Irish Eclectic

By Brian McGowan It was with sadness and embarrassment I learned recently of the death of Ciaran Carson, poet, musician and author of what is surely one of the best books written on Irish traditional music I have ever had

By Brian McGowan I recently read “Good Friday: The Death of Irish Republicanism” by Anthony McIntyre, who as a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) spent 17 years imprisoned in the notorious Long Kesh Prison. McIntyre, incarcerated in his

By Brian McGowan We continue this month exploring Irish patriots, a group in which few stand as large as the legendary Eamon DeValera.  At the age of 34, “Dev,” as he was known to friend and foe alike, faced a

By Brian McGowan Our focus this issue is on two brothers, Robert and Thomas Addis Emmet. Robert, the youngest son of Dr. Robert Emmet and Elizabeth Mason, was born in Dublin in 1778. His family were members of the “Anglo-Irish

My grandfather, Frank McGowan, left Ireland in 1890, to seek his fortune in America. He was a post-Famine Irishman, raised on his parents’ memories of the Gorta Mór, or Great Hunger, of the 1840s, when millions of Irish starved to

By Brian McGowan We’re in the month where all eyes turn to the Patron Saint of Ireland, as well as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Facing a second consecutive year without a parade, hearts are understandably bereft. But

By Brian McGowan Many religious traditions and observances have their roots in pre-Christian beliefs, and Christmas is no exception. Bear in mind that sacred scripture says nothing definitive about when Jesus was born. It wasn’t until the 4th century A.D.