Climate Change in Scott Brown's Massachusetts

By Jim O'Sullivan
February 6, 2010
Jim O'Sullivan

The Jan. 19 election to succeed Paul Kirk - and Ted Kennedy - in the United States Senate was supposed to be the tripwire. The vote that launched a thousand domino campaigns, Democrats vying against Democrats for seats long held safe by Democrats, and expected to be held by Democrats long into the foreseeable.

Instead, state Sen. Scott Brown's election over Attorney General Martha Coakley has sent the state's plurality party into an unaccustomed place: the wilderness contemplative.

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Cardinal Daly, Leader of Ireland's Catholics During Violent Years in Belfast, and Hero of the Peace Process, is Dead at 92

By Joe Leary
February 6, 2010
Joe Leary

One of the more substantive heroes of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, Cardinal Cahal Daly, died in a Belfast hospital last month at the age of 92. A saintly man of small stature, the cardinal was trusted by Protestant church leaders on all sides. A quiet man who carried a pleasant wry smile, he served as the bishop of Belfast and the surrounding area during the height of the bombings and shootings that pervaded Northern Ireland in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s.

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Murphy, a Mover on the Boston City Council, Takes Stock of Voter Anger in Mulling Future

By Greg O'Brien
February 6, 2010
Greg O'Brien

The view is serene from Stephen John Murphy's office on the fifth floor of Boston City Hall. It overlooks Faneuil Hall and a swath of Boston Harbor in the distance on this promising late January day when the sun is a bit higher in the sky and the temperature is flirting with the 50s. Inside this dense concrete bunker, the political climate is chilling, as observers assess the damage from the storm surge of angry voters that swept Scott Brown into the United States Senate faster than you could say "All bets are off!"

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Juicy Scandals Help Irish Weather a Fierce Winter

By by Bill O'Donnell
February 5, 2010
by Bill O'Donnell

By Bill O’Donnell
Three Penny Opera, Irish Style -- For some in Ireland the New England type of fierce winter weather in recent weeks has been the topic of fireside conversation from Sligo to Kildare. Yet nothing beats a good old-fashioned scandal and the Green Isle currently has three beauts that have dominated --overwhelmed would be more accurate – the national news cycle.

BC High, CM Hockey Legacy Continues in Feb. 6 Game

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
February 5, 2010

Old friend Marty Kane is back home in Boston after some wayward years of working “outta town,” or as we locals say, somewhere west of Jamaica Pond. A long-ago hockey player for BC High and Boston College, Marty sends word of a nifty annual event that celebrates almost five decades of ice hockey rivalry between his high school alma mater and Catholic Memorial.
The two schools, each considered hockey powerhouses, will resume their rivalry on Saturday, Feb. 6 when the CM team hosts the BC High skaters in a 3:30 p.m. game at the Walter Brown Arena, once called Boston Arena.

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Typically, Irish Everywhere Respond to Haitian Crisis

By Ed Forry
February 3, 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: “Our company has 47 employees from Haiti -- friendly, talented, and hard working employees. Sadly, many have lost members of their family in the horrific earthquake.

Ireland Stands Tall In Haiti

By Ed Forry
January 24, 2010

by Bill O'Donnell--Updated Jan 29 to correct donated amount from Ireland and the EU. Ireland has once again answered the call for help, this time from a ravaged Haiti. Irish aid agencies like Goal and Concern have been shipping lifesaving supplies and personnel into that island of nine million. The Irish government has joined with other members of the European Union in donating some $350 million and quickly airlifted over 85 tons of food, medicine and other essential aid.

In Boston, Irish community rallies to help Haiti

By Ed Forry
January 18, 2010

Winnie Henry is organizing a day of Irish Dance/Music ito raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief. Right now, she says she hopes to secure a venue in Quincy in February, and she expects to stage a day-long event with music, dance and "no speeches," and direct all proceeds to the Haitian people. Currently, the Irish government has pledged significant funds and resources to the rescue efforts, and staffers and volunteers from three Irish agences- GOAL, Concern and Haven- are on the ground now in Haiti as part of the massive international aid to the Haitian tragedy.

Coverage of Haiti's quake, local response at our sister publication

By Ed Forry
January 17, 2010

The BIR's sister publication, the Boston Haitian Reporter, has been providing up-to-the-minute coverage of Haiti's earthquake and rescue efforts since Tuesday afternoon. We invite our readers to visit the BHR website for information on how Boston's Irish community can be of assistance.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti, our Haitian-American friends and relatives and all who have a connection to the region.

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