Sharon Shannon shows set at Burren, Cultural Centre

By BIR News Room
August 1, 2014

Sharon Shannon

Sharon Shannon has played with the likes of The Waterboys, Christy Moore, Jackson Browne, Frankie Gavin, Michael McGoldrick, Sinead O’Connor, and the RTE Concert Orchestra, among others, while taking her masterful Irish accordion playing (not to mention fiddle and whistle) on excursions through Appalachian, country, rock, hip-hop, reggae and Portuguese music. She has performed for Bill Clinton and Lech Walesa, and appeared in a charming music video frolicking with her dogs.
This month, the Clare native will be stopping in the Boston area for shows on Aug. 6 and 7 at The Burren in Somerville as part of the pub’s Backroom series, and on Aug. 8 at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton. She recently spoke with the BIR’s Sean Smith.

Irish fests at Music Circus, Melody Tent, and much more

By Sean Smith
August 1, 2014

Sean Smith

The South Shore Music Circus in Cohasset will hold its first-ever Irish music festival on Aug. 21, featuring renowned fiddler Eileen Ivers and her world-music band Immigrant Soul, along with The Fighting Jamesons and Celtica: Pipes Rock. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the concert begins at 7 p.m.

Boston Irish Reporter’s Here & There

By Bill O'Donnell
August 1, 2014

Bill O'Donnell

First-Ever Minister for the Diaspora – Enda Kenny’s coalition government has answered the hopes and aspirations of the Irish living abroad by appointing to the cabinet the first minister of state for the diaspora. The new position has been the goal of the overseas Irish for decades, and is viewed largely as an ombudsman post for the Irish abroad and an activist voice for voting rights and immigration reform.

The ‘Collar’ and the ‘Badge’ in Bowdoin/Geneva Rev. (Doc) Conway, BPD Deputy Baston push safety on streets

By Tom Mulvoy, Associate Editor
August 1, 2014

Tom Mulvoy, Associate Editor

The young guys were finished with their warm-ups on the basketball court at Ronan Park in Dorchester and getting ready to choose sides for a game. Small problem: They only had nine players on hand. “Hey, Pops, how about making it ten?” one of the players said to an older man who was standing nearby looking on. “Not me,’ said the observer, whose thin, lanky frame suggested that he might be able to do a few runs up and down the court. “But thanks; you’re just going to have to make do with what you have.”

OF CASSOCKS, ROBES, AND KNOW NOTHINGS

By Peter F. Stevens
August 1, 2014

Peter F. Stevens

“They” might have wondered whether five male judges sitting on the United States Supreme Court of 2014 are wearing black robes or cassocks. “They” were the Know-Nothing Party of the 1840s-1850s America, the driving force of a Nativist movement that loathed not only the Irish and other immigrants, but also, and especially, all things Roman Catholic. They feared that if too many Catholics flooded “Anglo America,” the pope would soon be calling the shots in the United States on political, religious, cultural, and social matters.

Evolution surely is making us smarter; but what about what makes us human?

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
August 1, 2014

Will evolution keep pace with the challenges we face, or will inequality, global warming, population, and pollution overwhelm us? Right now it seems we are losing the battle.

There is ample evidence that evolution is an ongoing process. The advances in science, technology, and production over the last century are obvious. Some progress is also evident in civil rights, tolerance, and social justice. We are getting smarter, but are we getting better?

Introducing the Irish Legacy Society, a way to keep on giving back to Ireland

By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR
August 1, 2014

Joe Leary, Special to the BIR

After 27 years in existence, the Irish American Partnership is announcing a new opportunity for men and women of Irish heritage to give something back to the small island their ancestors left to come to America. The creation of an Irish American Partnership endowment fund named The Irish Legacy Society will help preserve and strengthen the Partnership and its ability to help Ireland well into the future.

Taking care of Patrick

By Ed Forry
August 1, 2014

An Irish bicyclist who suffered severed head injuries in a collision with a van on Cape Cod last summer has entered a second year of therapy, and his family is hopeful that he will one day resume a measure of independent life.

My walk in the park took a dangerous turn

By Ed Forry
August 1, 2014

It was not my usual walk in the park.

There I was, late on a Sunday afternoon in July, making my way in broad and sunny daylight through the beautiful 27-acre park near my home in Lower Mills.

As usual, my thoughts were off in a quiet reverie – as I approach my 70th birthday, I no longer move swiftly, yet I remain committed to regular walks to forestall some of the downside effects of aging.

An unforgettable trip to Calvary – via Sligo

By Peter Stevens, BIR Staff
August 1, 2014

Peter Stevens, BIR Staff

“Calvary” is a darkly brilliant film that tackles emotional, cultural, and religious, and regional issues on a cinematic canvas both broad and insular. That may read oxymoronic, but writer-director John Michael McDonagh and a splendid cast pull off exactly that. Among that cast, as Sligo priest “Father James,” Brendan Gleeson delivers one of the finest performances of his stellar career. So, too, do Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Dylan Moran, Aidan Gillen, and the rest of the troupe.

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