Interesting places, locales boost Ireland’s welcoming spirit

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
July 28, 2016

By Judy Enright
Special to the Reporter

Some travelers claim that it doesn’t really matter what type of accommodation you choose when you’re on a trip because “it’s just a place to sleep.” We heartily disagree. Securing interesting places to stay in interesting locales can add so much to your ultimate experience.

Castlecoote House, an historic Georgian mansion in Co. Roscommon, is open for B&B from April 1 until the end of September. In the foreground is a 16th Century castle tower. Judy Enright photosCastlecoote House, an historic Georgian mansion in Co. Roscommon, is open for B&B from April 1 until the end of September. In the foreground is a 16th Century castle tower. Judy Enright photos

Sean McGibbon has big tap shoes to fill

By BIR News Room
July 28, 2016

Sean McGibbon plays Cosmo Brown in the beloved musical “Singin’ in the Rain” at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly from August 16 - September 4.Sean McGibbon plays Cosmo Brown in the beloved musical “Singin’ in the Rain” at North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly from August 16 - September 4.
By R.J. Donovan, Special to the BIR

Sean McGibbon is an unabashed lover of the Golden Age of Musicals.  Among his idols, he singles out Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.  So the fact that the he’ll be starring in “Singin’ in the Rain” at North Shore Music Theatre is a dream come true. 

The talented tap-dancing actor will play Cosmo Brown, the role originated by Donald O’Connor in the classic MGM film, when the production plays the Beverly theatre-in-the-round from Aug. 16 to Sept. 4.

McGibbon was born in Austin, Texas.  “Austin in the 90s was just about everything you could ask for,” he said in a phone interview.  “It was parks and places to swim and a real artsy city . . . Austin, at the time, was one of the live music capitals of the world.”

He was a boy of many interests, and a lot of them centered on performing.  He got involved in musical theater, became an accomplished juggler, tried his hand at magic, trained as a jazz pianist, was a varsity tennis player, competed at the national level in table tennis and was a member of the U21 National Kayak Polo Team.

Thomas MacDonagh remembered – on CD

By Sean Smith
July 28, 2016
Sean Smith

If you grew up in the County Tipperary town of Cloughjordan, like Boston-area resident Martin Butler did, you couldn’t help but know about Thomas MacDonagh.

Poet, playwright, educator, MacDonagh is a compelling figure in Irish history, a co-leader of the 1916 Easter Rising and one of the seven signatories of the Easter Proclamation executed by the British. MacDonagh was born and bred in Cloughjordan where, it is said, he had instilled in him early on the affinity for music, poetry, and Irish culture that defined his life.

What’s With Maureen & Hillary?

By Bill O'Donnell
July 28, 2016
Bill O'Donnell

What’s With Maureen & Hillary? Maureen Dowd is the daughter of a cop and a New York Times columnist who writes hard-edged columns that inform and entertain her readers. Entertain, however, is not a word that jumps out at you when Dowd’s subject is Hillary Clinton. For the past 21 years Dowd has waged an obsessive campaign to ruin the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate’s credibility and assassinate the reputation of the former First Lady, US senator and secretary of state.

THE DEMAGOGUE AT THE DOOR A con man could triumph in tough times

By BIR News Room
July 28, 2016

By Peter F. Steves, Special to the BIR

A week or so ago I had dinner with an erudite and sophisticated Dubliner, and during the meal he posed a straightforward question with an uncharacteristic expletive: “What the [deleted] is going on with America and Donald Trump?” Before I could muster an answer, he tossed out another question: “Can he actually win?” I blurted out, “Yes…”

The prospect does seem unbelievable, but – sickeningly to this scribe – not inconceivable. For America, a demagogue is at the door of the White House and on the verge of kicking it in.

Evolution won’t let us turn back the clock to those ‘good old days’

By BIR News Room
July 28, 2016

By James W. Dolan, Special to the BIR

The global economy is inevitable. Efforts to block or derail it may succeed for a while but an evolving world is destined by demographics, technology, travel, and the aspirations of humanity to eventually function as a gigantic partnership. The amalgamations so evident in the 20th century will be dwarfed in the 21st; better to accommodate and manage them than try to resist.

About Brexit and a United Ireland

By BIR News Room
July 28, 2016

By Joe Leary, Special to the BIR

The surprising vote by the British people to leave the European Union has and will cause many unforeseen difficulties and opportunities, one of which may be the impact on the question of a United Ireland.

There are many who dream about what it would be like to live in a single nation of Ireland with no border and no factional bickering, an Ireland that would be free of religious intolerance and far stronger economically.

VP Nominee Tim Kaine is draped in Irish heritage

Ed Forry
By Ed Forry
July 28, 2016

By Ed Forry, Publisher

As the 2016 election season heats, the new media global village has captured the imagination of our ethnic cousins throughout the island of Ireland, and TV news is the messenger.

Recent Boston tourists in Ireland were surprised to discover Irish viewers glued to their tellys, watching the GOP convention on satellite channels CNN, SKY-TV, and BBC. Even Irish national broadcaster RTE had news crews in Cleveland, and later in Philadelphia, reporting the latest convention news. The major speeches were viewed in real time in living rooms all across the Emerald Isle.

J-1 intern takes on the Big Apple, cites assistance he received from IIIC as vital

By BIR News Room
July 28, 2016

Michael Geraghty, who hails from the small village of Kilsheelan, on the Tipperary/Waterford border, obtained his bachelor degree in structural engineering at Cork Institute of Technology. He first learned about the J-1 Intern Work & Travel (J-1 IWT) visa in 2012, and decided it fit in with his aspiration to travel the world combined with a desire to gain the best experience possible in his field of study.

Irish border controls an issue as British confront Brexit effect

By Jill Lawless, Associated Press
July 28, 2016
Jill Lawless, Associated Press

LONDON – Britain wants to find a “practical solution’’ to ensure there will be no new border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland when the UK leaves the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said on July 25 in Belfast.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom to share a land border with another EU member. Residents and businesses on both sides of the frontier fear a return to customs and immigration controls along the unmarked border.

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