Boston Irish Commentary

BY JOE LEARY There is no doubt that the Boston Irish Reporter has been a most important force in strengthening and build-ing the Irish American community here in the Boston area. Since Ed and Mary Forry began publishing this extraordinary newspaper 30... Read more
As the calendar turns toward Thanksgiving, several prominent Irish Americans are doing their level best to turn the conversation away from platters of holiday “gobbler” to the spewing of lies, and, in one case, an ill-advised confession to several of... Read more
BY FRANCIS COSTELLO SPECIAL TO THE BIR “Don’t even think about it” is the message US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered with special emphasis during her recent visits to London and Dublin. The words were a strong caution to any UK government seeking a... Read more
As 'Moscow Mitch', Kellyanne Conway, others tout the part y line, the question is: WHOSE PARTY? by PETER F. STEVENS BIR STAFF America’s chaotic political state of affairs no longer stands as a battle between “Red” and “Blue.” While the Democrats remain... Read more
Or will they self-cannibalize and cede field to imperial outrage? BY PETER F. STEVENS BIR STAFF A Hobson’s choice is loosely defined as take it or leave it. What are President Trump and his simpering Senate sycophants, the Banana Republicans offering us... Read more
A warning: It’s not the ‘I’ word BY PETER F. STEVENS BIR STAFF This writer is not in the business of predictions. In November 2020, however, President Donald J. Trump can be defeated. He can be trounced, actually, on one, and perhaps only one issue: It... Read more
BY JOE LEARY SPECIAL TO THE BIR Britain’s long, boring, argumentative journey toward separation from Europe will be remembered for centuries. It will not be a proud moment in its history. So far the process has been a mess. Massive egos, with their own... Read more
It’s high time to add yet another word to the lexicon employed by lazy journalists and casual pundits. Whether you’re viewing CNN, MSNBC, or Fox, you’ve heard this word ad nauseam. Cue the contrived dramatic pause as on-air anchors, reporters, and... Read more
Who is the greatest sports hero in Boston history? Beats me. The question, an age-old one, has flared up recently as Tom Brady has climbed relentlessly up the heights of the Mount Olympus of sports gods, now with six Super Bowl titles hanging from his... Read more
By Peter F. Stevens BIR Staff It’s over, at least for now.  As of this writing, the partial shutdown/presidential temper tantrum ignited by Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall or bust is over until Feb. 15. Still, as the president is already making... Read more
By Peter F. Stevens BIR Staff It’s over, at least for now.  As of this writing, the partial shutdown/presidential temper tantrum ignited by Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall or bust is over until Feb. 15. Still, as the president is already making... Read more
By Peter F. Stevens BIR Staff It’s over, at least for now.  As of this writing, the partial shutdown/presidential temper tantrum ignited by Donald Trump’s demand for a border wall or bust is over until Feb. 15. Still, as the president is already making... Read more
The following are excerpts from the homily given at Mass in St. Gregory’s Church on Sun., Dec. 30: A few weeks ago, we said goodbye to actress and comedienne Penny Marshall. Most of us remember her from her role in the television comedy “Laverne &... Read more
When the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union in June of 2016 they had no idea that it would cause so much harm to themselves and to their country. Their leaders had no idea, either. Two years later, the European Union and the British... Read more
Senior politicians in Britain have so mismanaged the Brexit process of leaving the European Union that it is hard to see the country retaining its reputation as a leading force in world affairs. The situation is a mess. Those in the government simply... Read more
Senior politicians in Britain have so mismanaged the Brexit process of leaving the European Union that it is hard to see the country retaining its reputation as a leading force in world affairs. The situation is a mess. Those in the government simply... Read more
Senior politicians in Britain have so mismanaged the Brexit process of leaving the European Union that it is hard to see the country retaining its reputation as a leading force in world affairs. The situation is a mess. Those in the government simply... Read more
By Peter F. Stevens BIR Staff “Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). Those oft-quoted words from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through... Read more
Washington, DC, has been called a swamp by many people, but it has now descended into sewer status and its smell is spreading throughout the world. Take for examples the horrendous personal conduct of the president, the Republican hypocrisy on the making... Read more
For better or worse, Britain’s divorce from Europe and Ireland seems to be an unstoppable force. It remains to be seen if the separation will be a tragedy or a success. We may not know for many years, or until another European war breaks out. Of course it... Read more

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