John F. Kennedy was an Irish-American who transcended his roots
PAT MURPHY: In June 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was welcomed to Ireland as 'the first citizen of the great republic of the west'
Tag: Ireland
Maureen O’Hara, Ireland’s Queen of Technicolor
PAT MURPHY: O’Hara made more than 50 films. Probably the best known are the perennial Christmas favourite Miracle on 34th Street and The Quiet Man ($)
Saint Patrick and the art of public relations
PAT MURPHY: Separating fact from fiction can be difficult, but St. Patrick definitely won the war for popular historical memory ($)
What Elvis Costello got right in Oliver’s Army
GERRY CHIDIAC: Neocolonialism is alive and well, as are obscene military budgets. So is the myth that militarism is effective in maintaining order ($)
A century after a critical turning point in Irish history
PAT MURPHY: 1920’s Ireland exudes an aura of tragic futility. It also provides a fascinating study of competing perspectives ($)
An Irish hero for St. Patrick’s Day
PAT MURPHY: Sarsfield was the de facto commander of James’s forces in Ireland. The mission failed but his reputation for gallantry was assured ($29)
The power life of a medieval heiress
PAT MURPHY: The combination of Isabel de Clare’s inherited wealth and William Marshal’s earned status made for a fortuitous pairing
Digging for the bones of a lost Irish hero
PAT MURPHY: Red Hugh O’Donnell was the kind of historical figure who often fires imaginations
Flu pandemic of 1918 brutal, virulent killer
PAT MURPHY: One hundred years ago, a flu pandemic swept across the world, killing tens of millions of people, particularly those in the prime of life
Ireland on the cusp of political upheaval
PAT MURPHY: Should Sinn Fein come to power, it’ll be interesting to see how they deliver results. Making promises is easy. Getting a job done is different (PREMIUM content/Not yet a PREMIUM member? $25)
A child’s Christmas Eve in 1950 Dublin
PAT MURPHY: One of my earliest Christmas memories was going to see the “King of the Cowboys”, Roy Rogers, in The Gay Ranchero in a Dublin cinema
What if Brexit leads to the breakup of the United Kingdom?
PAT MURPHY: A separate Scotland and a unified Ireland would certainly face new challenges. But life might be easier for the English
Brexit’s potential for unintended consequences
PAT MURPHY: How about Scottish independence and Irish unification, just to start the conversation?
Republic of Ireland offers valuable social, economic lessons
CONSTANTINE PASSARIS: Looking for – and finding – solutions to hot-button issues from education to economic vibrancy to population growth
With war on the doorstep, The Singing Cowboy came calling
PAT MURPHY: His tour of the U.K. and Ireland just before the Second World War was a huge success. But prudence meant his entourage came home early to avoid any danger (PREMIUM content/Not yet a PREMIUM member? $14)
How Ireland stayed neutral in a world at war
PAT MURPHY: Under the leader ship of Eamon de Valera and with a very small army, virtually no aerial capability and little naval service, Ireland was a sitting duck in the Second World War (PREMIUM content/Not yet a PREMIUM member? $19)
The unexpected rise of Margaret Thatcher
PAT MURPHY: Into the U.K.’s Winter of Discontent came a woman of sharp edges and a clear mind about how change would be managed ($$)
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