A wake was probably held on April 21, 1869, in a cramped walk-up at 97 Orchard Street. A 5-month-old girl, Agnes Moore, had died that morning of malnutrition. Her Irish immigrant parents, Joseph and Bridget, may have invited the German immigrant neighbors in the building and some co-workers from the saloons and restaurants where Mr. Moore worked to visit and mourn, as well as the Catholic priest who had baptized Agnes.

TOURISM IRELAND'S new €47 million campaign encouraging visitors to lose themselves in Ireland's mists of time and fantasy is a hoot. I mean hot. It's on the money, writes The Irish Times' Kate Holmquist

A green and hilly island where leprechauns, storytellers, musicians and maidens lie in wait to delay you with their magic is precisely how the Americans, French, Canadians and British perceive us - but how able are we on this island to meet the challenge? If you haven't seen the campaign, I'll fill you in on the gorgeous ad that will be appearing in the best publications abroad.

Imagine a verdant land where people travel about in vintage VW vans from one spectacular vista to the next. Imagine, as they say, all the lonely people - Irish people - just waiting to waylay you and bring you into the pub for a few stories and rounds of Guinness, sprinkling you with magic dust as you head back to your hotel.

There's more

Reviewed by Katy Guest

The Independent

A Passage to Inis Mor is the story of a 38 year old man, John Carlyle, (nee Sean O'Rourke.) Born in Ireland but taken by his mother to Australia at the age of eight after the accidental death of his father..
As the story opens Sean is experiencing a crisis in his personal life. His wife has left him, taking their seven year old son with her. The advertising agency he owns is in severe financial difficulties, his creditors are threatening to bankrupt him and he's hearing poetic voices in his mind urging him to return to Inis Mor. At first he resists these mysterious promptings but when he receives a letter from his grandmother saying that she's dying and wishes to speak with him, he books a ticket to Ireland. On his return he learns that his grandmother has already died, leaving him a cottage and a dilapidated old sailing boat built by his grandfather.
On his first day back on the island he meets a strange old seafaring man who offers to help him rebuild the boat. As the old man teaches Sean the art of boatbuilding he recounts stories of the seafaring men of Inis Mor, of the Selchies that the island is famous for, and of Sean's own father, Con Rua O'Rourke, whom Sean had thought to be a fisherman but who was, it turns out, a well known Seanachie (Irish storyteller)
The old man teaches in the traditional way, through storytelling, song, and poetry, and it is in working with this mysterious old man that Sean is led to a realisation of his own gifts and his talents and ultimately, back to his heart, his soul and the possible meaning and purpose of his life. (Available now as download or hard copy from www.lulu.com )

Over a decade after its original London premiere, Martin McDonagh's dark comedy stage play The Cripple of Inishmaan comes to the U.S. after a recent tour in Britain and Dublin.

 


Click here  

The Atlantic Theater Company revival keeps its full Irish cast when it hits the Linda Gross Theater on Dec. 9 through Feb. 1. The story takes audiences to the Inishmaan - the middle Aran Island off the coast of Ireland - of 1934.

 The play's "Cripple" character, Billy Claven, sets his sights on being featured by Hollywood documentarians hoping to capture life on the Aran Islands.

 The play's narrative connects to the real life filming of the 1934's "Man of Aran," the Robert J. Flaherty production that portrayed native life - staged and unstaged.

 Claven is portrayed by Aaron Monaghan (pictured), with support from Kerry Condon as Slippy Helen.

 

Other cast members include Andrew Connolly, Dearbhla Molloy, Marie Mullen and Patricia O'Connell.

 The production is directed by Garry Hynes. Hynes is a co-founder of Druid Theater Company, which is co-producing this production.

 
McDonagh, whose recent film endeavors offered 2006 Academy Award-winning short "Six Shooter" and the Sundance Film Festival-premiered "In Bruges," penned two other stories following "Inishmaan" to complete what became the Aran Islands trilogy.

 

 Though the Irish playwright's third installment of the trilogy never saw the stage, the second - "The Lieutenant of Inishmore" - was given life, and it garnered a Tony Award for "Best Play" in 2006.
There's more from Andy Smith at The Irish World here

SYNOPSIS Set in 1934 on an island off the west coast of Ireland, Hollywood filmmaker Robert Flaherty arrives on the neighboring island of Inishmore to film his movie 'The Man of Aran' and excitement ripples through the sleepy community of Inishmaan. For orphaned Billy Craven, who has been relentlessly scorned by the island's inhabitants, the film represents an escape from the poverty of his existence. He vies for a part in the film, and to everyone's surprise, it is the cripple who gets his chance. Atlantic is thrilled to co-produce 'The Cripple of Inishmaan' with Druid, Galway, with whom we collaborated on 1998's Tony Award® winning production of 'The Beauty Queen of Leenane.' by MARTIN McDONAGH directed by GARRY HYNES A co-production with Druid, Galway with Kerry Condon, Andrew Connolly, Laurence Kinlan, Dearbhla Molloy, Aaron Monaghan, Marie Mullen, Patricia O'Connell, David Pearse, John C. Vennema Designed by Francis O'Connor Lighting Design by Davy Cunningham Sound Design by John Leonard Composer Colin Towns

To Buy Tickets in Person Ticket Central Box Office 416 W 42nd Street New York, NY 10036 Open Daily 12-8pm

Clara Iaccarino gets a lesson in Gaelic and a taste of true Irish hospitality.

The spirit that moved Eire to declare her independence moved two of her western isles to assert their own independence of Eire. For 40 years the 200 fisherfolk of Turn and Turbot have maintained an "untaxable republic," refusing to pay taxes to County Galway on the mainland.

Last week, as often before, Galway Council sent the bailiffs to Turn and Turbot to collect £12,000 ($48,000) in back taxes.

But the bailiffs were baffled again. Nobody was home. Every house was silent. The cattle had been turned out on the common where they could not be seized. The previous night, every Turner and Turboter had shoved off together to "visit relatives" in Aran, 25 miles away.

The 159^th annual Blessing of the Grapes in Livermore Valley California was held on 19 September 2008 at Concannon Vineyard  which was founded by am emigrant from Inis Meain. The blessing was held  in conjunction with their 125^th consecutive harvest celebration. Third and fourth generation family members Jim and John Concannon cut a grapevine to officially inaugurate the new Concannon winemaking facility.

As part of a $30 million renovation, Concannon Vineyard recently purchased a new 21^st century European-built basket press. Ironically, it works the same way as the winery's original 19^th century European-built basket press. After abandoning the original, for more "modern" methods several decades ago, Concannon is returning to its celebrated past. As it turns 125 years old, Concannon Vineyard is reclaiming its heritage as one of California's earliest and longest continuously operating wineries while it invests for the next 125 years and continues the Concannon family's involvement.

According to Livermore Vice mayor, John Marchand "The Concannons have always had a strong sense of family, and the community has always been part of that family. The community has benefited from Concannon's generosity and commitment for generations." Chris Chandler, executive director, Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association continued, "The Concannon family has been involved with wine grape growers as partners to promote the continued growth of Livermore Valley for four generations."

"Although the Concannon Estate is one of the most advanced solar-powered, organically farmed operations in the world, we view it as a rediscovery of the pastversus a winery of the future," said David Kent, CEO of The Wine Group LLC, Concannon's parent company. "It's extraordinary that an international company like The Wine Group recognizes Livermore's potential which is having a ripple effect in stimulating our community to do even more," said Dale Eldridge Kaye, President and CEO, Livermore Chamber of Commerce.

Nowhere is the connection between past and the present more evident than in the Cask Room. Here 16 giant French oak casks, each holding the equivalent of fifteen thousand bottles of wine, have been painstakingly restored so that Concannon's famed Petite Sirah - America's first - can be crafted just like it was when the wine made its debut in 1964 (with a 1961 vintage).

Other renovations at Concannon that preserve and enhance its historic legacy include:

• Improving the 200 acres of preserved vineyard land surrounding the winery. These vineyards were the first in the Livermore Valley to be placed under a permanent conservation easement. These prized soils at Concannon are among the last few acres of their kind in the Bay Area that have not been paved over. In the process of replanting, blocks of old, time-tested Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon were retained and the grapevine clones that Concannon pioneered in California were perpetuated.
• A return to traditional methods of farming and crafting of grapes for Concannon's flagship wine- the Concannon Vineyard Heritage Petite Sirah. Other varieties planted in this way are Merlot, Petite Verdot, Cinsaut, Mourvedre, Zinfandel, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Semillon. A demonstration vineyard planted with different varieties will complete the new landscape plan.
• The restoration of the historic 1883 Concannon family home, extensions to the estate's vast system of stone walls, patios and arbors, and the doubling in size of its park-like setting. Last year the old Victorian house - complete with mature palm trees - was moved from a now-busy traffic intersection to a new location deeper within the estate. The new front lawn has become the summer home for the Livermore Shakespeare Festival. Once completed, the house will be rededicated in honor of James Concannon's wife, Ellen Rowe. The final phase of the estate's redevelopment, a complete renovation of the tasting room and hospitality center, will begin early next year.

Kent explained, "When we purchased Concannon Vineyard in 2002, we knew we were acquiring an important piece of California wine history. All of us at The Wine Group enthusiastically embrace our mission to be good stewards of the Concannon brand and its vital legacy."

Founder James Concannon's grandson and namesake, Jim Concannon, has worked on the property for over 50 years but his dedication has never waned. "I believe in each bottle of Concannon. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here," Concannon states. "I have my heart in this business and am confident that The Wine Group is also here for the long haul. Their plan is quality all the way. The Concannon brand is now well positioned for the next 125 years."

A founding California wine family, Concannon is celebrating its 125 year history as a leader of the wine industry. For four generations, the family has been deeply involved in the Livermore Valley, a region that put California on the world wine map. Concannon stayed open during Prohibition, introduced America's first varietally labeled Petite Sirah in the 1960's, and led with the introduction of Cabernet Sauvignon clones 7 & 8 in Napa. Concannon is committed to sustainable practices throughout its vineyard and winery operations to protect the environmental quality of the region