Steve Kazee and "Once" score Tony triumps - VIDEOS

Irish musical Once walked off with the largest haul of trophies at the 2012 Tony Awards last night and in this clip Steve Kazee (who won Best Actor in A Musical last night) shows us why.

Kazee, 36, who gives his all to his portrait of a wounded young Dubliner with a song in his heart, lost his mother at Easter whilst the show was still in preparation. Lat night Kazee remembered her in an emotional tribute that brought supporters to their feet.

In his acceptance speech he quoted Arthur O'Shaughnessy, the poet of Irish descent, saying : 'We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.'

For Kazee and for the cast and crew of Once, those dreams came true last night.

Review - Not drowning but swimming - “Jump in and Start Swimming”

Cover of James P. Naughton's new book

Author James P. Naughton’s Irish parents taught him a thing or two about resilience growing up. Arriving in the U.S. for the first time in the fiercely cold winter of 1930, at the very height of the Great Depression, his Co. Mayo-born mother and father learned the hard way how to survive -- and thrive -- against the odds.
Naughton’s own story is one of learning how to overcome hardships, too. After almost dropping out of high school and then being refused by every college he applied to due to his poor SAT scores, Naughton finally heeded his Irish mother’s wise words.

What she told him eventually became the title of his new book, Jump In and Start Swimming.

Heeding her never-say-die approach, Naughton finally found a college that would accept him. Although he intended to become a teacher and majored in English, he ultimately chose a business career instead, with spectacular results.

As a businessman he went on to great success, in his last post managing to raise a billion dollars in a single year.

With that kind of business acumen and experience behind him, it occurred to Naughton to share his practices with others, and this inspirational book is the result.

Some people will groan at the idea. American bookshelves are already heaving under the weight of every kind of Get Rich Look Good Be Happy self-help title out there, so what makes Naughton’s so special?

“I think that half the country doesn’t know that there’s a recession on,” Naughton tells the Irish Voice.

“I live in Rhode Island, and if you go to the restaurants and bars the lines are four deep. But if you visit Providence, parts of it look like a war zone.

“During the Great Depression during the 1930s you knew the country was in trouble because you could see the bread lines. Now we have another terrible recession, and this time the people most affected are harder to see.”

Naughton says he wrote his book to remind young people of his favorite saying -- you have to go along to get along. If you’re jobless and feeling the pinch, he says, try to land the first paying position you can because it can lead to better opportunities down the road.

“My own kids don’t want to hear that message because we wanted to protect them from the harsher side of life. But now that we’re in a more challenging economic climate they will have to get used to the idea that they won’t have a career and big bucks handed to them as a kind of birthright.”

The situation in 2012 is a tale of two economies, Naughton says.

“My own friends, people I’ve worked alongside on Wall Street, will deny to my face that there is a new level of hardship out there. For them it’s the best of times. They literally don’t see that half the country is often despairing.”

Naughton has personal experience of the economic winds that are prevailing since what he calls the atomic bomb of the second Great Depression began in 2008. It ended his own Wall Street career.

Working as a financial wholesaler, he was laid off without warning. “I thought I was invincible, I was the number one guy in the industry, let alone my firm, and then my oldest son got laid off -- and he has three kids,” Naughton said.

Naughton got laid off in what the financial industry calls a Reduction In Force (an RIF).

“It’s a new age term for a layoff,” he scoffs. “I assume the company decided that they would cut my job because of my age and everything else.

“But I remembered that my father came over in the worst economic crisis to ever hit the country and I don’t believe it can ever get that bad again because we have Social Security, we have unemployment, we have better protections now,” he adds.

To battle the challenges of the current time, the economic survival skills from an earlier age, first taught to him by his own parents, will be necessary to relearn. So Naughton’s book’s title refers to having the faith in oneself to navigate the looming icebergs.

“This is a great book for anyone who is seeking post-college employment, the returning veteran, the unemployed and the underemployed. It’s based on my own life and career and the lessons it taught me that can’t be taught in school.  The book also offers high school students a reason to stay in school,” Naughton explains. “My message is start somewhere. Take a position. Trust your own abilities and create your own path. That’s the best way to thrive that there is.”

For information on Jump In and Start Swimming, visit www.keypublishingcompany.com, or call 401-486-9601.

A look at books - Irish fiction and non-fiction literature to get your teeth in to

The Reckoning

By Jane Casey

Jane Casey’s life looks like an audition for the role of first-rate crime writer. Born and raised in Dublin, she graduated from Oxford University and Trinity College Dublin, and then worked in London for a time as a book editor until the urge to write her own works eventually became too strong.

Marrying a criminal barrister in London who specializes in prosecution, her husband’s day to day life is filled with police officers, criminals, reluctant witnesses, judges and juries – basically the entire stock and trade of a crime writers life.

So if The Reckoning, her second thrilling tour of London’s back streets, is filled with the kind of illuminating details that ground it in reality you’ll know why.

When London detective Maeve Kerrigan sets out to find the killer of a series of sex offenders, she starts with the theory that it’s the work of a mobster who’s hoping to track down a missing girl. But the facts keep pointing in other directions and the lid keeps coming off more and more long buried grudges, with explosive results. 

Casey is a particularly acute reader of human behavior, and there is more than a hint of the psychological depth of the classic crime drama Prime Suspect at work in this tense and twisted tale.

Minotaur, $24.95.

Malarky

By Anakana Schofield

Well, this is a particularly lively tale by an Irish Canadian with a superb understanding of the cadences of Irish speech. In Malarky we meet an Irish widow named Philomena who refuses to be sunk by whatever indignities life tries to serve her. 

Recently bereaved, she has caught her son in the fields with another man. Then a half mad local informs her of all the real or imagines infidelities of her late husband. It’s enough to oppress the spirits of the brightest, but Philomena is made of stronger stuff. 

Schofield’s richest gift is for spirited dialogue which crackles with humor and energy in this blackly funny, half mad tale. Portraits of working class Irish female eccentrics are pretty thin on the ground, and for that reason alone this divertingly brilliant book is entirely worth your time. 

This is the most distinctive novel of its kind I’ve read in a decade. 

Biblioasis, $16.95.

A Fierce Local: Memoirs of My Love Affair With Ireland

By Harvey Gould

Harvey Gould is not your typical Irish moniker, but nonetheless he’s a “fierce local” in his adopted homeland, which he clearly loves unreservedly. So how did a nice Jewish boy from Chicago become a (literally) full-blooded Irishman?

It may have been thanks to the blood transfusion that saved his life during his 13th trip to Ireland. Suffering from a chronic blood disorder, he visited a local doctor when he started feeling poorly. 

She drew some vials and sent them – and him – to the hospital immediately. Three hours later he was having the blood transfusion that saved his life.

Gould, who was a former trial lawyer in California, enjoys the symbolism. All his American blood was replaced by Irish blood, which is taking matters to a bit of an extreme. 

Marrying Karen Duffy, an Irish American girl from Washington Heights, was the transformative event in Gould’s life. Both had been married before to people within their own faith traditions, both subsequently divorced and took a long time to decide they belonged together, but eventually they did.

Because of that union Gould eventually discovered the other great love of his life, Ireland. Visit after visit brought him closer to the elusive character of the Irish themselves, and this memoir is a vivid and clearly heartfelt celebration of the land and its people.

iUniverse.com, $22.95.

On the Run

Colm O’Gaora

When Colm O’Gaora’s mother was young there were still people living in her locality that had an excellent memory of the Year of the French. O’Gara’s father was a sailor as a young man and remembered hearing of Lincoln’s death whilst stopping at Cape Verde. 

O’Gaora himself was fated to live in interesting times, writing one of the most vivid accounts of the Irish War of Independence in the Irish language. This remarkable new book is a translation into English of his classic telling. 

O’Gaora was an important figure in the development of republicanism and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) in the west of Ireland. In the early 1920s that meant living your life on the run from British forces. This turbulent era of Irish history leaps to life in a memoir that is deservedly reprinted year after year.

Dufour, $26.95.

A look at books- Irish food and fiction

Painted With Words
By Lara Marlowe

Lara Marlowe is best known as a distinguished foreign correspondent for The Irish Times, but she is equally well known in Ireland for her writings on French art.  Painted With Words is her luminous new collection of essays on some of the world’s greatest painters.

“Painting is not done to decorate apartments,” wrote Pablo Picasso. “It is an instrument of war against brutality and darkness.”

It’s perhaps inevitable that Marlowe, who has spent decades contemplating brutal regimes who spread brutality and darkness herself, should turn to art for solace, and perhaps to remind herself (and us) of what is greatest in human nature.

Sometimes an image can be a talisman that you carry with you, and the memory of it can sustain you in even the darkest times. All the while we’ve know her as a world class foreign correspondent, it appears that Marlowe has also been a philosopher of art and the human condition.

In Painted With Words, her introduction to the achievements of some of the worlds greatest painters is one of the most insightful and heartening books I’ve read on the subject of art and artists in over a decade.
Dufour, $44.95.

Fifty Years Have Flown: The History of Cork Airport
By Donal O’Drisceoil and Dairmuid O’Drisceoil

CORK Airport celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and in this lively and beautifully illustrated new book the writers have produced an affectionate and often very funny portrait of the airport down the years.

It began, like so many Irish tales, with a scramble. In 1961 the airport was still a building site two weeks before it was scheduled to open.

First there was the Irish rain, then the Irish cement strike (don’t ask) and dust was everywhere, clouding the windows of the aircraft and the arrivals hall. But after one almighty final push the construction workers and staff somehow pulled it off and history was made.

It wasn’t all bright. There was the dreadful 1968 Tuskar Rock tragedy (an air crash resulting in Aer Lingus’ greatest loss of life). There was also the 1985 Air India disaster.

But the airport was also a glamorous outpost for celebrity sightings, returning sports teams and tony social events. This book is the most handsomely illustrated and evocative memoir of 50 years of aviation in Cork.
Dufour, $45.95.

Farmhouses Cheeses of Ireland
By Glynn Anderson and John McLaughlin

THERE are 40 shades of green, but countless hundreds of varieties of Irish farmhouse cheese. If all you’ve ever tasted is mild cheddar, this book might be your guidepost to a richer, tastier world.

The Irish produce world-class dairy. For proof of this watch Irish butter fly off the shelves in supermarkets in New York City. There’s an inimitable creamy richness to Irish products that is the result of fertile land, an ideal climate and centuries of farming traditions.

It’s no wonder our excellence is acknowledged internationally. As well as introducing you to many of the most delicious cheeses you will ever taste, this vividly illustrated book will teach you recipes to experience their cheeses in their best possible lights.

For gourmets and for anyone interesting in expanding their knowledge of world-class Irish cheeses, this book is the go to guide.
Collins Press, $44.95.

Every Goose Thinks His Wife Is a Duck
The Irish Case For Laughing, Crying and Drinking Through Life
By Robert Sullivan

“LIFE is a long preparation for something that never happens,” said W.B. Yeats once, marvelously.

A talent for seeing and saying profound things in a way that can startle and make you smile at the same time is an Irish gift. Charm, it turns out, has always been a valued commodity, as has style.

“I never wake without finding life a more insignificant thing than it was the day before,” wrote Jonathan Swift.
The Irish awareness of the ultimate absurdity of things, even the most serious questions of life and death, may stem from centuries of peering into the abyss of colonialism and its horrifying consequences. There’s nothing like ruinous suffering to drive a man or woman to think.

What makes Sullivan’s book stand out from other run of the mill collections of the best of Irish quotations is that he has curated it with no distinction between poet, pop star or politician. All are eminently capable of offering insights and this lively volume is certain to entertain.
CreateSpace, $15.99.

Conan O'Brien says goodbye to Newt Gingrich's campaign

Last night Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter said goodbye to Newt Gingrich's ill-fated presidential campaign in the best way they know how.

Michael Fassbender plays a robot in "Prometheus" - Video goes viral

 Michael Fassbender

Irish actor Michael Fassbender plays a robot (but the humanoid kind with emotions) called David in the forthcoming sci-fi film of the summer Prometheus.

Watch him revel in the opportunity to play a man-machine. Squeel over those breathy pauses.

This is what a word class actor having fun looks like.

We reckon there's more than a little disturbing foreshadowing going on in this viral clip. How much do you want to bet he's going to malfunction?

A look at books - Irish cooking, history and fiction

Irish Traditional Cooking
By Darina Allen

Can you call yourself Irish if you don’t own at least two Irish cookery books by Darina Allen? Simply put no one else has ever assembled the classic Irish dishes with the range and scope and appreciation for Irish tradition that she has.

In Irish Traditional Cooking Allen has assembled over 300 recipes that are as wholesome and unpretentious and the books title. Allen is a seasonal cook, which means she lists dishes that are in tune with the produce on offer year round, which makes this book an especially worthwhile purchase for discerning cooks.

This is magical food, prepared and presented in simple step-by-step measures that won’t intimidate. It’s made simple because Allen’s knowledge is authoritative, and she knows Irish cuisine inside out.

What’s especially fascinating is her knowledge not just of the recipes but also of the Irish cooking and baking traditions that produced them and her passion to preserve them is infectious.

Food can be a powerful gateway into the past and Allen knows this, and her chapter on making Barm Brack will probably take you back to your own childhood days in Ireland if you were lucky enough to experience it. If you weren’t this book is as close as you are ever likely to come. It can not be recommended highly enough.

Kyle Books, $35.00

Pure Cork
By Michael Lenihane

The garb changes from generation to generation, but the faces in the photographs in Michael Lenihane’s new book clearly belong to our tribe. From its origins as a medieval walled town to its status now as one of the top ten cities on the Lonely Planet’s Guide, Lenihane’s book Pure Cork traces the illustrious history of this mold-breaking city and the vivid people who make their homes there.

In a way never seen before Lenihane’s new book visually captures the city’s rapid evolution through a series of judiciously chosen photographs, post cards, maps, sketches and drawings, bringing to life the sights and sounds of the of the rebel city in the process.

Two hundred years of Irish history is contained within its pages and it’ll be a gift best appreciated by those who know what it means to be pure Cork, boy!

Dufour, $39.95.

Sharp Sticks, Driven Nails
Edited by Phillip O’Ceallaigh

The Irish are the world’s acknowledged masters of the short story form. In this punchy new collection from the innovative Irish publishing group The Stinging Fly Press we’re introduced to a new generation of Irish writers, this time edited by the award winning short story writer Phillip O’Ceallaigh.

This is a discerning new collection of emerging and established Irish voices that at times achieves startling originality and surprise with tales that involve murder, mayhem, love, confrontation and even sedate pastimes like taking Italian lessons taking unexpected turns.

The Irish short story form (and its writers) are looking further than the four green fields to Europe and in acknowledgement the editor has for the first time included European writers in the mix, adding an extra dimension to the already rich layers of metaphor and cultural exchange that already underscore the Irish experience.

Dufour, $21.95.

Citizen Dwyer
By Sean McCarthy

Authors often have to issue a caveat when it come to writing about Irish history, as if to explain the at times blatantly contradictory attitudes of the people themselves. This is as it should be. Everything is always being contested in Ireland; from the name of a child to the boundary of a property, you can be certain that someone somewhere is going to take a different view, and most likely at the worst possible moment.

Meet Wicklow Chieftain Michael Dwyer, the hero of McCarthy’s novel. Composed of delightfully contrasting characteristics, he’s a revolutionary idealist, and inspirational guerilla leader and a violent alcoholic. Hey, you have to take the bad with the good, after all.

In McCarthy’s sprawling new tale we follow McCarthy and his family as they are deported to a penal colony in Australia. In case you’re wondering it’s a fictional tale based on real characters, and it tells a sobering tale about the ravages of an uncontrollable addiction. Booze can make a meal of even the most accomplished men and so it proves in McCarthy’s moral fable.

Dufour, $27.95