Boston Irish Commentary
Speaker of the House John Boehner, President Barack Obama, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny walked together down the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. on March 17, 2015. Photo courtesy White House
President Barack Obama hosted
Prime... Read more
It was a short rebellion. Only six days. According to the “Book of the 1916 Rising,” a 2006 publication by the Irish Times, 450 people died – 62 Irish rebels, 132 British soldiers and 256 civilians. Beyond that, the British Army imprisoned approximately 3... Read more
He was the oldest of three boys, one of ten children brought up on Wrentham Street in Dorchester. My mother Mary was the oldest, born in 1907. Their parents were Irish immigrants who met in Waterbury, Connecticut and later moved to Boston where their... Read more
A dramatically successful 2014 has inspired the Boston- headquartered Irish American Partnership to rejuvenate and modernize its operation and prepare for substantial growth in the years ahead.
Although audited figures are not yet finalized, at this... Read more
Most Irish Americans, and certainly all those Americans who were born in Ireland and are now living in the Boston area, deeply care about their Irish Heritage. There are dozens upon dozens of serious Irish organizations in the Boston metropolitan area... Read more
US Envoy Gary Hart: Played key role in ending recent impasse.Almost 17 years after the 1998 US-brokered Peace Agreement between the major UK/Irish parties that ended 25-plus years of civil war in northeast Ireland, many difficult issues remain unresolved... Read more
This will be an exciting year in Ireland. Signs of an exploding economy started to show up early in 2014 and all indications are that 2015 will offer a continuation of the good news.
According to The Irish Business and Employers’ Confederation (Ibec) as... Read more
The judge got it right in sentencing former Probation Commissioner John O’Brien and two of his top aides. They were instruments for others who formulated a plan to facilitate patronage. Under the circumstances, severe sentences were unwarranted.
A former... Read more
With a Catholic majority looming in the near future and the British government cutting back on funds to run the Northern Ireland government, rather profound changes are coming to this small province. One change may arrive before Christmas.
For all the... Read more
Of late I have been grappling with a new theology that seeks to reconcile evolution and advances in scientific knowledge with Christianity. I did so with some trepidation, concerned that what I might learn would undermine the faith upon which I depend.
A... Read more
Ireland has been in serious financial trouble for more than five year. Unscrupulous or unknowing bankers, greedy real-estate developers ,and a no-regulation compliant government were the chief causes of the onset of the crisis. The Irish people responded... Read more
Forty years ago, shortly before forced busing went into effect, I was a new judge appointed to Dorchester District Court. Since much of the anger and violence associated with that ill-conceived “solution” to segregated Boston schools spilled into the... Read more
Thomas Menino’s “Mayor for a New America” hits stores and tablets on October 14. It will no doubt find a well-deserved place in the libraries of Bostonians who have a keen interest in city history and politics.
But it will find that shelf-space too... Read more
Accompanied by staff and donor supporters, The Irish American Partnership’s board of directors travelled to Ireland this August on a mission to evaluate the impact of their funding decisions and to learn more about Irish education as the Partnership... Read more
For many Irish Americans the key to a strong future for Ireland is the strength and creative energy of its educational system. A highly educated population and work force not only attracts inward investment but it also generates innovation, new ideas, and... Read more
After 27 years in existence, the Irish American Partnership is announcing a new opportunity for men and women of Irish heritage to give something back to the small island their ancestors left to come to America. The creation of an Irish American... Read more
There was a time in Washington when politics was the means to an end. The end was governing. The messy process of politics was applied to gain office and then to develop and secure passage of legislation that reflected a public policy consensus.
Politics... Read more
The month of July marks the most difficult time of the year for Belfast, Northern Ireland’s capital city. It is in the seventh month that the Protestant community, led by the notorious Orange Order, annually renews the famous “marching season,” sending... Read more
By Peter F. Stevens
BIR Staff
The deal is completely legal. Medical-device titan Medtronic will soon complete a $42.9 billion deal to gobble up Massachusetts-based outfit Covidien. The swollen pact benefits Ireland’s economy, pays off big for two... Read more
Serenity rules over the ample space where neatly placed rows upon rows of plain-looking gravestones, some 750 in all, mark the final resting places of dedicated men who in the long ago invited me into their learning circle and helped steer my young self... Read more
