Boston Irish Commentary
WICKLOW – The widespread successes of conservative, populist politicians – some of whom are aptly described as “far right” – at the ballot box has been the subject of much reportage and academic study, with plenty to consider on this front in the United... Read more
In the weeks leading up to my most recent visit to Ireland, my thoughts kept drifting to my mother, who passed away in 2004. Mum’s parents hailed from County Mayo and County Leitrim and had resided in the states for several years before starting a family... Read more
Matthew Rooney, a third-year Ulster University student, started the process to obtain his J-1 Graduate Visa with excitement as well as nerves. On the one hand, he knew he wanted to work in the sports industry, as he’s currently working toward his degree... Read more
Q. What is the status of the Work and Family Mobility Act? What should I know about it?
A. On June 9, 2022, the Massachusetts Senate voted, 32-8 ,to override Gov. Baker’s veto of the Work and Family Mobility Act to create a law that allows state... Read more
By Martin McGovernSpecial to Boston Irish
A comment from one of my professors while I was a student at University College Dublin (UCD) in 1978 alerted me to a job opening at The Irish Press, then one of Ireland’s national newspapers. Following up, I... Read more
WICKLOW – In the run-up to and following the May 5 Northern Ireland Assembly elections, the word “seismic” was employed repeatedly. There was some justification for its widespread usage in that, as forecast, Sinn Féin has become the largest party and... Read more
“Better an hour early than a minute late,” my Dad used to say.
My principal concern in planning a day trip to Belfast on March 25 was that I arrive at the inaugural in-person event of the John and Pat Hume Foundation on time. I prefer the train, but... Read more
By Lynn Bushnell
Special to Boston Irish
Last August, the President of Quinnipiac University, Judy Olian, announced plans to close the university’s Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum just shy of its 10th anniversary, citing expenses that far outweighed the... Read more
A bid to welcome Irish Americans ‘home’as inflation is biting hard across the USA Tired of digging out in the wake of horrible winter storms? Disgusted with a poisoned political culture and a divided citizenry? Is it about time you finally scratched... Read more
Letter from Dublin/Timothy Kirk,
It has been a rocky road back to normality in Dublin. In early December, the city started to be itself again. Buskers were back on Grafton Street and live music returned to the pubs. Then the Omicron wave hit. The... Read more
So Biden has not accomplished much? Let’s take a look at what he has done
By Heather Cox Richardson
On Nov. 27, Nate Cohn noted in the New York Times that the policies President Joe Biden and the Democrats are putting in place are hugely popular, and yet... Read more
So Biden has not accomplished much? Let’s take a look at what he has done
By Heather Cox Richardson
On Nov. 27, Nate Cohn noted in the New York Times that the policies President Joe Biden and the Democrats are putting in place are hugely popular, and yet... Read more
God does not take sides in baseball; nor does He or She pick favorites in football, basketball, hockey, tennis, or tiddlywinks. The good Lord, in fact, remains carefully neutral in all competitive games.
That does not stop us from praying for His or Her... Read more
Letter from Dublin/ Timothy Kirk
COP26 in Glasgow was a disappointment to environmental activists but history will record it as a key step in combating climate collapse. Joe Biden, Micheal Martin, and Boris Johnson were among hundreds of world leaders,... Read more
LETTER FROM DUBLIN/
About the pandemic, Brexit, and the French factor
by Tim Kirk
Ireland endured the longest pandemic lockdown in Europe. The vaccination program started later and more slowly than in most countries due to supply chain challenges and... Read more
Boston Irish contributor Larry Donnelly’s new book, The Bostonian: Life in an Irish American Political Family, will be released on Oct. 15 by one of Ireland’s leading publishers, Gill Books. Speaking to Boston Irish, Donnelly said that “writing a book... Read more
Boston Irish Essay/Timothy Kirk
Ireland and Boston: Fairness vs. Excellence
“In fairness”… “In all fairness” … “To be fair” … “Let’s be fair” … “Be fair now, lads!” … “Fair play” … “Fair play to you” (or to her, to him, to them et al).
All are common... Read more
“The attraction of the possible is in the end more powerful than that of the unattainable” – Patrick Kavanagh
By Tim KirkBoston Irish Columnist
A united Ireland. Irish unity. A Nation Once Again. Notions that have animated Irish and the Irish diaspora... Read more
LETTER from WICKLOW
By Larry DonnellyBoston Irish Columnist
WICKLOW, Ireland – In January, this country was rocked by the publication of the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation, which runs to thousands of pages and... Read more
Four years ago, we posed this question in the days after the presidential election: “Is the American experiment in democracy equipped to survive a Trump presidency?” Our conclusion: “The American experiment in democracy will be tested, perhaps to its ... Read more
