Irish filmmakers light up Sundance screens, then set up in Somerville

By Jennifer Smith
March 2, 2017
Jennifer Smith

A scene from In Loco Parentis; a documentary that turns its lens on the Headfirst preparatory school in Kells, Co Meath.A scene from In Loco Parentis; a documentary that turns its lens on the Headfirst preparatory school in Kells, Co Meath.On the heels of a small but strong showing for films with an Irish focus at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, a slew of Irish films will light up the screens in late March at the 17th annual Irish Film Festival based in Somerville.

From inspiring documentaries about a physically limited filmmaker and an idyllic prep school in County Meath to the visceral transformation of a soft-spoken farmer into a vengeance-driven vigilante, the Emerald Isle was well-represented at the Park City, Utah, film fest in January.

Three films with Irish connections were featured in the mountain town’s annual festival, which selected 113 films from 13,782 submissions from the United States and abroad.

‘EVERYTHING THAWS HERE EXCEPT OLD PAT’: On Dorchester Heights on March 17, 1776, many of Washington’s troops had ‘green bloodlines’

By Peter F. Stevens
March 2, 2017
Peter F. Stevens

Dorchester HeightsDorchester Heights

Whether one calls March 17th “St. Patrick’s Day” or “Evacuation Day,” the Irish can lay claim to both celebrations. Many men bearing surnames of “the old sod” were nestled behind bristling cannons that peered down from Dorchester Heights on that day in 1776. The redcoats, or “Lobsterbacks,” were fleeing Boston aboard Royal Navy vessels straining to haul anchor and hightail it out of the harbor – which lay directly under the Rebels’ heavy guns.

Commanding the Patriots was George Washington, who held a deep regard for Irish-born troops serving in his ranks. He placed such a high estimate upon their proven combat abilities that he honored that most cherished of Irish dates – St. Patrick’s Day – in an era when the Irish, especially Irish Catholics, were hardly a favorite of many colonists.

On that March 17, Washington was well aware that it was a holyday for the Irish, and that many Irishmen had fought at Bunker Hill and had just helped drag those cannon up the Dorchester slopes. He acknowledged both facts by ordering that the password of the day be “Saint Patrick.”

‘A Little Bit of Ireland’ features the soprano Mara Bonde Ricker

By R.J. Donovan
March 2, 2017
R.J. Donovan

“A Little Bit of Ireland,” Reagle Music Theatre’s annual musical celebration of all things Irish, returns to the Robinson Theatre in Waltham for three performances only on March 11 and 12.

Conceived and directed by Reagle’s Producing Artistic Director Bob Eagle, the revue features Reagle’s own Irish Tenors and adult choir, classic step dancing, the comedy of Harold “Jerry” Walker, the heavenly sounds of the Massachusetts Harp Ensemble (founded by Judith Ross), a cast of 100 plus a full orchestra, all of which makes the Reagle production one of the largest Irish shows in New England.

Following Trump as he awakes and gets ready

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
March 2, 2017

By James W. Dolan
Special to the Reporter

Did you ever wonder what Donald Trump goes through every morning to maintain his hairdo? I have been doing some research and believe I am the first to report the early routine of our 45th president as he begins each day.

He awakens each day to his preferred alarm – applause from a specially designed audio system in his bedroom. After sending a couple of tweets, he jumps out of bed and summons his bed, bath, and beyond staff to prepare him for the day’s activities.

Flying to Ireland? Let’s count the ways

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
March 2, 2017

The competition for flights to Ireland this summer is really heating up.

The US government, under the “Open Skies” agreement with the EU, has given the go-ahead to Norwegian Air to launch new transatlantic flights from Ireland to the states. The low-cost airline will begin its first flights in July, using TF Green Airport in Providence. When that schedule is activated, there will be a half dozen ways to get from New England to Ireland by air:

• Aer Lingus, the Ireland-based airline, offers daily service from its traditional Gateway Logan to both Shannon and Dublin;

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