The final memory I now have of Judy Dees is of stopping by her home on the eve of New Year’s Eve to drop off some thank you gifts from her little buddies, my buddy Tom’s three grandkids. See, Mrs. Dees (as they and I called her), had given them envelopes for Christmas. Mind you,… Continue Reading
Until this Sunday’s 5th Annual Hibernian Hooligan Ball, the last time legendary Chicago comedian Bill Brady and Mike Houlihan shared a stage together was in the indie film, TAPIOCA. The movie starred Ben Vereen, Tim Kazurinsky and a legion of Second City all-stars. Brady played himself in the off-beat comedy. Brady threw Houlihan off the… Continue Reading
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Best Fest Buddy Tom and I wound up playing detective for a bit, going undercover to see if we could solve the mystery of a missing door panel. We even wore disguises. Tom dressed as an Anglo school boy, donning short pants, Vans and a sport coat with patches on the elbows.… Continue Reading
Reclaim the Chicago Flag for the Irish Diaspo Claiming the Chicago Flag for Irish America! Chicago’s Irish and Irish American community have cause to celebrate on Friday October 7th when the Chicago Cultural Alliance will screen the film IN SEARCH OF WEEPING JIM in their “Journey Chicago” program at The Irish American Heritage Center that… 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
Dear people who put on the Pierogi Fest in Whiting, Indiana: Two of my buddies and I have a proposition for you. With Mr. Pierogi retiring after 25 years as the mascot and hopeful symbol of your tasty festival, Tom, Mark and I would like to put our names in the pot of slightly salted… Continue Reading
“When a party gets rowdy, the Irish call it a ‘hooley!” In 1941, Irish American screenwriter/director Preston Sturges won the Oscar for Best Screenplay of his film THE GREAT McGINTY. Fans of the 8th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley Film Festival, the only Irish American film festival in existence, will have the opportunity to see… Continue Reading
It’s already been a week since the Scottish Festival and Highland Games in Itasca – and a few days longer still since Bloomsday. You know Bloomsday. July 16, 1904, the day on which James Joyce sets “Ulysses”, which was published in 1922. You’re reading an Irish blog. You should know that! Right? Wasn’t Paul… Continue Reading
Hibenian Radio Hour is proud to announce a very special musical guest on the show this Wed. June 22nd at Cork & Kerry Irish Pub, 10614 South Western Ave in the heart of Beverly. The show is dedicated to Irish First Responders; cops, firefighters, paramedics and nurses and host Mike “Houli” Houlihan says, “We met… Continue Reading
The Broadway tour of To Kill A Mockingbird, Aaron Sorkin’s stage adaptation of Harper Lee’s novel, just ended its stay in Chicago. Toward the beginning of the play, one of my initial thoughts was that Richard Thomas, who stars as Atticus Finch, is way shorter than he looks on TV. But things frequently aren’t… Continue Reading