Joseph Corcoran is choice for Robert F. Kennedy honor

By Ed Forry
May 5, 2016

Joseph CorcoranJoseph CorcoranJoseph E. Corcoran, the founder and chairman of the Corcoran Jennison Companies and a national pioneer in transforming failed public housing projects into successful mixed-income neighborhoods that offer community services to low-income residents, will receive the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps’ Embracing the Legacy Award at the JFK Library in Dorchester on May 20.
Corcoran is responsible for more than $4 billion in real estate developments nationwide, mostly in affordable housing. In 1986, by pushing for a change in federal tax credits – and getting vital help from the late US Sen. Ted Kennedy – he turned the downtrodden Columbia Point project site into the popular Harbor Point on the Bay.

Corcoran also has created a nonprofit, The American City Coalition, which works to revitalize entire inner-city neighborhoods into viable communities. “The purpose of American City Coalition is to expand what we did with public housing and apply it to an entire community,” he told award officials. “It was something similar that Robert F. Kennedy had started to do in New York. I have been blessed with a successful career, and RFK - and the entire Kennedy family - have inspired me to help those who have not lived the American dream.”

‘All Changed, Changed Utterly…’

By Peter F. Stevens
May 5, 2016
Peter F. Stevens


Fifth of five parts.
In Boston, as elsewhere in the United States, many Irish viewed the rebels as heroes from the first news of the revolt. At four minutes past noon on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of the Republic from the steps of the General Post Office, declaring Ireland’s right to exist as a free and sovereign nation.

Feeney brothers send young talent to college to study the gas industry

By Maddie Kilgannon
May 5, 2016
Maddie Kilgannon

The Feeney brothers, Greg and Brendan, who operate a private utility contractor company in Dorchester, have been investing in their work force through a training program conducted at Bunker Hill Community College. The two-year course, which trains students in every aspect of the gas industry, will graduate its first class this month.

The Gas Utility Technology (GUT) Degree Option Program gives graduates “more than just a piece of paper,” said Bill Egan, director of support services at Feeney Brothers Utility Services. “The program aims to give students all the tools they need in order to be safe and effective in the field. Our expectation, upon completion of these courses, is that graduates will be able to successfully complete gas specific performance skills and demonstrate the ability to work in teams to accomplish our objectives.”

“Riverdance”– 20 years, and still dancing strong

By R.J. Donovan
May 5, 2016
R.J. Donovan

It seems like only yesterday the international Irish singing and dancing phenomenon “ Riverdance” first blazed to life. Since opening in Dublin in 1995, the production has dazzled more than 25 million theatergoers across six continents. The milestone 20th Anniversary World Tour will be performing at Boston’ s Citi Wang Theatre from May 10 to May 15.

“ Riverdance” originated as a seven-minute dance number created for the 1994 Eurovision broadcast, the world’ s longest-running international television song competition. With a score by Limerick native Bill Whalen, the electrifying performance at Dublin’ s Port Theatre was an instant hit, bringing the audience to its feet.

Ironically, the extraordinary number was not part of the competition. Instead, it was meant as entertainment to fill an interval in the show. Based on the thunderous response it received, producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan saw the potential in developing a full scale stage production.

Now, for your traveling pleasure, ‘Ireland’s Ancient East’

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
March 31, 2016

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR

As we’ve said many times in the past, Ireland’s tourism staff are absolutely tops at promoting their favorite country. Hats off to Tourism Ireland here – called Failte Ireland there - for consistently outstanding work to publicize and share the many wonders of their small island.
A foggy day at Clonmacnoise in County Offaly adds even more charm to the ancient ruin.A foggy day at Clonmacnoise in County Offaly adds even more charm to the ancient ruin.
WILD ATLANTIC WAY
Several years ago, the tourist body designated a route along the west coast as the Wild Atlantic Way and pinpointed different types of attractions along the way. The route, which runs for 1,600-plus miles from the tip of Inishowen in Co. Donegal to Kinsale in Co. Cork, is reputed to be the longest defined coastal route in the world.

Included along the way are villages, ancient monuments, stunning views, islands, beaches, Gaeltachts (where Irish is spoken and preserved), accommodation and dining spots, and all kinds of other attractions. The designation has increased tourist visits to the West and boosted the economy immensely.

Hypocrisy rules in Sheridan’s ‘School For Scandal

By R. J. Donovan
March 31, 2016
R. J. Donovan

The Actors’ Shakespeare Project is closing out its season with the masterful comedy of manners, “The School for Scandal.” From the pen of Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan (adapted by Steven Barkhimer), the play weaves a witty tapestry examining the pretentiousness and hypocrisy of British high society in the 1770s. 

Filled with intrigue, lust, and the perils of social climbing vs. reputation, “School for Scandal” plays at the Multicultural Arts Center in Cambridge from April 13 to May 8.

Bradshaw adventurous with ‘Whatever You Wanted’

By Sean Smith
March 31, 2016
Sean Smith

Bob Bradshaw: “I think I’ve gotten out of my own way more when it comes to putting a song together.”Bob Bradshaw: “I think I’ve gotten out of my own way more when it comes to putting a song together.”The Bob Bradshaw story just keeps getting better, and his music’s doing pretty well, too.

Bradshaw, a singer-songwriter from Cork, began his musical career about 30 years ago (among others he’s worked with is singer-songwriter Ron Kavana), moved to the US in the late 1980s, and eventually made his way to Boston. On impulse, he enrolled in the Berklee College of Music, almost changed his mind about attending, and ultimately – at a significantly older age than most of his fellow graduates – earned his degree in 2009.

Since getting his diploma, Bradshaw has made three recordings, including the late-2015 release “Whatever You Wanted,” making for a total of six solo albums in all, three on either side of his Berklee period. And for Bradshaw, the years at Berklee do represent a significant demarcation in his career.

“I knew how to write a song before then, but I learned so much at Berklee,” he explains. “I learned how to incorporate sound structure in a way I hadn’t before. And one of the most important things I learned was ‘strong words in strong places.’ I think it took a while to fully digest everything, but I feel like it’s really sinking in now.”

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