With the advent of every spring and the approach of St. Patrick’s Day merchandise dealing in Irish Stereotypes and tropes bloom before the first crocus. Despite the fact that in our initiation oath, we pledge to “… not countenance by my presence or support any performance that may reasonably be interpreted as caricaturing or debasing the Irish people,” too many of us pass off … [Read more...] about The Sad History of “Funny” Irish Stereotypes
John Mackay, the Forgotten “Bonanza King”
William Shakespeare observed, “The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones.” It speaks to the ironic tendency for society to notarize, even glorify, the darkest aspects of humanity while ignoring the noble. Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of Irish American John Mackay, the “Bonanza King.” John Mackay (pronounced Mackee) was … [Read more...] about John Mackay, the Forgotten “Bonanza King”
The Real “Saving Private Ryan” and the Parachuting Priest
Many consider the film “Saving Private Ryan” to be one of, if not the most, significant films on the violence and sacrifice of war ever made. Sadly, the story is not the product of a writer’s imagination, but an adaptation of an all too real story of unflinching duty and unfathomable loss. It is an Irish American story of the four Niland brothers and Fr. Francis Sampson. … [Read more...] about The Real “Saving Private Ryan” and the Parachuting Priest
The Act of Union: “No blacker or fouler transaction in the history of man.”
Amidst the current debate on the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, Brexit, there has been much talk about the “Union.” Measures that would prevent the return of a hard border in Ireland have been decried by loyalists as “undemocratic” and a threat to the “Union.” However, there was very little of democracy in the formation of the “Union” and from its inception … [Read more...] about The Act of Union: “No blacker or fouler transaction in the history of man.”
Michael Cusack, Creator of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Since its earliest history, sport has held a central role in Irish culture. The game of Hurling is one of the oldest in the world and can trace its roots back 4,000 years. Athletic prowess was a hallmark of all of Ireland’s great mythic heroes; the legend of Cú Chulainn begins with him as a boy killing a gigantic hound attacking him by hitting him with the sliotar (hurling … [Read more...] about Michael Cusack, Creator of the Gaelic Athletic Association