Irish Movie Review - "Dancing at Lughnasa" 1998

I just watched "Dancing at Lughnasa" for the first time. It is an adaption of a play that I have not seen so I can only judge or review the movie. I enjoyed the portrayal of five sisters in rural Ireland in the 1930's. The relationship between the sisters and others who interact in their lives is very realistic. The acting is strong, the music enjoyable and the story kept me interested in these characters. I must admit I'm not usually a fan of female movies but this one was different. Maybe it's my interest in Ireland but I really like this movie. The best scene is when to sisters let go and give in to the music and dance. It's a powerful moment.

I related to the story personally because my mother returned to Ireland in 1932 for visit and I imagined what it must of been like then with the introduction of the radio. My mother's family in Glanduff got the first radio in that part of western Ireland in the 1930's and I can see them in my mind sitting around this magical box called the radio. On my trip to Ireland and to my mothers house I saw an original battery that was used in the radio they had in 1930's and it was just like the battery Aunt Kate buys at the local store in "Dancing at Lughnasa" .
'In my mother's area of the country the Foxford Woolen Mills was a major part of the area and a major employer during the 1930's and I'm sure also transformed how labor was done.

The movie ends on less of an upbeat moment than the movie but it feels real. It's a movie worth spending 90 minutes of your time with.

Irish Book Review - Tis

"Tis" by Frank McCourt is the second installment of his memoirs that continues the story started in "Angela's Ashes". The story start with Frank on a boat to America. It's a story of his personal version of the immigrant's American Dream story. It's a not an easy journey as Frank struggles to survive and make a life as a teacher in New York City.

The story resonates for me as a first generation Irish-American. McCourt writes is his prologue about how he would fight with his brothers to keep his American dream his. he learned how to share it with his brothers. I am the beneficiary of my parents American Dream that brought them to these shores in 1928. There were many years that it didn't feel like a dream growing up or I didn't appreciate the American Dream that was given to me but I've come to appreciate it and be thankful for the great sacrifices my parents made.

McCourt and my life were different but I went through my own version of trying to make my way from being a high school drop out in the South Bronx through multiple factory jobs, a return to school with a GED and eventually studying in a MA program in Creative Writing at City College to a brief stint as a teacher in the Bronx to where I am today.

I identify with his struggle as a teacher and I found his story of his family life fascinating. I know the landscape McCourt writes about.

His description of his father and his relationship with him is tragic and yet very real. Having just recently connected with my family on both my mother's and father's side in Ireland I have made the reverse journey back to discover Ireland and family. It's been a great adventure and has served to connect all the dots in my life in a way I never expected.

His writing is candid and moving. "Tis" is a book worth reading. A reviewer wrote that he survived his life to tell his tale. I feel the same about my life and hopefully I will be able to tell an entertaining and interesting tale in my writing.

Reading "Tis" has refocused me and re inspired me to spend more time writing the autobiography I never completed for my MA program many years ago. So I'm going to start writing my story and I'm going to move on to read his next book "Teacher Man." I'm also going to listen to his reading of the book on CD so I can hear the language of someone who is a great storyteller.

Irish Movie Review - The Field "1990"

The Field is a powerful film worth watching for it's story, directing, acting and especially for it's portrayal of Ireland. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it whenever I watched it but I don't think it would have connected as emotionally as it did after my second trip to my mother's home in the West of Ireland in the mountains of Glanduff in County Mayo.

My cousin Tony suggested I watch the film after we took a long walk in the mountains behind my mother's home. My cousin John who lives in Ireland took us back to a home that was built of stones back in the late 1800's or early 1900's. It was amazing to see what they built and the land they cleared of huge boulders to survive in those hard times. It's so hard to imagine the daily struggle my ancestor's went through just to survive. We talked about how important the land was to everyone.

So when I watched The Field i felt how emotionally connected Bull Mcabe was to the land. The Field has a similiar story of sorts to the classic "The Quiet Man" with John Wayne. In both movies an American of Irish descent comes back to buy the land and a struggle occurs. The Field unlike The Quiet Man is not a feel good movie but a dark movie showing the harshness of rural life in Ireland. It makes you understand why so many Irish left for a better and maybe easier life.

The Field is the story of a tenant farmer Bull Mccabe who's son terrorizes the owner who rents the land to them. She decides to sell the farm at an auction to the highest bidder and of course Bull knows no one will bid against him until a newly arrived American does. The outcome is tragic but powerful.

The Field was Jim Sheridan's second directorial effort and he did a fantastic job. He is one of my favorite directors.

Watch this movie to appreciate the history of Ireland and the attachment to the land the Irish had in rural Ireland. It's a story of a proud, strong people. This movie helped me understand my history especially fo my mother's family who grw up in the mountains of Glanduff in a place very similiar to this movie.

Sunday's Irish Music - High Kings - Fields Of Glory

Irish Movie Reviews - The Undertones

Documentary



I watched this Documentary at a event of the Los Angels Irish Film Festival a few weeks ago. It was an interesting and enjoyable film about a band that was formed in Derry, Northern ireland in 1975. I had never heard of them and found myself enjoying the music. It is also an interesting look at a group of young people who had to navigate their way through the politics and hatred that engulfed Derry at the time. Their music appealed to both Catholics and Protestants. If you get a chance check it out....

Irish Movie Review - "My Left Foot" 1989

Just finished watching "My Left Foot" after many years. Wow, what an amazing film. Jim Sheridan does a fantastic job as the director of this moving true tale of Christy Moore. It's an inspirational movie and Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the best performances of his career.

It's a great family story of Ireland and the love and hardship experienced by this family raising a son suffering from Cerebral Palsy. The story of Christy's overcoming his handicap and painting and writing with his left foot is truly a story that puts our normal life struggles in perspective.

A friend of mine Paul Heller was the Executive Producer of " My Left Foot" and brought us one of the best films to come out of Ireland. I recommend you check it out.....

Irish Movie Review - "The Secret of Roan Inish" 1994

I watched "The Secret of Roan Inish" years ago when it came out and remember enjoying it at the time. Years alter watching it again I still enjoyed the storytelling that captures the myths and faery tales of Ireland and mixes them with a story of a tough childhood in Ireland. It's a magical story of a little girl who goes to live with her grandparents who live by the sea across from Roan Inish. She discovers her long lost brother and reunites the family in a story that could only be told in ireland.
It's a great family movie to watch with your children.

Irish Movie Review - "Into The West"

"Into The West" was released in 1993 starring Gabriel Byrne and Ellen Barkin. The movie was set in a gritty section of Dublin prior to the economic boom that has improved the conditions in Ireland dramatically. A story of a Traveller's family who discover a magical white horse. It's a gritty story of a dad that has turned into an alcoholic after the loss of his wife and his two sons mother. The two son's are just great together.

It's a movie I would have loved to worked on or made. It's a delightful adventure.

If you haven't saw it I highly recommend it. It's a great family film with an uplifting ending and a tale of redemption with a little touch of the magic that is Ireland.

Irish Movie & Book Reviews

My 2nd trip to Ireland this year has got me focused on reading as many books on Ireland and watching all the movies made about Ireland and Irish -Americans. I've seen some of the movies before and I'm watching them again now based on having seen parts of Ireland twice and connecting to my family roots. I intend to write reviews of the books and movies as I finish them and carve out the time to write.

Some of the movies I will be writing about are:

The Field - (recommended by my cousin Tony O'Donnell )
The Wind That Shakes the Barley
The Undertones
48 Angels
Once
Michael Collins
Into The West
My Left Foot - produced by a friend Paul Heller ( Member of the Los Angeles Irish Film Festival Board)
Omagh
The Secret of Roan Inish
and many more..... I have a queue of 50 Irish theme films on my Blockbuster's account.

Some of the books I will be writing about:

Foxford - Through the Gates of Time ( given to me as a gift by my cousin Sharon Burton) - This was the "big" town my mother went down the hill to as a young girl.It was also the location of our family reunion at the Mayfly Hotel.
Attymas - Bridie Patten ( given to me by my cousin John Quinn) - This was my mother's parish as a young girl in Ireland.
Tis - Frank McCourt
How the Irish Saved Civilization

I previously wrote about 2 excellent books about Ireland and Irish-Americans:

The Pope's Children
The Billionaire Who Wasn't

I look forward to this adventure and exploration of Ireland and Irish-American stories and history in books and film.

Irish Film Festival - Los Angles Oct 2-5th

THE LOS ANGELES IRISH FILM FESTIVAL

October 2nd,3rd,4th & 5th

THE CLARITY THEATRE BEVERLY HILLS,

100 N. CRESCENT DRIVE

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA 90210

Check out their website..... come see the latest in irish Film

http://lairishfilm.com/

Volunteers Needed

Contact Lisa Mclaughlin-strassman and/or John Lyons
Email: lairishfilm@gmail.com

Mention: John Duffy

Reel Around the Sun - Irish Dancing

New York 1996

Streets of New York - Wolfe Tones

Ireland Homecoming - # 2 St Patrick's Day 2008 - Foxford

I left off my Ireland Homecoming story a while ago with the following paragraph.
We arrive on top of the hill after a fifteen minute drive. The door opens and I see my 94 year old Aunt Maggie. It's a very emotional reunion. She's crying, my niece is crying and I'm crying and we are hugging each other and all talking at the same time about the miracle that brought us back together........To be continued.........

Here is the 2nd chapter.....

It's two day later and I have made the acquaintance of just a few of my relatives and they have planned the main reunion at the Mayfly Hotel Restaurant in Foxford. It's St. Patrick's Day about 7 pm and I enter to see the large banner hanging welcoming us back to Ireland. My Cousin Tony made the banner to welcome us back home. The last time my mother was in Ireland was 1932 and here we were in Ireland for the first time making the trip my mother always wanted to make. We were carrying out her dream of going home and seeing her sister and family. It was an overwhelming moment.

To be continued.....

Slowly relatives began to trickle in and introductions were made and we tried to make connections, fill in the missing links and become acquainted with our family. Relatives were there from Ireland, England, Hungary and America and others were there in spirit from Canada and Australia. After everyone arrived I started off with a little introduction to who we were and how the evening came about. I gave thanks to Aunt Maggie for here requests to Cousin Sharon to find the lost relatives in America. I gave thanks to Sharon's tireless spirit of tracking us and our cousins the Gavin's down. Sharon's dad Tony spoke and gave us the history, Sharon read a moving poem she wrote and had us all crying. She thanked my niece for her persistence if finding our other cousins the Gavin's in the U.S. Cousin Seamus spoke and also gave us some historical context of the Irish emigration and our families experience of it and presented flowers to Sharon for making this happen. My daughter Sofia played "Danny Boy" and "Amazing Grace" on her flute with some assistance from her cousin Georgi.

So after the speeches we ate, drank, the kids played and we talked and had a great craic. Aunt Maggie and Cousin Marie played all night with the seven kids.

One of the highlights of the evening was my Aunt Maggie singing many Irish songs for us. Her rendition of a "Mother's Love" had me crying and thinking about my mother.I never in my wildest imagination expected to find my family and be reunited. It was the greatest night of my life or as my Aunt Maggie would say, "It was Mighty". A truly miraculous St. Patrick's Day. What a welcome home. I'll forever be grateful to Aunt Maggie and Cousin Sharon and my Cousin Tony for making this happen. This night and this reunion was also the greatest gift I could ever give my daughter.

A Song For Ireland

Irish Fair - Irvine CA June 22

I went to the Irish Fair today in Irvine, CA and enjoyed some good music from The Fenians, The American Wake , Sligo Rags, Brother, The Los Angeles Police Dept. Bagpipe Players and a host of other performers. It was a scorcher in Irvine but I enjoyed the traditional dancers, the food , the Irish culture and the great energy. I finished up the day listening to a great rendition of Danny Boy by the Fenians.

The Fenian's Danny Boy

Father's Day - In Honor of My Dad

In 1928 he traveled from Cookstown, Northern Ireland to Ellis Island, New York City. It was a six week boat ride. He worked as a butcher in a meat plant "Plymouth Rock" in the South Bronx. He became a US citizen and in 1942 joined the US Army and left for the Philippines to serve in WW II. He married my mother weeks before leaving. He returned to the US in 1946 and went back to work in the meat plant. Ten years later he died of Pneumonia. I didn't get to know him well but I know this; he was brave enough to come to America to make a better life for himself, he was brave enough to choose to join the Army and serve, I know he was a hard working man and I know he gave me a better life.

So I honor him this Father's Day and remember him. Thanks Pops.......

Dublin - It's a Beautiful Day

I spent only 6 hours in Dublin in March but I fell in love with the city. I can't wait to spend more time there.

Sinead - Sacrifice

The Road to Peace

McAleese honours the 'debt' owed to young bomb victims

the relationship between Ireland and Britain is now the best it has ever been, President Mary McAleese said yesterday during her visit to England.

The president was speaking at the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, set up following the IRA bomb attack in Warrington in March 1993.

Tim Parry (12) and three-year-old Johnathan Ball were killed and 56 people were injured when two bombs were detonated in the Cheshire town's main shopping street.

At the centre, President McAleese held a private meeting with the foundation's founders, Tim's parents, Colin and Wendy Parry, who issued the invitation for her to see its work when they met former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern earlier this year.

She said: "The peace we now enjoy has been built at such an awful cost but built it has been, thanks to those who, despite terrible suffering, have always believed in the capacity of the human person to change, to open up to others they once despised, to make friends of strangers, to make good neighbours of old enemies.

"And, I think, that is the debt we owe to children like Johnathan and children like Tim.''
....

Mrs McAleese went on to Liverpool for an address to students at the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King.

In her speech, 'The Road to Peace -- With a Little Help From Our Friends', the president said: "When the laurels are being rightly given to the major and well-known protagonists like Bertie Ahern as taoiseach and prime minister Blair for the success of the peace process, it is also important to acknowledge the wind at their backs.

"That came from the irrepressible hope of tens of thousands of everyday men, women and children who refused to accept sectarianism, who reached out across the chasms of fear and mistrust, who quite simply took risks for peace."

- Mike Hornby

Gemma Hayes - Gaelic & English Songs

I came across this singer in Irish Abroad.... Worth listening to....

A Gem of a Singer

May 29, 2008
by Mike Farragher

.....
She is an Irish sister-in-arms to Jewel and Dido, offering an enticing package of lilting poetry, catchy acoustic melodies and a come hither persona that comes at you loud and clear, despite her penchant for whispering throughout The Hollow of Morning.
.....
With this much looks and talent on her side, Hayes is poised to make it big here. iTunes recently named Hollow of the Morning a “hot pick,” and she will be supporting her old pals Bell X1 as they make a run for New York audiences on June 4 at Irving Plaza. This will be a killer double bill, so get your tickets now!

For more information, visit myspace.com/gemmahayes.

Gaelic - Night on My Side



English - Ran For Miles

Gaelic Music - Kila

A Mother's Love

I first heard this song when my 94 year old Aunt Maggie sang this at our family reunion on St Patrick's Day in Foxford, Ireland 2008. It brought lots of tears to my eyes. I hope to post her version one day soon.....

Irish Music Video - Gaelic

3rd Year Irish Films Won Awards at Cannes

This is the third year in a row that Ireland has been honoured at Cannes, with the Ken Loach film 'The Wind that Shakes The Barley' and 'Garage' having received awards previously.

Irish-UK Co Production Film "Hunger" wins at Cannes

British artist Steve McQueen, who directed THE FILM Hunger , dealing with the death of IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands, received the Camera d'Or award at the closing ceremony of the Festival de Cannes last night.

The prize was accepted by director Steve McQueen, the British artist who won the Turner Prize in 1999. "I'm very proud for myself and the marvellous cast and crew I had on this film," McQueen told The Irish Times after the awards ceremony. "As we worked on it, I knew that we were making something special. Michael Fassbender [who plays Sands] is a star, as are Liam Cunningham and Stuart Graham, and our young actors, Liam McMahon and Brian Milligan. They are the weight, heart and soul of the film."

McQueen said last night that he identified with both sides of the political divide as he made the film.

"I'm a human being," he said. "I understand one side as much as the other. Sides don't matter to me. It is all about human beings, people in an extraordinary situation."

An Irish-UK co-production, Hunger was written by McQueen and Irish playwright Enda Walsh. It was funded by Channel 4, Northern Ireland Screen and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.

I have not seen the film yet but I echo the sentiment of the director in his comment "It's all about human beings". I will review the movie here after i view it......