The Celebrated Irish On Broadway

The Irish Repertory Theater recently hosted a celebration of Irish enter-tainment in the 20th Century at the Broadhurst Theater. Sons of the Century was the seventh annual Broadway Benefit for the theater. Directed by Charlotte Moore, the festive evening celebrated the best in Irish song, poetry and performance over the past 100 years. Gabriel Byrne (Moon for the Misbegotten) and Sinead Cusack (Our Lady of Sligo) hosted and the night included some fantastic performances by the likes of Mile O'Shea, Eric Stoltz and legendary singer Rosemary Clooney. A Gala Supper at Sardi's followed with attendees and cast mingling 'til about 2 AM. --BB

Island Arts From Ireland @ Kennedy Center

Island-Arts From Ireland, a two-week festival featuring a wide array of talent in literature, film, and music, was sponsored by the Irish Government and held at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The idea for the festival was generated by former US ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. The Kennedy Center gave Americans a glimpse at some of the exciting things happening in performance art from around the world. One of the most exciting events held was The Poet & The Piper presentation. "One speaking, one squeaking," said a friend of Liam O'Flynn's as he joined poet Seamns Heaney on stage for their combined American premiere together conducting an evening of pipes and prose.

Heaney said, "The first time we met to do this, it was a small church in Kerry on a Sunday afternoon." No more small churches for these two men who performed in front of an audience of 1,500. Once a member of Planxty, Liam O'Flynn has also worked alongside the Everly Brothers. Slow airs such as "Port na bPucai?" (Gaelic for Music of the Spirits) and Liam's piping hero Willie Clancy's "A Stor Mo Chroi (Love Of My Heart)" recount the story of immigration.

Heaney's translation of Anglo-Saxon story Beowulf earned him the Whitbread Award in which Heaney incorporated the fall of the king (Beowulf) to the fall of John E Kennedy. Following the translation, O'Flynn was reminded of a piece called "The Death of Staker Wallace" which celebrates a hero named Patrick Wallace whose head was put on a stake in Limerick. The late 18th century piece, "The Foxchase," begins by gathering the hounds (jig), followed by the chase (jig) then capture and slaughter of the fox (lamentful air). "The Skunk", written while at Berkley in the 70's, recalls childhood memories such of peeling potatoes and folding sheets. In "Mossbawn Sunlight" he recalls the year 1939 like it was yesterday, baby Seamus ogling from his cradle while his aunt bakes bread. "Keeping Going", a fitting poem about life in Northern Ireland, was dedicated to his brother Hugh Heaney going from boyhood to manhood. Both men relish in their roots as educators, but mainly as proud Irishmen. Both have a passion for what they do: one to make words come alive, the other to make music soar. --Kathleen Troy

Madigan Men

Look for Gabriel Byme Fridays this fall in the ABC sitcom Madigan Men. Byrne plays the lead role of Benjamin Madigan, a recently divorced architect learning about dating again from his 16 year old son and his widowed father.

Irish Tasting

At a reception introducing Magners Original Vintage Cider to the U.S., Magners President Brendan McGuin ness, welcomed guests as he explained the heritage of Ireland's most popular hard cider.

Gateway to America

Documenting the history of Irish immigration in America, The Lower East Side Tenement Museum recently opened the Irish Fumily Apurtment exhibit with a special benefit at the New York Athletic club. From performances of Irish dance, music, a silent auction to a performance by actor/writer Malachy McCourt's (reliving a speech by George Washington Plunkitt--the infamous Tammany Hall politician) awards were presented to Raymond O'Keefe, Mary Mulvihill and James Gill. Besides the honorees, board members and supporters, and guests of such companies as the Bank of Ireland and Bell Atlantic attended Former Mayor Edward Koch joined McCourt and president Ruth Ahram at her table (pictured above). The heart of the Museum is its landmark tenement building, home to 7,000 people from 20 nations, between 1863 and 1935. Visitors tour the cramped living spaces; learn about the lives of past residents--a German Jewish family (1870s), an Eastern European Orthodox Jewish family (1918), and an Italian Catholic family (1930s)--as well an Irish family. The Irish have had a presence in NYC dating back to the early 17th century. The exhibit provides a look at this large, influential community through the eyes of one Irish family. It also offers a living history program where one can meet a young Sephardic Turkish immigrant who lived in the building in 1916, a walking tour of the neighborhood, and plays, art exhibits, and readings during the year. --BE

Helping Hands (Left to Right: Denise (holding the WWF belt), sisters Laura and Nicola Hamilton (whose legs were shattered by a bomb on Market Street in Omagh '98), and Stephanie McMahon.)

Denise Lehane met WWF Women's Champion Stephanie McMahon for lunch on her recent NY trip. Lehane was among the 29 kids from Irish American Youth Team 2000 that visited the champion following their participation in the New York State Parks Games for the Physically Challenged. The 14 year old Cork native badly disfugured her face when she fell into a fire at nine months old. Thanks to John Wren (Pres./CEO of Omnicomm Group) and Bill Broderick, Lehane will undergo reconstructive surgery. Plastic surgeon Norman Bakshandeh lends his time to help as well as John Fitzpatrick (of Fitzpatrick Hotels) who offered rooms for future visits. The Irish team finished the games with a total of 158 medals.

Sinead Around

Sinead O'Connor was in town promoting the life out of her new album, the long awaited Faith and Courage. The Tsk Tsks were heard again as she made controversial remarks about coming out as a primarily lesbian celibate. Sinead completed her busy week in New York City with several television and magazine interviews. The singer made TV appearances on CNN, Access Hollywood, MTV2, and VH-I. She also performed live for The Rosie O'Dannell Show, The View and CBS' The Early Show. O'Connor will also make a splash in the printing world with interviews from around the country and photo shoots with Vanity Fair, US, Detour, and Jane magazines. Her publicity tour included a visit to the often times hot seat at the Howard Stern Radio Show. She handled herself effectively as she faced questions regarding her recent announcement. Those of us lucky enough to see a television appearance welcomed the return of her wonderful voice. The rest of us will have to wait for Sinead O'Connor to return on tour.

New Media Buzz

Recently the New York new media community has witnessed several events that have included an Irish element. Topping the list is the international Network (produced by the team behind the Silicon Alley Reporter and the Silicon Alley 2000--featured in news last issue) which took place in late May. Highlights of this survey of international internet developments included a think tank focus on UK and Ireland. The panel which ensued on June 1 included managing director, Qpass Bill Barnard; Indigo.ie general manager Mark Beggs, ebeon CEO Bill Donoghne; First Tuesday co-founder Jnlie Meyer; icabriel founder Charles Muirhead; London's Oven Digital managing director Nik Roope; Ireland.com GM Jeanne Spillane; Mondus.co.uk CEO Alexander Stranb, U.S.Director of Local Ireland Niall Swan. In addition, The Rising Tide Partners' team will be hosting the following Silicon Alley Conferences in 2000: the Rising Tide Summit with PBS's Charlie Rose on 6/27-29; Digital Coast 2000 (in Los Angeles) 9/1214; Silicon Alley Venture Capital Summit in the Fall 2000 and the Silicon Alley 2001 conference in February 2001. NYNMA's recent evening panel in June featured Entertainment Online. Are We Having Fun Yet' at Cooper Union's Great Hall. Panelists included Nicholas Bntterworth of IMTV; Pseudo founder Josh Harris; Silicon Alley Reporter editor/CEO Jason McCabe Calacanis; and XM Satellite Radio CEO Greg Costikyan. Moderator Leah Gentry, LA Times New Media Editorial Director, combatively discussed the entertainment possibilities of the internet medium and how, six years later, online entertainment remains a stepchild to e-commerce and database marketing online.

Ten Irish eBusiness companies recently launched a drive to build strategic partnerships with NYC counterparts. Enterprise Ireland organized this effort to bring the companies together with the help of many Silicon Alley's key players. More than 100 company meetings had been organized. According to EI-NY New Media VP Niamh Bushnell, interactive agencies and the B2B internet companies are partnering with Irish companies whose design and development skills excite Alley companies. These partnerships offer NY new media companies a speedier access to the European market. The Irish companies that were part of the partnering initiative included: Zartis and Ebeon (interactive agencies); Prospectus (strategic consultants); Nebula and Labyrinth (WAP applications providers); Softco (emarketplaces solutions providers); Twelve Horses (marketing communications ASP); Vordel (eBusiness product developers); Nua (web publishing developers); .Monex (providers of multicurrency payments on the web). More than 220 Irish tech firms are active in the US and 130 have US headquarters and local offices Ireland has overtaken the US as the world's number one software exporter.--BB

Popes Come to Town

Irish trad-rock fans pioneered by the expats, are a rare and peculiar breed on the London and New York bar scenes. For those who have a rare affection for the Irish formula, the Pogues were without question the best and the most dangerously intoxicating of the lot. Lead singer Shane MacGowan's gigs (now further-between and more predictable than ever) were drunken celebrations of the intersection between the classic jig and the carousing, pumping pub blast. Shane and the Pogues who really kicked it up. While that alliance collapsed under the weight of its own excesses, a successor version arose, The Popes. The band's debut CD, Hollon·ay Rolrlevaud (Snappermusic), stakes a good claim for occupying that stool at the bar long held by Maccowan. The group-guitarist/vocalist Paul McCninness, bassist Bob "Lucky" Dowling, mandolinist/banjoist Tom "the Beast' McManamon and drummer Andy "Peg" Ireland--now gives you that "don't even think of looking at me" stare but has a mean story to tell after a couple of sociables.

Originally formed in '94 to record Shane's album The Snake, this marks the quartet's first outing sans Maccowan. The Popes' world is as rough, if not an altogether bleaker than the one portrayed on earlier Shane-penned classics. The title's Holloway Boulevard --the heavily Irish-populated North London area of Holloway Roadis the Popes' very own hood. Intoxicating cuts such as the Pogues' "Bottle of Smoke" jump to mind but don't detract from the band's own brand of trashy tale-telling. Numbers include emotive ballads to contrite trad-rockers such as "Vaya Con Dies" (a direct descendant of their tune "Fiesta" complete with the insightful line "yer man's a crary motherfucker you know/fucking loco")--reinforced by use of a liner note photo of Eamon Casey, the disgraced former Bishop of Galway who had fathered an illegitimate child. "The Beast" with Spider Stacey's cameo screams is a classic out-of-control pumphouse rager. By the time Pappy MacGowan turns up on "Chino's Place" one feels like taking him aside and giving him a good pat on the back ("You have taught your students well, Shane-son") then toddling up and getting the round in, of course. So all's well that the Popes make their U.S. debut with this album on their own label and short American tour.

-Stephen Fottrell/Brad Balfour

Irish Artist Eamonn O 'Doherty was selected to sculpt his design for The Great Hunger Memorial of Westchester County. His sculpture was unveiled at The Great Hunger Memorial Cocktail Party in NYC earlier this Spring.