Manton's St. Patrick's Day Message to Quinn

Here is recent footage of Christine Quinn last week discussing the late Queens Democratic County Leader Tom Manton and how she wanted to march with him in New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but didn’t.

“On last St. Patrick’s Day I had really hoped that Tom, my father and I would get to march together Read More

Beethoven Boot Camp For Budding Concert Pianists

From June to September, the Italian seaside village of Positano is a mecca for seekers of dolce far niente . The Mediterranean bustles with the world’s showiest yachts; the shops throng with people whose bodies fit comfortably into the skimpiest beach wear. For me, however, the most alluring attraction is an event that involves struggle, Read More

The Roberts, Pitt Pairing: Was It Worth It?

Gore Verbinski’s The Mexican , from a screenplay by J.H. Wyman, wastes a great deal of acting talent trying to combine two ill-matched genres, the noisy sitcom psychobabble comedy and the even noisier caper movie, curiously endowed with road-rage car crashes without car chases. Still, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts were reportedly so anxious to Read More

The Bloody Brilliant Debut of a Baby Bard From Dublin

You must see Howie the Rookie by the Irish dramatist Mark O’Rowe, who’s only 30 years old. The piece represents an original voice and a staggering achievement. I can think of no more vital theater in years than this savage story that bursts with blood-and-gutter poetry and such awesome young talent.

Directed by Mike Bradwell, Read More

We’ve Surrendered Moral High Ground

The American Embassy in Dublin, like American embassies elsewhere, looks like something that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani would order up if he were building City Hall from scratch. The place is surrounded by a sturdy wrought-iron fence, and security cameras monitor the movement of anybody or anything within the complex or even in the streets outside. Read More

Poor, Banished Children? Not in Today’s Ireland

DUBLIN-Just over a decade ago, an American tourist in Ireland could expect to be treated in the manner of a ward boss making his rounds through Hell’s Kitchen 100 years ago. Bedraggled supplicants with sad tales and grim expressions would inquire about the availability of jobs in New York or Boston and the best methods Read More