Catching up with Billy Donlan

By Greg O' Brien
May 1, 2014
Greg O' Brien

They call up the memory him at the Heights with great reverence; he was the Doug Flutie of the 1950s. At barely five feet, eight inches tall with a big stretch, Billy Donlan was one of the finest Boston-bred quarterbacks and scholars to grace a gridiron or lecture hall. Starring on the Boston College teams of almost 60 years ago, he was among the nation’s premier passers, throwing short tosses and tight 60-yard lasers with a right hand slightly larger than his left, cupping the football like a grenade at a time when most quarterbacks were tossing dirigibles.

A ‘Sea Grey’ Connemara Special: The Renvyle House Hotel

By BIR News Room
May 1, 2014

Renvyle House Hotel in Connemara.Renvyle House Hotel in Connemara.

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR
Elegant but comfortable, formal but relaxed, a place for the famous but also for the average Joe (and Joanne) – lovely Renvyle House Hotel in Connemara is all these things and more.
Even if the accommodations were dreadful – which they most certainly are not – the location alone is well worth the price of admission. Perched at the ocean’s edge, this grand dame of the Renvyle Peninsula has a storied history and is a perfect choice for singles (no single supplement), couples, or families.

At Bridgewater State Univ, a remembrance of Seamus Heaney

By Bill O'Donnell
May 1, 2014
Bill O'Donnell

Grand Time On Seamus Heaney Birthday – On Sunday afternoon, April 13, at the auditorium on the Bridgewater State University campus an audience of friends and fans came together to mark the 75th birthday of the poet Seamus Heaney, who died last August. It was an old-fashioned, memory-laden birthday bash with stories, anecdotes, and travels with Seamus tales, interrupted by applause and laughter. A lovely day for a lovely man.

Eire Society cites O’Donovan for its 2014 Gold Medal honor

By BIR Staff Report
May 1, 2014
BIR Staff Report

Brian O’Donovan, the host of WGBH Radio’s weekly program Celtic Sojourn, will receive Boston’s Eire Society 2014 Gold Medal honor at its annual dinner next month in Quincy. News of the honor was announced as the Irish group makes plans for its 77th annual awards banquet on Thurs., June 12, at the Neighborhood Club, with a reception at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7.

‘Overwhelming support’ gives lift to inaugural Team MR8 in Marathon

By Bill Forry, Editor
May 1, 2014
Bill Forry, Editor

Channeling Martin's spirit, they ran, and ran, and ran...
For some — like Harry Benzan— the final stretch of the marathon on Boylston Street on April 21 remains a blur. Literally. He couldn’t see because of the tears streaming from both eyes as he neared the spot where his friends and neighbors were so callously and publicly attacked last year.

Weak Unionist leaders allow for organized crime, extreme voices

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

April was quite a month in Northern Ireland. Despite the best efforts of Irish President Michael D. Higgins and Queen Elizabeth II to increase understanding between Ireland and the UK, serious problems occurred in the North, including rioting, racist attacks, and petty sectarian speeches.

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