Martin O'Malley Baliirnore Mayor

strong influence in his life, and despite his

hectic schedule the mayor still finds time to play in his band, O'Malley's March.

As Irish American as politicians come,

Martin O'Malley, the newest, youngest mayor in the history of Baltimore, is certainly a trailblazer. That he was elected to the post on November 2, 1999 with a whopping 91 percent of the vote is astonishing enough, but even more surprising is the fact that O'Malley is a minority in

MAGAZTNE

Paul O'Neill New York Ysnkee With players like right fielder Paul O'Neill on their roster, it is no wonder the New York Yankees continue to be the

nKeeping the hish lltlorld Conneeted' WIn

use rname

1ogini;itf.*.,*,ee.

a n d.

co m

a lrce tfip to lrelandl

24 llour lllews

Uisit today,

See w&at's happening in

lrcland with

lnternsl + Weland =

password

http=/ /www.vi rtu

Frec!

uptotte mirute

news24 hoursa day.

T|avel to lrela;nd Take a virtualtour and plan

yourfip to the best spob in lreland,

The Graic The best of fieatre, t'he

social scene, music, pubs, literature and more.

Living in lteland for

s !

FoIIow the T,eams Keep up with all the lrish sports, teams and scores.

TimeTlavel Do you want to learn where your ancestors came from?

And Muah Mare You can even send your

friends a virtual roundt

wuuw.ui rt u a )ir cl a n d.so m "Your lrish Home on thc lntcrnct"

playing like his life depended on it since

leader David Trimble and Sin6ad O'Con-

he was a little kid."

nor. Indicative of the drive and passion O'Reilly brings to her work, she is known to spend seven days working on a single

The O'Neill family has a long-running

history in baseball. Grandfather Art O'Neill played ball in Billings, Montana for $75 a month. After returning from WWII, where he served as a paratrooper, Paul's father, Chick O'Neill, pitched in the California leagues.

Off the field O'Neill

serves on several children's charity boards and participates

numerous charitable fundraising events. He resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife Nevalee and children Andrew, Aaron, and Alexandra.

Patricia O'Reilly Out of lrelond Host

dominant force they are in baseball today.

With four World Series rings and an American League batting title, O'Neill has consistently shown that he is one of the best players in baseball. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner has referred

to him as "the warrior." O'Neill was born in Columbus Ohio, the youngest of five brothers, and one sister, Mollie O'Neill, who is a food columnist for The New York Times and a past

In 1999, Patricia O'Reilly celebrated the sixth anniversary of Out of lreland, a weekly Irish news program beamed into more lhan 30 million homes throughout the United States and Canada. The show is now carried by more than 35 stations. The half-hour show first aired in 1993 on WNYE Channel 25, a public broadcasting station in the New York area. Two years later, it was picked up by WLIW 21, where it currently airs on Tuesday evenings and Saturday aftemoons.

attended

A Dublin native, O'Reilly immigrated to San Francisco in the early 80s where

Brookhaven High School, where he excelled in baseball and basketball, win-

she got her staft in broadcast journalism. She returned to Ireland to pursue a degree

ning All-State honors. After making his way through the minor leagues, he began his major league career in 1981 when the

in politics and history at University College Dublin and she now lives in New

Top 100 honoree. He

York City.

Oul of I reland features interviews,

Cincinnati Reds signed him as a free agent, in the fourth round. After winning his first World Series title with the Reds in 1990, he was traded two years later to

entertainment, local events and a weekly look at the news show produced by Irish

the Yankees.

subjects have included Sinn F6in leader

Although always a solid player for the Reds, it was as a Yankee that C)'Neill made a name for himself. In his first season he knocked up a .311 batting average, with 20 home runs and 75 runs batted in. The following

Gerry Adams, Ulster Unionist Party

season he went on

to win

national broadcaster RTE. Interview

the

American League batting title with a .359 batting average. In their most recent season, the Bronx Bombers once again went on to win the World Series with the help of O'Neill. In addition to his batting prowess, O'Neill

show.

Kathleen O'Toole Public Servcnt Kathleen O'Toole was one of two Americans appointed in 1988 to the eight-member Patten Commission - the international panel responsible for developing a new framework for policing and security in Northern Ireland as part of the Good Friday Agreement. As a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Police, O'Toole had plenty of experience to

draw on when it came to re-exam-

ining the

RUC

and recommending changes. From

1992 to 1999 she seryed as Special

Operations Divi-

sion Commander responsible for all uniformed tactical and traffic personnel; led the Imple-

mentation Team

for

consolidation state police entities, and main-

offour

tained State Police rank when senring

secretary of

public safety.

Educated at Boston College, O'Toole joined the Boston police department in 1979. She was admitted to the Massachu1982, and moved through the setts Bar

police ranks becoming a lieutenant colonel in 1992. She is currently associate senior vice president of the firm of GPC /O'Neill providing strategic public affairs and communica-

tions advice to national

and

international clients. O'Toole, whose professional

affiliations include the Tnternational Association of Chiefs of Police, says, "I will be forever thankful that I had the privilege of working on the Patten Com-

for his smart and

mission. Not only has it given

aggressive base running, and

me a better educated and more realistic perspective on lreland,

known

excellent fielding. His sister Molly noted that, "He's been

April / May 2000 Inrsn

Ar,IBRrcA MAGAZINE

Continued on page 80

IRISH CRYSTAL ,l

.: rl

.:.

er hen Stanford

Outshining her fellows, Sullivan

Law School announced that

Stanford

Kathleen Sullivan would become the school's

University's Law

became Tribe's research assistant more or less the same year she graduated summa cum laude, and became Part of his Supreme Court practice in 1981. In 1984, at 29 , she became Part of his

dean in September 1999,

they scored a coup. Sul-

livan is a star in the arena of constitutional law, with a national reputation. She has written U.S. Supreme Courl briefs on some of the most profound questions of the day; is sought after by U.S. senators seeking her advice in draft-

ing legislation, and her television

and

newspaper commentaries have given her a broad following. In fact, Sullivan is so respected that her name has been linked with the U.S. Supreme Court and Democratic administration posts, but being Dean of one of

the nation's top law schools will give her a chance to shape the next generation of lawyers, and that's what appeals to her now.

44, Sullivan has already Pulled

off a glorious trajectory in her career. Yet, she points out, it's not so long since Sandra Day O'Connor graduated from Stanford Law School and had dif-

ficulty getting

job even though

she

had finished top of her class. Now, of course, O'Connor is one of four Stanford graduates on the Supreme Court bench and one of Sullivan's compatri-

ot role models. But Sullivan shrugs when the possibility of following O'Connor or Irish American William Brennan onto the bench is mentioned. "Who knows? It's politics," she says, changing the slant. "I admired Brennan

so much and it always annoyed me when he was praised for stereotypical 'Irish' qualities instead of being recognized for just being as smart as a whip!"

April / May 2000 InrsH AltnnrcA

School Dean

Harvard law faculty, and was deemed "talented and energetic enough to rise to

Kathleen Sullivan

the pinnacle'of anything she does," in Tribe's own words. "She is dazzlingly

is interviewed by

good, brilliantly quick at seeing connections and noticing the subtext ofa ques-

Elgy Cillespie. s a teenager

growing up in

mid-

dle-class Queens, New York Sullivan watched Watergate unfold and became fascinated by the due process of the special prosecutors, the Senate hearings, the grand jury indictment of President Richard Nixon and the subsequent impeachment by the House Judiciary that led to his resignation. It all added up to an enthralling piece of history in progress that could have

made her a journalist, a writer or a lawyer. She chose the third option and

signed up

for Harvard Law

School,

where she landed in Professor Lawrence Tribe's constitutional law class.

Sullivan was the bright girl from Catholic school and a hardworking her mother was 'a background

teacher, her father an accountant

both

tion. She's also witty." While teaching at Haward, Sullivan started to appear on MacNeill Lehrer as a commentator and she might have stayed in Harvard forever had it not been for an invitation to teach at Stanford in 1993. She might have gone back to Harvard had her students not pleaded with her to stay at Stanford.

During the Clinton

impeachment

was Sullivan who pointed out that the public and Congress had

hearings,

switched places- "Condemn but don't impeach, censure but don't remove," said the public in a steady drumbeat of opinion polls. For her the classroom is the arena where students becotne "the heroes of their own lives" and where she finds the real thrill ofher place in the faculty. How much does she attribute to the influence ofCatholicism in her education? "Oh, a lot," she replies. 'Not that I agree women with everything or toe the line priests, for instance, have got- to come

- Her had graduated from City College.

soon!

family was imbued with the usual emigrant values of hard work and emotion-

Rules' to it, meaning the Baltimore Catechism. There's a sense of social

al astringency, but as focused and articulate as can be. MAGAZII'{E

"But first,

attribute a sense of'the

responsibility towards the poorer and weaker members of society. Finally,

there's the urge to do pro bono work." One of her best

known papers is entitled "The Good That Lawyers Do," and Sullivan would have you believe it's not a very short list after all. "Despite their image, lawyers do more public good than anyone would ever have

you believe," Sullivan says. The national convention of state attorneys met at Stanford

in January, and the topic of the day was how to tackle moral violations on the rambunctious free-for-all that is the Intemet. With Time Wamer

wedding AOL mar:riage and

in a shotgun

Bill

Gates spend-

ing more and more time with his lawyers. cyberspace is becoming more interesting every day; and both Gates and

Apple's Steve Jobs are big donors to the Stanford computer science faculty, too. Sullivan is ready to identify her agenda as '1the intersection

between law and technology," with a special duty to filter cybercrime through the bloodstream of constitutional law. Poised strategically in the heart of Silicon Valley, she is ideally placed to tackle the new foes ofthe 21st century,

from hackers and crashing hard drives to web racists

and porn peddlers on the net,

plus net fraud and viruses. "There is so much innovation in this technology revo-

lution that the issue of

human rights has been lost from time to time." Sullivan's efforts to tease legal right from wrong in these issues will change the immediate future, from making credit cards secure to fighting hate groups and child pom and

developing encryption techrriques to safeguard White House files. She expects these issues to engross the Supreme Courl for the rest of this century. First Amendment protection tops her personal list ofinterests, but this leads her straight into the problem of racist grotlps

on the web one of her specialties. is a sign of free"After all, litigiousness

dom and democracy, because it shows that society needs a way of dealing with its darker conflicts." Sullivan's Irish roots extend via her

who were Sullivans, O'Connors and Rigneys, to County Cork and County Limerick. "Being Irish has grandparents,

been an imporlant parl of my life. It gives rne a little bit of a perspective of the outsider . . . of how easy ifis trcbe a subordinated group," Sullivan told the Los Ange-

Tiies, oaaing, "My Irish grandmother to say, 'Jon't let your head get swelled up now'." @ les

used

InrsH AueRtcA MAGAZINE ApriV

May 2000

Continued frorn page 76 but I've made many dear friends that

pilgrimages to

I know I will have for a lifetime." Born in western Massachusetts,

Peck's father was relat-

Kerry.

ed to

O'Toole relocated to the Boston area as a child and she's lived in the city for the last 28 years. She and her husband, Dan, who is also secondgeneration Irish, have spent a lot of

Thomas

Ashe, the Irish

patriot,

and many of his rela-

tives still live in the Dingle area.

time in Ireland with their daughter

One of

Meghan who is now 16. In an amaz-

the

ing coincidence, on first traveling

most recogniz-

there the couple realized that Dan's patemal grandmother and O'Toole's

able legends of

maternal grandmother grew up within a mile of each other in Roscom-

Peck has starred in over 50 films and received an Academy Award in 1962 for his

the silver screen,

mon. The two families have been friends for generations.

Peck

F#s"ry

Born Eldred Gregory Peck to a firstgeneration Irish American father who was partly raised in Kerry, Peck grew up hearing stories of his father's Irish childhood, and this coming April, Peck and his wife Veronique will make one of their many

role as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. He is a recipient of the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, and the Kennedy Medal of Honor. This past year Peck received the Marian Anderson Award, which is bestowed annually on individuals who exemplify humanitarian efforts during the course of their life and

Tel

evis on Person i

I i

It is hard to tum on the TV or pick up a magazine nowadays without seeing something about Regis Philbin. As host of ABC's game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and co-host of the toprated daytime talk show, Live with

Regis

up with his trademark routine, "host chat.' He went on to work on numerous top-rated TV shows. As host of Philbin's People in Los Angeles he earned an Emmy award.

It was upon his return to New York in 1983 that Philbin began work on the talk show that he has become best known for today. He created The Moming Show on

WABC-TV, and was awarded two local Emmys. In June of 1985 Kathie Lee Gifford joined him on the show. The title of the show was

Kathie Lee, Philbin's

popularity has reached incredible new heights. Whether he is keeping people glued to their TV sets in the tension-filled Millionaire or making them laugh as host of

Live, in his 36

since he

stepped in front

a camera,

years

to Live with Regis Kathie Lee in 1988 and went changed

and into national syndication. Their chemistry quickly sent the ratings soaring, and they have worked

first

Philbin

has met with success after success.

After serving in the Navy, Philbin began his showbiz career as a page at NBC, where he ush-

ered guests to their

for The Tonight Show, His talk show career began as host of seats

The Regis Philbin Show

San Diego. It was that he frst came

80 April / May 2000 InrsH Arr,renrcA MAGAZTNE

as Helen Mirren, Jack Lemmon,

together ever since. For his work on live Philbin received an Emmy nomination. A native of the

Bronx, New York,

Philbin

graduated

and

Gabriel Byrne have taken paft at Peck's behest. He also, for the past number of years, has been taking his one-man show to theaters around the country. The show, an anecdotal evening of stories and film clips, has been described by at least one newspaper as "An Irish Evening," and has received wonderful reviews. Recently Peck was listed as an Irish

of the Century and given a Lifetime Achievement Award by lrish American America.

Ioe Queenan

Humorist

If it looks like Angela's

professional career.

Reqis Philbin

Born in La Jolla, California, on April 5, 1916, Peck lives in Beverly Hills. He is very active on behalf of a number of worthy charities and organizations, and has established a number of film scholarships at University College Dublin. Of importance to him now is the enormously successful Los Angeles Public Library reading series that he puts on six times a year. Such stars

Aslzes, sounds

like Angela's Aslzes and reads lke Angela's Ashes, it must be Angela's Ashes, right? You'd be forgiven for thinking so but, actually, no. Readers of GQ magazine were treated just a few months ago to the hilarious Angelique's Ashes, a side-splitting Belgian parody of the best-selling Frank McCourt book. The author? None other than Joe Queenan, the magazine's latest columnist and author of such satirical and humorous works as Red Lobster, White Trash andThe Blue ktgoon and Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler: Celluloid Tirades and Escapades.

In his newest book, My Goodness: A Cynic's Short-Lived Search for Sainthood, Queenan sets out to perpetrate what he refers to as RAKs and SABs random acts ofkindness and senseless acts ofbeauty. For six months he tried his hardest to refrain from his usualjibes and attacks, but found to his dismay that there wasn't any money in being nice. "Once I stopped writing mean things about people, no one would hire me any more," he recalls. "I've gone back to being

from Notre Dame

a complete son-of-a-bitch. The money's

University, and for his contributions to

just too good to walk away from. Remember, I've got kids in high school."

his alma mater he recently received an honorary doctor of law degree. Philbin and his wife Joy live in Manhattan and Connecticut, and frequently visit Ireland.

In Confessions of a Cineplex Heclcler, a col-

lection of his columns for Movieline magazine, Queenan examines some of what in his opinion are the truly dreadful Irish and Irish American movies of all time duds such as Far and Away, A Prayer for the Dying and Finian's Rainbow toname but a few. "I am

ication to the dying Irish art of sean nos (old style) a cappella singing has made her very popular with fans who enjoy the unadorned simplicity of her tunes. Ryan was born in Detroit to Irish immigrants from Tipperary and Kerry, and her

theyoungimmi-

told the New York Times in a recent interview. "He was mesmerizing." At the tender age of seven, Ryan sang for her first audience, at the Gaelic League and Irish American Club in Detroit. She later moved to the Bronx in New York where she met sean nos singer Joe Heaney who

hopes that those

set her

firmly on the musical path

she was

In 1986, Ryan joined Cherish the Ladies, and soon embarked on whirlwind tours of the U.S. and abroad, not to mention spending time in recording studios working on the group's albums. When

She is, according to the Boston Herald,

"part of that elite group of Irish Americans so gifted they cannot be dismissed by their Irish music elders." Her second CD, The Music of What Happens, was hailed by the New York Daily News as having.placed her "firmly in the upper echelons of Irish music singers." She is Cathie Ryan and to those who are familiar with her lilting, pleasing voice, the foregoing words of praise will come as no surprise.

Up until 1995, Ryan was part of the hit traditional ensemble Cherish the Ladies, but her decision to strike out solo has only seen her singing career flourish. Her ded-

who arrive with

preconceived notions about

loud or

crass

kish Americans will come to realize that this

is largely a false stereotype.

"It's amazing how broad the kish diaspora in America really

out a name for

environment, and that is what she hopes to introduce immigrants to. Ryan's father Jim, the host of Fox's daily morning show, has 52 first cousins on his

herself as

mother's side alone, alarge number of

accomplished

whom were born and raised in the U.S. His father, Billy Ryan, came to this country from Mallow, Co. Cork; his mother's fam-

childhood sumkeland mers in combined with the best that the U.S. had to

offer musical-

Singer

she

five years ago, she moved to

cross-cultural upbringing

station. A native ofPhiladelphia, and graduate of St. Joseph's University, he lives in Tarrytown, New York with his wife Francesca and their children Bridget and Gordon.

daily, but

is," marvels Ryan, who adds that she herself

solo artist. She attributes her musical gifts to her

films for England's Channel 4 television

grants who arrive

she left that group almost quickly forge

tor at GQ and Movieline, andmade three short

Cathie Ryan

an American," she replies with a smile. In the two years since she was appointed to head up the thriving advice center, Ryan has leamed firsthand just how many different shades of green there are throughout the States. She knows she can never be like

maternal grandfather was a seanchai (storyteller). "My love of the many Irish myths and legends came from him," she

to follow.

trying to register my own horor, as an kish American," he writes, "at the proliferation of motion pictures that attempt in some way to advance the notion that Irish people are secretly leprechauns." And here's what his fellow critics have to say about Queenan: "[he] cuts into his targets with all the verbal agility of a literary samurai," raves the Houston Chronicle, whtTetheDallas Moming News describes him as "a master of creative condemnation." Queenan has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Spy, The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Time, Newsweek, TV Guide, Rolling Stone and other publications. He is a contributing edi-

I am

ly and culturally. "The cross-cultural life really fed my talent," she told a New Hampshire newspaper in an interview. "I feel blessed the way my life was. The duality of American and Irish experiences informs my style, singing and traditions." Ryan lives in Westchester County, New York with her second husband Michael Paull.

Carolyn Ryan

grew up in a 1arge, all-encompassing

ily, the Jameses, were from Ballina, Co. Mayo. Carolyn's mother's family, the Campbells, were from Castlebar, Co. Mayo.

Her work with the Emerald Isle is not Ryan's first venture into the non-profit world. Prior to graduating the University of Pennsylvania Law School with her J.D.

in 1992, Ryan worked for the League of Hard of Hearing for three years. She herselfhas a profound hearing disability, being completely deaf in one ear ("It's just good to hang earrings from," she jokes) and sufdegree

fering hearing loss in the other which is improved with the use of a hearing aid. In her 24 months as head of the immigation center, Ryan has presided over several ground-breaking events. Last fall, Hillary Clinton was guest of honor at the center's annual dinner dance. And when hopes finally faded for the safe recovery of John Kennedy, Jr., his wife and her sister after their plane

disappeared

off the coast of Martha's

Vineyard, it was the Emerald Isle Immigation

lmmigront Advocote Ask Carolyn Ryan what she likes best

Center who organized the first Mass for them. Thousands of people flocked to Old

about herjob as executive director of the New York-based Emerald Isle Immigration Center,

Saint Patrick's Cathedral in I-ower Manhattan for what would be the only public mouming

"I love

service, and many wept as Ryan led the congregation in a touching salute to the late Kennedy. The local New York stations and

and the response is thought-provoking.

that it has given me the opportunity to leam who I am as an lrish person, but firstly that

Inrsn AMsnrcA MAGAZINE ApriU

May

2000

_-!

CNN carried live coverage of the ceremony.

He was reelected four times and

Ryan's lathel has been aprevious Top 100 honoree and she jokes that when she called to tell him of her selection for this year's list, he replied, "Ah, but I've been on five times that's four more times than you." When reminded that, at36, she's a lot younger than her father was when he was first included, she beams with delight. "That's right," she laughs, "I'll have to point that out." Well, Dad, hope you're reading!

through the ranks to become the Speaker

9.9#gu

RYan

of the House in

society, but there also is a universally recognized fear, among both proponents

government. George Ryan got his start in politics in

by working on the campaign of

State Senator Edward McBroom, as a pharmacy owner in Kankakee, Illinois. Four years later, he was appointed to the Kankakee County Board and that's when Ryan's political career took off. He made it to the big time in 1912, when he was elected to U.S. Congress.

April / May 2000 InrsH AuenrcA

Tarrytown

with his wife Susan. He has four children - his oldest daughter is a physician, his son is an electronic technician, another daughter is a systems analyst and his

youngest girl is, at l'7, a high school senior and four grandchildren, Liam, Conor, -Blenna and John.

Molly- Shannon Actress

Courtney Love, Liza Minnelli and even Monica Lewinsky in her five years on Saturday Night Live, but a single name immediately springs to mind when one

John Ryan Police Ath|etie Leogue

It is safe to say that without the

non Mary Katherine Gallagher. Shannon's recuring role as the ostenta-

League many New

tiously awkward Catholic schoolgirl

York youngsters would have no

obsessed with stardom has helped revitalize rhe longtime weekly variety show and even translated into a feature film that hit movie screens last summer. It wasn't Shannon's first movie appearance she's been seen in a number of

organized recreational opportunities in their com-

munity. Founded

1914,

PAL

New York City's largest non profit, independent youth

organization serv-

ing over 65,000 boys and girls with

year round recreational, educational, cultural and social programs. In 1986, John Ryan became PAL's executive director, a position he still holds today. Ryan grew up in the South Bronx

with seven brothers and sisters and parents from County Kilkenny. He attended Regis High School and then Fordham University. After graduating from Fordham, Ryan served as an Air Force troop car:rier pilot for five years before returning to school and receiving an MS and doctorate from Columbia University. He has taught at elementary, high school and college levels for a total of 15 years and has worked with PAL in a variety of capacities for about 40 years. Ryan believes that the influence of both his father and mother in terms of recognizing the value of hard work, and putting an emphasis on education, is the reason why four of their children having doctorates and the others master's degrees. He says, "Not bad for a father who went to the fourth grade in Ireland and a mother

MAGAZTNE

thinks of actress/comedian Molly Shan-

Athletic

Police

longtime politician, did something about it: he halted all executions in the state, the first such moratorium in the nation. Anti-death-penalty activists hailed the move, and Ryan's action could have a domino effect on other states considering abolishing capital punishment. For Ryan, it was the latest episode in a 35-year political career that has seen him occupy a position in nearly every branch of Illinois

His political career

did not end after leaving Congress; Ryan became Illinois' lieutenant governor in 1982, secretary of state in 1990, and governor in 1998. Although only in office for a little over a year, Ryan has quickly made his mark by passing an income tax credit for families who spend more than $250 a year on school tuition. Today, Ryan lives with his wife of 44 years, the former Lynn Rowe. They have six children and 13 grandchildren.

and detractors, about the execution of an innocent person. Since 1977, in George Ryan's home state of Illinois, 13 innocent people were wrongfully sentenced to die before ultimately being exonerated in court. In Jan-

1962

who went to the eighth." Ryan presently resides

She's done dead-on impressions of

The death penalty may be one of the most hotly debated questions in American

ualy, Ryan, the state's governor and

198 I

rose

films,-includingAnalyze This with Robert De Niro and Never Been Kissed with Drew Barrymore but Superstar was - and she made the her first leading role most of it. Next up for Shannon is a leading role in the hotly anticipated movie version of the Dr. Seuss children's classic How the Grinch Stole Christmrzs. She's slated to

Wf'

Jnnu

mJonNST0N

Ireland's Millennium Shid"

o\ o\

,tA -LE 6lon

aupportedby 6lan corporation, plc

The JEANIE JOHNSTON (1547-55) was the most famous of the lrish 19th century emigtant ships. Unlike the disease ridden toffin ships' of the Famine period, the Jeanie lobnston never losc a soul during 16 transAtlantic voyages ftom Tlalee to Baltimore, NewYork and Quebec.

Now this remarkable tall ship is nearing completion at Blennerville, near Tialee, County Kerry as a potent aample of cross-community, cross-bot' det and trans-national co-operation' Young people from Ireland, North and South, from Unionist and Nationalist tra&tions, ftom Irish communities within the United States and Canada, have joined experienced shipwrights at tlre shipyard in Tialee to help rebuild the leanie Jobnstonfor the Millennium Year.

a.l

\ d

d I

i-]

* o .E 'o

The re-bom Jeanie Johnstonwill make her Millennium Voyage-nto North America in 2000 visiting over 20 U.S. and Canadian cities including 'Washington D.C., Annapolis, Baltimote, Philadelphia, Bristol, Tirenton, Albany, Port Jeffetson, NewYotk, Newport RI, Boston, Saint John NB' St. Andrewt, Gtosse Ile, Quebec, Montreal, Kingiton, Toronto, Bufialo, Erie' Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago. The voyage will commemorate a defining moment in the history of Ireland and celebrate the gteat contribution of the Itish to all spheres ofAmerican md Canadian life.

The total cost of the proiect is US$7m and is supported by the Irish Government, Eutopean Union, International Fund fot lretand, FAS, Shannon Development, municipal authorities, Elan Corporation plc, Irish business community and the friends of Ireland in the USA and Canada. The Jeanie Johnston Committee is a not-for-profit group with all funds

raised going into the shipbuilding project. Approxcimately US$lm remains to be raised. 'We

invite you to become a Friend of the Jeanie Johnston, to help us complete tlre ship, and to join us in welcoming the Jennie Johnstoz to America and Canada. All donations will be gratefirlly acknowledged.

The Jeanie Johnston Project, Ashe Memorial Hall, Tiralee, County Kerry Ireland.

Tel:0ll+353 (0)66 7128888 Fax 011+353 (0)667127444 The Jeanie Johnston, North America Office, Tel: (212) 319-5566 Faxt (212) 319-5533

Follow Our Progress on the Intemet www j eaniej o h nsto n. co m

E E

o q

z o o !

_.i

I I

play little Betty Lou Who to Jim Carrey's Grinch, and the movie is expected to be one of this winter's blockbuster hits.

Mary Katherine Gallagher's

hapless

attempts at reaching her dreams may be painfully hilarious to watch (among other bizane behaviors, Gallagher has a habit of sticking her hands under her armpits and then smelling her own sweat when she gets unnerved), but Shannon has had no such difficulties in her own career.

graduate

of the drama program

New York's Tisch School for the Arts, the

Shaker Heights, Ohio native also has a number of television appearances under her belt. Before joining the cast of SNL in 1994, Shannon worked with The Up Front Comedy Theater in Los Angeles and co-staned in her own improv show. Shannon is second-generation Irish American and said that she "immediately feels connected to Irish people when I first meet them." Although she's never been to Ireland, she hopes to find the time to visit someday soon.

lohn Sharkey Philanthropist

John Sharkey retired from MCI World-

Com last year, but not before making a lasting contribution to the company which he joined

1986.

And MCI isn't the

only place

that

Sharkey has left Irehis mark land is a- better

place for

his

involvement there. The importance of his heritage

is reflected

Sharkey's involve-

ment with several kish organizations, includingThe American Ireland Fund,

the

philanthropic

organization

lion dollars. He member

which he recently donated one milis also a founding

of the Ireland

Chamber of

Commerce in the USA, and as a board member of the Ireland-U.S. Council for Commerce and Industry, he delivered a speech in Belfast in late January on the international ization of business, and the role the Council plays in Ireland, North and South. In honor of Sharkey's long-

time commitment to charitable

causes

Ireland and the U.S., the Smurfit

Business School at University College Dublin named Ireland's first Chair in eCommerce after him. Sharkey, a native New Yorker, who

traces his roots

to Drumquin,

Co.

Tyrone, majored in marketing management at Iona College, and at the Management Institute of New York University. He continued his education with business and leadership courses at the London Business School, Harvard and

Northwestern's Kellogg School. He and his wife Helen reside in New York City.

Mike Sullivan Ambossador In 1986, taking his first run at political office, Mike Sullivan was elected

governor of Wyoming. The lawyer from Casper, who traces his Irish roots to Cork, Kerry, and Longford, quickly gained a reputation for independence and for granting appointments based on merit. He was reelected in 1990 by the largest margin in Wyoming's history, with many Republicans switching party allegiance to support him. It was during his terms as governor that he became friendly with Bill Clinton, then governor of Arkansas. The two served on the executive committee of the National Governors Association. It was this alliance, which continued when Clinton became president, that led to Sullivan's appointment as Ambassador to

in 1998. Since assuming the position in early 1999 (his taking up office was delayed due to heart surgery), the Stetson-wearing Sullivan has become a popular figure in Ireland where his easy manner and affable style have won him many Ireland

admirers. Though not as vocal as his predecessor, Jean Kennedy Smith, on the situation in the North, he is determined to help where he can. He is also very much interested in helping to continue the economic boom that Ireland is enjoying. In both cases, his friendship with the president

of the free world is certainly

asset.

Sullivan and his wife Jane are very much at home in Ireland, where the ambassador's many relatives have made them feel welcome. The couple

April / May 2000 Intsn Avrenrca Me.cRztNe

have three children, now adults Theresa, Michelle and Pat

Susan Sullivan Actress Susan Sullivan is proof positive that patience is indeed a virtue. The two-time

Emmy nominee, currently co-staning in the

hit

series Dharma and Greg, waited

out a decade-long career

1u11

to reclaim

her place among the stars in Hollywood. After growing up in New York and earning a degree from Hofstra University,

Sullivan dove headlong into her acting career. Since then, she has appeared on

Broadway (Jimmy Shine, wherc

she

staned alongside Dustin Hoffman) and on the silver screen (My Best Friend's Wedding),b:ut Sullivan is perhaps best known for her work on television. Her TV resume includes recurring roles

on 1980s prime time staples such as Falcon Crest and lt's A Living, as well as a host of "Movie of the Week" roles. But

MY OTHER cAR ls A DAN DOOLEY At Dan Dooley Rent-A-Car, we want you to feel. right at home. Whether you prefer to do the driving yourself in comfort and style, or elect to see lreland with our superb chauffeur-driven car service, we guarantee that your journey wil,l. be a smooth and friendLy one. Next time you're headed for lreland, let Dan Dooley be your other car. Dan Dooley has one of Ireland's largest fleets. competitive rates, and convenient locations throughout a[[ of lreland. And our knowledgeable and friendty staff witl. do

a[t in their power to ensure you have a successful. visit. Ca[[

your l.ocal travel agent or Dan Dooley Rent-A-Car to[[ free today.

L-800-331,-9301 www, dan-dooley.ie

Iililes Ahead in Serrice

as the 80s drew to a close, there were fewer roles to be had and Sullivan began to fade from the limelight. It was with Dharma and Greg, the

quirky ABC sitcom staring Jenna Elfman, that she put her career back on track.

She plays Kitty Montgomery,

a well-

mannered and aristocratic woman who is continually flummoxed by the histrionics of her son Greg's (Thomas Gibson) wife Dharma (Elfman). The show is one of ABC's highest-rated programs and has thrust Sullivan back into the spotlight. As a 35-year veteran of the acting game, she projects a motherly image upon her younger co-stars on and off the screen. Elfman, an up-and-coming star in her own right, often credits Sullivan with helping her cope with the rigors of show business. Today, Sullivan, whose paternal grandparents hail from Keny, spends what little free time she has in Los Angeles with her longtime companion Connell Cowan. She is also an active supporter of the Save the Children Foundation.

Carolyn Sumners Stor Gazer Sumners has a special appreciation for Ireland, simply because she sees it in a way that very few others do. Sumners is the director of astronomy at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where she can look at pictures of Ireland from the most unique of vantage points high above the Earth. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, Sumners has overseen the museum's Burke Baker Planetarium for nearly three decades. In that time she's become a rec-

Dr. Carolyn

ognized expert in the field of astronomy,

winning several awards for her work with the planetarium.

Her ability and popularity has even translated into a twice-weekly radio pro-

gram, Explore

produce Cosmic Pinball,

a study of

comets, meteors and asteroids, as well as

An Earthling's Guide to Mars, an indepth look at the Red Planet. Sumners is fond of pointing out, incidentally, that Ireland is the only place on Earth that appears green from outer space. Born and raised in Tennessee, Sumners moved to Houston 29 years ago. She may be seventh-generation Irish, but few IrishAmericans know more about her ancestry than she.

Her mother's family left Galway for America around 1800 and settled in Virginia. Those relations fought for the U.S. against England in the War of 1812. Fifty

years later, Sumners' great-great-grandfather was a captain in the Confederate Army in the Civil War.

Although the family is far removed from her roots in Galway, Sumners said

that her mother always stressed

the importance of her Irish heritage. Carolyn grew up with Irish music and a decidedly Irish work ethic, summed up by what she calls "Mom's Irish philosophy: work hard and everything will work out."

Jphn $weeney Lobor Leoder John Sweeney, president of the AFLCIO, America's largest labor union, has long been active in Irish affairs, and is a member of several Idsh organizations. In 1995, he accompanied President Clinton on his first visit to Ireland. Sweeney's election as president of the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in 1995 ushered in a new era in the labor movement. On the day of his electoral win, he led an impromptu march up Manhattan's Fashion Avenue protesting wages and work conditions in the garment industry. Within weeks, he had established a multi-million-dollar fund to

the

Universe. The show is not

finance television and radio commercials, town rallies and telephone campaigns to hammer away at the evils of wage dis-

Sumners'first

crimination,

tertai n ment

endeavor;

she spent three years as "Dr. Science"

Teenz-OnTV, a local television show. Sumners is an

author as well, teaming up with colleagues to

job insecurity and union-

busting corporations.

native

of New York's

Bronx,

Sweeney studied economics at Iona College, and took ajob at IBM after graduating. The son of Leitrim-born parents, he worked at a union job to pay his way through school and soon left IBM to take a lower-paying job with the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, a move that would set the course fsr his life's

work.

April i May 2000 InrsH Alrasntca MacazINe

As president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) from 1980 until taking his curent position, Sweeney doubled union membership and recorded countless other successes. Since his election to the helm of the AFL-CIO, he cre-

ated new management posts to create leadership positions for women and minorities, all part of his goal to abolish the long-held concept of the labor movement as the domain of white males. In 1996, he wrote a book titled America Needs a Raise, Fighting for Economic Security and Social Justice. He also coauthored Solutions Force in 1989.

for

the New Work

Stephan TalW

Writei

Alter graduating with a degree in English from Amherst College, Stephan Talfy joined the staff of the Miami Herald as a trainee repofier where, he remarks, he "learned a lot of the craft." Before this move, however, Talty had his first article published in Irish America magazine,bringing him back to his roots as

In 1988, he took an even closer step towards his family spending two years in Ireland where ties for such publications as Zfte he freelanced Irish Times and In Dublin magazine. He the son of Irish immigrants.

also traveled throughout the country and worked in a fish and chip shop

in Dublin.

When Talty r€fumedtoNew

York City in 1990, he free-

lanced

for

while before joining the staff

of Time Out as a film critic and

shot his father.

columnist. For three years he wrote a monttrly front-of-the-book column. One particular piece, on racism, sffuck a chord with readers, so much so that the letlers page of the following issue was filled with praise for Talty's thought-provoking column. Cunently aneditor atDetails magazine,Talty was born and raised in South Buffalo, in what he describes as "a working-class community with deep kish roots." His parents hail from

Later the family moved to Chicago, where Tierney was born. On his mother's side Tierney is related

to the O'Neills. His grandfather Patrick O'Neill was born in the village of Innis-

County Clare, mother from Miltown Malbay. Says Talty: "Being Irish gives you a cellular ability to turn a labasheeda, father from near

Trina Varqo

piece on family videos was chosen for the essay

U.S.-lreland Allldnce

John Ti erneY Times.The column, which ran from early 1994 through fall 1998 inThe New York Times Magazine, now appears twice a week (on Monday and Thursday) in the Times Metro section. Tiemey joined the Times in 1990 as a general assignment reporter and from 1995 to 1998 served as a staff writer for The Times Magazine. He has written about such diverse topics as AIDS in Africa, the history of Brooklyn, rent control, Scrabble, political advertising, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

His 1996 article "Recycling

mother's

nationwide competition,

graduate of Yale University, Tierney

is Irish on both sides of the family. His great-great-grandfather left Ireland for Canada as a young boy after the British

pursue one

The Irish government in recognizing the organization's worthy aims

provided a $3 million endowment for the

establishment

of the scholar-

ships.

Other

supporters include such cor-

in a

year ofpost-graduate study at institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

porate

and Spanish.

1968 by Fr. Aengus Finucane, today Con-

cem seryes in over 22 countries through-

out Africa, Asia, and Latin America. When Walsh arrived at Concem she was responsible for the development of a corporate fundraising unit. In 1993, through her work in devising a unique campaign for building homes for refugees, Concem received the Gold Award at the 18th international competition of the Best European and Overseas Marketing Campaigns. In 1994 Walsh transferred to New York to work as part of a small team in setting up the first office for Concern Worldwide in the U.S., and in 1996 she became Executive Director of Concem in the U.S., with headquafters in New York and a regional office in Chicago. Over the past nine years, Walsh's work has taken her to many ofthe poorest developing countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti and more recently to the refugee camps in Albania. A native of Limerick, Walsh graduated from University College Cork, heland with a degree in French and Economics, and

Twelve Americans were selected

the most wasteful activities in America,

Tierney is also co-author with Christopher Buckley of the comic novel God Is My Broker, a parody of self-help books, which has been translated into French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese,

in Dublin. A

humanitarian organization dedicated to the

has

already been highly effective. On January 24, 2000, Vargo, as president of the Alliance, announced the inaugural George J. Mitchell Scholars.

Garbage," which called recycling one of attracted more letters than any article ever published inThe Times Magazine.

Concern Worldwide

In 1998 Trina Vargo established the U.S.-Ireland Alliance with the goal of educating Americans about Ireland, and consolidating existing relations between the U.S. and Ireland - North and South. To that end the Washington-based, nonpartisan, non-profit organization

John Tierney writes about New York in "The Big City" column of The New York

1990, Siobhan Walsh began working

relief and assistance of the 'poorest of the poor," Concem is noted intemationally for being "first in and last out" during some of the worst humanitarian disasters over the past 31 years. Founded in Limerick in

Nau YorkTimes Magazfute, Vibe, Spin, George and other publications. His

Writer

immigrated to Chicago early in the twentieth

Essence, The

non-fiction book project on American culture.

Concern Worldwide

for

century. Tierney, who is 46, is manied to Dana Tiemey, also a writer. They live in New York City with their son, Luke.

Life Studies, published by Beacon Press in 1996. He is currently working on a

Siobhan Walsh

keen in County Monaghan and

phrase, to make a decentjoke about bad luck and to fight for a cause (right or wrong). It also requires you to always be for ttre underdog and to honor a good storyteller." Talty has contributed to Playboy, GQ,

colTection

University of Pittsburgh and McGill University in Montreal, and for 11 years was foreign policy adviser to Senator Ted Kennedy. During her time in Kennedy's office she was a behind-the-scenes key player in the Irish peace process.

leaders as Don Keough

and Michael Smurfit, and

film

director Jim Sheridan.

Vargo

native of Penn-

sylvania,

her

and

ancestors were

earned a post graduate degree in SociaVEco-

Dohertys. She

nomic Policy and Third World Develop-

attended

ment at Maynooth Universify, heland. @

the

Iruss AusntcA MAGAZINE ApriV

May

2000

A Futu \,

re of

PETER aurNr{ Iooks at the

position of

Irish Americans as we enter

the new rniltennirrrn. fTl f f .-.

he unique American subculture that the Irish createcl in

*te wake oi'the Fanrine - the culture I grew up in - a cul,ur. that coherecl arouncl the Catholic church ancl the

Denrocratic party, with a working-cla,ss base and widespread aspirations to lace-curtain propriety, a cul,ture deeply skeptical about WASP institufions and pretensions, and suspicious and resentIul of the rnainline tradition of Protestant moral refbrrn and economic self-cletermination - is dead and gone. lt's with Ed Flynn or Tom Prendergast - lake your pick of big-city Democratic bosses ol'a generation or so ago - in the grave. It l'ingers in some pockets, fur sure, and survives in the formative experience; of pe-Vatican

ns h

lI lrish-Catholic

fossils like myself. But it's as doomed as the dodo and no amount of humpty-dumpty yearning ftrr the way things were - or the way some like to imagine they were * will bring it back. Today, it's almost impossible to recapture how distinct and apalt that world was, how foreign Anglo-Protestant America seerned, how certain we were of our distinct identity and special destiny. We wele a parochial pcople litelally and figuratively. In the place I grew up, our basic compass was the par:ish we were f'rom. That's how we identilied ourselves: "l'm linm St. Raymond's or St. Helena's or Sacred Heart or Tolentine or whatevel." And we were parochial in thc scnse ol'being intellectuully narrow-minded and constlicted.

menc0

',t

That narrow-mindedness has often been

I think, in a wrongheaded way. The adults I knew were avid commented on, and often,

devourers of books. They enjoyed the theater. They reveled in the pace and variety of urban life, a pace and variefy the kish had in fact helped create. They held high educational ambitions for their children. Almost everyone I knew was wildly addicted to movies, and many of us availed ourselves of the Legion of Decency's rating system, where the C or 'tondemned' list convenienfly underlined what was really worth seeing. The fundamental narrow-mindedness we suffered from wasn't so much in our attitude to the world a^s to ourselves. We wanted- we demanded to be seen in one light and one light only. I remember seeingThe Belk of St. Mary's on television around the same time that my aunt took me to one of those periodic theatrical re-

rcleases of The Wizard of Oz. Although I sensed

at that moment, it would he some time later before I could articulate the feeling that the relationship between the parish presided over by MonsignorBarry Fitzgerald and his crooning curate Father Bing Crosby and the real-life parish I lived in was the reverse of what extsted between the Emerald City and Dorothy's Kansas.

how many won the Congressional Medal of Honor, a litany of self-justihcation that implicitly accepted it wasn't enough we'd been here for over a century.

Even J.F.K.'s election as president didn't entirely settle the matter. Writing in 1965, in his one-volume Oxford History of the American People, Samuel Eliot Morison could dismiss the Famine Irish as having added, quote, "surprisingly little to American economic life, and almostnothing to American intellectual

The good news,

life."

suppose, is that Morison used the word "surprisingly," the bad news: as far as he was concerned, this was prefty much

the high point of the lrish-Catholic role in

"lirrhaf],; tht hirlr:ry ll lri:l"r Atrnrri{.ar}.', lhal wrii bc wriii€tr] at {.lrr: etit{.i rl lhr ?'lit r rni-riry will l:r: r:nli1,lerl How the lrish Becume Brown. What a wonderful prospect... V\lhal a wr:lccmcd fale. " The lrish as the common denominator of a new American construct . . ." "

The ecclesiastical Oz of the Reverends Fitzgerald and Crosby was populated with characters who bore some resemblance to peoplelknewfint-hand.Butonscreenttreironic, America. From there, it was backward and tough-minded, combative, argumentative, downward to Tammany Hall and the comrption believing, suspicious, hard-drinking, back- ofAmericanurbanpolitics. biting, funny, obnoxiously profane, relent- It'sinthislightthatl'mparticularlyamused lessly skeptical, gloriously complicated people to read the curently popular be dtrme tale How I knew - people as contradictory as any thelrishBecameWhite. Heretheoldnativist Cowardly Lion and as manipulative as the canard that the Irish can never shed their Wizard himself - became as tame and essential foreignness, that they are a race of as Auntie Em's Kansas farmhands. This, of course, was the nihil-obstat version that everyone in the parish applauded. A11 adults I knew loved The Bells of St. Mary's, even the ones who never stopped badmouthing clergy and couldn't say enough bad things about the licking they'd taken in parochial

predictable

the the

schools.Thiswashowwewantedtheworldto see us,

America's best-behaved ethnic refutation of the lies once

group,

eternal strangers, that their attempt to become true Americans is infinsically futile, is tumed on its head. Yes, the kish still fail. In the eyes of some, the kishwrllalways fa:I.. But now they

profound influence on the future of both the country it left and the one it came to. It was done imperfectly, for sure, and was manedby sins and stupidity, by mistakes and missed opportunities, but for me, the wonder is that it was done at all. In general, I'm always suspicious about the search for single themes and unified theories that provide neatly apprehensible explanations for human behavior. As the historian Barbara Fields has written in an essay entitled "Ideology and Race in American History," '

Each new stage in the unfolding of ttre historical

process offers a new vantage point from which

to seek out those moments of decision in the past that have prepared the way for the latest (provisional) outcome. It is the circumstances

under which men and women made those decisions that ought to concem historians, not the quest for a central theme that will permit us to deducethe decisions withouttoubling ourselves over the circumstances." In the specific case of Irish Americans, the

notion of definitively deciphering their history with the Rosetta stone of race at least provides the basis for a polar interpretation to the one enshdnednThe Bells of

fail upwards. It's not thatthey weren'tAmerican enough,butrooAmerican,immigrantEsauswho

traded their birthright of Irish resistance to oppression for the American pottage of material success

spread ffthere's any cenual theme to the story of the by nativists. The stage hishman was okay as long kish in America it isn'g in my opinioq how *rey as he looked and acted like Bing Crosby and, became white, but how they stayed Irish: that if

the stage Irishwoman wasn't only

is, how an immigrant group already under

nunbutanunplayedbylngridBergmanwith punishing cultural and economic

pressures,

Hollryood.

reeling in the wake of the worst catastrophe to ThekishinAmerica-atleastthehishlgrew take place in Western Europe in the 19th upwith-werestillinthedefensivecrouchthey'd century, a people not only devoid of urban arrived during the Famine, experience but largely unacquainted with the sensitive to the distrust and dislike of townlifeprevalentthroughouttheBritishlsles, Americ4 to the suspicions about our loyalty and suddenly finding itselfplunged into the fastest supposed proclivity to raucous misbehavior. industrializing society in the world, regrouped wereforeverremindingourselves-andtherest as quickly as it did; built its own far-flung network of charitable and educational instituof America - of how many Irish fought Washington, how many died atAntietam, and tions; preserved its own identity, and had a a Swedish acceng

well.,Hoorayfor

still real We

with

''"'$,ll-:it'fi :l;;lf,lHli,llff,lT:lt;::Hiil:llll 90 April / May 2000 IRrsH ArrasnrcA MAGAZTNE brother Tom and sister sheila'

Mary's.

collaborators and supporters of the American system ofracial exclusion and exploitation. What's mostly lacking, I feel, is the saving grace that art can bring to the saga of any family orethnic group orcountry, to unearthing the rich contradictions of Irish America, to delineating the bewildering, desffuctive, exhil-

a big-screen

hell,

St.

Next door to the idyllic never-never land of cinematic fantasy, there is now the minorimage community of uniformly abusive nuns, ogre-like priests, parish after parish of solidly united bigots determined to get what they could for themselves by becoming active

rish American I

ernocTats A VITAT VOICE FOR IREIAN[)... Hr LLaRY RoDHAM Cr.,rNToN

= o

v, o

a o 3 (D o

Pottery Group, George Moore, Chairman and Owner of the and Irish American Democrats award the Irish American PeacePrize to First Lady

Hillary Rodham Clinton, February 74,2000.

A VITAT YOICE FOR NEW YORK Paid for by

Irish American Detnocrats PAC.

Stella O'Learv. President/Treasu rer Phone: (202) S\Z-\"\A+ Fax: (202) 237-5t41 Internet: www.irishamericandemocrats.org email address: irldems@erols.com

arating journey between what were once not so much different culhres as different universes, to

exposing the levels of stuggle and failurc, self-doubt and self-hatred,

as gravediggers for that last and

most enduring of all 19th century

penetrating wit and indelible grievance, par alY zing dePres-

superstitions - scientific racism. Whatever the future may hold, wherever it may take us, we can bring along only what we pos-

sion and deep, resonant laughter. I don't want to sound as ttrough I'm entirely dismissing the role of

sess, and

history in this process of selfexamination and reclamation.

our past,

At its best, in books like Bob Scally's The End of Hidden Ireland, history can reach Past the generalities and statistics to touch the lives olthose now dead. to give

us a sense of the density and intensity of every human life, and even to allow the poor and powerless a dignity that they were denied in their own lifetimes. Recently, I stumbled across a small jewel of historical detective work that recounts the history of a case tried in tlre New York Sunogate's Court, in l932.The Recluse of Herald Square, written thirty-five years ago by Joseph Cox, presents the story of Mrs. Ida Mayfield Wood who, along with her sister, spent a quarter of a century hiding in a hotel room. When her sister died and the police were called they discovered that amid the clutter and debris of her room, Mrs. Wood had nearly a million dollars in cash and

bonds. This was at the bottom of the worst depression in American history. As well as her hidden treasure, Mrs. Wood had another secret, one that it would take dozens oflawyers, investigators and would-be heirs to unravel, Without entirely ruining the mystery for those who might want to read the book, I'll simply point out that Mrs. Wood's secret casts a good deal of light on the status of the Irish in mid-l9th century America and on a desire for ' passing" that wasn't resfficted to racial disguise.

As a lapsed historian, however, I don't feel qualified to stand in public and passjudgement on the practices of a priesthood I'm no longer part of. I continue to pray that at the hour of my

preferably

Catholic institution - who'll receive me back into the fold. Meantime, I continue to enjoy the happy, carefree life of the apostate, from

unburdened of a historian's scrupulosity, willingly giving in to every temptation to speculate and invent, to avoid the virtuous work of analysis and indulge in the pleasures of anecdote.

For instance, I remember my father - a remarkable, difficult, usually inaccessible man

on ttre ffiumphal night John Kennedy was

elected president, the same night as my father was elected to the State Supreme Court, the fourteenth and last time he ran for office,

if we don't possess if instead of a true

history and a significant literature, we bring along only trivia, empty myths and a handful of the stories, or - worst of all latest intellectually fashionable versions of ourselves, we will offer those to come after noth-

faceless, sexless sanitation of

death, I'11 be attended by a historian

wonderful prospect. . . What a welcomed fate . . . The hish as the common denominator of a new American constructirc hish

Aprit / May 2000 Intsn

'i'

this grandson of Famine emigrants, well-oiled

and declaiming to the swaying crowd in our

Bronx living room,"Well, now, Mr. Nixon, you can kiss our royal Irish ass!" Beautiful, lofiy things . . . a thing never known again. In fiction Elizabeth Cullinan has captured that

world,

think, and Alice McDermott and

William Kennedy. Mostly, it remains enshrouded and urnevealed" pretty much entirely absent

finm

the dominant form of American cultural selfexamination - the movies. A story cenfral to the

making of the American identity, it has yet to fully as it should

be explicated and celebrated as be. Perhaps it will never be.

Yes, then, Irish America is rich, successful, - fat and happy with its lists of

influential

successful entrepreneurs and zillionaires.

We're headed somewhere, that's for sure. The momentum of the journey is increasingly weighted toward the American part of the Irish American equation, which is why we came here intlrefintplace. Anyonewho has tlre courage

will end has more courage than I do - or less fear ofbeing exposed as an idiot. But to paraphrase Captain Kirk, "as we boldly to predict where it

go where no hishman or woman has ever gone before," I hope, as Sydney Carton hoped, "it is a far, far better place than we have ever gone before."

ingoflastingconsequence. A long time ago, in a bar called The Bells of Hell, while I was in the embryonic phase of thinking about writing a novel about the Famine Irish in New York and was unsure whether there was a story worth telling - and where better to worry over an unbom novel than in a place named The Bells of

Hell?

-I

heard the late Kevin Sullivan - ex-Jesuit, scholar of Irish literature and raconteur -

recite Paddy Kavanaugh's poem "Epic." It stayed with me across the years. It sustained me and still does. I've always found in it the anti-toxin to the kish American original sin of self-doubt. The poem goes like this:

"I have lived in important places, times when great events were decided, who owned that half a road of rock, a no-man's land surrounded by our pitchfork-armed claims. I heard the Duffis shouting 'damn your soul' and old McCabe stiryed to the waist, seen step the plot defying blue cast-steel 'here is the march along these iron stones' that was the year of the Munich bother. Which was more important? I inclined to lose my faith in Ballyrush and Gortin till Homer's ghost came home whispering to my

mind I made the lliadfrom such a local row. Gods make their own importance." he said:

Today, kish America is powerful enough

Let me suggest one possibility. About a year ag o, the New York Times Smday Magazine ran a double page ofphotographs of American girls and boys whose multi-ethnic, multi-racial background defied any easy chara level of mongrelization that is acterization

and wealthy enough to decide for itself where it's headed and what it will take on the joumey. Wherever we may end up, suburbs or city, the

continuing to gather steam, to the constemation ofracial purists ofvarious persuasions. The most common identity shared in this depiction of ethnic fusion which may one day rise to the

silence and oblivion by scholarship and art Gods make their own imPortance. @

level of a racial meltdown - was hish. Perhaps, then, the history of hish Americans that will be written at the end of the 2lst century will be

entitledHow the lrishBecame Brown.

ANaszucA MAGAZINE

'Vlhata

south end of Jersey or the outer end of the galaxy, it is we the living who will choose what

will

be recorded, remembered, redeemed

from

Peter Quinn is the author ol Barish ed Children ot Eve, a historical novel based on the lamine lrish in i New Yo'l( He was apanicipant in lhs Emie OrMalley' Lecture Series "Locating lrish America al lhe', Millennium," NewYork University, Deeember 1999. This article is an edited version d his presentation.

li ilr r.l i t r'"i, !,iliiiili.:.LJ "r ;l :; i I

WW\ry,CELTIC.COM

': , ': :: " ''''Your online Celtic community r

, ,,

{.iir

r,il:lr;iL

i i r i.: i r'{:. r,:<; r i r

: . r, :, ,,Sow 4bo.ut.an email address that reflects your Irish heritage?

Now you can choose one with Celtic.com - the new email service and online community for the 70 million people of Irish descent around the world ! Choose from hundreds of unique Irish email addresses including Irish Counties and Towns, Slang, Celtic Words and Focal as Gaeilge and many more for only $24.95 a year. We also offer a free address at yourname@celtic.com. Either way, our stateof-the-art software allows you to access your email from anywhere in the world and protects your online privacy.

.ri.:i

l.l

..:...

rla

bli&lampa

\ :,

lbtn

,r'1.tr,..'.rnr 1.J,'11. f illi l*'y.Fr,-t b

:.r

-iri:ir:t

".r.

Crl[c

raa-E$tl Lf.*r*.'|b*rdd$atfiAdt5-rmttr{;rir*t|.lrttrrh,|,ar|dr.lt arhd 'lStrgl.Lrx&lol'*..rdrin*rlflalfurl

,, ,,',-i

!,r:'.. ..: ,.i

€clfreeaff

l.r*a lbdt

a*r.

<i1i{

r,i:i-

Fiiffi*

Srh

{t"*nS flte"u*eiLJol*xallrlt 19r{a rrrr.rr

dl{q.raa

d*br rltrd r a.rb

trrlHr.rltbr&nr.bratllfilhr$h

r.aril nllbarr6$&'{tfg.rlrllflr

llrnEr

f dtle*om ,$*tr.g

lo8k4 r4lt$te&

;l ll

vtlpt

iir: j :'n:::t,;''i

1'"n",

Enjoy more of what our Celtic.com community has to offer with these services (and more to follow):

. Online Product Catalog: Shop Celtic.com's extensive catalog of books, music and videos. ir r ll l;l i {i;j ii.:l;rit.:; ll;.lll.l . Member Directory: Join our free directory and meet other Celtic.com members.

,l'l;ll;

. Web Site Directory: Browse our comprehensive selection of Irish and Celtic web sites. . Digital Greeting Cards: Send spectacular free digital postcards of Ireland to a friend or relative. . Email Reminders: Remind yourself of special events and appointments with our free service.

ecltie.eom Ine.

Visit Celtic.com now! :i:

;i:

ii : : ir :r,-.i r''',,

i:;:

i ;' i'. i :'. 1i i':

PO. Box 1478 New York, N.Y. 10023, USA Email Info@celtic.com Yoice 212-214-04'77 Fax 212-214-04'78

celtic.com

I I I

-a

'-+-+.

-.'-,'.

J< +,-#

- *

,5-

y the summer of

1775, British military leaders had formulated

for crushing rebellion in the American colonies. They a strategy

would be divided and conquered piecemeal, by breaking the interior up into

chunks. Natural land routes and inland waterways existed to facilitate execution of

this strategY. Royal Governor Josiah Martin of North Carolina convinced the British govemment that, with the help of a few British Army regiments, he could raise enough Loyalists

to wipe out rebellion in the colony. This action, he claimed, would facilitate the capture of South Carolina and Georgia. Martinbased his hopes of raising

a large

force

on a relatively new group of immigrants, the Highland Scots, who had established small settlements in several coastal North Carolina counties. These immigrants had fought for the Stuarts against the House of Hanover in l'l 45 , and, after a bloody defeat, had sought refuge in the New World. Alttrough

King George less for settlers in the Piedmont region, many of whom were Lowland or Scottish-lrish immigrants. The situation in North Carolina, however, the Highlanders had no love for

III, they had still

was not precisely as Martin had reported to his

superiors in London. A civil war atmosphere had existed in the colony since 1771. By 1775, North Carolina was split into two groups: the Paffiots, consisting primarily of the Scottish-hish and other Piedmont settlers, who

favored independence; and the Loyalists primarily Crown officials, wealthy merchants, planters, Scottish Highlanders and others of a conservative bent who opposed redressing their grievances by means of war. Anxious to quash further thoughs of rcbellion,

Gov. Martin began raising an anny, without waiting for the arrival of British troops. By February 15,1776, he had 700 Highlanders and 800 other Loyalists under the command of Donald McDonald, an experienced soldier and militia leader. As word of Loyalist activities spread, the Patriots began gathering their forces under the

command of Colonel James Moore of the lst

North Carolina Regiment. Moore was a descendant of Rory O'More (1620-1652), the primary instigator of the Irish rebellion

of 1641.

A A

Donald McDonald, exhausted, old and

ill,

was in no condition to participate in battle. For

that reason, Donald Mcleod was appointed to lead the assault. A severe Loyahst shortage of arms soon became apparenq in fact, only

fter raising about 1,000 volunteers,

about 500 Loyalist supporters were fully

Cot. Moore decided to contest

equipped for combat at Moores Creek. A narrow structure located in the middle

\Loyalist

march to the coast that was

intended to link up with an expeditionary force under Lord Charles Cornwallis, Sir Henry Clinton and Sir Peter Parker. These combined British army and naval forces were to concentrate at Brunswick, North Carolina by mid-February, 1776.

accumulation of years of swamp wastes. The bridge itself was located on a sand bar.

Following his arrival at the scene on February 25th, Patriot Colonel Alexander Lillington, under Moore's command, had earthworks built on a slight rise on the east end ofthe bridge overlooking the approach.

An additional group of Patriot soldiers

a swamp, Moores Creek Bridge provided an ideal defensive situation. The creek at

arrived the next day. They were sent across the

thebridge was about40 feetwide, with a water depth of about five feet. The creek moves through the swamp in a series of twisting loops. Beneath dark waters, the bottom contained the

Photo. on opposite page is the path to Moores Greek. lllustration this page, the Highlanders prepare lor battle.

stream to erect embankments on the west side, embanlcnents whichthe enemy would have to

pass. During the night, this position was abandoned and the men joined Litlington's forces on the east side, after pulling up bridge

InrsH AMeRrcA MAGAZINE

Aprit / May

2000

planks and geasing the girders wittr animal fat. The Loyalist approach march began around

a.m. Being unfamiliar with the terrain,

soldiers were soon floundering in the swamp,

Patriots leaped over the parapets in pursuit.

few loyalists, not so fleet of foot as their compan-

which greatly hindered their progress. To try and utilize the element of surprise, the

ions, were captured

Loyalist force was divided into three columns. They silently entered the Patriot camp, only to discover it had been abandoned during the night, leaving fires buming to cover troop movements.

not immediately follow up their advantage, but

iTlh" Highland Scots, some dressed in I t<itts, then rushed to the bridge. yelling I their battle cry: "King George and Broad Swords!" Many slipped and tumbled into fhemurky water. Patriotguns fuing atpointblank range met those who made it across the

bridge. Two Patriot artillery pieces then opened up with a deafening roar. Many of the Highlanders, wounded, fell into the creek and drowned. Others, thrown into the water by the artillery volley, were pulled under the surface by the weight of

their heavy clothing. All Loyalists who managed to cross the bridge were shot.

Not at all encouraged by the panicked flight of many officers, Highlanders too soon joined the fleeing mob. There was a general rush to the area where supply wagons had been left. Horses were cut loose from their harness, and with as many as three men

However, the victors did

stopped instead to pillage

Loyalist supply wagons. Two Patriots were wounded in combat; only one, John Grady, died.

was impossible to

determine the exact number of Loyalist casualties. There

were at least 30, but many men drowned or died of their wounds in the surrounding swamp; their bodies were not recovered until later. Over the next few days, the Patriots captured several enemy officers, 850 troops, 1,500 rifles, 350 muskets, 150 swords and $75,000 in coined money.

Tosiah Martin, royal governor ol the I colony and the p"iron indirectly rf responsible lor the engagement, explained in a letter to England that Moores Creek Bridge was "only a little check the

Loyalists have received." Martin insisted that the prospects of returning the colony

mounted on one animal, Loyalists fled toward

to royal authority were as strong as ever. In truth, the Patriot victory accomplished

their previous night's encampment.

far more than merely checking the growth

April / May 2000 IntsH Air4snIcA MAGAZTNE

The historic

il is lined with interpretative signs. of Loyalist sentiment in North Carolina. It in fact stoked the fires of revolutionary fervor to such a degree that on April 12, l'176,the

colony of North Carolina instructed its delegation to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to vote for independence - the

first colony to do so. The victory at Moores Creek Bridge also helped thwart a planned British invasion of North Carolina. Patriot militiamen repulsed a British seaborne force that moved onto Sullivan's Island off Charleston, South Carolina in May of 1176 in late June. The failure of England's divide-and-conquer sffategy lay in lack ofoverall local support and coordination on both the pottical and military

levels, and in a critical underestimation by British field commanders of Patriot resolve.

"Had the South been conquered in the first half of 1776," historian Edward Channing has concluded, '1t is conceivable that rebelHon would never have furned into revolution . . . At Moores Creek and Sullivan's Island the Carolinians turned aside the only combination of circumstances that might have made British conquest possible."

Fhom 1899 to l926.the Moores Creek ! Monurn"nt Association managed the I area in North Carolina where the bar tle was fought. In 1926, it was designated a National Military Pmk (changed to a National Battlefield in 1980). The 86-acre park preserves

the site of the Revolutionary War battle.

the road used by both sides at the time.of the battle. Known as the Negro Head Point Road,

Revolution. The Battlefield is located in southeastern

this linked the Moores Creek area to

North Carolina. Take Route 421 from

Wilmington and has existed since I743.

Wilmington to

The only other original battlefield remains are the bridge site. In 1856, a Wilmington newspaperreported that some original bridge foundation timbers were still visible, along with traces of earthworks. The earttrworks visible today are remnants of those that were built by

and then go west (left) on 210 for five miles to the park. From Interstate 40, follow Rte. 210 west at the Rocky Point exit. Caudon: When near Moores Creek, watch your children. Several species of poisonous snakes live in the park. Do not attempt to cross

Patriot troops. Although the works were

the Moores Creek Bridge. The structure is

rehabilitated in the late 1930s, archaeological research indicates that the present alignment

intended for educational and interpretive use. The park is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June, July and

is historically accurate.

The Tarheel Trail (.3 mile) begins near the end of the History tralt. gxtriUts along this path interpret the production of naval stores,

junction with Route 210

the

August weekends. During the summer months, this place is hot. For more information, write

Visitor activities can

which was the chief industry of this geo-

the Superintendent, Moores Creek National Battlefield, Box 69, Currie, NC 28435, or

include viewing battle-related exhibits,

graphical region during the American

call910-283-5591.

I{hatTo SeefuidDo.

hiking, picnicking, and wildflower watching in season andbirdwatching allyear. Two hours are needed to tour the battlefield and see the

exhibits and audiovisual program in the Visitor Center. A diorama depicts the scene it was when Patriots opened fire. Among the original weapons on display are a broadsword, a Highlander pistol, a Brown Bess musket and a half-pounder swivel gun. The History Trail (l mile), which begins behind the Visitor Center, connects the at the bridge, as

battlefield's historical fleatures. It follows for a short distance the original alignment of

[?ory O'More,

More,, son

oflen callecl Roger Moore Calva<1lr O'More, w.rs

rIe:;c:r,,n<ie.r)from tlre arrcterrl c.hiels of leix in central lrelancl. kt 1640, the tirrle :;ee,mec) propiliotrs Ic:r an e,{fctrl by lnsh Calholics tcr

raS.lin their Iost terrtl.ories. L.ale, n:life,, O'More;rcjnrillecl that a plol Ititd t:e-o:n h.rt.( hinq f.or years. Hi:; rneans crf per:,uersion Lo Lcrl<e up ilnTlr; dgcrin:;t lhe British were two: there wds now a r:htrnce for olcl lri:;h arr<i Anglo lri:;h farnilies to rec.over tireir losl estdl.as; ancJ lhzre was ce rl rrinl y tlral l he Ptt ri t a rr-cJoxt i nttte-cl Parliarnerrl irr lonclort would cleirl har:Jrly wiLlr txll *:r ozr tl.,;.t Rorndn Cal hol icisrn in re lanc.l, I

O'Mcrre w.r:; tlle rnairrsprinq of ll'te:. 1(t41

plot. Aroun(l :ieplernber 1, 1'641, lhe dccisiot r w(t,, tl(t(lc, lo \?t,/v. L.tr rblirr ( ,r,,lk' orr October !r; the exctr.t d;ty ctl ',,c:itrte:. was ldter chan<1ecJ to Octob€jr 2.J. ()'Mrra wcrs to le dcl the party <-lt.tr11e<1 wil.tr :;t:izitrrl one of the lwo c,;1:jtle 1lale1,. Tlre plol: Lo :;eize Drrtrlin (asllc failccl, trttt ttrc lll:;1.er lleballiott trrol<a oltl .ts arrangecl; O'More ttlnrosl ,rl <;trce a1>1te;tra:rl irr tlre fielcl c-ls <l colTlrTltllldcr willr .r sizatrlc arme.c) torce- uncler ltint. Rory O'Mttre w.t';

insl iqat()r of lhc re t>elliort; Ilctwe.ver, he wa:; not a Jtrofel:,ioll(ll sc)l(licr dnd no (Jredl pdrl irl lll?l wdr.

lhe tl.rtn

f)l.lya(l

IrusH AIuenIcA MAGAzINE

Aprit / May

2000

By James G. Ryan

Dunne and Du Charles Gavan Duffy (1816-1903) who was also born in Monaghan. Although having little formal education, he taught himself through extensive reading and became ajournalist. In 1842 he founded

The names Dunne and Duffy have nothing in common except that they are derived fiom colors, the Dunnes from doar, ttre Gaelic word forbrown and Dufrt from dubh,the Gaelic for black. This is relatively unusual since the vast majority of Gaelic names are based on relationships i.e. "Son of," or "Follower of." The Dunne family name is derived from the Gaelic O'Duinn or O'Doinn, and originates in County Laois. They were one of the principal Gaelic families

ofleinster

and the official papers

Ireland rebel movement. In 1848, on the eve of the rebellion, he was arrested andThe Natiole was closed down, only to be revived again on Duffy's release

in 1849. In

the English administration in Ireland noted the family as hostile and dangerous to English interests. There is also a Dunn family of Scottish origin some of whom settled in Ulster. In Ireland this name is usually spelled Dunn rather than Dunne, although in the U.S. the distinction is less evident. Notable Dunnes include Charles Dunn

Peter Dunne during his tenure in Chicago

and later New York. .ln modern lreland the Dunne name is well known, and not least because the largest chain of supermarkets is Dunne's Stores.

(1799-1872). Born in Kentucky of Dublin parents he became a lawyer in

The Duffy name is derived from the Gaelic O'Dubhthaig and is mainly asso-

Illinois. In 1836 he was appointed Chief

ciated with County Monaghan. Both forms Duffy and O'Duffy are found in modem heland. In Ulster the name has

Judge of the New Territory of Wisconsin, a position he held until Wisconsin became a state

in 1848. From 1853-56 he also

served as a Wisconsin senator. Another Dunne in the legal profession was William

McKee Dunne (1814-1887). Born in

1852 he became the

Member of Parliament for New Ross. In I 855, however, he left heland and went to Australia. He remained active in politics and in 1871 he became Prime Minister of Victoria and was knighted by the Queen.

1880 he retired to the south

of France and wrote biographies and histories of Irish revolutionary interest. His son George Gavan Duffy (18821951) became a solicitor in Dublin and was active in the republican movement.

lnIgZl

he was one of the Sinn Fein signatories of the Anglo-Irish Treaty which

gave independence to the South of Ireland but which also split the repub-

also been transformed to Downey. The Duffys were exceptional craftsmen and

lican movement and caused a brief Civil War. He was later Minister for Foreign

worked on many Irish monasteries and

Affairs in the first independent Irish government. His sister Louise Gavan

Indiana he rose to become Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army in 1875. Williamson Dunne (1781-1854), who

churches. There are several interesting Irish (O) Duffy characters, among whom are General Eoin O'Duffy (1892-1944) who

was born in Kentucky, was an early

was born in Monaghan and fought in

pioneer of Indiana. In I 809 he built the first house in what is now the town of

the Irish Independence movement

Dublin's General Post Office in 1916. Later she founded Scoil Bridhe, a girls

to 1921. ln 1922 he was from made Commissioner of the Garda, the new lrish Police force. In 1933 he was dismissed by Eamon de Valera and he

school which taught exclusively through the Irish language. In the U.S. Duffys have also been prominent in the fight for independence.

became ttre leader of the Army Comrades Association, which he gradually turned

There were 78 Duffys listed in the

into an active political force, commonly

these were Captain Patrick Duffy of Proctor' s Pennsylvania Artillery, Trmothy Duffy, a surgeon's mate of Hazen's Continental Regiment, and Ensign Hugh Duffy of Lancaster ComPanY, Pennsylvania Militia. Duffy Square, on 43rd Street and Broadway, in New York City was named for the Reverend Francis Duffy,

Hanover, and participated in various local Indian wars in the early days of this community. He was eventually elected

to the House of Representatives for Indiana.

Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936): Born in Chicago he went into journalism, rising rapidly in the editorial ranks to become managing editor of the Chicago Joumal. At the turn of the century he invented "Dooley'' a satirical hishAmerican character, whose comments on the political scene were an instant hit with the public. Many Dooley books, as well as newspaper columns (for the

Chicago Journal, Colliers and other periodicals), were produced by Finley

(with Thomas Davis and olhers) The Nation, the famous voice of the Young

l9Il

Blueshirts. This group effectively supported the fascist movements then current in various European countries. In 1933 he became President of the known

as the

new Fine Gael party but resigned in 1934. During this time he also formed various other pro-fascist groups, which

were banned by the government. In 1936 he organized the Irish Brigade to fight with Franco in ttre Spanish Civil War. A Duffy with a fascinating career was

April / May 2000 InrsH AIraBnrcA MAGAZINE

Duffy (1884-1969) was also an active republican and educationalist. She was one of the rebel force that occupied

American Revolutionary Army. Among

chaplain of the Fighting Sixty-ninth during the First World War. His statue stands there. @

Arnerican Colle ge,Dublin

)

I AMERICAN COLTEGE DUBLIN is accredited by NCEA,

National Council for Educational Awards, the accrediting agency for most

thirdlevel Irish education. The college offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in:

Liberal Arts o Behavioral Science

International Business International Tourism

American College Dublin, Lynn University'sister campus, provides the same personal attention as the main campus in Boca Raton, Florida. It offers opportunity to:

. .

STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS Earn college credits through Lynn

University for a semester or an academic year. Study in Dublin, a friendly city of

Earn transferable credits

young people.

Studl with Irish students in exciting old world Dublin Meet students from all over the world

PROGRAMS FOR

Enjoy cultural and social opportunities that will enhance your educational experience

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT RESIDENCE

HALI

'2)rjj .2jt

j *l

iii3lt-l jJ,j,-{"i '.

-t ii

iir-'

"'i''Jliji'

iiri-{

: -Fl,l{l J :i

.--\

it:l

lnternational Student Residence Hall

The recently acquired International Student Residence Hall is within walking distance of the College and the City Centre. It is designed to be a "home

' . .

College Students

Summer/ Fall / Spring Terms High School Students - to earn college credits during the Summer Irish Studies - Liierature, History, Art, Culture, Tourism

Students live and study in an international environment with young people from around the world. They intern in international businesses, participate in multicultural projects, and experience a curriculum that emphasizes practical application with travel and cultural exchanges.

away from home" for young men and women from around the world who come to Dublin to study.

In addition to handsomely appointed bedrooms and baths, there is a state-of-the-art Messaging Centre with fax and messaging services, international newspapers and journals, E-mail and Internet hook-up providing the opportunity for international students to remain in contact with families and friends. Breakfasts and dinners are served daily by waiters in the comfortable Dining Room.

LYNN UNIVERSITY 3601 North Military Trail Boca Raton, Florida 33431 U.S.A. (5611 994-0770, ext. 307 (3001 453-S306 o FAX (56U 241-3552 http://www.tybervilloge.tom/utdirelond Emoil: atdinlo@ool.tont

Lynn University welcomes applications lrom qualified men and women regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, or disability.

Virginia,

Go.

As lreland's popularity as a travel destination reaches an all-time high, the lesser-known inland counties can provide a quieter and some would say, more authentic lrish holiday. fill Fergus explores the heartland: the counties of Roscommon, Cavan and Leitrim. O I I I

fint ovemight destination

Dublin's

and plenty of narrow country lanes that make

back on the road. Our

Temple Bar area and the picture-perfect visras of the Ring oi Kerry and

for rambling scenic drives. Visitors who

was to be the famed Slieve Russell Hotel

whine about the crowds at the Book of Kells orttreBlamey Stoneorthepubs of Kerry should

just outside the town of Ballyconnell in Cavan. I had told several friends in Dublin of our planned trip and all au*roritatively dismissed our destination (perhaps it's like New Jersey to New Yorkers), but not even they could deny

had experienced ttre nighflite of

Co*.rnu*.

I had driven duough unnrcd-

matterhow muchtinre Ihavein heland,I always

make time for this laid-back region that seduces the visitor with its country charm

coordinate my itinerary around the Galway

and natural beauty.

O"n parts of Cork and lvlayo and no

Races, held each summer. As usual, I plot my

Armed with a few guidebooks and a faint

pore over my map,

idea of what I wanted to see (or even what there

knowing full well that the quickest and

was to see), we started out from Dublin and hopped on ttre N2 road toward Carriclcnacross

course from Dublin.

easiest way is the (relatively) straight shot on the N4 and N6 roads (which takes about three hours). It occurred to me, as I was once again

preparing for the joumey with my brother Patrick, that by taking this direct route, I was completely bypassing a large portion of the country -essentially, keland's heartland. So this time, I decided to take a few days and explore three little-known counties in the Northwest,

kitrim,

Cavan, and Roscommon.

This region may not have the dramatic fog-swirled Twelve Bens or the sheer drama of the Cliffs of Moher but what it does have are dozens oflakes and national parks, rarely visited historical sites, challenging golf courses

100 April

in County Monaghan, about an hour-long drive. I had heard Carriclcnacross was a lacemaking town and expected touristy shops hawking overpriced doilies but I was pleasantly surprised to find a typically quaint kish town. At the end of Main Sfieet, you'll find a small gallery with a collection of infricate handmade lace, including veils and tablecloths (ranging from $40 to $700). If the gallery is closed, the nearty Shirley Arms Hotel also has a nice selection. Stop by Dinkins

Bakqy

for apick-me-up coffee and scone or Markey's across the road for something more substantial (hamburgers, sandwiches) before getting

/ May 2000 Inrsu AupntcA MAGAZINE

that Slieve Russell had an excellent reputation. When I pressed them to give more infor-

mation about the area, these city slickers had to admit that, no, they had never stepped foot in either Cavan or lritrim. I decided not to let anyone's preconceived notions influence me. I have loved keland since my firct visit with my family when I was just six years old, so I knew better than to believe the naysayers. At first glance, the Slieve Russell Hotel Golf and Country Club seems terribly out of

place. As you drive through the drumlins (small hills) that Cavan is known for, you see fields lined with haystacks, sheep and cows all the things yorr'd expect in arural area. But then youround abend and suddenly an enormous building appears, as if from nowhere. The effect is nuly dramatic - and meant to be

(take that, Ctffs of Moher!). Built in 1990 by Cavan native Sean Quinn, who made his fortune in construction, the hotel is the pride of the county and compared with keland's ultra-posh castle-hotels such as Ashford andDromolan4 tlre SlieveRussell more than holds its own. The 151-room hotel, which sits on 300 acres, is very much a destination in itself and you can easily spend your days roaming the formal grounds, playing on the l8-hole golf course and frolicking in the pool and Jacuzzi (there are plenty of activities for kids). That evening we dined on seafood in the Conall Ceamach Restaurant, just as elegant as any restaurant in Dublin or London. It's the kind of place where nattily dressed waiters attend to your every whim and entees are sewed under silver domes. Afterward, we had a hard time deciding whether to go for apintin the lively Kells Bar or an Irish coffee in the clubby lobby with always-burning freplaces. So we did both (but not necessarily in that order). It's tempting to stay put for the day but the guidebook beckons and I'm on a mis-

sion. After indulging at the buffet table (Americans never can get enough hishbreakfasts), we set out for Carrick-on-Shannon in Leitrim, the hub of Ireland's boatirrg region. May through September pleasure cruisers glide along the Shannon River from Carrick all the way down to Killaloe in County Clare.

And since 1994, Lough Erne in Northern keland is also connected via the ShannonErne Waterlink, a restored canal that now has 16 automatic locks. The entire route consists of some 300 miles of pristine waterways-a paradise for boating enthusiasts. Carrick-on-Shannon was bigger and busier than I imaginod" butstill nothing compared with say, Killarney or Clifden in terms of crowds.

You caneasily spend anhourchecking outthe small shops whereyou'll findbargains oneverything from Arin sweaters to Celtic recordings. Curious for cruising information, we stopped

in at Carrick Craft and Emerald Star, the two most established boat rentals companies. We

found out that most boats (equipped with

beds, kitchen and dining area) are rented for the week and while they can hold up to 10 people the average group size is six (the cost is

roughly $1,200). It's very popular with families, anglers, and groups offriends looking for an affordable vacation. We started a conversation with several tanned German guys who had just retumed from a trip down river, stop-

ping in little ports along the way. Each enthusiastically agreed it was the best vacation they'd ever had. As we made our way toward the water,

wishing we were setting off on our own nautical adventure, we happened upon an embarking Moon River sightseeing cruise' so we quickly jumped aboard' The

trip lasted

just under two hours but was the perfect primer for what life would be like on the relaxing. We spied egrets and herons flying among the reeds and I swear I saw a puffin perched on a rock in the distance. For a more lively excursion, take one of the

river-utterly

Inlsn ANaentcA MAGAZINE April / May

2000

101

Guesthouse, a22-roonts&B right next door to the Tourist Office.

It was dusk by the time we reached Roscornmon Castle, which I was eagerly anticiputing. We didn't see any signs so we passed the turnoff twice. We backtracked and drove down a muddy lane, cerlain we had made a wrong tum. Just then we looked to our' left and there in the rniddle of field was the massive stone castle, built in 1269 by Robet de Uffbrd, a Norman Chief Justice. Though in partial ruin, the thick stone walls and bastions are still irnposing some 700 years later.

We had no idea whether or not we were allowed in but since there was no one thele to stop us, other than a lackadaisical cow, we figured we'd chance it. Once inside the courtyard we immediately imagined ourselves presiding over a glorious feast with platters of rnutton and chalices of

company's rnidnight cmises with dancing and enteftainment (usually up-and-corning local Irish bands). Though it was past five o'clock, we wanted to drive into Roscommotr County (ust ten

hole (I think Slieve Russell's nine-hole course would have been better suited forme) and tucked into a hot bowl of soup and turkey sandwich in the clubhouse. Pahick gladly played on alone,

weren't in tirne lbr any guided tours but we

hitting two balls fiom evety tee - he didn't lug his clubs across the Atlantic for nothing. In the afternoon, we teluctantly checked out

walked on our own around the immense stone

of the hotel and

compound dating florn 1160. We were enthralled by the Gothic arches, soaring

Roscommon toward Strokestown, which has

towers, and massive chimney, still intact. On the drive back to the hotel we conldn't stop remarking how cool we thought it was to be the only tourists there.

Stlokestown Palk complex). Spread out over ten rooms, the museum traces the origins of the Great Idsh Famine of the 1840s and how it conelates to world poverty today. There is a geat little cafe on the premises as well as some delightftil formal g:udens. We then ernbarked

rninutes fl'om

kinirn)

see

Boyle Abbey. We

The next rnorning we had scheduled

round of golf-. I do enjoy the gan.re but rnostly what I love about being on a golf conrse is losing yourself in the serenity and manicured beauty and this course was certainly no differenq though it was the most hilly one I had ever played on. I hoped no one would take it personally when I walked offon the fotnteenth

headed back down to

an interesting Famine h4useum (part of

on the last leg of our trip, a visit to Roscommon

rnead. Somewhere in dre distrmce a turf log had been lit, and that very specific scent filled the air. At that moment, we were back in the 13th century - it was truly magical. It was dark before we could bring ourselves to head back to the car and on to busy Galway along the N63. Of course, I had a fantastic tirne there, the streets teemed with tourists from all over the world and the festive mood was infectious but I have to adrnit, I was son'y to leave the tran-

quility of Cavan, Leitrim and Roscommon behind. It's settled. Next yeiu, we're taking the scenic route. @

Getting There Aer Lingus flies directly to Dublin and Shannon from New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

town, a lovely place to window-shop and

Rental cars are available at both airports.

grab a bite to eat. Don't miss Time Pieces on Main Street with a large selection of antique

Hotelr

clocks, Irish pottery and jewehy. If you plan on staying ovemight, a good option is Gleeson's

The Slieve Russell Hotel Coff and Country Club, Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan; 01 1-353-4926444; fax 011 -353-49-26474; rooms $228-$258 with breakfast. Cleeson's Cuesthouse, Market Square, Co.

Roscommon; 01 1-353-903 -26954; fax 01 1-353-903-27425; rooms $68 with breakfast.

Things to Do Carrick Craft, The Marina, Carrick-onShannon, Co. Leitrim; 011-353-78 20236. Emerald Slar,47 Dawson St., Dublin 2; 01 1 -353-1 -679-8166. Moon River Main St., Carick-on'Shannon, Co. Leitrim; 01 1 -3 53-7 8-21 7 7 7 Boyle Abbey Boyle, Co. Roscommon;

011-353-79-62602

Famine Museum Strokestown, Co. Roscommon; 01 1 -353-78-3301 For more information and

brodruls

on Cavan, Leltrim and Roscommon

contact the lrish Tourist Board aoo -223-470 (21 2-41 8-O8OO).

All pltotcts cottftesy the lrish Tom'ist Board. Shoreline olthe Shannon Biver, looking back at Park Castle, Go. Leitrim.

102 April / May 2000

IRrsH AuenrcA MAGAZINE

OrosFocal z

Across I New York's Cardinal 5 Texan Hall of Fame pitcher

9 Head of an abbey 72 Getting hitched in secret

l3 Co. Kildare town

tL)

By B. Young 4

ao z1

t9 25

z/ 29

16 Family

Fricker

3l JJ

18 Angel's head gear 19

3 'I

15 Fuel

Actress

14 Part of speech

3Ci

0f the deer family

20 Drug cop

39 40

24 Smaller than mountains 26 Maureen O'Hara's family name

off

32 Almond or cashew

37 Start of work week 39 Gardening tool 41 Immigrant island 42 Measure of heat 45 Where you'll hear an aria 46 Carrot is this type of vegetable 48 Fall behind 50 A loud cry 51 Scoundrel 53 Poem 54 Two- or three-piece outfit 55 0f the pig family 56 Bone in arm

2 Midday

39 Brave sandwich

3 Grossly overweight

40 Bread spread

4 Without parents

43 Send letters overseas this

way for quickest delivery

5 Fail to take care

6 Clan who left castle bearing their

name in Galway City

44 Of the utmost

7 County in Irish midlands

4l Minor

8 Used with hammer

48 Weaving tool

Type ofbed

with rage

needing prompt attention details

49 Eve's partner 52 Southwestern Irish county 54 Musical verse

Irish cream drink 2l Inthe distance 22Ready for picking 17

55 Not good

23 Great Gatsby author 25 Neckwear

57 Antonym of Hades

30 Found in a tree

58 Punctuation mark 59 Sang and danced in the rain

New York Times columnist

32 Palindromic Co. Meath

town 34 The First 35 Trunk 36 Many

I FormerU.S. Ambassadorto

35 Faucets

31 Oh boy, in the song 33 Errol

28 She's a country girl at heart

27 Inexpensive 29 Time

keland

38 Opposite of

arival

WIN A SUBSCBIPTION IO IRISH AMERIGA MAGAZINE! Please send your completed crossword puzzle to us at 432 Park Ave. South, Suite 1 503, New York NY

arrivenolaterthanApril8,2000.Awinnerwillbedrawnfromamongallcorrectentriesreceived.

001 6,

lntheevent

that there are no completely correct solutions, prizes will be awarded to the completed puzzle which comes closest in the opinion of our staff. Winner's name will be published along with solution in our June/July issue. Winner: February/March Crossword: Mrs. Eleanor Mannion, Clinton, PA. Yes, readers, you may send in Xerox copies of Cros Fhocal but just one per household.

InrsH Al4sRtcA MAGAZINE ApriV

May 2000

103

-t

Anl elica Huston's lrish H omecomln g expressions of love seemed strangely

W*fioo$ii:d tunity to work with his daughter Anjelica. With warmth and enthusiasm, she hosted a segment of our CBS-TV special featuring testimonials by her father's col-

leagues. Then thirty-one years old,

unresponsive. Anjelica Huston had clashed with her father while making her film debut as a teenager in the lead female role of his

medieval saga A Walk with Love and Death (1969). Though her acting skills were raw, she had a strong screen presence even then, and the film was visually stunning. But aside from her brief role

Since then, thanks in part to her father's belated show ofconfidence in her talents and also perhaps to the loss of his intimidating presence, her career has bloomed

almost miraculously. Her haunting performance as Greta Conroy in her father's last film, The Dead (1981), based on the James Joyce short story, sealed her cinematic maturity. By now, at the age of foty-eight, that once-awkward young woman has fully earned her place in the Huston filmmaking dynasty as a richly accomplished actress and director. She made a stunning directorial debut in 1996 with Bastard out of Carolina, a Showtime cable movie based on the memoir by Dorothy Allison. One of the

most harowing explorations of child abuse ever put on the screen, it is the

work

of an assured filmmaker who knows how to make a period setting come vividly alive on screen while populating

it with

complex and believable

characters.

Now

she has demonstrated her

versatility by directing and starring in the

fh'

seriocomic Agnes Browne, her captivating film version of comedianplaywright Brendan O'Canoll's 1994 best-selling Irish novel The Mammy.

Although born in California (her {

mother was Huston's fourth wife, Ricki Soma, who died in a 1969 automobile accident), Anjelica spent much of her childhood and adolescence in heland, living on her father's baronial estate in County Galway, St. Clerans. She says of Agnes Browne, "I chose to make this film because it brought me back to keland the emotional landscape of my childhood."

Her Irish roots are reflected in her effordess incamation of Agnes, whom she endows with an unforced Dublin accent. Anfelica Huston in Agnes Browne.

Anjelica seemed like a young gazelle, an exotically beautiful and potentially graceful creature just learning to stand awkwardly on her own long legs. It wasn't until later that I realized the source ofher lack ofpoise that nighl her insecurity performing in front ofher legendary father, whose reactions to Anjelica's earnest

in her father's 1969 kish comedy Sinful Davey, they did not work again until Prizzi's Honor in 1985. That stylish black comedy gave Anjelica a sparkling as the hardboiledbutdroll Mafia dame Maerose Prizzi. Seizing the opportunity

role

with alacrity, she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress.

This doughty Irish widow, who raises seven children in 1967 by running a fruit and vegetable stall, is in many ways the antithesis of the passive, almost

catatonically defeated Irish mother depicted in the film version of Frank McCourt's An gela' s Ashes. Agnes also stands in strong contrast to Jennifer Jason Leigh's chilling portrait of a criminally irresponsible mother in Bastard out

I' 1

104

April / May 2000

InrsH Arr,renrca MacazINs

)

-1 .:,

and dank

of Carolina.

Agnes Browne is bright and

,.,, :.,:, FOfUm

ness. The film's abrupt shifts oftone are adroitly handled and impart a feeling of life's

Huston's uncondescendingly affec-

lively. Though the milieu of the new

tionate view of working-class Dubliners gives Agnes Browne artinfectious vitality. Her Agnes is a ffibute to the resilient

film is realistically unglamorized, frequent splashes ofbright color reflect Agnes's

spirit of trish womanhood. The script

What's most remarkable about the

sophisticated woman, Agnes

follows

story is the utter lack of grief this widow displays. The audience assumes that

has abundant savoir faire and a blithe confidence in

and John Goldsmith

by O'Carroll the book fairly closely but enriches it by

essential

true unpredictability.

Though not a terribly

jollity.

By Joseph McBride

dency toward caricature that

abilities. If there is a flaw in the film, it is that the Brownes' economic circumstances seem a bit too rosy. Perhaps Huston's privileged

mars the novel is kept to a minimum in the film, replaced with

upbringing has left her unaware of what it is like to live on lim-

more rounded characterizations and moments of deeper emotion, smoothly interwoven with comedy.

ited resources. Supporting seven

her coping

fleshing out some episodes, such as Agnes's romance with aloopy, longhaired French baker named Piene (Amo Chewier). The ten-

children onherown causes Agnes remarkably little exhaustion or

desperation.

In one affecting scene,

Agnes and her best friend

she

tells the children she needs their

Marion (marvelously played by

help, because she can't do it without them. But mostly the film stresses the vital role of communal support in kish life. Agnes is kept afloat not only by her job but also by the safety

screen newcomer Marion O'Dwyer) are just emerging into pre-feminist consciousness.

They refer to the moment of intense sexual pleasure as "the organism." Marion admits, "It was like getting ten early num-

net of the dole, the timely arrival

bers

in the bingo." But Huston realizes that a little of this joshing about Irish sexual backwardness goes a long way.

of a stipend from her late husband's union, and, most of all, by the cheerfrrl willingness of friends and neighbors to pitch in when

Agnes no longer reacts in horror ("Yeh. . . yeh pervert!") as

help is needed. To American eyes in an era when political

Pierre uses his tongue in giving

candidates boast about dismantling the safety net for the poor,

her a goodnight kiss. This is one ofthe advantages ofhaving a female

this vision of mutual responsibiJity seems exotically appealing.

director.

Events in Agnes Browne Huston's direction is graceful Best fiiends Marion and Agnes are played by newcomer humorously conspire again and of flowing, creating a sense and O'Dwyer and veteran actress Anjelica Huston in Agnes Browne. again to rescue the title character. life going on around Agnes and The most surreal touch is the appearance Agnes is in denial and expects that she her lively brood. Her handling of the camlate in the film of singer Tom Jones as a eventually will break down in tears, but era has an ease that recalls her father's quietly virtuosic camerawork. As he it never happens. Gradually we under- derys ex machirza. Repiacing her idol in stand that O'Canoll and Huston are the book, CliffRichard, Agnes's favorite explained to mein1975, in an observation he presumably imparted to his showing that sometimes a woman can be pop singer is commandeered by her children to deal with a threatening loan better off without a man, particularly a daughter as well, '1'm quite elaborate with shark. The prevailing mood ofjoie de vivre like the late Nicholas goes chancer as no-account unobserved, the camera, but that it should. That way you get three shots (Redser) Browne. (Just imagine how is encapsulated when Jones gives Agnes her well-eamed serenade, "She's a Lady." much better offAngela McCourt would for the price of one, and the audience's have been ifher alcoholic husband hadmind is freeto follow whatitwants to folnother amiable new Irish film, Ifte low. Time magazine, at the end of its film n't kept returning and if she had been A,Cbrn, YouGer. alsoboasts a lemale reviews, used to write, 'Best shot,' and forced to abandon her false hopes earlier director. A Scottishtheater director and they would always have a shot a good in life.) first-time feature filmmaker, Aileen The avoidance of conventional sentidirector would never dream ofusing mentality about widowhood in Agnes Ritchie brings a keen satirical eye to such as somebody reflected in a doorknob." There are no doorknob shots in Browne becomes bracing. Redser's the absurdities of mating habits in rural Ireland. funeral, treate{ as pure farce, becomes Ag,nes Browne. The director collaboWrittenbyWilliamlvory from a story a raucously Irish celebration of life. rates again with Anthony Richmond, the splendid British cinematographer This defiant attitude makes all the more by Herbie Wave, the film has a storyline powerful Agnes's utter helplessness who also shot Bastard out of Carolina, Corurtruueo oN PAGE 1 14 when Marion is sfficken with serious illbut in a much different style, as moody

InrsH Atr,tsnIcA MAGAZINE

Aprit / May

2000

105

-a

€stugxru€#

By Edythe Preet

A Drop o'the Crature A s all those who read this column A n'ro*, my Da loved being lrish. I \He tang all the songs, craved

potatoes and strawberries, and cooked huge breakfasts every Saturday morning. He loved words, mesmerized people with his seanachie storytelling and had merry

ply "whiskey."

Irish custom. Scholars believe that monks of the Mediterranean region discovered the art of distilling spirits sometime in the 1lth century. Such liquors were used as medicinals in monasteries which oper-

over some private joke. He was fiercely patriotic and prone to religious debating. His brothers

it is stated that

Risteard Mac

Raghnaill, who had been the heir apparent to the chieftanship of Muintir Eolais, died on Christmas Day from drinking too heavily. To the entry, the scribe

Despite his lordship's untimely demise, usque baugh continued to be used as a medical treatment for what-

ever might

and cousins were sports-

ail.

Curative properties

aside, Irish whiskey won most of its admirers with its superb taste, and by the time Elizabeth I ascended the throne of England, kish whiskey was widely respected. The British writer

jockeys, hockey

- and boxers players and he even climbed

where

Mageoghagan noted wryly, "Mine author says itwas nottohim aquavitae, but aqua mortis."

blue eyes that always seemed to be twinkling

men

The first written record of kish whiskey theAwwls of the Four Masters

appears in

into

the ring himself for a brief period while in the air force during WWII. Now and then, he liked a drop o' the crature too.

Fynes Moryson described it thusly: "The hish aqua vitae is also made in England, but nothing so good as that

Whenever guests came

which is brought out of Ireland."

to dinner, before we sat down to eat, Dad broke

kish whiskey of Elizabethan times was, however, not the drink we know and love today. As Moryson noted, "...the

watel

out the Irish whiskey and our special tumblers which were reserved solely for the purpose of whiskey sipping. As he poured the amber liquid, the cut crystal sparkled. When everyone toasted each other, the glasses clinking sounded

ated hospices to treat the sick. Since the heady liquid seemed to have

some remedial effect especially for pain, it was called aqua vitae or "water

like little bells. With the naivete of youth, I was awed by such ceremony and

thought that the people must be really important. It was many years before I learned that sharing a glass of whiskey with visitors was yet another august

of hfe." No one knows exactly when the process reached Ireland, but many theoize it was introduced by kish clerics who had traveled abroad. When the Latin term aqua vitae was translated to Gaelic, it became uisce beatha, which in tum was eventually shortened to sim-

uisce beatha is preferred before our aqua vitae because of the mingling of saffron, raisin, fennel seed and other things." Moryson was not alone. The English were, in fact, so fond of heland's whiskey that it could help a man

win friends at court. In 1585, Mayor White of Waterford sent a certain Lord Burghley a gift of two bed coverings, two green mantles and a barrel of kish. Ireland's English overlords noted too

tlHrEtGY $[UGE 1 cup fine curd cottage cheese 1/2 cup lrish whiekey 4 tablespoons honey 1 cup heavy cream

WHISKEY PUNGH 1 ounce lrish whiskey 1 tablespoon honey 6 whole cloves Boiling water Slice of lemon Pour the whiskey into a heatproof mug. Stir in the honey and whole cloves. Fill the mug with boiling water. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Serve immediately because alcohol causes hot water to cool quickly. Makes one serving.

106

April / May 2000 IntsH

Place the cottage cheese in ablender and whirl until smooth' In a small saucepan, bring ttre whiskey and honey to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Cool to room temperature, then add the whiskey mixture to tlrc cofiage cheese a lisle at a time being sure to blend it in thoroughly with each addition. Makes 2 cups.

Note: This is excellent served with bread pudding.

ArraeRIcA MAcAZINE

In An lrish Country Kitchen, by Clare Connery

ffi##ffiOheer that hish whiskey's popularity posed a serious problem: the Crown was not eaming any money fromit andthe financial poten-

dry Irish malt which also occurs in a closed kiln, creating a purer flavor. The

tial was immense. That changed on

ence, is the water

Christmas Day,1.661. A tax of fourpence was levied on every gallon. Immediately, a new problem arose: how to find the

especially the lowlands, water filters through the peat bogs and carries a healy peaty flavor which passes on to both the

distillers.

malt and the whiskey. Irish water, on the other hand, filters through the island's underlying limestone bedrock and has not even a trace of peat taste. Thus, keland's whiskey is sweeter and more delicate than Scotland's robust product. How Scotch whiskey came to be such a strong competitor to lrish is also interesting. In the early 20th century both countries had many distilleries. Then, three things happened: America's prohibition period, the Great Depression of the 1930's, andWordWarII. Whenthe Prohibition Act was passed in the United

Used extensively for medicinal purposes, to celebrate good fortune, and to show hospitality, whiskey making remained a cottage industy for nearly 300 years, and by the 18th century there were more than 2,000 stills (mostly illegal) in the country. Realizing that huge profits were slipping through their fingers, savvy business folk launched Ireland' s whiskey industry.

Jameson, Ireland's most important export brand, was established in 1780. The original distillery at Middleton, County Cork, which has been totally restored, is open to the public for tours that include a look at the world's largest pot still (30,000 gallons). Bushmills, though founded four years lateq holds the distinction ofhaving been the first distillery to receive an official govemment license. James Power founded his distillery in 1791. Within 50 years, Powers was producing 33,000 gallons annually, and it is yet the most pop-

ular brand in Ireland. When commercial product began appear-

ing, the public noticed that the flavor had changed. Distillers

didn't add exotic

second, and perhaps even greater differ-

itself. In Scotland,

States, whiskey consumption plummeted.

Also, smugglers got a better deal from Scotland than Ireland and so brought in more Scotch whiskey than

kish. Both

occwrences seriously hurt the hish distillen.

Then the Depression hit, and many Irish distilleries were forced into bankruptcy. But perhaps the most serious damage to the industry occurred during World War

II.

heland remained neutral to the conflict,

and American troops were billetted in Britain where Scotch whiskey quickly became their favorite drink. Once the war ended and the soldiers returned home, they brought a love of Scotch with them and during the exuberant 1950's it became

one of America's most popular spirits. Slowly but surely, Ireland has regained a share of the whiskey market. Many of the old distilleries are reopening, some inde-

pendently and some under the corporate

umbrella of the two largest distillers, Bushmills and Jameson. Only a few are cunently distributed in the United States (Tullamore Dew, Paddy's and Kilbeggan),

but when travelling in Ireland be on the lookout for: Tyrconnell, Coleraine, pure pot-stilled Jameson Redbreast and Green Spot, and the spectacular Bushmills single malts.

Sldinte! @

Srnv wrTH us, AND THE WELCOME STAYS \MITH YOU.

spices. Consumers didn't take to this new taste easily, choosing to add their own

measure of lemon, cloves, nutmeg, and honey. Often the concoction was heated before serving. Thus was bom keland's famous whiskey punch that even now is a favorite winter

drink.

But it is the pure taste of fine Irish whiskey that most of us know and love a taste that is distinctly different from its main competitor, Scotch whiskey. Though staunch Scots will undoubtedly argue otherwise, it is likely that the secret of dist'rlling was carried to Scotland by kish missionaries. Both hish and Scotch whiskey share an identical distilling process, yet

they are markedly different in flavor. The twofold answer to this conundrum lies in the earth. After being mixed with water and left to germinate, malt (the base ingredient of both whiskeys) is dried. Though heland and Scotland each use turf cut from their peat bogs as a domestic fuel source, no peat is used to

Make light work of your trip to New York: stay with the Fitzpatricks. Here in the heart of the Big Apple, you'll still find some core values. Like friendliness, hospitality, personal service - not to mention the warmest reception in the city. Because it's our job to make yours easier.

ffi

\E/'

Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel,44th St. & Leington Avenue Fitzpatrick Manhattan Hotel, Lexington Ave. & 56th Street Call your ffavel agent or l-800-367-7707. wwwfitzpatrickhotels.com

h #

ilil t*

By TOM DUNPHY otcha. There was a craze afoot

at the end of the last

cenflry-

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 categorizrd, rankod" compared,

col-

lated, crunched, and spat out . . .

The ve,ry notion of a "greaiest hish rock albums of ttre century/millennium/epoch' is a flawed and silly one -rock androll

didn't come into being into the early fifties, and despite Van Morrison's late-sixties tr ailblazing, Irish pop music didn't really hit its stride until

the eighties. Qr{o, Dana's "All Kinds of Everything" doesn't count.) So instead of a millennial summary of music, /nsft Americahumbly offers

up this collection order

- of essential

in no particular

kish rock albums you

should own.

by the fact that Morrison was still in his early twenties whenhe made this record.

Astral Weeks was everything - lush,

Morrison's earlier work wasn't

airy, hypnotic, spiritual. The album seems infused with equal parts Celtic myth and Delta blues. According to the jazz session players who played on the album, Morrison didn't even instruct them on how to play the songs,

instead trusting them to follow their musical instincts. The result is a loose, improvisational effort, witnessed by

the loping swing of "Sweet Thing," the bells-and-brush drive of "Ballerina" or the jaunty harpsichord figure on "Cyprus Avenue." Morrison's voice is impassioned and higher than it is now - much like new wine ready to assume its vintage. Soon thereafter came the

flilI-on jazz-nrck of Moondarce,

but Astral Weeks presaged beautiful, unlikely alchemy.

it with

U2,War ll983l

envelope and cause the listener - and the pop world at large to take notice of keland

by now beaten into our heads

Hearts Beatri.as One," or the pleading "40," based loosely on the Fortieth Psalm. War is a document of a band poised to break out - they did, of coune, coming soon to a mega-stadium neff you. Pay special attention to the tensionand-release of The Edge's slide guitar solo on "Surrender" - it's a gem,

SirAD gCompn, I

Wfurlhvq't@

|,ld Want

(19901

Itmay havebeen the unusual lookthe bald head, the hugepiercing eyes

- that first

got

Sinead O'Connor noticed. But it was the quality of her

with 1987's

That familiar, militant drum tattoo is

-"rat-tat-

The

IionandtheCobra and then with

IDo

NotWantWhat I Haven't Gol, thatput

as a musical entity. There were somehardchoices, of course: War or The JoshuaTree? The Lion

tat-tat-TAT-TAT, rat-tat-TAT, rut-tatTAT." Who had ever written a popular song about the North before? U2, four lads from Dublin, took on the thomy topic onWar, the band's third album. "How long/how long must we

and the Cobra or I Do NotWantWhnt I Haven't

Bloody Sunday," and the world sang

Got? Astral

wittr him. Decidedly pacifi st and vaguely

tums to sheer fre at the entrance of the song's maniacal fiddle solo. O'Connor

Vm Monnrox,

Christian, Bono, along with guitarist The Edge, drummerlarry Mullen, and bassist Adam

Redding. Many call O'Connor

Weeks or Moondance? Read on.

sing this song?' sang Bono on "Sunday,

her on the rmrsical map. 1Do Not Want is a sfunning, dramatic, angry effort. "I

Am Stretched on Your Grave" runs that gamut of emotion - a detachsd, dron-

ing O'Connor laments her loss over a hip-hop drum loop, but that coldness

steals Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2I-l' for herself much tlre way Aretha Franklin

stole "Respect" from Otis preachy, but kudos to her on

AstrdlWelcs {19681 He had made a name for himself

Clayton, called for

peace and love

"Black Boys on Mopeds"

with his band Them by singing snotty pop hits like "Gloria'' and "Here Comes the Night." But Astral Weelcs was a fulfillment of Van Morrison's musical

amidst a blizzard ofthrobbing bass-

she rakes Thatcher-era racism

vision,

108

Day," the herky-jerk stomp of "Two

early work, first

The criteria? They had to be com-

pelling listening, of course. But just as importantly, they had to push the

-who could forget the loping, yearning "New Year's songs were compelling

vision made more astonishing

April / May 2000 InlsH AtrrBnrce

Ma.caznqB

lines, muscular drums, andjagged

guitar figures. The

overthe coals. And is there a line in rock that better illus-

offalling apart than "you used to hold my

trates the pain

paleimitations of a group's album

hand/when the plane took off," r s:

from "Last Day of

Our

Acquaintance"?

Honsurs, The Tain (l 9731 What was this? A rock band playing electric versions of traditional Irish tunes? Sacrilege... So what if Horslips was initiatly met with the same derision that Bob Dylan was when he turned his folk songs electric? The members of Horslips

F ;l l

- Jim Lockhart

(bass, vocals), Johnny Fean (lead guitar),

Charles O'Connor (fiddle, mandolin, vocals) and Eamon Can (drums, vocals)

they would turn Irish

music on its ear by tuming on their amps. The purists hated it. But the kids loved it -rewed up versions of "Silver Speaf' and

"Dearg Doom" are filled with bluster and fury. Horslips disbanded around 1980, but they were true originals. The members recently wrested back control of their music in the Irish courts; rumors are flying about a Horslips reunion this summer. And you want to talk about 'toncept ' albums? The Tainwasbased on the kish mythological cycle about the wars between Connacht and Ulster in approx-

imately 500 B.C. Take that, Emerson Lake and Palmer. RonY

Gru.ncrea, Calling Card

lre76l

He rivaled Clapton and Page as one of the world's pre-

mier blues-rock guitarists - legend is, he even tumed down an invitation to join

t "^{-? b

!.1. :" ,-h'r" iryn lF' I r+

I I ! -1,

'IY$ '

.t':;"^,

The

Rolling Stones. Rory

Gallagherplayed and lived -the blues on his own

terms. Calling Card is his finest studio

work. From the ferocious, minor-key funk of "Do You Read Me" to the plaintive slide guitar work on 'Admit You Werc Wrong" to the banelhouse bluster of the

title track, Gallagher proved he could paint in ail shades of blue. Sadly, Gallagher

died

in 1995 from complications fol-

lowing liver transplant surgery. He left us all blue.

TtlN ltzzY, L]ve and Dongerous

(te78) Live albums are iffy propositions

usually

the Irish/Italian sparks of "Maria's

assembled for a

Wedding," or the exasperation of "Livin'

'greatest hits'

in America." Here was a band willing to experiment with the rap, reggae and Latin

payday.ButThin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous is an emphatic exception. Every song

onthis fine album throbs withfierce energy, from the opening sirens of 'TailbrealC' to the pleading chorus of 'Don'tBelieve aWord." Phil Lynott's songs dripped with working-class alienation. A black man in a white heland, Lynott looked different, dressed different, sang different, was different-he was also well ahead of his time. Sure, the twin-guitar lead thing may sound a little dated now, but damned if Lynott didn't

(flute, whistle, vocals), Barry Devlin

had a vision

cuts,

In fact, the entire album had one foot in heland, the other in Gotham - witness

sounds they heard on the streets ofNew

- yet they also drank deeply of their Irish roots. One listen to "Fanatic Hearl" explains this band's importance. York

throw himself headlong into his music. "Dancing in the Moonlight" skips with

lovestruck giddiness, "The Cowboy Song" extols life on the range (made sweeter by the fact that Lynott, who was from inner-city Dublin, had never even

been near the open range)

and

"Southbound" flat out rocks. One wonders

whatlynottwould

be doing now had

he not died at 35 from the health complications of a rock and roll lifestyle; it's pretty safe to say he'd still be making brawny mtsic. Live and Dangerous is that rarest of animals - a live album that captures a band's true essence.

47, Fire of Freedom ll992l When playwrightLarry Kirwan and patrolman Chris Byrne conspired Brircx

Trr Pocurs, Rum Sodomy and lhe Losh (19851 Rolling Stone magazine once called them "the musical equivalent of a pub crawl." The Pogues, a motley brand of London-lrish fronted by a souse with painfully dreadful teeth, kept the punkrock flag flying in the eighties with their snarling brand of Celt-punk revelry. But the real heart of The Pogues music was Shane MacGowan's songwriting - it was clever, it was tender, it was angry, it was insightful. Those skills are best

shown

off on the Elvis Costello-pro-

ducnd Rum S odomy and the

ktsh. Personal

tales of drink, love, sweaty sex, abandon-

to create a band

ment and loss abound

with anew sound

"They took you up

decade ago,

to Midnight Mass/and

even they had no

left you in the lurch/

idea what they would stumble

so you dropped a but-

ton in the plate/and spewed up in the church" sings MacGowan on'Sick Bed of

upon.

This was not yourfather's kish music. Black 47 wrote funny, dra-

Cuchulainn," and you

matic, empathetic

songs that spoke to the "new" Irish in America - the nurse, the nanny working extra shifts as a waitress, the conshuction worker who would cash - and drink away - his paycheck at the bar. "Funky Ceili" was the hit - a tale of a ne'er-dowell who faced "castration/or a one-way ticket to New York ' from his girlfriend's father when he leamed she was pregnant.

just know he did. "The Old Main Drag" tells a dark, strung-out tale of personal compromise. But the grimness is tempered by joyous songs like "sally Maclennane" and "Navigator" - "they never drank water/ but whiskey by pints." The band, led by whistle player Spider Stacey, whips out these songs-like there's no tomorrow

- and

that noti6n was entirely possible with the likes of MacGowan. 6

Inrsu Arr,tBnIcR MacazINe April / May

2000

109

A sampling of the latest lrish books on offer reviewed by Tom Deiglnan.

Fiction Even before

was released, Denis

Hamill' s latest novel F ork in the Road w as making headlines. First came word that acclaimed director Barry Levinson (Rain M an, Good Moming Vietnnm) had obtained the movie rights. Then, UK newspapers

reported that an Irish travelers organization was concerned that Hamill's depiction of the insular gypsy group would be demeaning. They should embrace

and Northern Ireland's thriving drug trade. Tom Fallon must return to the

language. Forkinthe Roadis a worlhy work of fiction, history and sociology. Available from Pocket Books ($24.95 hardcover).

Republican movement when

a splinter group's drugrunning threatens the peace Moving from heland

process.

to Boston to New York, Fallon's Wake is an up-to-

unlikely

au*ror if there ever

date, highly-readable thriller.

was one, Irish

Available from Forge Books

comedian Ardal

($23.95 hardcover).

O'Hanlon nonetheless scores with his first novel Knick Knqck Paddy Whack A wry, ultimately fagic story

O'Hanlon has created

subtle, emotional and of course, funny book. O'Hanlon's protago-

nist, Dubliner Patrick

exploration is split into two sections. The first, "Colony," is made up of twelve sections and delves into Irish history and

prematurely graying 19 year old. His mother is

an Irish American

from

its impact on both the general populace and the author. The second section, from which Boland's collection gets its name, takes a wider view of the world, and is influenced

quite insane, his father died when he was young, and

Queens who heads

offto heland, where

even a pub crawl with his

his parents were born, to research his first movie.

seemingly close friends

not only by Dublin, but California, where Boland directs Stanford's creative writing

reveals crucial shortcomings.

program. There are poems of gief, language, loss, death - all ofwhich are captured in the quietly han'owing "Daughter," the last lines of which proclaim, "The earth shows its age and makes a promise only myth can

In a neat twist, O'Hanlon

Colin's

splits his nanative between

good looking, his first

Scully and his girlfriend

short film has

Francesca, using her diary entries. Francesca isn't nearly

been nominated

for an Oscar, and his agent

only through Colin's eyes, but those of his movie's lead character also. Fact and fiction blur, at times leaving Colin confused - or deluded. Thanks to a passionate night in Dublin, and a promise he made to his dying mother,

collection The Lost Land. This tender volume of personal and geographical

Scully, is a jaded,

follows Colin Coyne,

"I am your citizen: composed of/your fictions, your compromise, I arnlapaft of your story," acclaimed poet Eavan Boland writes in "The Harbour," from her latest

book seems at times like an imitation of J.D. Salinger's Catcher inthe Rye. But overall,

well-rounded character. Fork in the Road

vulnerable and hard-drinking. She's also got a child, and a penchant for thievery. Fork in the Road is an ambitious book.

Poetry

of youthful love and innocent loss, the

ffavelers face, while at the same time creating a

whose name only begins to suggest her personality. She's foul-mouthed,

Ireland with Fullon's Wake, a thriJJer revolving around an ex-IRA soldier

mention salty Queens

this book. Hamill por-

expects big things from him. So what does he do? He takes up with a wild, beautiful traveler girl, Gina Furey,

looks at contemporary

fost lanio

filled with legitimate Dublinese, not to

trays the discrimination

filmmaker

Randy Lee Eickoff

choices about what they want and who they are. Hamill's book is long, but a fairly breezy rcad,

high on Scully as he is on her and when he learns a terrible secret while reading her diary, a rage that had been submerged as

keep...." Available from W.W. Norton ($11 softcover) For a broader - if somewhat scholarly sulYey of kish poetry,

Eamon Grennan has written Facing the Music: Irish Poetry in

bursts forth.

Knick

Knack

Paddy Whack which was a UK t best-seller under a different title - may

eahoi .'Ef,lt*fi

l.1uets

i if

t* lstla tr

*:u'u,'Illi

0€Hlu*v

thc Twenlieth Century. Starting with a close

analysis of William ButlerYeats, Grennan

see events not

a Vassar College

professorwhose writ-

c a6

ings have appeared in

TheNouYorkerand

Paris Review explores a wide

then to L.A., where Hamill takes

hardcover). Already the author of

us inside the Oscars. But the flame that

the best-selling Ulster

from James Joyce

sparked Colin and Gina's romance soon gets

cycle (The Reid, The Feast, The Sorrows)

toJohnMcGahem. Given his Prom-

Colin brings a newly-pregnant Gina to Queens

too hot. Both have to make some hard

ll0

Aprit/May2000 InrsHAuBRrcaMacazme

range

ofkish

Poets

inence (not to mention his Nobel Prize) one might expect more than the (admittedly inter-

esting) final entry on Seamus Heaney.

(Joyce and Oscar Wilde

biographer) Richard

between Irish and American poetry, as well as "Sex and the Erotic in kish Poetry,"

Ellman. Somehow the

make this a diverse, useful volume. Available

writer James T. Fanell is missing - but fiction excerpts from Roddy

hardcover).

tty

Tim Pat Coogan, and

Nevertheless, essays on the relationship

from Creighton University Press ($25

MO&

historical excerpts by ,,

3505, $29.95 hard-

cover).

great Chicago Irish

Doyle,

Available through

Irish Books and Media, 800-229Seamus Heaney's poem "North" reads,

in part, "I tried to

write about

Thomas

Flanagan and Colum

Non-:'.E-ig!ig.".n=**.,i*a?.,2:1&

McCann are nice surprises.

Forget about whether or not prolific author Andrew Greeley also finds time

are often too

to tend to his priestly duties. Given the many

-bttThe

The selections

hushed and lulledfull chimes for pushed and

pulled."

brief

Heaney puts a spin

Essentinl

books this man of God turns out, the Library for lrish Americans would be a good start for anyone looking question should be: "Does he sleep?" Greeley is back wilh Farthermore! to put together a library oflrish literature. Available from Forge ($25.95 hardcover). Memories of aPmishPriest,the second part of his memoirs. Here again, Greeley Quotation books are also usually nice additions to book chronicles trvists and collections. Irish Times tums in the Catholic journalist Conor O'Clery has Church, and particFumlrnnrvroKEl pnt together lreland. in Quotes : ularly notable is <fl{eraoriet af afurisb "I*icst A History of the 20th Century. Greeley's involveTo a degree this collection's ment in prieststrength is its weakness

pedophile scandals.

quotes are

Greeley goes so far as to say he has the names of several priests in the Chicago

area who have not. only committed sex

the

collected

Scots, Anglo or Hiberno=English inflec-

tion. Such word games are the basis of Green English: Ireland's Inflaence on the English l-anguage, by Loreto Todd, who writes, "The reader of this book is like...a voyager. We will journey through time and space as we look for the source,

not of a gteat physical river like the Niger, but of (Ireland's) other language,

be more entertaining. But the design also allows the

close to a linguistic joumal arlicle, Green English is an ambitious read which examines the language of authors ranging from William Wordsworth to James Michener to Roddy Doyle. The book is sprinkled with charts, boxed sections and quotes, while Todd - a Tyrone native with thirty books

might even have been involved in a murder.

Connolly's "heland without

affairs - from

James

her people is nothing to me," Not surprisingly, NTI\Vfi,LORTTLTY in 1907, to "Two. [our. six, Greeley depicts him--bi illdGin{s a sd d lk hililr' k'*" self as a Church outeight, How do you know St. Patrick's straight," as ILGO put sider, a threat to the itin 1993. O'Clery also deserves credit for established order not only because of his insider knowledge, but also his monu- inclusion and evenhandedness - this is

At times fascinating,

English - explores the difference between "Plantsr," "Hibemo" and "Green" English.

The book's conclusion, which takes up the current fascination with Gaelic, is

shamrocks collection. There's virulent Irish anti

intriguing, though Todd

iii J]

stresses that English, in its

"green" form, has been used "with a vigour and

Semitism, aBritish

Lord Chancellor

a relatively healthy institution, with a

fulminating against

American

Irish

"Roman Catholic

b*xstards," and Nelson Mandela voicing support for the IRA. Some readers may want a little more humor, butthose

who enjoy watching history evolve should

be satisfied. (From

O'Brien

at times a bit too

under her belt, whose doctoral thesis examined patterns in African and Irish

no green hearts and

vibrant membership. Available from Forge ($24.95 hardcover). Morgan Lllwelyn's Essential l)brary for Irish Ameriruns is a solid survey for, as the dustiacket puts it, "anyone in America who is Irish or Irish at heaft." This is an anthology, of sorts, of Irish writings - whether it be James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man or Frank McCourt's Angela's Aslzes. But it's not merely a "Greatest Irish Literary Hits."

There are worthy poems and important

poetry must rhyme. In "North," the rhyme of the lines depends on whether you speak with an Ulster

English."

book to double as a breezy history of Ireland and Irish

priesthood, and the power offaith. Perhaps another shocking revelation in this book is Greeley's assertion - remember, he's also a sociologist - that the Catholic Church is

on the old joke that

chronologicaliy, rather than by, say, subiect, which can often

acts with kids, but

mental success as a fiction writer. Still, Greeley speaks glowingly of the

the

sycamores/ And innovated a South Derry rhyme/With

i111

',',1

;

I ,'

'lt -

-r{t

li\

p 1. t

) ,.,'i i

(J'Ct l-r I st;tr,

,; *k ."b"

power that has resulted in the production of some of the finest literature in

the English language." Any concerns thatGreen English is too dense or scholarly should be quelled by the fact that

the book's main text runs under 150 pages.

t'i:'r

Available from Irish Books and Media ($12.95 paperback).

Books.

IRtsu Arr,tsntce. MncazINe

April / May

2000

111

Then The Walls Came Down

A Prison J ourna t

Danny Morrisonts story of his life and imprisonment in Northern Ireland is reviewed by Tom Hayden. T\. anny Morrison is listening to a I liraveting Wilburys' tunL and lJ, rememberilng a dme in bed with his

at Clonard Hall on a first date. British troops raided the hall, firing rubber bullets, and arrested some 80 young people suspected of being Fenian subversives. Intemment

had begun. Morrison was not until December 1973, when full time into Sinn F6in activism. As this 1990s diary begins, it is 18

released

he plunged

years later and Morrison is 40, charged

girlfriend Leslie in 1988. The song goes:

with IRA membership, conspiracy

And the walls came down. All the way to hell. Never saw them when they're standinS. Never saw them when they fell. He suddenly sits upright. It is five in the moming, in October 1990, and he is alone

to kidnap and murder an informant who is not only very much alive but

in the Crumlin Road Jail, Belfast. This is one of many entries in Morrison's prison journal that are uniquely personal and political. The "walls" represent the prison cell in which he dwells, but also the walls separating him from his lover, Leslie. There are also inner walls that serve to shut down his emotions, survival mechanisms

that dull life itself. His struggle is to

a paid witness

in the courtroom.

Morrison has been married and separated, and is the father of two sons, Kevin (15) and Liam (11). He has fallen in love with Leslie, a Canadian journalist assigned to Belfast. He will ask to marry her "in the right setting

sitting on heather on a warm evening, watching the sun's golden rays fan out across the heavens when I ask you. Or I might approach you, beginning from the soles ofyour feet!" But now all he can do

There is plenty of prison humor in Morrison's memoir, too. Watching a

Milan Kundera, Andre Schwarz-Bart,

televised soccer match between Cameroon and England, he writes Leslie that "by the way, we're the Africans." But the central focus is the crisis that the "walls" impose on his relationship with Irslie, his two sons, and his parents. The heart of the journal is an essay on "Love and Jail," in which

deeply, perhaps unexpectedly, into Morrison's humanity. Unexpectedly, because Morrison is best known as a political man, Sinn F6in's publicist during the worst years of the war in the North, who issued the rallying cry for "an armalite in one hand and the ballot

but its capital." Morrison the inmate does not

a love story. Most of the letters are to Leslie, a Toronto native living alone in West Belfast, and concern for the deep problems of whether love and marriage are sustainable in a time of war. In 1968, l8-year-old Danny Morrison was waiting tables in a Belfast hotel. He preferred

first and foremost

reading Anna Karenina to engaging in politics. But as the Troubles deepened, he writes, "I opposed my own nature and entered into a world of drama filled days." In November 1972, after just having broken up with his girlfriend, he went to a dance

ll2

Nor am I so stupid - even if it were possible to achieve a triumphalist

cold, vengeful Catholic fanatics. He reads Flaubert, Shakespeare, Scott Fitzgerald,

on New Year's Eve is whisper his love through the cell bars, with prison lights blocking the stars. "You make me touch

Though "Walls" contains valuable reflections on politics and writing, it is

make me feel like the vanquished party.

want an all-Ireland state ofthe population felt alienated. We have to find a settlement that takes into account all the contradictory objectives....Time can exhaust the British. They will end up talking to us, and that's when our problems will really begin!"

transcend those walls on every level. The account of his innerjourney while a prisoner of the Crown from 1990-1992 is a fine memoir that draws the reader

box in the other."

as a consequence of one's numbers, but on the basis of equality. A six-county state will always

political superiority

when you least expect it...We might be

happiness, not

just on the border fit

common stereotype of republicans

the

Malcolm Lowry, Thomas Mann, Vaclav Havel, even Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris. He studies and rejects Ovid's advice on women: "Take revenge by silence." He listens to Schubert's #5 and studies the composer's life. He knows the lyrics of Fleetwood Mac. An independent thinker, he advocates many of the political compromises that

Sinn F6in has adopted in the current peace process. One of his prison essays, advocating a shift towards political realism, is rejected by the Sinn F6in newspaper he once edited, on grounds that it would be

"seized upon by our opponents." His 1991 thinking is worth quoting at length:

"The settlement cannot be based on

April / May 2000 InlsH AIr4entce MecazrNe

outcome

from which

as to

a quarter

he describes "Just to the side of the struggle, out of sight, lie the corpses of marriage and broken relationships shed by the despairing, who simply couldn't take it any more . . . . For someone struggling desperately to hold on to love, no appeal

to the happiness of the Past or

to the promised rosiness of the future can allay for the other person the pain and desolation of the present."

It is

a profoundly political issue, too,

because of "the unreality of the way we

our lives completely

republicans live

and indefinitely subordinated to the pursuit of this struggle." The draining personal effect is perpetuated by politics in which personal doubt is

a a

daily threat to iron will. Morrison's journal ends in a blow-out with Leslie, who writes on August 14, 1992, that their house had been sold and

Danny's things stored with a mutual friend. The next day Danny writes a rather noble reply, offering support and understanding. On September 3, Leslie weakens her position, proposing that she

go stay in Toronto and return when Danny is paroled to "start a new life." Two

days later, a hurt Morrison, feeling a prisoner's anger that has no control, tells Leslie he can't take the uncertainty any longer. "Leslie, don't be coming back for me because I will have moved on." There the journal ends.

The story beyond the journal has a happy resolution, however. Morrison

in 1995, and,aftu another dramatic round, married Leslie and was released

ffig.llfg,glilwce

reviewed by John Froude. Y-tdna O'Brien's book entitled "/ones N nyre is acondensed literary biography -Llinthe Penguin Lives series in which

famous living people write about famous dead people. Therein might lie the interest. This is a rich pairing since she knows better than most that the ownfarroweating Irish are slow to forgive their writers for telling the truth. Her book does not pretend to compete with Richard Ellman's James Joyce - a definitive work if ever there was one. She acknowledges this fully in the bibliography. So what does her book tell us? The best is her ability to show the curious human living inside the "Artist" and "Genius." His manipulative dependency

on his mother; his blighted relationship with his pub-brilliant, abusive, improvident

Has the print editor been replaced by the spellchecker? The academics will also find a fair amount to quibble with. One example; it is the character "Russell, (AE)" in the "Scylla and

Charybdis" episode of Ulysses not the man James Joyce, who says, "The supreme question about a work ofart is out ofhow deep a

life does it spring."

Nora is called a peasant. The inhabitants of Galway City, where she was bom and raised, might arch an eyebrow. There are also some sentences of dubious intelligibility. For instance,

in discussing

Joyce'smotlrcr's death she writes, "If she had not died then, he would for his art

settled down in West Belfast. He remains

father; his neverending struggles with

a strong republican, but considers

poverty, alcohol and blindness; his daughter's schizophrenia; his last lonely oldness. "O, an impossible person!" says Mulligan of Dedalus. After reading this book we say

have had to

of Joyce, "O, and how!" O'Brien outlines (in a chapter mysteriously entitled, "Rebelton") his bad behavior to his mother. May Joyce, nee Murray, had a difficult life to start with, without the pouts of the big baby tuckoo. Of her sixteen

Oliver Gogarty at

himself primarily a writer, with three well-received novels: West Belfast (1989), On the Back of the Swallow (1994), and The Wrong Man (1997). His sons carry

on his tradition. One of them, Kevin, now 23, was picked up by RUC officers while leaving a disco dance a few years

ago and hospitalized for a week from kicks to his groin. Having known Morrison in the mid-seventies in West Belfast, it is fascinating to see him publicly sorting

out the roles of movement activist, independent writer, and human being. "There is less bitterness among the oppressed," he ventures. It is certainly true of Danny Morrison at middle age. Morrison is banned from America, despite invitations from Harvard. He tried to enter the country illegally to give a speech in 1982. Back then he was banned for being a Sinn F6in member.

Today, ironically, Morrison is banned because he is nor a

Sin

F6in member (Sinn

Fdin officials receive waivers as a peace process incentive). This is a final "wall"

that all concerned Americans should help bring down. @ Then The Walls Came Down Paperback. 318 pages. Mercier 1999. Available from lrish Books and Media $17.95 plus $4 shipping.

Call:

1- 800 229 3505.

children, five died in infancy, and one, Charley, as a young boy. She lived in thirteen abodes of increasing squalor over twenty years. She then died of cancer in her late forties. Her son "heroically" refused to pray at her deathbed and immortalized the scene tn Ulysses. In her description of his mother's letters to Jim, O'Brien writes, with perfect accuracy, that her solicitousness towards him is heartbreaking. "She prays that away from home he might learn what the heart is and what it feels." This cleverest of men could not learn that. There was a pane of glass betq'een him and the world. Only his wife and children were behind it with him. Everybody else in the universe was for his use. "Do writers have to be such monsters in order to create?" asks O'Brien. "I believe they do . . . they become more callous, and cut off from the very human traits they so

kill

her." What can she mean?

O'Brien takes Joyce's own highly

paranoid estimate and doesn't have a good word for him. She

writes,'Gogafty

liked to get Joyce drunk in his attempt to thwart his genius." When it came to thwarting of this kind, Jim did not need much outside assistance. Gogarty was

a man

of considerable attainment

whose reputation should be given a free pardon at once, if indeed it still needs one. The author makes it clear that she reveres Joyce's writing. She is not alone, as those who

voted Ulysse,.s the greatest novel of the twentieth century will attest. ln Portrait of the Artist as aYoung Man, Joyce vowed to "forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race." In spite of a "tithe of

troubles and a world of woes" that lasted throughout his life, this "impossible person" did exactly what he promised. The empathy one of our leading novelists feels for Joyce makes this book, warts and all, resonant and interesting. @

glisteningly depict."

At worst O'Brien's book seems poorly organized and hurriedly written. Of Harriet Weaver, she writes, "in the canons of literature she is rife for beatifide."

Jatnes Joyce By Edna O'Brien 179 pages. $19.95

Hardcover. Pubtished by Penguin.

IntsH Avronrca Ma.c.qzNs

April / May

2000

113

:1 hish TV movie The Ballroom of Romaru:e.

ii':'ji.;i;;'* FOfum

Some Irish people no doubt will take

rnov Pnee 104

that, if summarized, would seem to follow the same crushingly obvious vein of humor as a book entitled Brace Yourself,

offense in the comic exaggeration of The CloserYou Get, dealing as it does with sexual repression, which can be a most uncomfortably close-to-the-bone sub-

Manual

ject for those who have been forced to deal

Corurtruueo

Bridget!: The Official Irish

Sex

(1982) a book consisting of 100 blank pages. The film's fictional village of

it. But the film's satire is always good-natured, and the performances by a fine ensemble cast ofboth veterans and newcomers are touchingly real. The depiction of sexual anxieties and clumsiness is not only universal in its application, but touches an indisputable chord of truth about a society still struggling to emerge from its long legacy of

with

Kilvara in County Donegal seems pop-

ulated entirely by people who don't have a clue about how to proceed with procreation; it's a wonder that the village is populated at all. The local bachelors, unable to deal with the real women right under their eyes, take out an ad in

aMami newspaper seek-

sexual

guilt. Nowhere is this

better

ing "fit and sporty" American women for their annual St. Martha's Day Dance. Not surprisingly, the doors of the daily bus

depicted than in the scene of the hand-

to Kilvara keep opening and closing

counsel his male parishioners about sex but being unable to address the subject except metaphorically. With the benefit of her extensive theater background, Ritchie is able to keep the actors playing the benighted bachelors and their female counterparts from slipping into caricature by bringing out three-dimensional shadings. There's the

some young priest, Father Mallone (Risteard Cooper), earnestly trying to

without disgorging any American women. The understandably frustrated and angry local women leam of the men's inept fan-

tasizing when the postmistress, Mary (Ruth McCabe), routinely steams open the village's most interesting mail. The women take revenge by recruiting abunch ofSpanish sailors as uninhibited

dancing partners. The tongue-tied, painfully shy Irish bachelors watch the spectacle with seething, helpless rage and despair. The initially farcical mood of the dancebegins to take on something of the melancholy edge of the classic 1981

Marty-ish butcher, Kieran O'Donnagh (Ian Hart), a ridiculously arrogant fool who fails to realize that he's in love with his fierce young helper, Siobhan (Cathleen Bradley). More delicate notes are struck by the tentative attraction

between the unhappily married barmaid Kate (Niamh Cusac$ and Kieran's older

brother Ian (Sean McGinley), who's more comfortable around his sheep. The most touching of the film's sev-

eral romances is that of chubby middle-aged Ollie (Pat Shortt), who orders sex magazines from Amsterdam that Mary, the ouffaged postmistress, refuses to hand across the counter. When Ollie bunts into apoetic aria about his thwarted dreams of romance, Mary, who aPPeared resigned to life without a man, summons up the boldness to ask him out for a walk. Their faces are rapturous as they lie together in the bed of a ffactor in ajoyously unexpected postcoital scene. As the various couples pair offin classic roman-

tic-comedy style, Kilvara is assured of a more fruitful future. IJnlike Agnes Browne, which refuses to allow its proud title characterto fall into self-pity, The Closer You Get deals with people who initially wallow in that futile emotion. But the same kind of imaginative

spiritthat allows Agnes to blithely transcend her seemingly treacherous surroundings ultimately lifts these lives of quiet desperation. Both films exhibit one of the most exhilarating anributes of comedy, its role as a conveyor of hope. @ Joseph McBride is the author of the fo rthc omin g b io g raphy Searching for John Ford.

t as

II4

her

April / May 2000 IntsH

ANasnrcA MAGAZINE

AN 9oncA CDon ch€ qR€Ac huNqeR " Those who governed in London at the time failed their people through standing by while a crop failure turned into a massive human tragedy. We must not forget such a dreadful event." -Tony

Blair, British Prime Minister

1847 4,000 ships carrying peas, heans, ral-'hit.

.ahn,,n, hrtney and potatoes left L'elan.l frrr English ports.

9,992 Irish cattle sent t() England.

4,000 Horses ancl It<'nic. sclrt t() Englan.l. Approxitnately

1,000,000 gallc'ns t.f hrrtter scnt to Errglancl. Approxirnately

1,700,000 gall<tns ',,f Hrairr .lerivcd alcoh.tl st:t.lt t(l Etrgl,,ri,,1

t847

400,000 Itish l''et'ple tliecl dr-rs fo stan'ation

Grosse Isle, Quebec

Quarantine station.

l0,000Irish Dead. Ithoto bv

qL€ANN ChOCheN qRAphrcs Ltd.

rci ohAcnB€RS scR€.€r .N€LU qoRk. N€rm

Kit

L)eFrever

qonk roooz 80o-870'0766 ,a

IRISH

\/OICE

,,.*

llewspapen

Inil

Males a llillenence lon lnish flmericans'

-Ihe

iltt

New Yonk llmes

IANCtNff

qwBr

.:.::_

Iilt cffifflnr'- [ljil]lltu

Looking to keep informed on lrish and lrish American affairs on aweekly basis?Your search willbe overwith a subscription to the lrish Voice, a critically acclaimed newspaper with a nation-wide base of thousands of readers.Ihe lrish Voice breaks the latest stories and provides up to the minute news on the evenchanging Northern lrish peace process, lrish American happenings in Washington, socialtssues in lreland, and much more. Our sections devoted to sports, arts and specialfeatures will also leave you more than satisfied.

To have the lrish Voice delivered to my door every week,

call 1-800-341-1522, Keeping your lrish up each week is as easy

as filling out the subscription form. See for yourself what everyone's readingSUBSCBIBETODAY & SAVE UPTO 40o/o OFFTHE COVEN PRICE! (PS:The lrish Voice makes a great gift!)

or send check, money order, AMEX orVISA to: IRISH VOICE P.O. Box 686 Sicklerville, N.J. 08081 -9905 1 year: $30, 2 years: $58, 3 years: $84.

(Canadian $55;foreign orders add $75)

lrish America's New TV Link Featuring News & Analysis from

IRISH

YOIGE

and

IRISH AMERICA

CH 21 Tues, 7:30 PM, New York Oty, Ll, CT J6rsoy Canada

WGBY CH 15 Fri,2:30 PM, Springliald WGBX CH 44 Sun,2:30 PM, Boston, Mass. MINNESOTA WDSE C*l 8 Sun,3:30 PM, Duluth, Northom Wisconsln

MONIANA KOCE CH 50 Mon, 10:00 PM, Sun 5 AM, Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, orange County l{i/lE Cable 7 Tues, 5:00 PM, Northern Califomla/Nevada CONNECTICUT Tues, 9:00 AM, 7:00 PM, Waterbury (Statewide) Cable Systems Thur, 4:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 1 1:30 PM FLORIDA

lreland founder/host Patricia O'Reil

CH 26 Thur, 3:30 PM, Sun 10:30 AM, Portland CH 13 Tues, 6100 PM, 7:00 PM Atlantic Time WMEB CH 12 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward lsland WMEM CH l0 Newfoundland, Presque lsle, Bangor, Orono CH 10 Tues,6:00 PM, Augusta, Lewiston

WBTV CH 21 Wed,8:00 AM, Pueblo

0Hlo ALW Sat,

lr00 PM, Cleveland WBGU CH 27 Sun, 10:00 AM, Nodhem Olnio: Lima, 1

Finley, Toledo, Bowling Green SOUTH DMOTA VfYOMING, COLORADO, KANSAS, MISSOURI, ILLINOIS, NEBMSKA KBDI CH 12 Sat, 5:30 AM, Denver KrNE CH 13 Thur, 10:30 PM, Allianc KMNE CH 7 Thur, 10:30 PM, Bassett KHNE CH 29lhur, 10:90 PM, Hastings KLNE CH 3 lhur, 10:30 PM, Lexington KRNE CH 12 Thur, 10:30 PM, Meniman KNIXE CH 19 Thur, 10:30 PM, Norfolk KPNE CH 9 Thur, 10:30 PM, North Platte KYNE CH 26 Thur, 10:30 PM, Onaha VIRGINIA WASHINGTON DC WNVC CH 56 Sun,6:30 PM, Fairfax, VA

Gift Guid.e

Whether you are lookine for fine parian china, knitwear, collectfbles, or travel informafr'on, here are slome of ttie finest traditional lrish treasures available.

Daryer Castle

lrish Meals by Mail

Gracious yet comfortable fami ly accommodations in a restful country s€tting. Ready Penny - Dundalk - County Louth, lreland

"From Erin's Shore...to Your Front Doorl" lmported from lreland and guaranteed freshl Complete lrish Breakfasts, Tea & Scone Box, Luncheon/Party Pals - Call now for a brochure

Toll frce in the U.S.: 1-800-770-8049 lnternational: I -561 -697 -0686 Faxt 'l-561-792-9071 email: reservation@daryercastle,com

describing our de licious selections

Call l-877-CELTIC-2 or visit us on the web at www.irishmealsbymail.com

Heraldic Crystal - the Timeless Gift Devere's Heraldic lrish Crystal showcases your proud H€ritdge in beautiful sparkling lrish lead Crystal. Richly Hand Carved in lreland with your personal Coat of Arms - luxurious and unique. Famrly's

4 Custorn Glasses in spectacular Cedar Gift 8ox $949 + S/H

1-800-307-7775 www. Deveresl rishCrystal.com 103"9609 westview

Suite

V7N

North

4N'

$NW American

Cattle Assn.

Developed in the fine tradition of lrish agriculture, Dexter Cattle trace their heritage to Co. Kerry. ln the U.S., this small, hardy breed continues to inspire a following of loyal owners. The ADCA offers free info about this unique breed of lrish cattle. To oiln a bit of what was found on the lrish landscape, contact,

Claddagh lrish Food & Gifts The Galway Crystal Mtllenniun vase B" Ltd. Ed. $120 - gift baskets, Belleek, Royal Tara, lrish Gold & Silver Jewelry, Aran Knitwear & much more. For unique and unusual gifts, visit our store or stop by our website at:

Rosemary Flaherty at 26804 Ebenezer Rd, MO Teh 660-463-7704

www.claddaghirishimports.com

Morning Star Celebrat€ the new sound of Morning Star. G16, an enchanting collection of traditional songs, jigs, reels and airs. Booking Agent, Jim McHague QlU189-3611

To Purchase: 1-800-850-4862 Or VisitI MORNINGSTAR. IUMA.COM

Booking lnfo: Jim McHague (118) 789-3671

Personal llusions For that special someone

who

has

evefihing

QUALIry CUSOMIZED HERALDRY AND CELTIC KNOT RINGS AND I(/EDDING BANDS All crests and bands are handcrafted from metaldies for superior definition. 007G

003G

006G

All nationalities researched and designed. All patterns are continuous. 10k $900-$500, '14k $950-$600, 1Bk $350 +, Sterling silver also available

96 Fieldway Rd., Etobicok€, Ontarlo Canada MBZ 312

Phone: (416) 760-4840 Faxr (416) 239-0271 Toll-Free: 1 -800-992-0399 0031

0061

http://www.pi.jewels,com

Dr. Patrick A. O'Dougherty Adjunct Professor lnte llectual History, University

of MN, Mentor,

Seeks Unpublished Manuscripts History and

Nonfiction, Activist, Arise Bookstore

,1 ,

612-339-17 48 Faxr 61 2-376-0695 Dodoughcrt@aol.com

publication list undet autho/s name in Bowken Books in Ptint

Ag*ffiY'3-FiF*FromHome

A New Home of Our0wn Maisie Sheahen was a lovely old

of us to roost in later. And so, some-

lady who lived in a long, sundrenched, thatched cottage within l0 minutes of Shannon Airport but, somehow, locked

time last summer, Annett saw the pho-

thatched lifetime. And now, dammit, it

will

BV Cormac

tograph of Maisie's cottage being

be thatched again and ready

MacConnell

offered for sale and she called me and

for occupation by the early days of

in a timewarped strip of land

I went out with her, late one evening,

summer. When the roses come again.

along the estuary. Maisie was small and merry and her family had lived in this quiet place for the better part of 160 years, long enough for the old apple trees in the

and there, suddenly, behind a thousand roses in full bloom, and apple trees heavy with fruit, and big iron pots full

And the apples. And there will be an open fireplace with hobs, an extra loft,

away

front garden to have souls of their own, long enough for the roses, sum-

mer after summer, to have familiar faces for the locals passing Maisie's, long enough for the thatch of the have thickened into a great slab of golden comfort above the small four-paned wooden windows that look decades to

towards the famous old pub called The Honk a quarter-mile away down a narrow, stonewalled road. I was not lucky enough to ever meet Maisie. I know her, though, in an almost personal way through having met so many countrywomen like her. She

was a great card player, for example, and a woman who loved to play cards with her friends. She was a decent, devout lady with a laugh in her that people like the local Fr. Harry Bohan still

talk very fondly about four or five years after her death. Often enough he drank tea in Maisie's, and maybe there

was stronger stuff too on the table before the card playing finished in the kitchen before the big fireplace with its potbellied range. And my friend Pat Costello from Shannon remembers how Maisie loved

to hear the music sessions in The Honk, or anywhere else for that matter. Almost every evening, I heard, card players would call to the cottage with its gable to the road at Carhue to ask Maisie if she would like to go offto play

cards somewhere. Nobody can ever remember her saying no. In her time

and season Maisie died and went straight to heaven. The Dutch Nation who is the love of my life is nothing if not thorough. As the Barna bungalow was being slowly and sometimes painfully sold

there

were a lot of legalistics about-boundaries the Dutch Nation was scour-

- real estate offices in Clare ing the looking for

118

suitable nest for the pair

of plants, there was a cottage to die for. Two cottages under one long roof, in a way, though the second one was only a bam, and a black cat for luck sitting on one of the blue windowsills. Did I like it, asked the Dutch Nation. Do I like a half-one of whiskey on a cold evening? Do I like September weather? Do I like the sound of long waves falling on seastones?

I was not lucky enough to ever meet Maisie. I know her, though, in an almost personal way through having met so many countr5rwomen like her. I kicked the pole ofthe "For Sale" sign in the garden for good luck and hugged

the Dutch Nation, there in front of Maisie's front door, and even without looking inside, said that I would get it for her. And of course for myself and the clan as well. And the three dogs. And the stray black cat. And passing friends, Irish, Dutch, American, from wherever, skimming in from afar on the

silver birds you could, remarkably, only lightly hear passing overhead. There were a lot of others interested in it as well. But in the end we got it. And, ever since, our good friend and master craftsman (and mighty ballad singer) Tom Reid has been laboring within and without to preserve and upgrade at the same time. So that the old cottage, the two now knocked into one, will have another 160 years ofa

April / May 2000 InIsH Atr,trnIce MacazrNe

and you will hardly notice the radiators and the modern touches here and there.

have here, though, to expose the past. The family long before Maisie. They cheated a bit, Sheahens of the

like many of their ilk at the time. When I saw the house there were three chimneys over the thatch, one at either gable and one in the middle. Inside a week after beginning work Tom Reid discovered that the two gable chimneys

were only snob chimneys, only for show. There was no flue leading to them at all at all. A lot of the old farming fam-

ilies hereabouts apparently pretended they had more fireplaces than they had, if you know what I mean. I am searching for a good crane for the open fireplace from which the range has been removed. I am searching for a good three-legged pot. I am looking for a good dresser and good old plattery Willow Pattern plates for its top

shelves. I am buying the traditional Sacred Heart print to go beside the lamp that has already been installed for

it. I am looking for a stout pair

of tongs.

Busy Lizzieplantfor the inside windowsill of the front room.

And

And, shortly after we move in, I have an important job to do. I'm

going to get a nameplate and attach it will carry only one word. That word will be "Maisie's." For Maisie's this old house is, and to the front gate. It

always

will

be, and we

will merely

be holding on to it in trust for a while.

And a white saucer we for the black cat.

will

have

Soon now.

Cormac MacConnell is a regular columnistforThe kish Yoice. He lives in Clare with his Dutch girlfriend and does a radio program for Clare FM. Eoin McKiernanwho has filled this

for many years has retired and will devote aII his time to Irish Education Services, an organization which helps spot

Ireland's children.

MAKE THE, IR ;

e$ Celtic Melodie5 Bouquei'M ltem

# rarS $44.99

LE,

A Wee Sip of Shamrock'M

Item # 4ot8

$zq'gg

this St. Patrick's

Pot o' Oold'*

Item # ti67 $34.ss

Dry

Visit our website at www.t8ooflowers.com and see the entire St. Patrick's Day Cift Collection or call us at r -8oo-FLOWERS@

-8o0355-%77)

Lily 0'Brien Chocolates

Item # 37t7 $zg,gg (at pieee)

l-8(l(l-flowersl%om, FLowERs ARE JUSr THE BEG'NN|NG..:"

{

ft.:

EC*-

F-',=

€