The Charitable Irish Society of Boston will celebrate its 275th anniversary with a gala dinner on St. Patrick’s Day at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. The evening will commence with a reception at 6 p.m. that will be followed by dinner at 7. The event is optional black tie. Members and non-members of the society are welcome to attend. Read more
It’s far too early to know if Dorchester’s one-and-only hospital can survive and thrive under the for-profit model of its new owners, Steward Health Care Systems. But for those seeking a reliable indicator that Carney Hospital is moving in the right direction, a key appointment announced in January is a positive sign.
Dr. Glennon O’Grady, a New York native who has focused his career around a family-medicine practice, first in Lawrence and then in Boston, has been hired to head up Carney’s Family Medicine department. Read more
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
One of Northern Ireland’s most fearful sectarian agitators is coming to the end of his life at the age of 85. Ian Paisley, minister, politician, bigot, and one-time leader of anti-Catholic sentiment in its most virulent forms, lies in a Belfast hospital with an ailing heart and other undisclosed medical problems, and with his family gathered around him, waiting. Read more
By James W. Dolan, Special to the Reporter, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
The Catholic Church’s stance on contraceptive birth control is wrong and as a result is largely ignored by practicing Catholics.
There are two realistic methods to limit the size of families – now a matter of necessity not just for health concerns but also for family and economic stability: contraception and abortion. To suggest the two are the same is nonsense. Read more
By Peter F. Stevens, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
It came as no surprise that on Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s recent swing through Boston, he met with a politician named Kennedy. In this case it was the new Kennedy on the political block, Joseph P. Kennedy III, who is running for Congress. Read more
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, February 2, 2012
Joe Byrne, Tourism Ireland’s New York-based executive vice president for North America, is typical of the hard-working Irish men and women who are sent to the United States to represent their country. Enthusiastic, loyal, focused, and extremely bright, his friendly outgoing personality belies a tough, single-minded dedication to improving Ireland’s annual visitor count – in the North and in the South – from the United States and Canada. Read more
BY JAMES W. DOLAN
SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER
That God is the uncaused cause has long been one of the principal arguments for a supernatural, all-powerful being. Some unexplainable, mysterious force must have begun the creative process, otherwise there would be nothing, or so the argument goes. Read more
By BY PETER F. STEVENS, special to the BIR, January 3, 2012
What does this exhibit have to do with Tebow or the other celebrities whom so many folks deify? It reveals how they pale when set against bona-fide heroes, the type who stand for or against something with no fanfare and no desire for acclaim. Such a quiet hero was John Edward Kelly. Read more
As we observe the 150th-anniversary year of the start of the Civil War, we are again facing disunion and testing whether a nation, once the noble beacon of representative government, can survive.
The present-day unraveling of our democratic system of government is not territorial, nor is it based on states rights or slavery. Read more
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, January 3, 2012
With draconian cuts in their standard of living, the potential collapse of the European Union, and the irrelevance of the Catholic Church in their lives, the people of Ireland are looking at a bleak 2012 as the new year dawns. The huge debts run up by swashbuckling real estate developers and crooked bank officials, which required massive borrowing from Europe, have placed a horrendous burden on the Irish government and the Irish people. Read more
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, December 5, 2011
The celebration of Christmas in Ireland is a remarkable occasion. Not only is it the commemoration of the birth of the baby Jesus and, in fact, the beginning of the Catholic Church as we know it today, but for the Irish it is also a homecoming, a reunion of friends and family that is looked forward to with special anticipation throughout the year. Read more
by James W. Dolan
Special to the BIR
The recent Boston Globe series on OUI cases illustrates the significant disparities that arise as judges, jurors, and everybody else grapple with the notion of what is “reasonable.”
In a criminal trial, the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt. What may be a reasonable doubt for some, may not be for others. The most celebrated illustrations of that fact are the O.J. Simpson case and, more recently, the Casey Anthony verdict.
Despite widespread belief that both juries got it wrong, carefully screened jurors, presumably conscientious and sincere, listened to the evidence, were instructed by a judge on the meaning of reasonable doubt, and unanimously found both not guilty. Read more
By BY PETER F. STEVENS, special to the BIR, December 5, 2011
Damon and Affleck ‘muscle’ their way onto the crowded
cinematic turf to bring Jimmy Bulger & Co. to the Big Screen
It’s getting crowded in Whitey Bulger biopic field. The news that local-boys-made-good-Hollywood-wise Matt Damon and Ben Affleck plan to bring Jimmy Bulger’s saga to the big screen should surprise no one around here. After all, they grew up in and around the city and first proved their grasp of the turf together in the film “Good Will Hunting.” A few years ago, Damon shone in Martin Scorcese’s “The Departed,” with Jack Nicholson’s ruthless Southie gang honcho based loosely on the Whitey persona. Affleck’s stellar direction of “Gone, Baby, Gone” and his recent turn in “The Town” further point to the near-inevitability that Damon and Affleck would jump into the Whitey “sweepstakes.” Read more
By Joe Leary, special to the BIR, November 14, 2011
European and American business leaders are praising Ireland's government for setting a courageous course to return the Irish economy to financial prosperity in the years ahead. A balanced mix of increased taxes and reduced spending has both European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) leaders pointing to Ireland as a superb example of fiscal prudence as the country fights to restore its economic health. Read more
St. Patrick’s Day fete will hail Society’s 275th anniversary
By , special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
The Charitable Irish Society of Boston will celebrate its 275th anniversary with a gala dinner on St. Patrick’s Day at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. The evening will commence with a reception at 6 p.m. that will be followed by dinner at 7. The event is optional black tie. Members and non-members of the society are welcome to attend. Read more
All in the Family: Hiring of noted doctor seen as Carney coup
By Bill Forry, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
It’s far too early to know if Dorchester’s one-and-only hospital can survive and thrive under the for-profit model of its new owners, Steward Health Care Systems. But for those seeking a reliable indicator that Carney Hospital is moving in the right direction, a key appointment announced in January is a positive sign.
Dr. Glennon O’Grady, a New York native who has focused his career around a family-medicine practice, first in Lawrence and then in Boston, has been hired to head up Carney’s Family Medicine department. Read more
Ian Paisley, deathly ill at 85, did much harm; but healing has begun
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
One of Northern Ireland’s most fearful sectarian agitators is coming to the end of his life at the age of 85. Ian Paisley, minister, politician, bigot, and one-time leader of anti-Catholic sentiment in its most virulent forms, lies in a Belfast hospital with an ailing heart and other undisclosed medical problems, and with his family gathered around him, waiting. Read more
Of the Church and contraception
By James W. Dolan, Special to the Reporter, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
The Catholic Church’s stance on contraceptive birth control is wrong and as a result is largely ignored by practicing Catholics.
There are two realistic methods to limit the size of families – now a matter of necessity not just for health concerns but also for family and economic stability: contraception and abortion. To suggest the two are the same is nonsense. Read more
Here & There
By Bill O'Donnell, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
Returning to Kerry – the Flahertys and the O’Donnells Read more
Brown’s immigration stance on shaky ground: His GOP colleagues hold key to fate of E3 visa bill in Senate
By Peter F. Stevens, special to the BIR, March 6, 2012
It came as no surprise that on Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s recent swing through Boston, he met with a politician named Kennedy. In this case it was the new Kennedy on the political block, Joseph P. Kennedy III, who is running for Congress. Read more
Speaking of bargains for tourists, Ireland is hard to beat right now
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, February 2, 2012
Joe Byrne, Tourism Ireland’s New York-based executive vice president for North America, is typical of the hard-working Irish men and women who are sent to the United States to represent their country. Enthusiastic, loyal, focused, and extremely bright, his friendly outgoing personality belies a tough, single-minded dedication to improving Ireland’s annual visitor count – in the North and in the South – from the United States and Canada. Read more
Cause & effect & all of us
By Ed Forry, February 2, 2012
BY JAMES W. DOLAN
SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER
That God is the uncaused cause has long been one of the principal arguments for a supernatural, all-powerful being. Some unexplainable, mysterious force must have begun the creative process, otherwise there would be nothing, or so the argument goes. Read more
One Man’s Hero: In the ‘Age of Tebow,’ a forgotten Boston Irishman stands out as the ‘Genuine Article’
By BY PETER F. STEVENS, special to the BIR, January 3, 2012
What does this exhibit have to do with Tebow or the other celebrities whom so many folks deify? It reveals how they pale when set against bona-fide heroes, the type who stand for or against something with no fanfare and no desire for acclaim. Such a quiet hero was John Edward Kelly. Read more
Losing our balance: The Uncivil War
By Anonymous, January 3, 2012
As we observe the 150th-anniversary year of the start of the Civil War, we are again facing disunion and testing whether a nation, once the noble beacon of representative government, can survive.
The present-day unraveling of our democratic system of government is not territorial, nor is it based on states rights or slavery. Read more
Troubling signals all up the line; a painful year looms for Ireland
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, January 3, 2012
With draconian cuts in their standard of living, the potential collapse of the European Union, and the irrelevance of the Catholic Church in their lives, the people of Ireland are looking at a bleak 2012 as the new year dawns. The huge debts run up by swashbuckling real estate developers and crooked bank officials, which required massive borrowing from Europe, have placed a horrendous burden on the Irish government and the Irish people. Read more
Nollaig Shona Dhuit (Happy Christmas to you)
By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR, special to the BIR, December 5, 2011
The celebration of Christmas in Ireland is a remarkable occasion. Not only is it the commemoration of the birth of the baby Jesus and, in fact, the beginning of the Catholic Church as we know it today, but for the Irish it is also a homecoming, a reunion of friends and family that is looked forward to with special anticipation throughout the year. Read more
Humans should define ‘reasonable’
By Anonymous, December 5, 2011
by James W. Dolan
Special to the BIR
The recent Boston Globe series on OUI cases illustrates the significant disparities that arise as judges, jurors, and everybody else grapple with the notion of what is “reasonable.”
In a criminal trial, the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt. What may be a reasonable doubt for some, may not be for others. The most celebrated illustrations of that fact are the O.J. Simpson case and, more recently, the Casey Anthony verdict.
Despite widespread belief that both juries got it wrong, carefully screened jurors, presumably conscientious and sincere, listened to the evidence, were instructed by a judge on the meaning of reasonable doubt, and unanimously found both not guilty. Read more
Taking a look at the Whitey Sweepstakes
By BY PETER F. STEVENS, special to the BIR, December 5, 2011
Damon and Affleck ‘muscle’ their way onto the crowded
cinematic turf to bring Jimmy Bulger & Co. to the Big Screen
It’s getting crowded in Whitey Bulger biopic field. The news that local-boys-made-good-Hollywood-wise Matt Damon and Ben Affleck plan to bring Jimmy Bulger’s saga to the big screen should surprise no one around here. After all, they grew up in and around the city and first proved their grasp of the turf together in the film “Good Will Hunting.” A few years ago, Damon shone in Martin Scorcese’s “The Departed,” with Jack Nicholson’s ruthless Southie gang honcho based loosely on the Whitey persona. Affleck’s stellar direction of “Gone, Baby, Gone” and his recent turn in “The Town” further point to the near-inevitability that Damon and Affleck would jump into the Whitey “sweepstakes.” Read more
Harsh financial measures are succeeding in Ireland
By Joe Leary, special to the BIR, November 14, 2011
European and American business leaders are praising Ireland's government for setting a courageous course to return the Irish economy to financial prosperity in the years ahead. A balanced mix of increased taxes and reduced spending has both European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF) leaders pointing to Ireland as a superb example of fiscal prudence as the country fights to restore its economic health. Read more