‘Change’ is another key feature of 21st-Century Ireland

Ireland is ever changing. If you doubt that statement, just have a meal almost anywhere in the Emerald Isle and you will be more than pleasantly surprised by the excellence of the food, service, wine list, and cocktail offerings. Anyone who tells you the food in Ireland is plain, dull meat, and potatoes, clearly hasn’t been there for many years.

And the same modernization and change hold true for the country itself. Even if you are intimately familiar with a particular area, you often return to find new activities and businesses that have cropped up since your last visit.

Katherine Craven’s credo: ‘Let’s make things work’

If you drop the name “Katherine Craven” into any discussion with key players in academic and public service circles in Massachusetts, the air is quickly filled with words like “model public servant; sound judgment; unquestioned expertise; tireless work style; advances the public interest; impeccable credentials; boundless energy; impressive creativity.” And while “saintly” doesn’t make the list, one admiring associate calls her “a Joan of Arc” for her “intellect, forcefulness, and ethical approach to her goals in life and at work.”

Mayor Martin Walsh: Firmly rooted in Dorchester and Connemara

For a few hours, Marty Walsh was just another Yank on holiday, enjoying the sights and sounds of Clifden, one of Co. Galway’s loveliest and liveliest towns. Boston’s 47 year-old mayor had just enjoyed a sailboat ride and a quiet lunch with his partner Lorrie Higgins and two other traveling companions on a brilliant Saturday morning in Connemara.

The Boston Irish Honors 2014: “A moment to embrace and celebrate our shared heritage”

I am delighted to chair the fifth annual Boston Irish Honors luncheon.

This event is a welcome moment to embrace and celebrate our shared heritage by honoring men and women and families who embody the best qualities of the Boston Irish.

A pilgrim’s progress: Being Catholic

Of late I have been grappling with a new theology that seeks to reconcile evolution and advances in scientific knowledge with Christianity. I did so with some trepidation, concerned that what I might learn would undermine the faith upon which I depend.

A few months ago I met a BC High classmate at a school event. A Jesuit and former university president, he had spent many years in the Middle East. After a lively discussion, I sent him an email asking for a list of books he could recommend. I received a list of 32, most of them dealing with science and religion.

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