Legendary band Black 47’s New York City shows, which have been going on for the past 20 years, have been described as “a rite of passage for all New Yorkers.”

Back home in Kerry to prepare for her wedding, and praying it won’t be a wet one. A waterlogged April Drew reports on a never-ending Irish problem: the incessant rain.

Colum McCann says he was devastated that Ireland lost out to France in the World Cup but that winning the National Book Award "did make up in some way for the defeat.”

Handball villain Thierry Henry has called for the controversial Ireland/France game to be replayed. The French star striker said a replay would be the "fairest solution" after his handball set up the goal which dumped Ireland out of the World Cup.

Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck will hit the road in January for a four-night tour that will feature this unlikely double act in concert halls in Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and New York. The "Bold and Fresh" tour promises to bring conversations of "substance" from the two TV hosts.

Irish golfer Padraig Harrington has slammed the French team for the way they celebrated after Thierry Henry's hand ball helped them win their World Cup clash with Ireland.

Zut alors! Even the French think we were robbed last night in the Stade de France. An online poll in the French newspaper Le Monde shows a staggering 80,657 French people (presumably) believe Ireland should be on their way to the World Cup.

The National Book Award for fiction for 2009 has gone to Irish author Colm McCann who lives in New York for his book "Let the Great World Spin." The book is set in New York in 1974 when a French tightrope walker Philippe Petit walked between the two towers of the Twin Towers, creating a massive publicity stunt.

United States Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley were among the distinguished guests at the Irish Voice’s Irish Legal 100 reception held last Wednesday evening, November 11, at the Washington, D.C. residence of the Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Collins.

This year the Boston Irish Film Festival present a unique multimedia event that takes you back to the early 1910s when pioneering screenwriter/actress Gene Gauntier and director Sidney Olcott of the Kalem Film Company blazed a trail from New York to Killarney—and into history.

Rosie O'Donnell is in Oprah's bad books after hinting on Howard Stern's show that Oprah and her friend Gayle King are gay. During an exchange with Stern, O'Donnell said: ''I don't know. I think [Oprah's] never been married and she's exceptionally close to Gayle. I don't know that she and Gayle are necessarily doing each other, but I think they are the emotional equivalent of ...'' with Stern filling in, ''A gay couple.''

Olivia Wilde’s star is firmly on the ascent. Best known for her recurring role in Fox’s “House,” the Irish American actress trained at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and chose her stage name in honor of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. She talks about her Irish background, her pride in her heritage and her ultimate dream – the chance to make a film in Ireland.

Travel to Ireland is on a downward curve this year. Tourism Ireland reports that “the first 10 months of 2009 have proven to be a very tough period for tourism to the island of Ireland, and for tourism worldwide.”

Jailed financier Bernie Madoff used disgraced Irish bank Anglo Irish to funnel payments for his extravagant lifestyle, investigators say. The funds were used to buy a luxury yacht, vintage cars and to fund private investments. Madoff has been sentenced to 150 years in prison for his $45 billion Ponzi scheme.

Members of the Irish community gathered at a memorial Mass in New York Thursday to remember Sen. Edward Kennedy just over 12 weeks after his death. The senator’s son, Edward Kennedy Jr., Christine Quinn, Speaker of New York City Council, and Irish Consul General Niall Burgess were among those present.

The Irish Arts Center’s inaugural Irish Poetry Festival was a standing room only event last Saturday in New York, proving that the demand for a forum for Irish verse is as strong as ever.

Steep rises in health insurance premiums are crippling small Irish businesses and putting workers’ health at risk. “We were trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat every year,” says Sean Keogh, originally from Templeogue in County Dublin.

John Timoney, 61, the Dublin-born four star Miami chief of police may be seeking pastures new soon if the city’s newly elected Republican mayor has his way.

Susan Boyle will head to Toronto to serenade her Canadian fans with a song three days after her first album, “I Dreamed a Dream, “ drops. Boyle will take to the Waterfall Stage at

Sometimes when you get chatting to a person who has emigrated from Ireland, you can catch a glimpse of the country’s own evolution over the last thirty or so years. That’s very much the case with Buncrana, County Donegal man Turlough McConnell, whose writing and music took him first to Dublin and then on to New York.

The late Irish writer Nuala O Faolain often fought with her partner's eight-year-old daughter for his affection a new Irish television documentary reveals.

The Irish have made their mark on Manhattan for centuries, building the skyscrapers, policing the streets and eventually running city hall. That’s why when you visit the Big Apple you won’t be short of fascinating historical sites of enduring importance to the Irish.

“Twilight” star Robert Pattinson's aversion to tabloid and fan obsession is the reason he won’t date co-star Kristen Stewart.

The great review in The New York Times on Monday for "The New Electric Ballroom," the new play by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, further reinforces the remarkable story of Irish success in New York in recent years.

Andy Lee's (19-1) preparations for his fight against France's Affif Belghecham (19-3-1) on November 14 at the University Arena in Limerick are going to plan in New York.

The increase of bi-national marriages and relationships as a result of globalization has exacerbated the tragedy of child abduction across international borders.

Josephine Cuskelly, 42, originally from County Offaly, became the focus of a national dragnet when she went missing on July 24 with her son Zarakseez. The mother and child are still nowhere to be found.

Who’s the leading contender to win the Academy Award in February for Best Actress? According to the influential Los Angeles Times, it’s none other than Irish actress Saoirse Ronan.

“Ardnaglass On The Air,” the comedy farce by Jimmy Kerr and directed by critically acclaimed writer and actress Geraldine Hughes, will be presented as a fundraiser by the New York Irish Center.

April Drew: Though money makes our lives tick , at the end of the day it’s family that counts. The recession has brought people closer to each other and, after all, isn’t it the relationships we share with our family and friends the most important thing in this life?

Bridget English: On the bus ride back we drove through lush countryside and towns like Monaghan and Omagh. These towns, though smaller than Derry, seemed equally appealing. While there is much beauty to be found in Southern countryside, the North feels unspoiled, ripe with possibility and well worth a visit.

Robert Reynolds: It's now clear that Mayor Michael Bloomberg became New York's third term mayor because of the Catholic vote. Irish and Italians in the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island provided the margin of victory for Bloomberg in a much tighter contest than was anticipated.

Niall O'Dowd: Somewhere in Australia there's an Irish lad called Rowan McCormick who broke Maureen Dowd's heart. When she went back in the early 1970s to visit her homestead in County Clare, hard by the majestic Cliffs of Moher, she met him and fell madly in love.

A rose is to be named after Natasha Richardson, wife of Irish actor Liam Neeson, in honor of the late actress.

The verdict is in from the New York Times: “Finian’s Rainbow” on Broadway is a hit! Amidst the upcoming gloomy winter season, the Times says the Irish-themed show provides a ray of sunshine.

US Airways has become the latest airline to pull out of Shannon with the announcement Thursday that it ending service to the western airport. The airline said it was suspending flights from Philadelphia to Shannon, London and Birmingham in England, Milan in Italy and Stockholm in Sweden.

If you want to wield power in this world you’ll need a whip. You also need to be unafraid to crack it. But just remember that, as Irish American playwright Eugene O’Neill outlines in the revival of his remarkable play "The Emperor Jones" now playing at the Irish Repertory Theatre, sooner or later that whip is going to be used on you too. Power always comes with a price attached, and it’s usually steep.

Bob McCann, a leading figure in the American Ireland Fund in New York, has been appointed UBS new head of wealth management in America. McCann will oversee 8,000 financial advisors and almost $700 billion in assets at UBS.

A sudden family death in Ireland, an upcoming wedding and all kinds of emotional upheaval. Irish Voice reporter April Drew has had an eventful week, and here, as she prepared to leave New York for Ireland, she describes the sad scenes at the JFK departure lounge.

In New York last week part of a Maynooth College expo, Tyrone football manager Mickey Harte took time out from his busy schedule to sit down with Eugene Kyne to discuss his team, his future, his favorite players and other aspects of his legendary career.

Irish Voice Senior Editor Debbie McGoldrick answers your immigration questions, queries and concerns. This week: I-94W departure card query.

After years of drink, drugs and debauchery in New York and San Francisco’s well-known Irish haunts, author Colin Broderick finally cleaned up his act and wrote a searing new book about his life. Then, as though by magic, came Barack Obama’s literary agent and a major book deal.

I can’t say I wasn’t warned about the rain in Ireland. Whenever I complained about the rain before I left America friends and family told me to “Get used to it.” My aunt even bought me a new raincoat as a going away present.

News from the 32: Antrim, Armagh, Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Down, Dublin, Fermanagh, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Tyrone, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

HBO has announced that it has renewed its Emmy-winning series “In Treatment” for a third season.

Video / Susan Boyle sings 'Wild Horses' / Click here   Niall O'Dowd column / Susan Boyle goes her own way / Click here Susan Boyle will be singing live at the

Sport Northern Ireland will be sending over representatives to tempt NYC runners to sign up for next year’s marathon in Northern Ireland by jangling the carrot of an all-expenses-paid trip to the 29th running of the Deep RiverRock-sponsored Belfast City Marathon on May 3, 2010.

It’s the concert of the year. On Thursday October 29 at 8 p.m. the Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland (CBOI), a group composed of musicians aged between 12 and 24, will perform at the prestigious Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.

An overweight Irish woman, fed up with her full figure, lost weight and then came to a New York plastic surgeon to put the finishing touches on her new self.

The inaugural meeting of the newly formed Irish American Leadership Council took place last Friday in New York, with a robust exchange of ideas among members and Irish government leaders on how to maximize the multi-tiered relationship between Ireland and the Irish community in the U.S.