Echoing Across Millennia, Irish Harp Shapes a Land

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By Sean Smith
Special to the BIR
It’s arguably the most iconic of Irish musical instruments, depicted in both classical and commercial art – and, yes, it’s even the namesake for a popular beer. So, with another year of St. Patrick’s Day events in Boston and elsewhere having brought a focus to traditional Irish music, the Irish harp has once again enjoyed its fair share of attention.

At the White House for St Patrick's Day: All Green, All the Way

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By Ed Forry
The Irish were in charge at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day last month – or so it seemed.
Even as the fountain on the north lawn was filled with green dye, and the colors of the Emerald Isle adorned the East Room, several hundred Irish and Irish Americans gathered for a celebration with President and Mrs. Obama and the new Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnualana, and a truly festive night it was.

A Look on the Bright Side for the Future of Ireland

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By Joe Leary
Special to the BIR
Even before the recent elections, there were abundant signs that the people of Ireland are surviving and doing well. Media stories in Europe and the United States portray Ireland as a stricken country. It isn’t!
A recent trip to Dublin found the city streets full of busy people hurrying along, getting on with their normal lives.

Here & There: Libyan Fighting Threatens IRA Victim's Claims

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By Bill O’Donnell
Libyan Fighting Threatens IRA Victims’ Claims – War, even the no-fly-zone type of war being waged today against Colonel Khadafy’s brutal regime, has many casualties. One of the probable losers of the conflict in Libya is a secret deal between the British government and Khadafy to win compensation from Libya for British victims (including Northern Ireland) of IRA bombs and violence.

‘My home away from home’- Irish Tenor John McDermott Talks of His Roots and Family

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By Ed Forry
Reporter Publisher
Singer John McDermott was in Boston during the St. Patrick’s activities last month, a brief overnight stay at the Seaport Hotel- “My home away from home”- between gigs in Salisbury and Scituate.
A native of Glasgow, McDermott’s mom and dad are Scotland natives with deep roots to Ireland: his father Peter’s family are Donegal, his mother Hope’s family (Griffin) are Ballymena in Antrim, just north of Belfast. The family relocated to Ontario Canada in 1965, when the singer was just 10 years old.

Another Opening, Another Show For Boston Publicist Ann Sheehan

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By R. J. Donovan
Special to The BIR
The lobby of The Colonial Theatre is a sea of faces. It’s Opening Night for the musical “Hair,” and anticipation is in the air. As people crowd the box office to pick up their tickets, a smartly dressed young woman with long dark hair and a dazzling smile is on the opposite side of the lobby, greeting members of the media, many of whom will be reviewing the night’s performance. This is Ann Sheehan, Director of Public Relations & Community Relations for Broadway Across America-Boston.

‘THE NEWS GREW SO BAD YOU COULD LAUGH FOR CRYING’

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

In Ireland Unhinged, the Author Searches for Ireland’s Heart and Soul in the Shadow of the ‘Celtic Tiger’
By Peter F. Stevens
BIR Staff
In 2000, the author David Monagan did something many Irish Americans dream of, but never get around to doing for countless reasons personal and professional. He and his family sold their home in Connecticut and moved the proverbial “lock, stock, and barrel” to Cork where he embarked upon a self-avowed search for “Ireland’s soul,” the Ireland he remembered and cherished from a year spent in Dublin in the early 1970s.

As Springtime Beckons, Ireland Fixes on Tourist Lures

By Ed Forry
April 2, 2011

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR
Driving in Ireland might euphemistically be called a challenge for those of us accustomed to driving on the right.
But the Irish, good folks that they are, have accepted that not everyone driving the roads speaks English, so they have designed a series of signs that leave little doubt about their messages.

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