Milwaukee
Irish Fest Celebrates Big 2-5 in 2005
Milwaukee Irish Fest, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, again
offers a marvelous line-up celebrating world, pop and rock greats and the
bands that influenced them. The fest, set for Aug. 18-21, is bringing together
the most popular Irish folk acts in music history. [More]
IGSW
Continues Checking Out the Roots
By Mario Raspanti
In less than two weeks, setup crews will make their way to Milwaukee
Henry Maier festival grounds to begin preparing for the 25th annual
Irish Fest. The Irish Genealogical Society of Wisconsin's tent is one of
the forever developing features of the festival. [More]
Bui
Bolg at Irish Fest
By Rebecca Russell
Bui Bolg is Gaelic for "Belly Yellow," but the group of street performers
which has adopted that tagline as its name is far more colorful. The name
itself was inspired by the nickname that Wexford men have borne proudly
since the early 1800s when, while wearing yellow sashes, they won a hurling
championship. It is with this same pride and enthusiasm necessary to excel
on the field playing the national sport of Ireland that the performers
of Bui Bolg take to the streets. [More]
A Conversation
with Ken Bruen Reveals All…Almost
By Nick Michalski
At about 4 p.m. on St. Patrick’s Day, I pulled open the doors to the
Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee and entered the ancient lobby. The
Pfister issued a sense of being on an old luxury ship, perhaps like the
Titanic. [More]
History
Bug Gives Donoghue a Friendly Bite
By Martin Russell
Irish American Post Book Editor
When it comes to the Goode Olde Days, there are few writers able to
capture the past and bring it to present day readers than Emma Donoghue,
the Canadian author of Life Mask. [More]
Author
Lynch Touches on Irish Soul
By Steve Hintz
As an expert on the processes of dying, Thomas Lynch certainly exudes
life. The writer/funeral director was hanging out on a beautiful summer
mid-afternoon at the Wydham hotel in Milwaukee, only hours before giving
a lecture and reading on his newest publication, Booking Passage: We
Irish and Americans. [More]
It’s
Summer Reading Time and the Living is Easy
By Martin Russell, Irish American Post book editor
and Rebecca Russell
Summer is a time for relaxing in the sunshine on a lawn chair as birds
chirp overhead. Remember to have a glass of lemonade and a good book on
hand. Here are page-turning volumes worth picking up this sultry season.
They are the cream of the literary crop. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. But
don’t forget the sunscreen.[More]
Éire
Óg Greystones Give Due Credit at the Feile na nGael
By Ted Crowley
For the greatest youth sports event in the world, the hurlers of
Éire Óg Greystones visited faraway places with strange sounding
names: Kanturk, Kilbrin, Aghabullogue, Coachford, Union Quay, Merchants’
Quay, the hallowed pavements of Patrick Street (Pana), and they marched
past Fr. Matthew’s statue.[More]
Milwaukee
Hurling Club Emphasizes Sociability
By Rebecca Russell
Nearly everyone who has read a Harry Potter thriller has paused to
wonder what life would be like if they had a magic wand. What they don’t
realize is that magic wands aren’t made of phoenix feathers or dragon heartstring;
they’re made of ash. They’re not short and round. They’re about three feet
long and flattened at the end.
Welcome
to the World of Crème
Inspired by the nature and beauty of Ireland, our Naturally Irish soaps
and bath salts are wrapped in pure Irish linen. (Advertisement).
[More]
A Dog Named
Hope, Chapters 7 and 8
By Michael Mooney
Over the next few weeks, the nuns got used to the spectacle of Hope’s
exhaustion. Each time she flopped down on the ground, with her tongue hanging
out, panting for breath, they ceased to fear that it meant the end. And
they began to believe a little that after a short rest she could go on.
[More]
There's
Love and There's Sex and There's the 46a
is a collection of short-stories, essays, articles, ballads and poems
all written by bus workers and ex-busworkers. Some were produced recently
on state-of-the-art word processors while others had been, evidently, written
on the backs of waybills and Defect Dockets at termini many years ago.
There's something for (almost) everybody in this collection. (Advertisement)
[More]
Architect
O’Reilly Takes Art Space to Heart and Home
By Martin Hintz
Donegal native architect John O’Reilly is currently living in the Burren
where he built a home just a few miles from the Burren College of Art.
He recently completed designing a new exhibition wing that opened this
past April. [More]
Burying
the Bird at Glendalough
By Ted Crowley
The news on our radio is rarely good: "Terrorism, counter-terrorism,
war, rumours of war, Northern Ireland, and a Dublin father of five stabbed
to death in an unprovoked attack." Murder, mayhem and unrequited territorial
claims. This bitterly cold bright wintry morning, we were in our car heading
out of Greystones towards the peace and quiet of Glendalough; an ancient
spiritual place of great sanctity, medieval learning. [More]
Hospitality
Gene Imbedded in Irish DNA
By Dave Abbott
"D’yeh see that bridge back there and the turn right after it?"
I nodded.
‘Well don’t take that one," he said, as I asked directions for Belfast.
His face, a picture of sincere concern, seemed blissfully unaware his response
is a popular Irish joke. A reminder asking directions in Ireland invites
extended social interchange and hospitable chat - a gene imbedded in the
Irish DNA. [More]
Lady
Elgin Play Incorporates Disaster History, Humanity
By Nick Michalski
A new play commissioned by Pier Wisconsin/Discovery World about the
Lady
Elgin tragedy paints a picture of the massive events and boiling political
and social issues that led up to the Civil War by focusing on a shipwreck
right in the middle of it all. . [More]
Images
of America: Irish Milwaukee
A photo survey of Milwaukee’s marvelous Gaels, past and present!
$20 at Milwaukee area bookstores, the Irish Cultural & Heritage
Center, Gerry O’Brien’s European Meat Market and other fine outlets.
Or order directly from The Irish American Post..(Advertisement).
[More]
Paddy’s
Pub Provides a Quiet Getaway
By Rebecca Russell
Wrought iron covers an entryway flanked by solemn, regal stone lions.
The building itself is brick: tans, creams, and rose set off by the green
windows and hanging planters flanking the front door. Glass lamps that
mimic old-fashioned gas lights surround an elegant green marble sign engraved
in gold with the words, "Paddy’s Pub." [More]
Music
Reviews
Laid
Back Rowe Really a Real Foot Tapper
By Rebecca Russell
On stage, the Dave Rowe Trio is as laid back and comfortable as the
audience. They wear Hawaiian shirts, khaki shorts, and two of the three
have kicked off their flip flops and are keeping time with bare feet. That
seems somewhat contradictory when looking at Dave Rowe’s latest solo album,
Big
Shoes. [More] |
