A Supreme Court donnybrook and an unlikely buddy story

By Peter F. Stevens, BIR Staff
September 28, 2018
Peter F. Stevens, BIR Staff

So not one of the 11 GOP senators on the Judiciary Committee is “man” enough to question Professor Christine Blasey Ford, who has alleged that federal Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her some 36 years ago. As of this writing, Senators Charles Grassley, Lindsay Graham, Orrin Hatch, John Cornyn and their committee cronies plan to bring an “outside female prosecutor” to interrogate Ford about her allegations.

First things first for an effective DA: Job is about deterrence and public safety

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
September 28, 2018

By James W. Dolan

In the rush to reform the criminal justice system by converting what some might view as petty offenses to civil infractions and dismissing cases to avoid the imposition of a criminal record, one must not overlook the role of a district attorney as chief law enforcement officer of a county. In that office, prosecutorial discretion allows some latitude, but within limits.

It looks like a ‘Brexit’ is on the way; for the British, an awful lot is at risk

By Joe Leary
September 28, 2018
Joe Leary

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 also may be that the British will reverse themselves in future years.

BC’s Burns Library event launches ‘The Cambridge History of Ireland’

By Dan Sheehan, Special to the BIR
September 28, 2018
Dan Sheehan, Special to the BIR

Amidst a collection of texts and artifacts from past Irish generations, historians and fans of history gathered at Boston College’s Burns Library on September 20 to celebrate the launch of “The Cambridge History of Ireland,” the first volumes on the subject of Irish history by the renowned university.

Thomas Bartlett, the general editor of the collection, spoke to just how necessary it was to provide the world with a new abridged history of the island of Ireland.

Northern Secretary says ‘no hard border’ in Boston visit

By Bill Forry
September 28, 2018

The United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union will not result in a “hard border” between the Republic and Northern Ireland, either on land or sea. That was a key part of the message from Karen Bradley, the Noran pressure to eliminate any “back door” trade into the North once Brexit goes into full effect.

Hurling tourney on tap again at Fenway; Clare, Limerick, Cork, Wexford to compete

By Madeleine D'Angelo, Reporter Correspondent
September 28, 2018
Madeleine D'Angelo, Reporter Correspondent

On Sun., Nov.18, Fenway Park will once again feature the Irish sport of hurling when four top teams from the Emerald Isle will engage in a day-long tournament featuring Clare, the reigning champion and current holder of the Players Champions Cup; Limerick, the 2018 All-Ireland Champion; Cork; and Wexford.

This will be the third go-around for Irish hurlers on Red Sox turf in this decade after a 61-year hiatus ended in 2015 with the introduction of the AIG Fenway Hurling Classic.

She’s in a place where her ‘voice is just as versatile as the fiddle’

By Sean Smith, Special to the BIR
September 28, 2018
Sean Smith, Special to the BIR

Gloucester native Emerald Rae has been singing for about as long as she has been fiddling, which is since childhood. But it’s only just now, she feels, that she has found her voice.

A mainstay of the Greater Boston area’s Celtic/folk music scene for nearly two decades, Rae recently released her third album, “Emerald Rae,” consisting of 10 original songs and accompanied entirely by her own fiddle, along with foot and hand percussion (plus a cameo appearance on electric bass by Garrett Sawyer on one track).

Four to receive Boston Irish Honors this month

By Bill Forry
September 28, 2018

A couple who have spent decades helping Boston kids stay safe and achieve their dreams; a Catholic priest who ministers to the city’s most vulnerable; and a pioneering physician with roots in Dublin will be the honorees at this month’s Boston Irish Honors luncheon, the season’s premier celebration of Irish-American achievement in Massachusetts.

Updating Oscar Wilde and ‘Being Earnest’ in the Swinging Sixties

By R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR
September 28, 2018
R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR

In today’s world of Facebook, dating apps, and rampant catfishing, it’s hardly a surprise when someone creates a fake profile online.
What may be surprising is that the practice isn’t all that new. In Oscar Wilde’s 1895 play “The Importance of Being Earnest,” the Irish playwright detailed the sticky Victorian situation experienced when a pillar of the community creates a fictional persona as an excuse to live a double life and circumvent tiresome social obligations.

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