By Katharine Gilbert The casting of Steve Gulick as the Franciscan Provincial in the staged reading of Rendezvous in Bangkok…Who Killed Thomas Merton? written by Sabina Clarke and Thom Nickels was brilliant. Gulick has a natural sense of historic figures… Continue Reading
It is with great sorrow that the Irish Edition notes the passing of taoiseach na dtaoiseach Paddy Moloney (1938-2021), master uilleann piper and band leader of The Chieftains (known as ‘Na Taoisigh’ in Irish). Ar dheis Dé go raibh a… Continue Reading
By Peter Makem For a few years in my early life I played the uilleann pipes. There was a set in the house bought by my father from a traveller piper in Keady and from time to time, I strapped… Continue Reading
By Jim McGill Paddy Moloney certainly was the heart and soul of the Chieftains. He was keenly aware of the big picture. The Chieftain’s first appearance in Philadelphia was in 1973. A group of singers from Release Records, which included… Continue Reading
By Jamie O’Brien It must have been the early 1960s, I can’t remember exactly when, but someone must have traveled back to Ireland and brought home an LP. I just remember it being being played and, for me, it was a… Continue Reading
By Jamie O’Brien Orla Fallon Lore Singer and harpist Orla Fallon first gained attention as a member of Anuna and later, the Celtic Woman project. Since leaving Celtic Woman, she has released a number of albums, but none quite as… Continue Reading
Compiled and Edited by Sabina Clarke MacDara O’Conaola manager at MacDara Music is a native of the Aran Island of Inishere. In his 2006 album The Love Token he sings a hauntingly beautiful song composed by the blind poet Raftery.… Continue Reading
Compiled and Edited by Sabina Clarke I dabbled in poetry from the age of 15 when at 19 I came across a Federico Garcia Lorca poem ‘The Weeping’ translated by Kenneth Rexroth. It was unlike anything I had ever read.… Continue Reading
By Thom Nickels “Up in the air” is an apt description of the situation when it comes to the opening of Philadelphia’s restaurants and bars after the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic. For Fergie Carey, the owner of four restaurant/bars… Continue Reading
Updated: May 1, 2020When Villanova University reopens, the exhibit will be on display. Villanova, PA—Ireland is known for its outsized literary tradition: Its novelists, poets, and playwrights have produced many of the world’s most significant works, across centuries, genres, and… Continue Reading