Peace Walls' Days May Be Numbered

By Bill O'Donnell
October 12, 2011

Bill O'Donnell

Peace Walls’ Days May Be Numbered –When the first peace walls were erected in 1969, they were intended to be temporary. A British general at the time said, “The peace line will be a very, very temporary affair. We will not have a Berlin Wall or anything like that in this city.” That was then and over 40 years on there are 42 so-called peace walls to separate the two major traditions in the six counties, the most famous being the wall that divides loyalist Shankill Road and republican Falls Road in West Belfast.

Galway lovers, please take note

By Ed Forry
October 12, 2011

The Coast Road out of Galway city along the northern shores of Galway Bay is always a pleasant drive. The R336 passes through Barna, Furbo, and Killough, and on through Spiddal, gradually pulling away from the edge of the bay, going inland towards Costelloe, and eventually on to Leenane and the hills of Connemara.

It’s always a scenic drive, with the family-run Standún store (standun.com)in Spiddal a favorite destination, all just a short drive out of the city.

‘We look around for an Irishman’ - Death penalty chronically tilted against those at society’s bottom

By Peter F. Stevens BIR Staff
October 12, 2011

Peter F. Stevens BIR Staff

There are two irrefutable facts about the death penalty. If a mistake is made, it cannot be rectified; the ultimate punishment is disproportionately administered to the poor and minorities. No matter one’s view of capital punishment, those two truths stand.

Best bet: one casino, for starters

By James W. Dolan, Special to the BIR
October 12, 2011

James W. Dolan, Special to the BIR

Although not opposed to gambling, I am disappointed that Massachusetts will soon be joining the casino cavalcade. It is unfortunate we feel compelled to turn to gambling to increase revenue and generate jobs.

I am proud of the commonwealth’s opposition to the death penalty, restrictions on gun ownership, and its efforts to promote universal health care and gay rights. Such measures reflect a generous spirit and caring for others that many other states ignore.

Remembering a rare man

By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR
October 12, 2011

Joe Leary, Special to the BIR

Sunday, Oct. 30, will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of one of Boston’s true heroes: Dr. Thomas S. Durant.

An extraordinary man in so many ways, Tom Durant brought happiness and comfort to thousands, even tens of thousands, during his lifetime – not only in Boston and Washington with the high and mighty but also around the world in refugee camps in Cambodia, Vietnam, Rwanda, Bosnia, Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan, the Sudan, and many more.

A discussion with Andy Irvine: Life on the road, soloing, composing

By Sean Smith
October 12, 2011

Sean Smith

First of two parts

For most of his adult life, Andy Irvine has been true to the advice he set down in one of his best-loved songs: Never tire of the road.

Irvine’s ongoing odyssey – which this month brings him to Boston, where he’ll perform on Oct. 6 at Four Green Fields – these last four decades have taken him not only through Europe, the US, and plenty of other places, but also across the length and breadth of the modern Irish music revival as well.

Irishman shot to death on Nahant Avenue

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
October 12, 2011

The murder of a 36- year-old man who was found shot to death on Nahant Avenue near Adams Corner early Monday morning has prompted renewed calls for police enforcement in that section of Dorchester, where gun violence is rare but not unprecedented. Boston Police are probing whether the murder is connected to an armed robbery that happened just a block away on Ashmont Street on Sunday night.

Ireland native shot to death outside Dorchester home

By Staff
October 11, 2011

Ciaran Conneely funeral: The Irish and Galway flags flew outside St. Mark's Church following the funeral Mass on Thursday, Oct. 13. Photo by Pat Tarantino Ciaran Conneely funeral: The Irish and Galway flags flew outside St. Mark's Church following the funeral Mass on Thursday, Oct. 13. Photo by Pat Tarantino
By Bill Forry

Ciaran O Conghaile (or Conneely), who is originally from the Aran Islands in County Galway, Ireland, died hours after a neighbor found him at 1 a.m. sprawled along the curb outside 20 Nahant Ave., just steps from his apartment. Conneely suffered from a single gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and died later in the morning, according to the Boston Police Department.

Goodby summer, hello, autumn; busy days ahead

By Ed Forry
August 31, 2011

By Ed Forry

The summer of 2011 is all but history now. The sultry days are mostly behind us, some of the kids are back in school, the tomatoes are at last almost all ripe on the vine. In just the last fortnight, Bostonians have lived through first an earthquake, then, days later, the first hurricane of the new decade. Even the Olde Town team is sitting in first place as we enter Labor Day weekend. What an August month it was!

If you believe in omens, then perhaps you will agree that a World Series championship is almost a certainty. Almost.

Gaelic Roots schedule set; tribute to Derrane on tap

By Boston College Public Affairs
August 31, 2011

Boston College Public Affairs

Joe DerraneA special tribute to the legendary Joe Derrane – and a performance by the Boston-born Irish accordionist and composer himself – will highlight this fall’s Gaelic Roots Music, Dance, and Lecture series. The series, under the direction of Sullivan Artist-in-Residence Séamus Connolly, also will feature “The Musical Priest,” Monsignor Charlie Coen, fiddle-piano duo Gráinne Murphy and Kathleen Boyle, and a program of holiday music by harpist Aine Minogue.

This fall also will introduce a new venue for Gaelic Roots, which is sponsored by the Boston College Center for Irish Programs and features music from Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton, Appalachia as well as other Gaelic-related traditions. Unless otherwise noted, Gaelic Roots events — previously held in Connolly House on BC’s Chestnut Hill Campus — will now take place at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue on the BC Brighton Campus.

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