An Appalling Vista in North
The latest revelations that trusted Sinn Fein aide Denis Donaldson
was a British informer for 20 years has thrown yet another spanner
in the works for the peace process, and has created a mystery worthy
of John Le Carre. more... |
(Irish Voice) 21 December
2005
|
Top
10 Winners and Losers
The year 2005 will go down as one of the most interesting of recent
times. Here’s my annual eclectic list of 10 winners and losers.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 21 December
2005
|
A Great Beginning
The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR;
www.irishlobbyusa.org)
got off to a tremendous beginning on Friday, December 9, with well
over 100 in attendance at the inaugural meeting. more... |
(Irish Voice) 14 December
2005
|
Orde
On the Spot
Hugh Orde, chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland,
(PSNI), is in New York this week and is bound to face serious questions
from Irish Americans about the police force he heads.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 14 December
2005
|
Go West Young Men
San Francisco — Every time I come to this city by the bay I am reminded
that I may need to be checked by a psychiatrist for leaving this
town in the first place. more... |
(Irish Voice) 7 December
2005
|
Comment
Dealing With The OTRs - Immigration Meeting.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 7 December
2005
|
New
Lobby Group Formed
This week the Irish Voice announces a major undocumented immigration
initiative, with a public meeting on Friday, December 9 to be addressed
by Esther Olavarria, Senator Edward Kennedy’s immigration expert,
and former Congressman Bruce Morrison. more... |
(Irish Voice) 30 November
2005
|
Simply
the Best
George Best was to my generation growing up in Ireland in the 1960s
what Mickey Mantle or Joe Namath was to a similar generation of
Americans. Indeed, he was more.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 30 November
2005
|
Irish Stars Shine
Brightest
On this Thanksgiving we have an ideal opportunity to say thanks
to the incredible number of Irish artists who enrich American life.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 28 November
2005
|
Perils
of Megaphone Diplomacy
It is ironic that the most successful American fundraiser in Sinn
Fein history occurred last week without the presence of party leader
Gerry Adams.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 16 November
2005
|
Why
Bertie Ruled Out Sinn Fein
If there is a better politician than Taoiseach (Prime Minister)
Bertie Ahern in Europe, he or she should raise their hand now.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 16 November
2005
|
Suffer
Little Children
"BISHOP Brendan Comiskey has been a very frequent visitor to these
parts." However, as a result of the recent pedophile revelations,
Niall O'Dowd doubts he will be coming back again. more...
|
(Irish Voice) 10 November
2005
|
Bush’s
Big Mistake
IT is impossible to understand the latest Bush administration move
on Northern Ireland. more...
|
(Irish Voice) 10 November
2005
|
Bloomberg
for Mayor
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is no stranger to the Irish
community and the issues of importance to us. more...
|
(Irish Voice) 02 November
2005
|
Irish Astronaut in Space?
Houston — Will there be an Irish astronaut in space sometime in
the near future? I think the answer is a definite yes after spending
a few days at NASA headquarters in Houston last week.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 02 November
2005
|
Victims
Need to Come Forward
The fallout from the Christine Owad case continues this week, with
civil and criminal prosecutions being looked at by both the New
York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and Manhattan District
Attorney Robert Morgenthau. more... |
(Irish Voice) 26 October
2005
|
Hope on Immigration Reform
The recent testimony in Congress by leading members of the Bush
administration has renewed hope that a comprehensive immigration
reform package will be passed sooner rather than later.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 26 October
2005
|
The Flimflam
Mam
Upstate New York never looked as beautiful as it did on Monday when
reporter Georgina Brennan and I drove to Columbia County Memorial
Hospital in Hudson. more... |
(Irish Voice) 19 October
2005
|
A Lesson
In the Law
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts and immigration consultants promising
green cards. That is the clear message from the fiasco surrounding
the activities of Christine Owad as revealed in this newspaper last
week and again this week.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 19 October
2005
|
Ending
African Poverty
It was standing room only at New York University’s Skirball Theater
last Wednesday night as over 500 of New York’s movers and shakers
came to hear Bono and his mentor on Africa, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 12 October
2005
|
FBI Probe
Is Plain Wrong
Last week we reported exclusively that the FBI had attempted to
lure a young Irish American man into being an informer by threatening
that his father, who is undocumented, would be deported.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 12 October
2005
|
Sinn Fein Much
Too Smart for Paisley
Belfast— It was interesting that Gerry Adams warmly congratulated
Tyrone on their All-Ireland football final victory as the first
act at his press conference at the Waterfront Hall on Monday, September
26, the day IRA decommissioning was announced.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 5 October 2005
|
Mistakes By The White
House
The Bush administration took two steps this week that sent very
negative messages on the Irish peace process.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 5 October 2005
|
Over
to You, Ian
Ian Paisley’s worst nightmare has come true. more... |
(Irish Voice) 28 September
2005
|
Croke
Park Is a Winner
Dublin — If you want to witness the new Ireland it can be found
best in Croke Park, headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association,
Last Sunday over 82,000 people thrilled to the clash between Tyrone
and Kerry in this year’s renewal of Ireland’s most popular sport,
Gaelic football. more... |
(Irish Voice) 28 September
2005
|
King
of the Hill
The appointment of Congressman Peter King, Republican of Long Island,
to become head of the Homeland Security Committee in the House of
Representatives is a huge coup for the popular New York politician.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 21 September
2005
|
Will This Dog Hunt?
The White House has finally indicated which direction it is leaning
in on the critical issue of immigration reform.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 21 September
2005
|
Hillary on White House
Trail
Those who believe that New York Senator Hillary Clinton will not
be a formidable presence in the next presidential election are deluding
themselves. more... |
(Irish Voice) 14 September
2005
|
The Leadership Vacuum
in Unionism
The vicious Loyalist violence last weekend in Belfast and elsewhere
throughout Northern Ireland proves once again that when it comes
to leadership, the Unionist community is deeply lacking.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 14 September
2005
|
City
By the Sea
I have visited New Orleans only once. It was during Mardi Gras about
six years ago, that marvelous rite of spring that dates back in
the city to the early 1700s when the first French arrived and continued
their tradition of celebrating a great European feast.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 07 September
2005
|
AOH Into
The Breach
Estimates are that at least 10,000 are dead in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina, and the harsh reality is that New Orleans will never rise
again as the magic and magnificent city that so many Americans loved.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 07 September
2005
|
A Question for Henry Hyde
This week Republican Congressman Henry Hyde of Illinois came out
in support of sending the Colombia Three back to Colombia to face
17 years in prison. more... |
(Irish Voice) 31 August 2005
|
The Irish of New Orleans
New Orleans is front and center in the world media this week with
Hurricane Katrina blowing in with unprecedented force.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 31 August 2005
|
Mo Will
Be Missed
Mo Mowlam was the most unlikely politician I have ever met. She
was profane, indiscreet, suffered fools badly and had direct opinions
with no hedging around like so many other politicians do.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 24 August 2005
|
Another Twist in Colombia Three
The Colombia Three last week turned themselves in to Irish authorities,
and the latest dramatic twists in the ongoing saga have once again
occupied the headlines in Ireland last week.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 24 August 2005
|
A Not So Lovely War
Who could not have sympathy for Irish American mother Cindy Sheehan
as she continues her lonely vigil outside President Bush’s ranch
in Crawford, Texas? more... |
(Irish Voice) 17 August 2005
|
Rocket
Woman Returns
A young Irish American girl grows up in a broken household in a
rundown town in upstate New York called Elmira.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 17 August 2005
|
Colombia
3 – Again
The dramatic return of the Colombia Three to the center of the Northern
Ireland issue is an unexpected twist that is the latest in a string
of surprises concerning the trio.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 10 August 2005
|
From
Nightmare to Dream
If history is a nightmare from which we are trying to awaken, as
James Joyce said, then the people of Ireland finally woke up from
troubled slumber this month to a new dawn.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 10 August 2005
|
Shoot to Kill Returns
The scenes from London last week where a young Brazilian emigrant
was executed on a subway train were truly chilling. They were also
reminiscent of some of the worse excesses of the Troubles in Northern
Ireland. more... |
(Irish Voice) 27 July 2005
|
He Dared to Be Different
This week marks the end of an era when Conor O’Clery, the Irish
Times correspondent in America, retires and leaves for his native
shore. more... |
(Irish Voice) 27 July 2005
|
What
Is Terrorism?
The recent bombings in London have once again focused attention
on Islamic fundamentalist terrorism and what the world can do about
it. more... |
(Irish Voice) 20 July 2005
|
Coming
Up Roses
Last Friday night last in Manhattan, before a sellout crowd at the
Sky Club atop the Met Life building, the 2005 Rose of Tralee for
New York was chosen.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 20 July 2005
|
Terrorism
Redux
The scenes from London last week were eerily familiar to many of
us in the U.S. The bloodied faces of the wounded, the sad appeals
for news on missing relatives, and the determination that despite
the worst atrocity in decades, life would go on.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 13 July 2005
|
Lesson
of the London Bombs
The news of the London bombings last week created a very uncomfortable
déjà vu moment for those of us who remember only too well some of
the awful bombings the IRA carried out in that city.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 13 July 2005
|
Two Legends
Retire
Two retirements on the same night last week spelled the end of an
era for two very distinguished Irish Americans.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 6 July 2005
|
A New Dawn In the
North
The next few weeks will see a momentous and historical moment in
Northern Ireland when the IRA are widely expected to announce that
they will disband. more... |
(Irish Voice) 6 July 2005
|
The Truth About Hillary?
Some time ago Edward Klein, the author of the new book about Senator
Hillary Clinton, called me up and asked why we had not done a review
of his then new book on the Kennedys.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 29 June 2005
|
The
Orangemen Cometh
Once again we are in the thick of the marching season in Northern
Ireland, and the signs are clear that this year will be every bit
as problematic and filled with danger as past ones.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 29 June 2005
|
Iraq Insurgents
and Lessons from Ireland
Thomas J. Raleigh: This past St. Patrick’s Day I did something
different. I went to the library. I needed to sort out the jumbled
thoughts bouncing around in my brain relating to the war in Iraq,
insurgency, counterinsurgency and the little I know about Irish
history. My intuition was that there is a lesson there.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 30 March 2005
|
He Sent in the
Troops
James Callaghan, who died last week aged 92, was British prime minister
for three years, from 1976 to 1979, but it is his previous position
as home secretary during the outbreak of the Northern Troubles that
will enshrine his place in Irish history.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 30 March 2005
|
The Real Culture
of Death
Last week Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, perhaps the most enlightened
prelate in the American Catholic church, announced that the church
would begin a major offensive against the death penalty in the U.S.
based on the inherent unfairness of the system.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 30 March 2005
|
Adams Will Deliver
Every St. Patrick’s period the U.S. media is galvanized to report
on the Irish story of the week. The rest of the year, frankly, they
could care less. After all, Michael Jackson’s pajamas are much more
compelling. more...
|
(Irish Voice) 23 March 2005
|
Shame On St.
Patrick’s Day
Time was in Ireland when you could not get a legal drink on St.
Patrick’s Day as it was celebrated as a religious holiday. Back
then there were demure parades, usually led by a religious figure.
Attending Mass and singing the hymns to St. Patrick was the highlight
of the day. more...
|
(Irish Voice) 23 March 2005
|
Priorities
on St. Patrick’s Day
AMID the marching bands, hoopla and green beer this St. Patrick’s
Day, there exists a rather more somber reality for Irish America
this St. Patrick’s season.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 17 March 2005
|
Ted’s Big Mistake
I will bow to no one in my admiration for Senator Edward Kennedy
and the work he has done on the Irish peace process.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 17 March 2005
|
Call for Joint Authority
We have been buried under a cascade of bad publicity on Northern
Ireland for the past few months...
more... |
(Irish Voice)
9 March 2005
|
IRA
Move Is Madness
The IRA statement on Tuesday that they were ready to shoot their
members who killed Robert McCartney after a pub brawl in Belfast
in January is a disastrous development for the organization.
more... |
(Irish Voice)
9 March 2005
|
Pataki
in the Dock
The decision by the state of New York to appeal a lower court ruling
that the driver’s licenses of undocumented immigrants could not
be suspended is very disappointing.
more... |
(Irish Voice)
2 March 2005
|
Million Dollar Irish Baby
FX Toole, who wrote the original short story Million Dollar Baby
on which the Oscar winning film is based, once described himself
as “a sentimental Irish romantic.”
more... |
(Irish Voice)
2 March 2005
|
Murder Most Foul
Of all the catastrophic events that have overtaken Sinn Fein in
the past few weeks, the most serious is the killing of Robert McCartney
in a bar in the Markets area of Belfast.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 24 February
2005
|
Case Closed
on Robbery
Last week I wrote that the case against the IRA doing the Northern
Bank raid was “not proven.” This week I have to say that based on
all the available evidence, the case is closed. It was the IRA.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 24 February
2005
|
The White
House decision
It is now certain that the annual White House event for Irish Americans
and Northern Irish political party leaders will take place this
year under very different rules, as none of the party leaders will
be participating this time around.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 17 February
2005
|
Who Did the Bank
Raid?
The new Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern was in New York and
Washington last week and he carried an unmistakable message from
the Irish government. more...
|
(Irish Voice) 17 February
2005
|
IRA The Only
Whipping Boys
Senseless events happen all the time, all over the world, from killings
in Iraq to genocide in Darfur to mass starvation in Africa. Anyone
viewing the hit movie Hotel Rwanda about the genocide in that country
would understand just how things spiral utterly out of control in
certain situations in a totally unpredictable way.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 10 February
2005
|
Are Bad Old Times
Back?
When I went to the White House for the first St. Patrick’s Day party
hosted by President Clinton in 1993 I felt a part of history.
more... |
(Irish Voice) 10 February
2005
|
Sinn Fein Credibility
“We do not need them here.” Such was the editorial judgment of the
right-wing New York Sun newspaper concerning Sinn Fein leaders fundraising
or coming to the U.S. for St. Patrick’s Day.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 3 February
2005
|
McAleese
Spoke the Truth
Last week the Irish president made a straightforward assertion that
Protestants in Northern Ireland transmitted to their children “an
irrational hatred of Catholics.”
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 3 February
2005
|
Suicide in Ireland
Over 500 people take their own lives in Ireland every year, a figure
that has increased four-fold since the 1970s.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 26 January
2005
|
Kelly Denies
IRA Involved
Gerry Kelly, a senior figure in Sinn Fein, was in the U.S. this
week accompanied by Rita O’Hare, who handles North America for the
party.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 26 January
2005
|
Time for IRA To
Disband
For 25 years the IRA fought a guerilla war against the British Army
and assorted Loyalist paramilitary groups. There are, of course,
passionate arguments about that war.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 19 January
2005
|
Keep This
Terrorist Out
Most people’s image of a terrorist is a bin Laden type, a religious
fundamentalist ready to do his worst and wreak havoc on western
civilization as we know it.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 19 January
2005
|
Orde’s Error
It was not a good week for the Irish peace process. The robbery
of £26 million sterling from a bank in Northern Ireland has been
squarely laid at the feet of the IRA by the Chief Constable of the
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Hugh Orde.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 13 January
2005
|
The Bravest
of the Brave
Every year the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City is kicked
off by soldiers from the Fighting 69th Regiment, reflecting the
incredible linkage between the New York-based regiment and the history
of the Irish in America.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 13 January
2005
|
Why the British
Wanted to Withdraw
THE revelation that Harold Wilson, British prime minister during
the key early years of The Troubles, gave serious consideration
to pulling out of Northern Ireland will come as no great shock to
many.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 5 January 2005
|
A Spirit of Giving
— For Now
DUBLIN — The heart and soul of this country is a generosity of spirit
and a helping hand for those in trouble, so when the Asian tsunami
struck Ireland was quick to respond.
more...
|
(Irish Voice) 5 January 2005
|
