Boston Real Estate is Tom Hynes's Game, But This Marathon Man Doesn't Stop There

By Greg O'Brien
March 1, 2010
Greg O'Brien

A student of the classics and ancient Greece, Tom Hynes delights in the story of Pheidippides, the Athenian herald who in 490 B.C. announced the Greek victory over Persia in the Battle of Marathon. As legend has it, Pheidippides ran a marathon 150 miles in two days, then raced 25 miles from the battlefield to Athens to proclaim victory. "We have won," he declared. He then collapsed, dead from exhaustion.

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What Is It About Irish Passports?

By Bill O'Donnell
March 1, 2010
Bill O'Donnell

Last month's assassination in Dubai of a major Hamas leader by a hit squad, possibly Israeli secret service Mossad agents, that included five men with forged Irish passports, has erupted into a diplomatic firestorm between Ireland and Israel. Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister, Micheal Martin, has met with the Israeli foreign minister in Brussels to express the Irish government's outrage while the public debate continues to rage on in the press.

SDLP Elects Margaret Ritchie as 'Leader' - First Woman to Head Major Party in North

By Joe Leary
March 1, 2010
Joe Leary

In a close election last month, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) of Northern Ireland elected Minister Margaret Ritchie, 51, as its "leader" to guide the party into the second decade of the 21st century. With her ascension, Miss Ritchie becomes the first female head of a major party in Northern Ireland.

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Officials See North's Policing Accord As Signaling End to 'Troubles' Era

By Robert P. Connolly
March 1, 2010
Robert P. Connolly

Northern Ireland's Troubles began with its police force front and center and in a very real sense may have ended with a grand compromise on the vexing question of where the ultimate control over policing should rest.

In many people's minds, Northern Ireland's Troubles began on Oct. 5, 1968, when civil rights demonstrators marching peacefully in Derry were beaten by baton-wielding police. Images of the attack were captured by television cameras and beamed into living rooms across Ireland and Britain.

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Remembering the Great Hunger in Our Port 'o Call

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
March 1, 2010

Ireland's great Famine, also known as the Great Hunger (An Gorta Mór) took place in the middle of the 19th century, caused by a blight on the potato crop in the Emerald Isle. Beginning with the harvest of 1846, and lasting fully for five years, the fungus caused the potato crop to fail. It was devastating to huge numbers of poor Irish families. A family of six could be fed for a year on one acre of potatoes; the vegetable provided all the nutrients needed to preserve life.

Patrick Shea: Hair-Raising Master of Mayhem at ‘Shear Madness’

By by R.J.Donovan
February 10, 2010
by R.J.Donovan

The confetti has just settled at The Charles Playhouse following the 30th-anniversary celebration for "Shear Madness." Set in present-day Boston, "Shear Madness" is all about the scissor-stabbing murder of a famous concert pianist who lives above a unisex hair salon on Newbury Street.

Karan Casey and John Doyle Serve Up 'Emotional Depth. It's in Our Nature'

By Sean Smith
February 6, 2010
Sean Smith

It seems hard to imagine, somehow, but more than a decade has passed (almost 14 years to be exact) since the debut album of Solas, whose members at the time included guitarist John Doyle and lead singer Karan Casey. To many ears, Solas was a revelation, creating an Irish-American sound built on tradition but clearly pointed toward contemporary styles and influences.

Irish Immigration Center Is Quick to Pitch In

By Sue Asci
February 6, 2010
Sue Asci

The Irish Immigration Center is partnering with several organizations throughout the city to help Haitian immigrants seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) complete applications by a June deadline.

In recent weeks, the Obama administration granted TPS for Haitian immigrants who were in the U.S. prior to the earthquake. The status allows undocumented immigrants to remain in the country for up to 18 months and avoid deportation back to the devastation in Haiti. The program also gives immigrants the ability to work in the U.S.

Typically, Irish Everywhere Respond to Haitian Crisis

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
February 6, 2010

The story of how one Boston Irish business leader stepped up to help in the wake of the terrible earthquake in Haiti typifies the great sense of empathy, compassion and benevolence that is part of the culture of Irish Americans and the Irish around the world.

Here's the story of Kevin Leary, CEO of Valet Parking of New England, (VPNE,) in his own words:

The Waiting Line is Fast Dwindling, and Soon They Will All Be Gone

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
February 6, 2010

The ranks are thin. Where once stood thousands of young soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines. there are huge gaps. Those who are left are stooped, wrinkled, and gray. As we watch, more crumple to the ground. Taps sounds in the distance. The rest remain silent ... waiting.

They are the rank and file. Their leaders, some of whom were veterans of World War I, are all gone.

Come this August, it will be 65 years since the end of World War II. The 17 and 18 year olds of 1945 are 82 and 83. Those who enlisted at 20 in 1941 when the war began are 89. Soon they all will be gone.

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