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London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe Doubleday, New York 2026 Patrick Radden Keefe’s latest masterpiece  “London Falling,”  a literary gem, is a true crime novel that opens with: “After Zac Brettler  died, his parents tried to decode the mystery of what happened to him, endlessly revisiting specific moments from his short life.” From this moment on, I’m  transported – enveloped in an intriguing mystery with so many twists and turns, examining clues that look promising until, alas, another dead […] Read More

Making Peace by George Mitchell Alfred A. Knopf 1999 Preface: In 2015, I interviewed former senator from Maine George Mitchell about his book “The Negotiator … A Memoir.” A few months prior to that interview, I stumbled across his book “Making Peace” about his role as Special Envoy to Northern Ireland to negotiate a settlement between the warring political parties. The book ‘Making Peace’ was released in 1999 and it wasn’t until 16 years later that […] Read More

Astronomical spring officially begins (or began) on Friday at 10:46 a.m. Eastern time. (Meteorological spring began on March 1.) After the brutal, snow-packed winter most of us have suffered through, spring deserves a huge welcome! With its arrival, we have some lovely things to look forward to — longer days, warmer weather, and for the cook, lots of citrus-inspired desserts like this pudding cake. It’s a light, tangy two-layer affair with a lemony custard bottom and sponge-like lemon cake […] Read More

Wednesday, March 11 | Thursday, March 12 | Friday, March 13  | All shows at 7 p.m. Topper Theater of the John and Joan Mullen Center for Performing Arts Bellow tells the extraordinary real-life story of one of Ireland’s foremost accordionists, Danny O’Mahony, a man who had dedicated his life to the preservation of traditional Irish music. Now, after 40 years of breathing life into centuries-old tunes, Danny is finally taking a moment to stop and consider […] Read More

Avoca Cafés and restaurants, with 14 locations throughout Ireland from Mount Usher in County Wicklow to Moll’s Gap in County Kerry, serve luscious lunches, dreamy confections, and sweet treats to eat-in or to take- away. Even some of the best cooks in the country supplement their own baked goods with offerings from Avoca, especially when the holiday season rolls around. This lemon curd cake (photographed at their Suffolk Street, Dublin loation) comes beautifully embellished with […] Read More

It may be a cliché, but everyone really is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Aran knits, tweed caps, and shamrock-emblazoned scarves come out of the closet on the 17th. If you’re cooking, that means your treasured Irish recipes emerge, too, ones that everyone loves and expects on the most celebratory day on the Irish calendar. Whether you’re a parade-goer, watch it on television, or simply enjoy the day with a cup of tea or an […] Read More

Sometimes, under the right conditions, you can become the very thing you hate. Life is rarely that simple, or the Irish Heritage Theatre’s upcoming production of playwright Martin McDonagh’s “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” would be incredibly short. Instead, the path to a ghastly, deeply sad predestined fate can be winding indeed. And therein lies a brilliant story. McDonagh’s tale paints a vivid portrait of two women living together in Connemara, County Galway – the […] Read More

At the heart of journalist Mark Bulik’s exhaustively researched book, “Ambush at Central Park: When the IRA Came to New York,” there is the story of a bold plot to kill an informer, one Patrick Joseph “Cruxy” O’Connor, who had made his way to New York City in hopes of eluding the Irish Republican Army’s grasp. But there is so much more to this book. You’ll learn rich details about the operations of the Cork […] Read More

Review: “Sara & Gerald …Villa America and After” By Honoria Murphy Donnelly  With Richard N. Billings Sara and Gerald Murphy had an uncanny knack for infusing even the quotidian with an artistic  flair. These wealthy sophisticated Long Island Brahmins sailed for Europe in 1921 with their three young children disillusioned with what they perceived as the cultural aridity of post-World War I America. Their destination was Paris.  They were not famous but they were destined to become […] Read More

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and cranberries, always synonymous with the holiday, are poised to make their annual appearance alongside turkey and side dishes and in quick breads like this one enhanced by orange zest and juice.  It’s sweet enough for dessert but not-too-sweet for breakfast or afternoon tea. I like to bake it in a 12 x 4 x 2 1/2-inch tea loaf pan (the same capacity as a 9 x 5-inch loaf […] Read More