In this episode of the Irish Stew Podcast, host Martin Nutty discusses his experience celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the American Irish Historical Society, meeting its executive director, Dr. Elizabeth Stack. Despite her success in revitalizing the society, news of her removal for cost-saving measures casts a shadow on its future.

The episode reissues a conversation from July 2024, when cohosts John Lee and Martin Nutty met Dr. Stack at AIHS to discuss her background, her efforts in promoting Irish American history, and the Society's then-state. The conversation also explores the importance of storytelling, historical preservation, and community involvement in sustaining cultural institutions.

Links

Irish Stew Blog Post, which will be updated as new information becomes available

• Turmoil Revists the American Irish Historical Society

Elizabeth Stack

• LinkedIn

Articles on the Latest Turmoil at the American Irish Historical Society

• Irish Echo: Firing and Resignations Rock the AIHS
• Irish Echo: AIHS Board Issues Statement After Firing, Resignations
• Irish Central: American Irish Historical Society faces new "transition"

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 10; Total Episode Count: 113

Join us as Larry Kirwan spins us back to the vibrant, violent New York City of the 1980s and the lives of the mostly undocumented Irish who called a patch of turf there home, in his novel Rockin’ The Bronx.

Best known as the frontman for the legendary Irish-inflected rock & roll band Black 47, Larry delves into themes of immigration, Irish and Hispanic cultural intersections, the shifting fortunes of the navvies and the nannies, the unnamed scourge of AIDS, Reagan-era politics, and his creative process in writing plays, novels, and music.

“I could tell you how to write a novel, and how to write a play, basically in five minutes each,” he says. “With songwriting, I still don't understand it. It's that moment when the hammer hits the anvil, and sparks fly.”

Now the Wexford native is combining his songwriter and playwright skills in a new musical on labor organizer Elizabeth Gurley Flynn.

And stick around for Martin’s reading of a Rockin’ The Bronx passage reminiscent of the closing section of James Joyce’s “The Dead.”

Links

Book Orders:

• Fordham University Press: Rockin’ The Bronx

Larry Kirwan

• Wikipedia
• Black 47
• Celtic Crush with Larry Kirwan
• Celtic Crush Facebook
• Prior Irish Stew Episode

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 9; Total Episode Count: 112

“St. Patrick’s Day Today, Hungover Tomorrow.”

Seeing that slogan on a St. Patrick’s Day T-shirt sent William Spencer Reilly on a mission to “reclaim the day” from negative stereotypes to what is best about Irish culture. So, he created the Sober St. Patrick’s Day® Grand Celebration, a culture-rich, family-friendly, attractively priced, alcohol-free way to enjoy the “great day for the Irish.”

We delve into Bill’s life in theater production, how it served him in developing Sober St. Patrick’s Day, the movement’s early supporters including the Consulate of Ireland in New York, the event's growing success, the dangers of binge-drinking associated with St. Patrick’s Day, the champion Irish musicians and dancers highlighting this year’s program, and his plans for future Sober St. Patrick’s Day expansion.

As Bill says, “I’m not anti-drink, I’m anti-drunk. Sober St. Patrick’s Day is about all the best things about the Irish, just without the alcohol.”

As this episode drops, tickets are still available but act soon because the event sells out every year!

Links

Sober St. Patrick's Day

• Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

William Spencer Reilly

• LinkedIn

Episode Details: Season 7, Episode 8; Total Episode Count: 111