The hotshot pitcher on the 1919 Red Sox

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
May 1, 2010

To hear Colin Donnell tell it, his family hasn't ever actually researched its roots in Ireland and Scotland. He says his Irish credentials are more physical. "Look at me: Black hair. Blue eyes. It's only been a matter of just how Irish we are," Donnell said. "We are Irish, I just don't know the full story. I hope that one day we do find out our story better."

That day may have to come soon for Donnell, a singer/actor who has been tapped by the American Repertory Theater to play the lead in the world premiere of "Johnny Baseball," a musical about the Red Sox.

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Eruption equals disruption for those coming, those going

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
May 1, 2010

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR
What a crazy month for travelers! If you had told someone prior to April that you couldn’t visit due to a volcanic ash cloud, they’d think you were joking.
And that’s exactly what I thought when a longtime friend called from England to cancel her April 15 trip to Mayo. Of course, as our readers know, she was not joking and the eruption of the Icelandic volcano and resulting shutdown of airports all over Ireland, the British Isles, and Europe has been anything but a joke.

BC's Burns Scholar: a non-stop life

By Ana Lopez
May 1, 2010
Ana Lopez

If you had told Thomas Bartlett in 1970 that 40 years later he would be the Burns Scholar at Boston College, teaching classes on Ireland in the early modern era and researching the holdings of the "best Irish collection in North America," he probably would not have believed you.

Then a graduate student at the University of Michigan, Bartlett had come to the United States from Ireland to engross himself in the study of American colonial history. It was in Ann Arbor that he stumbled upon a set of documents that changed the course of his academic life.

For a True Taste of Irish Music, Fun, and Good Will, Check out the Russell Memorial Weekend in Doolin

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
April 8, 2010

By Judy Enright
Special to the BIR

If music is the heart of Ireland, then surely Doolin in Co. Clare is the soul of the country as evidenced by the huge annual turnout for the Russell Memorial Weekend.
This musical weekend -- in memory of brothers Micho, Packie, and Gussie Russell -- has become a late winter tradition and is held in Doolin on the last full weekend in February. The festival originated in 1995 to honor Micho Russell, one of Ireland ’s best-known traditional musicians, who died in 1994. But in 2006, his family renamed the festival the Russell Memorial Weekend to give equal honor to all the musical brothers.

Calendar of Upcoming Events- April & May, 2010

By Ed Forry
April 3, 2010

April 8 – Rambling House, a Singing Workshop at the Irish Cultural Centre, 200 New Boston Drive, Canton. 1-888-GO-IRISH or irishculture.org. Learn about Ireland's rich history through the art of song while also learning traditional Irish songs in both English and Gaelic. No registration required, just stop by! $5 donation suggested. The 2nd Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. … Chulrua in Concert Paddy O’Brien, Pat Egan and Dale Russ Boston College Connolly House, 300 Hammond Street, Chestnut Hill. 6:30-8:30 p.m.

At Last, Health Care Relief is Ours

By Ed Forry
April 3, 2010
Ed Forry

$88,200.
How many of you earn that amount in a year?
Not I, says the teacher. Nor I, says the letter carrier. Nor I, says the clerk at the corner store. Certainly not I, says the senior citizen living on Social Security.
$88,200. That’s 1,700 bucks a week in your paycheck. If yours is a family of four, and you make less than that, some relief is here, at last.

In Hailing St. Patrick’s Day Around the World, Irish Ministers Make Ireland’s Influence Clear

By Joseph F Leary
April 3, 2010
Joseph F Leary

The vast influence and power of Ireland throughout the world is proven every St. Patrick’s Day. And don’t think it is just parties and parades; it is testimony to the robust spirit and unique character of the Irish people who vigorously celebrate their loyalty and love for their native land.

Color These Musings Springtime Green

By Robert P. Connolly
April 3, 2010
Robert P. Connolly

By Robert P. Connolly
Special to the BIR
With spring in the air and the landscape turning green, the mind wanders across the water…
The upcoming British election means that Northern Ireland’s 18 Westminster seats will be up for grabs. The Democratic Unionist Party has a lot on the line because it holds nine of those seats, but it is also important that Sinn Fein, which has five seats, do well and help party leader Gerry Adams bounce back from his annus horribilis of 2009.

Fulbright Award: Sonehill Irish Scholar Bound for Czech Republic

By Ed Forry
April 3, 2010

Irish Studies scholar Richard Finnegan has visited Ireland more times than he can count and most recently he spent nine days during spring break guiding 24 Stonehill students as they toured the country studying Irish history and literature. Next year, however, he will switch the focus of his scholarship to the Czech Republic where he will spend a semester teaching at Masaryk University.

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