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.

A.J. Voelpel: Two games remain on the Notre Dame football schedule for 2009. Well, three if you count the “Consolation” Bowl sometime in December. The UConn Huskies enter South Bend on a three-game losing streak and have lost their last three road games (all to ranked teams) by a mere nine points.

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.

Miley Cyrus’ tour bus was involved in a car crash Friday morning that left one person dead. Teen star and Irish favorite Cyrus was not in the bus, reports say.

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.

Niall O'Dowd: Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, has spoken out on the need for Catholic and Anglican dialogue. That all sounds very reasonable, but Williams is head of the Established Church which stopped at nothing in its day to end Catholicism as we now know it. They made Pope Benedict's efforts to win over Anglicans look like a child's tea party. Today's Anglicans may well be saying why "can't we all get along" but their predecessors were utterly savage in their fury towards Catholics.

About 200,000 Irish fans from all over the world have joined a Facebook petition calling on FIFA for a replay of the France/Ireland match which ended in bitter controversy in Paris Wednesday night. France advanced to the World Cup finals through a disputed goal after star striker Thierry Henry blatantly handled the ball before setting up the winning score.

French soccer “star” Thierry Henry’s “hand of Gaul” go-ahead goal against Ireland in the World Cup qualifier has once again shown the need for the instant replay. American sports are no stranger to human error and bad calls that could have been solved by modern technology. Here’s a list of the ten of greatest blown calls in American sports history that could have been reversed with instant replay...

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.

Ambassador Rooney was on a visit to Kilkenny city Wednesday, November 18, home to the tomb of Obama's long lost relative, Bishop John Kearney. He said he has asked Obama to visit Ireland.

Kelly Osbourne fears she will turn to drink and drugs when 'Dancing with the Stars' ends. The 25-year-old presenter is concerned she will lapse back into substance abuse when she has more time on her hands but is doing her best to avoid repeating her self-destructive habits.

A.J. Voelpel: My fourth grade teacher once told me the only way to reach goals is by setting them. Well then after another 4-3 record against the spread-- which raised my season total to 47-29-- I’m making it a point to finish 20 games over .500. I’m two back of that mark and will do everything in my prediction power to hit it.

The U.S. wants the gardai (Irish police) to deliver James O’Gara, who stole $12,600 from a bank in the Bronx in April 2007. As he left the bank, he lost not just his gun, but also his cash.

Susan Boyle isn’t dreaming a dream anymore – she’s living it. The Scottish star’s debut album “I Dreamed A Dream” has broken records, and was just named Amazon Music’s largest global CD pre-order in history.

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.

Father Francis Markey, 81, an elderly Irish priest based in Indiana, was released from jail on bail on Tuesday pending an extradition hearing later this week.

A Texas woman who fled to Ireland with her two children in 2005 is to attend an extradition hearing in Dublin on Wednesday, December 3.

A $2 million dollar study commissioned by Roman Catholic Bishops at the height of the Church’s sexual abuse scandal in the U.S. has found no connection between sexual orientation and abuse of children by clergy.

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.''

American born artist Daniel Mark Duffy has been on the receiving end of a moral debate on modern Ireland. The artist’s provocative nude portraits have drawn both criticism and praise from all corners of Irish society.

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.

Not every boat was lifted by the Celtic Tiger economy. In "W.C.," the low key, but thoroughly likeable new Irish film by writer and director Liam O’Mochain, it’s the people who work unseen and underpaid who are his subjects.

There is a significant Irish presence on a Southern separatist group known as the League of the South that calls itself Anglo-Celtic and has been featured on the Glenn Beck show on Fox News. Now, The Huffington Post has attacked the group as racist and Beck for allowing them to appear on his show.

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.”

Sean O'Shea I wrote yesterday that Notre Dame will likely breeze by Connecticut and lose against Stanford. Now I'm not so sure.

A popular Irish Catholic priest has quit the priesthood to spend his life with a woman. Fr. Sean McKenna, 51, received a standing ovation from his local parishioners in Derry when he made the announcement. The congregation wept and cheered when McKenna said he was leaving the priesthood, having embarked on a "loving, beautiful and life-giving relationship."

I hate to say I told you so but four weeks ago when I said Charlie Weis had to go there was a storm of criticism around my head. When I suggested that Brian Kelly of Cincinnati was the likely replacement I was told that I was talking nonsense, including on the ESPN site. What are the odds of Weis keeping his job now?

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

A little Irish town has honored 10 of its citizens who served as U.S. soldiers buried in its tiny graveyard.

The Los Angeles suburb of Westwood has just entered the "Twilight" zone. More towns and cities will be arriving soon. Hundreds of young women are already lining up to see the premiere of "New Moon," the latest Robert Pattinson movie on Monday.

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.

Robert Reynolds: Since Sarah Palin once famously said she didn't know whether Africa was a continent, we in the global Irish community are left to wonder whether she could have ever unscrambled the difference between England, Britain and the so-called United Kingdom. Alas, we won't have to wait too long for Palin's wit (?) and wisdom (?!). Her new book comes out Monday.

Sarah Palin releases her new book 'Going Rogue' this week, and judging by the reviews she really gets her Irish up. John McCain, the media, the Democratic Party, and the know alls in Washington all get it loud and clear from the former Alaska governor.

Robert Reynolds: The resignation of Greg Craig as White House counsel is a sad day for civil liberties in America. Craig was a fearless proponent of exposing those who ordered torture of prisoners in American custody.

The undocumented Irish community in the U.S. received a major boost today with the announcement from the White House that it will push forward with a legalization program. Homeland Security boss Janet Napolitano said the Obama administration is seeking a "tough but fair pathway to earned legal status."

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.

There are few countries that celebrate a cozier, put-your-feet-up Christmas than Ireland. With its family-oriented culture and the legendary friendliness of its people, spending the holidays in Ireland is one of the most rewarding decisions you could ever make.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton played a major role in securing the release of Irish priest Fr. Michael Sinnott. The priest was kidnapped 32 days ago by a radical group of Islamic militants called the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

AJ Voelpel: I semi-recovered from a 3-4 performance two weeks ago. I ended up going 4-3 against the spread, which raises my season total to 43-26 (60.4 percent). With every week, there was the birdie; almost predicting the Clemson-FSU game on the dot, and the (double) bogey; thinking for some unknown reason that the Irish were going to beat Navy by two Tds.

Miami Police Chief John Timoney, an Irish man hailed as “America’s Best Cop’’ by Esquire magazine, has stepped down. Timoney resigned as Tomas Regalado was sworn into office as the city's new mayor.

Bridget English/ An American Student In Ireland: “You can tell Americans,” my Irish friend told me in the pub one night. “they look different, and not just the way they dress. It’s the features. Even if you put an Irish person in American clothes I could tell. And the teeth. Like you, you have very American teeth.”

Longtime right-wing CNN anchor Lou Dobbs announced on his show Wednesday that he's leaving, effective immediately. "Some leaders in the media, politics and business have been urging me to go beyond my role here at CNN and engage in constructive problem-solving," Dobbs said.

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.

A sad family occasion in Ireland leads to a new branch in her family tree for April Drew.