July 2024
-
The Irrepressible Edna O’Brien
Forward: Edna O’Brien, my favorite Irish woman writer, often referred to as the “Queen of Irish writers,” died Saturday on my birthday. I’ve always felt a kinship with her and particularly loved her short stories. It seems unfair that she never won the Nobel Prize in Literature or the prestigious $40,000 Booker Prize that is often seen as a precursor to the Nobel. She was honored with the title “Saoi,” meaning “wise one,” the highest honor […] Read More
-
Eight Months and Counting Until the First Glenside St. Patrick’s Day Parade
It’s going to be a relatively modest affair compared to other parades in the area, but the first St. Patrick’s Day parade planned for Glenside in Montgomery County is a pretty big deal to its well-organized planners. Members of the organizing committee met one evening recently around the dining room table at Noreen Donahue McAleer’s house not far from the proposed parade route. The parade—planned for March 8, 2025—is still months away, but the committee […] Read More
-
Have a Red, White and Blue Salad Celebration
Once upon a time in Ireland — at least at the time I made my first trip in 1984, and even a decade later — a salad was not a salad as we know it today: think a few leaves of iceberg and a slice or two of tomato. Perfectly acceptable at the time, but four decades later, you’ll find salads worthy of celebrating. Yes, greens are often dressed with a simple blend of oil […] Read More