The Irish at the Newport Beach Film Festival

Today the Newport Beach Film Festival kicks off its Irish Spotlight. As a huge fan of Irish films, I was interested to learn that t first film to be screened is "A Shine of Rainbows" starring Aidan Quinn and Connie Nielson. Based on a novel by Lillian Beckwith, the film tells the story of an orphan whose life is transformed by an extraordinary woman who teaches him to conquer grief and discover magic in nature and himself. Other films include "Ondine", starring Colin Farrell and "Atlantic", directed by Conor Ferguson and starring Liam Cunningham.

Although I haven't heard much about this film or read the book, I'm excited to see that it is getting coverage as one of the 400 films being screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Now in its 11th year, the Newport Beach Film Festival is one of the leading film festivals in the United States.

After checking out the film, don't forget to stop by Muldoon's Irish Pub for an Irish celebration filled with food, music, and craic.

If you're in Southern California, don't miss this special event. Tickets to the screening are $12.00 and $20.00 if you choose (and you should) to attend the party afterwards.

For more information about the Newport Beach Film Festival, visit their website.

Maeve Binchy books made me fall in love with Ireland

Today is one of those days when England, my second home where most of my family lives, is on my mind. While this does make me want to jump on a plane (volcanic ash be damned) and spend time with my cousins, it also brings up a rather interesting memory that I only recently dug up from the recesses of my mind (being a history major in college means that anything that doesn't involved history is pushed into the back of your brain to make room for the names of every major general involved in the Battle of Gettysburg). It seems I've finally remembered when I truly fell in love with Ireland.

I'm known for being a rather long storyteller so you may want to grab a cup of coffee or a doughnut before continuing to read.

My love of Ireland blossomed out of sheer boredom. It sounds terrible, I know, but its the truth. And isn't this blogging all about telling the world the truth?

I had just arrived at my grandma's house at the age of 15 after spending two weeks helping my cousin take care of her newborn baby. It was a wonderful, and as anyone who has ever taken care of a newborn for an extended period of time knows exhausting, experience and I had arrived at my grandma's to rest and spend a few days in London with the rest of my family. This turned out to not be the case. Instead, I was too tired to spend the entire day shopping in London at Harrods (shocking I know) and a bit too cranky to deal with everyone's queries as to when I was planning on becoming a doctor.

So I retreated to the quietest place I knew, the library across the street from my grandma's in Bexleyheath (a tiny little town in Southeast London). When I was younger, I thought the library was absolutely massive but looking back it must have been quite small. I wandered around for awhile, looking for an interesting book to read. That's when it happened. My eyes landed on Maeve Binchy's Copper Beech. I had grown up seeing Maeve Binchy's name on the books that my mom read but had never read one myself. They seemed too grown up and not nearly as interesting as whatever I was reading when I was 15 (Harry Potter maybe?). But it was the only name that was familiar to me and so I picked it up, used the library card stating that I was 85 years old, and walked across the street and back into my grandma's house.

I loved it from the very first page. Its a hard feeling to describe but one that I feel other Maeve Binchy readers would understand. You fell in love not just with the characters, but with the whole story, the atmosphere, and most of all Ireland.

I quickly finished Copper Beech and found that I was facing a six hour plane journey with no books. And I couldn't very well steal a book from the library-my mother is a librarian and that is considered a mortal sin in our household. I was lucky enough to find Light a Penny Candle at the airport bookstore. It went on to become by favorite work by Maeve Binchy-I still cry each time I read the passage where Elizabeth returns to Ireland and sees Aunt Eileen for the first time. The copy is now so worn from countless readings but I would never buy another copy. I've spent countless hours since then devouring each of Maeve Binchy's books right up to Heart and Soul, which was released last year. Some of her newer books have taken place in modern day Ireland and though I've loved them, I enjoy the older ones the most. They evoke the Ireland that I grew to love, small towns with intrigue and gossip, but also camaraderie and faith in dark times. I could pick up any book, turn to a page, and just start reading. I don't think there are many books out there that have that power (that is, of course, implying that books have power).

This may not be the reality in Ireland today but its what I looked for when I traveled to Ireland in 2004. I visited Dun Laoghaire, the setting of books such as Circle of Friends, and Co Wicklow, where characters like Cathy from Scarlet Feather went for romantic weekends. And it was like how I imagined it, even with modern advancements. I owe the beginnings of my Irish education to Maeve Binchy. She set the foundation for my knowledge and I carried that with me through my Irish Studies minor at NYU and currently with my job at Irish America magazine. Often I know the answer to a random Irish fact because I read it in one of the novels.

So there you have it. That's how this half Indian, half English, American born girl fell in love with Ireland.

Coco is back!

This just in: Conan is back! According to CNN, a press release was sent out by TBS announcing that Conan's new late night show will debuting in November. Conan also announced it on his twitter account. I think I speak for all Conan fans when I say thank god that tall gangly red headed bombshell is back.

Why did it take the world so long to notice Phoebe Prince?

I've been following the story of Phoebe Prince, the 15 year old South Hadley by way of Co Clare teen who committed suicide on January 14th since the news appeared in the Irish Voice. Given that Irish America magazine shares the same office as the Voice, I've listened as my coworkers expressed shock, sadness, and anger about the the devastating fate of Phoebe.

Up until the last few weeks, when the news that nine of her classmates were facing criminal charges, I did not realize that this heartbreaking story had also caught the attention of the mainstream media. I opened the New York Times one morning to find an article about Phoebe's suicide and the subsequent charges against her classmates. I was asked by a family member if I had heard about the girl from Massachusetts who had hung herself after being bullied. Its been nearly three months since Phoebe took her own life and yet the rest of the world is only hearing about it now. We all know that bullying takes place in schools, many of us have watched it happen or experienced it first hand. Schools run seminars for teachers and students on how to deal with bullying. Students are encouraged to tell teachers if they are being picked on. Teachers and parents are trained to look out for signs of bullying.

And yet all of this failed. In the end, all the plans put into place to protect children were not implemented. Some stories say that school officials saw Phoebe being tormented on the day of her death and did nothing. Her mother expressed concern over the threats towards her daughter. Phoebe cried outside of classrooms and told others of the harassment.

Blame is being placed everywhere: on school officials, the students, the internet, texting, and even on Phoebe herself. Blaming Phoebe will solve nothing. It will only allow for bullying to continue and more children to fall prey to bullies.

I don't think there is a clear solution. If the school is reprimanded and the students are found guilty, will that really stop the bullying trend? It might stem the tide for a bit but new methods will arise and the trend will continue. How many of us can remember the countless names of other victims of bullying, abuse, and rape? Their names, along with the anger people felt about their untimely deaths, fade away and are replaced with the latest pop star news. If we let what happened to Phoebe fade away then we will only be facing a similar story in the future.