Festival All Set to Go in Canton

By Sean Smith
June 3, 2011
Sean Smith

New England acts The Makem and Spain Brothers and the Joshua Tree join Derek Warfield & the Young Wolfe Tones, The Screaming Orphans, McPeake, Enter the Haggis, and The Prodigals as headliners for this year’s Boston Irish Festival, which will take place June 17-19 at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton.

Other musical performers appearing at the festival include Boston Black Thorne, the John Robert Murphy Band, Dicey Riley, Erin Og, the Denis O’Gorman Band and The Ha’penny Band.

Becoming a Legend: Flavin is Tip O'Neill in 'According to Tip'

By R.J. Donovan, Special to the Reporter
June 3, 2011
R.J. Donovan, Special to the Reporter

Dick FlavinDick FlavinVeteran Boston broadcaster and politician commentator Dick Flavin is a man with a mission. To keep alive the memory of the life and times of the beloved Massachusetts politician and former Speaker of the U.S. House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill.

A decade ago, the Emmy Award-winning Flavin wrote the play, According To Tip, drawing on O’Neill’s own words, the remembrances of his colleagues, and Congressional records. Productions followed in 2008 at New Repertory Theatre and the Stuart Street Playhouse. Both runs starred Tony Award-winning actor Ken Howard as the charismatic Tip. The production received great reviews and picked up an IRNE Award as Best New Play of 2008.

CD Roundup

By Sean Smith
June 3, 2011
Sean Smith

Triptych, “Triptych” – There is something innately refreshing about Triptych, a trio with strong ties to Boston that has now released its long-awaited first CD. Whereas the trend in performing Irish/Celtic music is often “more is more,” Triptych opts for a stripped-down sound of fiddle, guitar, and percussive dance — or, if you will, fiddle, guitar and feet — casting the basic components of melody and rhythm into sharp relief.

Make No Mistake: Torture Degrades Everyone Involved

By BostonIrish.com... (not verified)
June 3, 2011

With the death of Osama bin Laden, the debate about “enhanced interrogation” techniques has heated up. I wonder whether the Gestapo referred to it as the German equivalent of enhanced interrogation when they tortured prisoners during World War II.

Certainly they were motivated by national security – a desire to uncover plots and save the lives of German troops and civilians – as are we. Yet the torturers of World War II, when they were identified, were tried as war criminals.

McAleese Hails ‘Renaissance Man’ Garret FitzGerald: Fine Gael Prime Minister dead at 85; Helped Set Stage for ‘98 Peace Accord

By Shawn Pogatchnik, Associated Press
June 3, 2011
Shawn Pogatchnik, Associated Press

Garret FitzGerald: AP PhotoAP PhotoDUBLIN — Garret FitzGerald, a beloved figure who as Ireland’s prime minister in the 1980s was an early architect for peace in neighboring Northern Ireland, died on Thurs., May 19, in a Dublin hospital, the government and his family announced. He was 85.

Of Torture and the Problem of Good and Evil: Congressman Peter King’s Selective Memory Speaks for Many in Boston and Beyond

By Peter F. Stevens, Reporter Staff
June 3, 2011
Peter F. Stevens, Reporter Staff

Peter King / AP Pool PhotoPeter King / AP Pool PhotoWaterboarding, sensory deprivation, beatings, and other “enhanced interrogation techniques” – are these viable and morally justifiable means to an end in the struggle against terrorism? Does a nation’s ongoing struggle against those who unleash terrorist attacks against civilians justify torture to stop such unbridled evil? A great many people I’ve spoken to in these parts agree with Long Island Congressman Peter King, whose answer is a strident “yes.”

Dark History in Two Parts

By Bill O'Donnell
June 3, 2011
Bill O'Donnell

Dark History In Two Parts – The Rhode Island House of Representatives took a giant step forward for justice last month when they cleared the name of an Irish immigrant who was hanged on Valentine’s Day, 1845. John Gordon, 29, was convicted of murdering a well-connected mill owner and brother of a sitting U.S. senator in ugly circumstances that reflected the strong anti-Irish sentiment of the day.

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