The Amazing Doc Halladay and the Perfect Pitch
Phillies Pitcher Roy Halladay, otherwise known as ‘Doc Halladay’, traded to the Phillies this year, may just may be Charlie Manuel’s answered prayer. Before coming to the Phillies, Halladay spent the first 12 seasons of his career as a Toronto Blue Jay. He immediately garnered the attention of the league on September 20th, 1998, in [...]
Eastern State Penitentiary: Spookiest Halloween Ever, Irish Connections
By Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew Where will you be this Halloween? If the run-of-the-mill ooohing and aaahing over your friends’ store-bought polyester costumes has you bored, you might try “Terror Behind the Walls” at Eastern State Penitentiary (2027 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia). Now in its 19th year, this event is one of the most highly regarded haunted-house attractions [...]
Artist Brian Whelan Captures His Dream As The Quiet Men Come Alive
By Sabina Clarke Strolling through the spectacular exhibition The Quiet Men, now at Villanova University through October 6th, with artist Brian Whelan, the exhibition’s co-curator and driving force, who, for years, toyed with the concept of a major contemporary London Irish visual art exhibition exploring the experience of 20th century Irish immigrants to Britain—we went [...]
You Can’t Get to Heaven on The Frankford El
Thomas J. Lyons II Writes About Growing Up in Northeast Philadelphia By Dave Duffin As I sit reading You Can’t Get to Heaven on the Frankford El, the book by my pal at St. Martin of Tour’s Grade School in Philadelphia, I occasionally look up at the sun setting on the Pacific Ocean over the [...]
Mutual Passion Binds Ancient Art to Aspiring Artist
By Sabina Clarke Melissa Genovese is a young, talented and passionate stained glass artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. I met her at Beyer Studio, an architectural stained glass restoration studio/warehouse in Germantown where we discussed her recently completed third commission for Roman Catholic High School, a portrait [...]
Brooklyn Paper Boy to Villanova Man of Letters:
Dr. James J. Murphy Reflects on Irishness Past and Present An Interview by Roslyn Blyn-LaDrew Jim Murphy grew up in Brooklyn (Flatbush). As a child, he had a paper route, a home full of Irish songs and ballads, and a village’s worth of aunts, uncles, and cousins, in Brooklyn and beyond. Jim’s mother, Kathleen Sloyan, [...]
Actor Ciaran Hinds and award-winning playwright Conor McPherson
discuss the rave reviews of McPherson’s shocking new film, The Eclipse. Their previous successful collaboration was on Broadway in McPherson’s highly acclaimed, long running play, The Seafarer. So far, McPherson’s latest film The Eclipse has garnered three Irish film and television awards for Best Film, Best Script, and Best Supporting Actor, Aidan Quinn. The Eclipse [...]
The Voice of A Poet
Reviewed by Katharine Gilbert “All poetry is confession.” – Goethe Perhaps some readers may remember the sixties. Abbie Hoffman wrote a book with the title Steal This Book. Well don’t steal, but please do read Joseph Meredith’s newest work Inclinations of the Heart. April is poetry month. So before you search for that old used [...]
Father’s Grief Spurs Search for Truth About 9/11
By Sabina Clarke Bob McIlvaine, a resident of Oreland, PA believes his son Bobby was murdered by the U.S. government. In his presentation at the Treason in America conference in Valley Forge, PA held on the weekend of March 6th he opens with, “The United States government orchestrated and facilitated the murder of my son.” [...]
