Wherein Sean O’Casey takes the measure of ordinary folk in times of great upheaval

By BIR News Room
September 6, 2016

By R. J. Donovan
Special to the BIR

Ian-Lloyd Anderson, Lloyd Cooney and Liam Heslin in the Abbey Theatre production of Sean O’Casey’s “The Plough and the Stars,” playing the American Repertory Theater from September 24 to October 9. Ros Kavanagh photo
“The Plough and the Stars” has a long history with Dublin’s legendary Abbey Theatre – Ireland’s national theater. Sean O’Casey’s absorbing play about the liberation of Ireland had its debut at the Abbey in 1926 and has been produced there more than 50 times in the years since.

In “Plough,” named for the Starry Plough banner flown by the Irish Citizen Army, the story begins in November of 1915 and then moves to the Easter Rising in April of 1916.

As tension builds, the residents of a Dublin tenement take shelter from the violence that is sweeping through the city streets. The action is focused not on the revolt raging against British imperial rule but on the impoverished characters struggling to survive in a seemingly doomed existence.

New Ginger Royalty Crowned as Thousands of Redheads gather in Cork

By BIR News Room
August 24, 2016

Andy O'Neill from Kilkenny and Emma Ni Chearuil from Galway have been crowned the new King and Queen of Gingerdom at the 7th Annual Redhead Convention which is in full swing in Crosshaven, Co. Cork this weekend.

The fun, family festival of ginger-loving madness is a celebration of all things to do with having fabulous red hair, the rarest hair colour in the world.

Leventhal Map Center at BPL spotlights Mythical Irish Island

By BIR News Room
August 17, 2016

Hy-Brasil: Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) America (detail) Amsterdam, [between 1609 to 1633] Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library Hy-Brasil: Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) America (detail) Amsterdam, [between 1609 to 1633] Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library

Beginning in the 14th Century, a curious island located off the coast of Ireland was recorded on official nautical maps of the time. The Island, known topographically as Hy-Brasil, was, in early years, noted to be a round formation near the western coast, and was reported to be observable only once every seven years.

The island was believed to be inhabited by an advanced civilization belonging to Elysium and Tir Na Nog, the Land of Eternal Youth. Despite hundreds of maps depicting Hy-Brasil’s existence over roughly 500 years, it is now known that the Island is actually a result of folklore and mythical storytelling run amok.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site Commemorates National Park Service Centennial

By BIR News Room
August 10, 2016

Brookline, MA - John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site will celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service on Thursday, August 25, 2016 with special programming and events. President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the National Park System Organic Act, which created the National Park Service under the Department of the Interior. Though much has changed over the past 100 years, the mission remains the same: to preserve and protect natural and cultural resources within the United States for the enjoyment of visitors now and in the future.

“August – our birthday month – will be a nationwide celebration of national parks, and we’re inviting everyone to the party,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We like to think that we look pretty good for 100, and with so many events and activities to commemorate this milestone, we hope all Americans will join us to celebrate the breathtaking landscapes and inspiring history in our nation’s parks and public lands. Whether it is in a distant state or in your own community, there are hundreds of ways and places to find your park!”

Throughout the day, special talks celebrating Kennedy’s connection to the National Park Service, living history tours, and crafts and activities for all ages will be offered.

RED-y, Steady....Ginger!

By BIR News Room
August 5, 2016

The quaint seaside village of Crosshaven, Cork, will once again come alive for the annual Irish Redhead Convention ! Now in its seventh year, the weekend-long ginger extravaganza will be filled with fun, freckles and frolics, taking place from 19-21 August 2016.

Thousands of redheads near and far will flock to the usually-sleepy village for a festival of extraordinary uniqueness, which raises vital funds for the Irish Cancer Society. From carrot tossing championships and live music on the Foxygen and ElectRED Picnic
stages, to seminars on redhead history and ginger speed dating, there’s something for every redhead and redhead appreciator at the Irish Redhead Convention!

Cardinal leads tour, joins in rededication of the Shrine at Knock

By Ed Forry
July 28, 2016

A Gathering in Donegal: Kerryman Mark Lyons, the bus driver assigned to Cardinal O’Malley’s pilgrimage tour to Knock last month, made this photo in Donegal at Grainan of Aileach ring fort overlooking Lough Swilly. Waving hello are pilgrims from New England who traveled through the Great Atlantic Way in Ireland’s northwest while on the island for the services at Knock. A Gathering in Donegal: Kerryman Mark Lyons, the bus driver assigned to Cardinal O’Malley’s pilgrimage tour to Knock last month, made this photo in Donegal at Grainan of Aileach ring fort overlooking Lough Swilly. Waving hello are pilgrims from New England who traveled through the Great Atlantic Way in Ireland’s northwest while on the island for the services at Knock.
The following is taken from Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley’s online blog, which is also published in The Pilot, the archdiocese’s weekly newspaper.

The Knock airport was established 30 years ago by the rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, and is now one of the most important airports in Ireland serving the Western part of the country.

Interesting places, locales boost Ireland’s welcoming spirit

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
July 28, 2016

By Judy Enright
Special to the Reporter

Some travelers claim that it doesn’t really matter what type of accommodation you choose when you’re on a trip because “it’s just a place to sleep.” We heartily disagree. Securing interesting places to stay in interesting locales can add so much to your ultimate experience.

Castlecoote House, an historic Georgian mansion in Co. Roscommon, is open for B&amp;B from April 1 until the end of September. In the foreground is a 16th Century castle tower. Judy Enright photos

Sean McGibbon has big tap shoes to fill

By BIR News Room
July 28, 2016

Sean McGibbon plays Cosmo Brown in the beloved musical “Singin’ in the Rain” at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly from August 16 - September 4.
By R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR

Sean McGibbon is an unabashed lover of the Golden Age of Musicals. Among his idols, he singles out Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. So the fact that the he’ll be starring in “Singin’ in the Rain” at North Shore Music Theatre is a dream come true.

The talented tap-dancing actor will play Cosmo Brown, the role originated by Donald O’Connor in the classic MGM film, when the production plays the Beverly theatre-in-the-round from Aug. 16 to Sept. 4.

McGibbon was born in Austin, Texas. “Austin in the 90s was just about everything you could ask for,” he said in a phone interview. “It was parks and places to swim and a real artsy city . . . Austin, at the time, was one of the live music capitals of the world.”

He was a boy of many interests, and a lot of them centered on performing. He got involved in musical theater, became an accomplished juggler, tried his hand at magic, trained as a jazz pianist, was a varsity tennis player, competed at the national level in table tennis and was a member of the U21 National Kayak Polo Team.

Thomas MacDonagh remembered – on CD

By Sean Smith
July 28, 2016

Sean Smith

If you grew up in the County Tipperary town of Cloughjordan, like Boston-area resident Martin Butler did, you couldn’t help but know about Thomas MacDonagh.

Poet, playwright, educator, MacDonagh is a compelling figure in Irish history, a co-leader of the 1916 Easter Rising and one of the seven signatories of the Easter Proclamation executed by the British. MacDonagh was born and bred in Cloughjordan where, it is said, he had instilled in him early on the affinity for music, poetry, and Irish culture that defined his life.

What’s With Maureen & Hillary?

By Bill O'Donnell
July 28, 2016

Bill O'Donnell

What’s With Maureen & Hillary? Maureen Dowd is the daughter of a cop and a New York Times columnist who writes hard-edged columns that inform and entertain her readers. Entertain, however, is not a word that jumps out at you when Dowd’s subject is Hillary Clinton. For the past 21 years Dowd has waged an obsessive campaign to ruin the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate’s credibility and assassinate the reputation of the former First Lady, US senator and secretary of state.

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