So I spent a good portion of the two prior weekends up in McHenry County. (See the footnote for the initial weekend’s adventure.) Mick Henry sounds like a good name for a TV detective. The county, though, is named after William McHenry. Back in the 1800s, McHenry fought quite a bit against indigenous tribes. He… Continue Reading
So Irish accordion king Joe Cullen officially retired Sunday. There was a big party for him at the Irish American Heritage Center to mark the occasion. It was like The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese’s movie about The Band’s final concert together back in 1976. But without Van Morrison. Or a film crew. Hey, Joe plays… Continue Reading
If Aaron Rodgers ever picked out the halftime entertainment for a Packers game and based it on his mind-altering experience with Peruvian ayahuasca it might look like a Drum Corps International (DCI) competition. What’s DCI, you say? Well, Louis Armstrong apparently said if you have to ask what jazz is, well, you’ll never know. Or… Continue Reading
Mike, I need a producer for my new movie would you be interested? We are shooting in Cannes May 15-20. Uh…wait…what? Do I want to shoot a film in Cannes on the Ides of May? What could go wrong? If interested let me know and we do a call urgent! The text messages above were… Continue Reading
Irish Film Hibernian Media hosting Irish Film star John Connors and producer Tiernan Williams in Chicago Jan. 21-23! Hibernian Media, is excited to announce that Irish film star John Connors will be visiting Chicago the weekend of January 21-23, 2022, for an encore screening of his film ENDLESS SUNSHINE ON A CLOUDY DAY. Connors and… Continue Reading
by James Cloonan When my father, Patrick Cloonan, read Josephine Colman’s article, in the Irish American News, about her father-in-law’s travels , it brought back many memories for 89 year old Patrick. Patrick, at only 16 years of age, left Lettermullan Connemara and headed over to England with his older brother Colman to fill the… Continue Reading
March coming in like a lion for Hibernian Media Hibernian Media, the tiny public charity dedicated to Irish and Irish American culture, has a great lineup of entertainment planned for St. Patrick’s Day and beyond. “We tell stories to enlighten future generations while honoring our ancestors.”, says Hibernian Chairman Mike “Houli” Houlihan.… Continue Reading
Hibernian Media Chairman Mike Houlihan is launching a promotional tour of Chicagoland’s Irish Pubs as he continues to salute local Irish First Responders on his weekly show, Hibernian Radio Hour, which is broadcast every Saturday night from 7-8PM on WSBC 1240AM and podcast at hibernianradio.org “We started the show in 2019 to honor our Irish… Continue Reading
By Super Bowl Sunday, after nine dreary days, we’re finally supposed to see the sun again. For your health’s sake get outside during the day, and sprinkle some Vitamin D on your nachos before gametime. Be thankful there’s not a blizzard like in 2015. That Super Bowl Sunday I braved the storm, walking from Best… Continue Reading
Last Friday, Tom, his dad and I attended the funeral mass for Father Manny Gomez. Gomez’s official title was parochial vicar at St. Monica Catholic Church in Carpentersville. I knew him as the guy who said 9:30 a.m. mass on Sundays. He had only been at St. Monica’s for a few years, as the Rockford… Continue Reading